Monday Morning Memo: Monday Morning Memo 9/22/25

Tip (and Personal Story) of the Week

! Look for joy

Last week was FULL of challenging moments...personally and professionally. I think was was probably true for LOTS of us. I found this image and it served as a reminder to look for the good stuff...the GLIMMERS...and thought it was a great visual to reiterate the importance of LOOKING FOR JOY. What you seek, you will find...

Let's look for the GLIMMERS this week and search actively for JOY!

Dan Millers’ demeanor always brightens up a Stanton day.

-Mark Perlman--Long Term Substitute at Stanton

From Last Week

Huge kudos to Adisyn for going above and beyond by bringing cupcakes to celebrate her student’s birthday—what a thoughtful way to make the day extra special!

A big thank you to Nicole for her support in facilitating restorative circles—your guidance makes such a positive impact.

And to all the amazing staff members who showed up to support McTeacher Night at McDonald’s—your presence means so much to our students, families, and community.

This Week

Kudos to Cary Scarpino for being a strong, steady presence—perhaps the only one this child has—for a student who desperately needs it. Your consistency, care, and calm support are making a powerful difference

Kudos to Kendra Logar for advocating for a new student and ensuring we have everything in place for him to be safe and successful

Kudos to Mary Honea for working her magic with a student and supporting him to be his best self every day

Thank you to the kitchen staff for the delicious Oktoberfest treats — the extra details make all the difference!

A big thank you to Jenny for stepping in to help whenever needed and for being such a quick learner

A huge shout-out to Natalie Udstuen, our incredible Director of Business Services, for taking on every challenge with such a positive attitude , juggling all the hats you wear , and still finding ways to lift others up along the way

Kudos to Jillian Kilty for sharing a great behavior management strategy during SST and modeling how it can be implemented . It was awesome to see this strategy already making a positive impact in specials

Thank you to Maureen DeVoss for having a thoughtful restorative conversation with a student, helping to re-establish a positive relationship and set the student up for success upon returning to class

Shout out to Mary Fisher for sticking it out all day despite feeling terrible so that all of our students and staff had enough support in Life Skills

-Chad, Erica, and Matt

Thank you to Kim Rauchfuss, Matt Shannon, Meghan Reimers, Karen Lobodzinski, Niall Schoenfelder, Karen Brnot and Niccole Culbertson for awesome pre-IEP meetings. We have great plans for all the students we talked about.

Thank you Karen Brnot for wiping down my desks! Also, thank you for all your support! You are extraordinary.

Thank you to Niccole Culbertson for all the laughs during class. Also thank you for trusting me to teach the Poe unit. I am excited about our co-teaching journey!

Thank you to Renee Evans for providing support and care for one of the students on my caseload. This student has issues with self-confidence, and your words and support really helped him through a tough time. The students are lucky to have you as a teacher.

Thank you to the sixth grade team for your continued communication and support for the students I see during flex!

Thank you Meghan Reimers for being you! I love collaborating with you! The students are lucky to have you in the corner!

Thank you Kim Mack for your continued support for students and for helping me problem solve a few situations , your words or advice really helped!

Thank you Matt Shannon for your continued support and check ins. You are fantastic!

Thank you Mark Pearlman for always providing a laugh! I truly appreciate all you do for students!

-Cathy Jawnyj--Special Education Teacher at Stanton

Thank you Hallie & Tammy for a picture to personalize a bus social story.

Thank you to everyone who offered to help me this week when my car starter decided it was done working and left me stranded in Johnsburg before school and without a car for a few days.

Thank you Colleen and Mary for problem solving and trying to help our kids be their best.

Thank you Matt, Chad, and Erica for sitting with a student that was struggling multiple times this week.

Thank you Tammy for keeping us all informed about bus concerns.

Thank you Erica for the social stories.

-Sherry Tietjen--Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Thank you to all the teams that were so amenable to my change in schedule; they include the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th teams, which helped me adjust my caseload.

Nice Job on the Stanton News Network, Meghan Reimer... The students were incredible!

Alana and Fiona for always including me.

Kim R. for all you do!

