Tip (and Personal Story) of the Week
Engage using the Friz 5
As we came back to in person learning after the pandemic, we focused in on these 5 strategies because:
*Times were HARD.
*We wanted to do some simple, research based practices to help us meet our students' needs and have a shared learning focus together.
Since then, we have stuck to the 5, with the only change being the shift to "heart targets" and changing the order a little this year.
During October, I'd to focus back in on these expectations because, now and always, CLEAR IS KIND.
So let's start at the beginning!
WHAT:
1--Personal Greeting at the Door
WHY:
Research
Our shared thoughts on WHY and options for HOW to implement a PGD:
How can you spice up your PGD to have even more fun with it...for you and for students?
OR
If you've had an "oops" and not being doing a PGD, talk with colleagues or check the chart above to get ideas for how to do it in a way that fits your style.
Thank you Kim Husko for being you. I truly appreciate you and everything you do not only for students, but for the staff at Stanton. If anyone is ever feeling down, you are there to cheer them up; from making pancakes, sourdough bread or just providing your time to help someone out; you go above and beyond being a coworker. You are everyone's cheerleader and wants everyone to succeed, and that shows everyday in how you treat staff and students. You tells it like it is, and that is the best trait to have;clear is kind. You are one of the people that makes up the heart of Stanton, and for that, I truly appreciate you.
-Cathy Jawnyj--Special Education Teacher at Stanton
-Tom Cardamone and Lynn Smolen, Thank you for helping me resolve my concerns earlier in the week.
-Karen Skorup-thank you for stopping in last week.
-Kim Husko- thank you for your organization and delicious food for our October Birthdays.
-Meghan Reimers- I loved you leading the medication... I was in the back of the class. The class looked like they were on a roller coaster ride... kind of silly, and it made me smile.
-Renee Evans... I appreciate your help with fractions! 
-Kim Rauchfuss- for always doing such an amazing job!
-Cari-Thank you for the kefir grains.. I'm loving making it!
-Don- Thank you for fixing my wobbly table.
-Karen Lobodzinski--District Speech and Language Pathologist
-Sammie-
Kudos to you for making our sensory room even better this year. I love the added fun equipment, the swing, and the sensory room circuit! You are great at explaining the "why" behind the activities and how different activities help the students to regulate. I have truly enjoyed working with you and enjoy the fresh ideas you are bringing to D114! Keep up the great work!
-The LIfe Skills Team-
Kudos to everyone who has been working with the two Life Skills classrooms (Erin, Pam, Amanda, Erica, Sarah, Sammie, Fiona, Ashley, Mary K, Mary F, Samantha, Mandi, Monica, Kristine, and Russell). I am honored to work with all of you! I am noticing how much your hard work is paying off on the playground and in APE. Thank you for helping our students make progress in their gross motor skills! Keep up the great work! Go Team!
-Stephanie Silverman--District Physical Therapist
Niall Schoenfelder, Karen Brnot, Jill Becmer, Matt Shannon, Tom Cardamone, Mark Perlman, Niccole Culbertson, Michele Burgess, Jamie Smeigh, Oner Medrano, Danielle Donelli, Dayja Wydzierzecki, Katy Gardner, Renee Evans, and Dan Miller- For their amazing support of the Stanton Foxes Soccer team this season! Whether it was coming out to watch and cheer on the kiddos (who notice and talk about every teacher that came), buying spirit wear, communicating/translating, checking in about games and the season, stepping up to referee, working with students in study hall, or lending a hand when challenges came up. THANK YOU!
Dan Olson- Thank you, Dan, for being such a great coach to work alongside this season. Your positivity, sense of humor, and encouragement made the experience so enjoyable. And what a highlight—Stanton’s first win in a few years!
Kaitlyn Goorsky- 6th grade Social Studies Teacher
It was so fun to see teachers jumping in and playing with students this week. Maureen DeVoss and Stephanie Kolk showed off their quarterback skills on the football field, Anna Morris brought her energy to the Gaga Pit, and Sam G impressed with his basketball moves. It’s moments like these that make our school community such a great place to be.
A huge shout-out to Sue P for her incredible multitasking skills at the front office—truly a one-woman show who keeps everything running smoothly. We don’t know how she does it all, but we’re grateful she does!
Thank you to Abbey K for partnering with me to support our newcomer MLL student. She jumped right in to help with a restorative conversation and created visuals to make his transition into all things new a little smoother. Her care and quick thinking made a real difference.
A big thank you to Caitlyn, our math interventionist, for the time and effort she’s put into collecting math data, building schedules, and collaborating with the team on next steps. Your hard work behind the scenes is setting everyone up for success.
Shout-out to Ashley Brown for her magic touch with students. She has an aura that instantly helps kids regulate and brings such positive energy everywhere she goes.
Kudos to Sammi G for being every student’s (and maybe even adults’) favorite person, and for designing such an incredible sensory circuit in the sensory room. Her work is giving students a way to power up, power down, and organize their bodies—and it’s making a real impact.
Thank you to Kim V and Kristie Paul for stepping in to provide coverage when we needed it most. Your flexibility and teamwork never go unnoticed.
A big shout-out to the first grade team for their outstanding collaboration on both behavior and academics. The consistency across the grade level truly shows in the way students behave, transition, and tackle hard things. Your teamwork makes a visible difference every day.
-Chad, Erica, and Matt--Ad Team at Lotus
Thanks for everyone who checked on me with my broke car YET again!
Thanks for all the support for my life drama too. This Lotus family is pretty amazing!
-Sherry Tietjen--Special Education Teacher at Lotus
Kudos to Cathy Jawnyj, Christina Gardner, and Melissa Rattner for their support of our 6th graders in ELA, Math, and Flex. Thanks for your flexibility and willingness to step in.
Kudos Samantha Mock, Oner Medrano, and Jackie Mathews for all of your help with our 6th graders in math. You jump right in and are willing to help with anything. You guys are rock stars!
Kudos to my 6th grade teammates, Dayja Wydzierzecki, Kaitlyn Goorsky, and Cynthia Tsarpalas. I appreciate everything that you do for our 6th graders. Keep up the great work! Welcome, Leah Falster, to our team!
-Katy Gardner--6th Grade Math Teacher
Thank you Jillian Kilty and Sarah Gallivan for allowing Girls on the Run to use your gatorskin balls for an activity on Monday. You saved us from having to blow up and tie a bunch of balloons and avoided a possible allergic reaction!
Thank you to Dina & Gina for keeping an eye on the girls while they wait for Kelly and I to finish our end of the day duty. We appreciate you!
Kelly Roland & Mollie Crow--Lotus Girls on the Run Coaches
I would like to give a big THANK YOU and Kudos to Jack, Matt, Tom, Sue in the kitchen, and everyone else who assisted me with a student experiencing a medical emergency this week. Our calm teamwork made a stressful situation less chaotic and scary for the student who quickly recovered.
- Amy McKendry--Health Technician at Stanton
To...
Everyone for holding down the fort while I was at a conference.
Team Stanton for supporting allllllllll the kid issues that took time and energy last week. I'm amazed by the way the school is working together to support kids...and each other. THANK YOU!
AJ Tripoli for leading the way for Stanton's Band!!!!
To Chad, Erica, Matt P, Matt S, and Tom for being AMAZING PRINCIPALS!!! We are soooo glad you are leading the way!
Heather
NEW INFO
Institute Day Plan COMING SOON!!!
There will be time to learn, time to work, and time to reflect.
😁😁😁
GCN Training--Info coming this week!
Be on the lookout for more information on this year's training plan. Thanks to Kim VanHoorelbeke and Amy McKendry, we are able to cut wayyyyyyyyyyy down on the videos required to watch...saving you time and providing expert training on really important topics.