-Karen Lobodzinski--Speech and Language Pathologist

Thank you Russell and Mr. Sam for stepping in and helping us in prek this week! You are so appreciated and the kids love you!

-Lora Faro--Blended PreK Teacher

Samantha Mock for giving me a Dunkin coffee. It was a wonderful Friday pick me up.
Kaitlyn Goorsky for the Bubblr. Thanks for thinking of me.
Katy Gardner for just always looking out and being a great friend.
Averie Schultz for all the help with volleyball, you are so appreciated.

-Dayja Wydzierzecki-6th Grade ELA Teacher

Thank you to Caitlyn Fenton for making screener materials for my classroom!

Thank you Stephanie Kolk for communicating with me on our shared student and daily behaviors. You have been doing such a great job with him!

Thank you to Sherry for my amazing Ramen flavored treats! SO delicious! Thanks for the weekly printout when I need them too :) I appreciate you being such. good friend to me and always being someone I can count on.

Thank you to my classroom paras, Courtney, Misty, and Brittany. You are amazing and so very patient with all our kids. I am blessed to work with you and have you in the SEL program!

Thank you Gina for making copies for our class in your spare time.

Thank you Ashley Brown for being such a wonderful addition and setting high expectations for our students. We love our Whole CLass SW group and the activities you have planned.

Thank you to Kim Rauchfuss for your support when I needed help with a student.

Thank you DIna and Teri for your patience and support in our shared student in helping them be most successful.

-Ashley Arff--Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Kudos to Dan Miller for being a great Cross Country Coach! It’s been great coaching along side you. Thank you also to Mr. Fisher for fixing my door knob! I truly appreciate it!

-Renee Evans--7th Grade Math Teacher

Sherry and Mary for covering me while I was out last week.

Gayle for being so patient with our friend during art club and for all you do for our kids that are in our classroom

Sonia for your help in the lunchroom. I appreciate you more than you know.

Amanda Lorenz just for being you and always knowing what our littles need

Hallie and Tammy for making sure our kids are safe on the bus

Jenny for taking over when needed at the front counter.

-Colleen Robinson--Paraprofessional at Lotus

Thank you Joan Kantenwein and Joe Fernandez for helping me finish my IRLA screening. We would be lost without the two of you!

-Cary Scarpino--1st Grade Teacher

Kelly Roland- you are so appreciated every day. Thanks for making all those special connections with the students and for helping me make sure the students are reading where they need to be. It's always such a pleasure working with you.

Sonia - thanks for all your energy and organization in the lunchroom to make it a great lunch experience for all.

Mo and Nicole - your donations are awesome and greatly appreciated, thank you for AL!!!!!

Lotus Lunch Crew & Spirit Team - that was such an awesome Oktoberfest luncheon THANKS :)

-Kim VanHoorelbeke--Paraprofessional at Lotus

A very big Thank You to Kim VanHoorelbeke for all of your help again over the summer with student chromebook preparation!!!

Kim helped to prepare the chromebooks for Summer school and those needed for all Lotus grade levels at the start of the school year.

Kim is always willing to step in and help someone!

-Mike Szotek--Technology Coordinator

Kudos to Kim Husko, who has been baking DELICIOUS sourdough bread every Friday for

Stanton Staff......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

-Michele Burgess--Administrative Assistant at Stanton

To Jamie Smeigh for all he does for the ILPA classroom and students!

To Karen Skorup for collaborating with me and being the best ILP buddy :)

To Kendra Smeigh for supporting the students from my class in lunch and PE and always keeping me in the loop

-Jillian Rejczyk--Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Dayja – Thank you for being such a great teammate and for supporting me during tough situations.

Renee – Thank you for always being so positive and bringing a smile to me every time I see you.

Tom – Thank you for your support this week.

6th Grade Team (Dayja, Katy, and Cynthia) – Thank you for being an amazing team! I appreciate how we always collaborate and support one another.

-Kaitlyn Goorsky--6th grade Social Studies Teacher

Thank you to Stephanie, Sammie, Amanda, Erica and staff involved from Life Skills classes for helping out with APE the last couple weeks. It has taken a village to get APE where it is now and I appreciate all of your patience and effort. Thank you!