D114 Spirit Wear
Looking to order spirit wear? Just click here to place your order!!!!
REPEAT INFO
Lotus Family Reading Night--From the FABULOUS Kim VanHoorelbeke
I wanted to get this out there as it's already October next week. Please see attached flier below (1st part is English) along with a SIGN UP SHEET. The more the merrier. It's at a fun time of the year and the families truly enjoy it from year to year. We can't do it without you.
We have a lot of new staff so wanted to give a brief description. Family Reading Night is 2 hours where families can come during that time frame to participate. The point of it is to help promote reading together or students reading to family. There will be 8 reading rooms to choose from, a Spooky/Fun Book Walk in the Gym, along with an Art station and food/treat.
Staff can bring their families as well :) Thanks in advance for anytime you can give as I know it's precious.
🍏 Fun Staff Outing! 🍎
We need a final headcount for our District Richardson's Farm Outing on Friday, October 17th. Please fill out the form if you are planning to attend.
We would like the final headcount by Wednesday, October 8th.
Wellness Screenings!
It's time for our annual Wellness Screening Event through NIHIP!
Empower Health Services will be at Lotus on Friday, October 10, 2025 from 6:30am - 10:00am. The event is available to ALL staff.
The wellness screenings will consist of three components:
- The Screening package (see attached for more information)
- Seasonal Flu Shot
- Additional Test Options
Screening package and Flu Shots are available at NO COST to employees and spouses on any district health plan.
Additional test options are available and covered for all BCBS PPO members and on a self-pay basis for all BCBS HMO members.
Employees and spouses not on the district's insurance plan can also participate on a self-pay basis.
For those only interested in the Seasonal Flu Shot, you must register online and select the "Flu Only" option when creating an appointment . Flu Shots will only be provided to those with an appointment.
Registration is now open! Please follow these steps to sign up:
- Visit the Empower Health website by clicking here
- Returning Participants: If you previously created an account, sign in under "Welcome Back!'
- New Participants: Complete "New User" fields and enter
client code: foxlakedist114EHS
Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
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.
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.
Thank you to all of the EAFL members for attending our articulation meeting. It was wonderful to have a chance to connect with everyone!
Check out this flyer for the IEA's 4th Annual Fall Fest on November 15! 
Stay informed by reading the Region 49 NewsletterOther opportunities to check out:
Fall Teaching & Learning Collectives - Virtual Book Study Registration is OPEN!
September 28 - November 22 | up to 26 PD Hours Register HERE
Choose a book and settle in for the fall session of IEA’s virtual book studies. With 5 titles across Collective themes of Student Wellness, Justice and Equity, Instructional Strategies, and Educator Wellness - there is a book for everyone!
All IEA members are invited to participate: Virtual Book Study
Questions? Contact Jenny Seitz.
Aspiring Educators & Early Career Fall Events - Registration Now Open!
Please help spread the word and encourage members to attend these upcoming events:
Early Career Fall Blitz/Aspiring Educators Fall Retreat
AND...don't forget
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!
Can you believe it's already October!!
We have some great things planned for the month. Read on for more details!
- TONIGHT!! 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
Help us reach our goal of 90+ members this school year! We currently have 72 members, including 37 teachers and staff, and 35 parents/guardians. Thank you to Christine VanCrey and Jennifer Powers for signing up last week!!!
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!
Make sure to join our Facebook Group Page!
Have a great week!
YOUR PTA Board
THIS WEEK
October 6--PTA Meeting at 6PM
October 9--Stanton Picture Day
October 10--Institute Day--NO STUDENT ATTENDANCE
Looking Ahead...
October 13--District Closed for Columbus Day
October 20th through October 24th--Lotus Book Fair
October 21--Board of Education Meeting
October 22--Family Reading Night at Lotus
October 24--Stanton Halloween Dance
Paste the URL below into your browser:
For Primary, use: https://www.edtomorrow.
For Secondary, use: https://www.edtomorrow.
Proud to be...