Thank you to Sonia and the kitchen staff for allowing me to use your space to hold APE. I know it's not ideal but you have been so willing to help out and I appreciate you! Thank you for the cart as well:)

-Sarah Gallivan--PE Teacher at Lotus

To...

Our entire staff for being so mindful of absences! We've had our fewest number of staff absences EVER, and it makes a huge difference for everyone! THANK YOU!

EVERYONE for your flexibility with our bus issues on Friday!

Our amazing KITCHEN TEAMS for stellar reviews from the Health Department! And we all appreciated the fun TLC with Oktoberfest!!!!

The Stanton volleyball teams and coaches! It was so fun to watch you play!

Heather

NEW INFO

Field Trips

If you are planning for a field trip, please remember:

All field trip requests must be submitted to the principal no later than the 15th of the previous month of your trip.

Example: Trip is in March, Form must be in by February 15th. This allows time for approval and our drivers to select trips.

1. Complete the Field Trip Request Form.

2. Submit the form to your Principal for approval.

2. Principals, if approved, submit to NATALIE UDSTUEN to arrange transportation.

Work Orders

When you have something you need the Facilities Team to handle for you, please complete a Work Request. Be sure to include the LOCATION in the "summary" field.

REPEAT INFO

Absence Reporting

Please refer to this document for all things absence reporting. Please send any questions to Maddie Mercado or me.

THANKS!

Injury Reporting

If you are injured on the job, you MUST IMMEDIATELY do the following:

1. Report this injury to an administrator.

2. Report the injury to Company Nurse.

Thanks in advance!

Remember the Employee Assistance Program!

The EAP is typically a great place to start when you need care and aren’t sure what support you or a family member might be needing. They can guide you to specific care and even set up the appointment for you. Take advantage of this confidential and supportive service to address any

personal or work-related challenges you may be facing by calling Perspectives at 800.456.6327.

Welcome back to all of our EAFL members!

Your EAFL board members are (with the building that they reside in):

Co-Presidents: Maureen DeVoss (Lotus) and Kendra Smeigh (Stanton)

Non Certified Vice President: Gina Crosthwaite (Lotus)

Treasurer: Katy Gardner (Stanton)

Secretary: Tasha Pfau (Lotus)

Regional Rep: Kendra Logar (Lotus)

Lotus Building Rep: Misty Madula

Stanton Building Rep: Renee Evans

Any union questions or concerns can be directed towards any one of these people. Thank you to this wonderful team for dedicating your time and efforts towards our membership.

Date to Note:

Union Articulation on Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 24 @ 2:00 PM in the Stanton Cafeteria: This is a time for us all to get together for celebrations and to get union information. If you are a union member, your presence is expected since we are being given the time to meet. If you are not a member, you are expected to work your regular schedule in the building on this day. An agenda and more specific information will be provided in the upcoming weeks.

See what your membership has to offer! Go to ieanea.org to see all of the happenings and most up to date information on union matters. Go to ieanea.org/benefits/ to explore discounts and deals that are offered to you with your membership.

Good morning, District 114!

We hope everyone stayed cozy and dry this weekend!

Help us reach our goal of 90+ members this school year! We currently have 68 members, including 37 teachers and staff, and 31 parents/guardians. Here's what you need to know:
Dues are $10 for the whole year! That's less than a dollar a month!
You'll receive a District 114 PTA Calendar featuring student artwork
Join here today!
Join the PTA and help enrich your child's educational experience this year!

Mark your calendars! We have some exciting things happening in the next few weeks:
October PTA Meeting
Monday, October 6th at 6:00 pm (usually ends by 7:00 pm)
Lotus Library or join us on Google Meets!
Fall Book Fair at Lotus
October 20th through October 24th
Setup will be on October 17th
Sign-up information will be sent out soon!
Family Reading Night
Wednesday, October 22nd
Held at Lotus
More details to come!
Stanton Halloween Dance
Friday, October 24th
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Open to 5th through 8th graders
$5 admission
Admission includes entrance, a slice of pizza, lemonade, and popcorn
Make sure to join our Facebook Group Page!

Have a great week!

YOUR PTA Board