🏈 HOO HOO HOO HOOSIERS!!!! 🏈
Tip of the Week
Make Purposeful Decisions
I found this image and it really, really resonated with me. I liked these ideas and found that I don't think of some of these things very often...and I even less often purposefully decide to do many of them. How are you deciding to care for yourself during the gloomy, cold winter months?
In what has become tradition, I'll share an invitation to celebrate our intentions for the year by summing up in a word or phrase.
If you have a word or phrase that you're willing to share, would you please add it here? If you'd prefer to not share with everyone but are ok sharing with me, I'd love to know it to try to help you meet that intention! 💙
In the spirit of FUN, here are two January "fun by day" options if you're looking for ways to make your days brighter...
I would like to thank Don and Russ for bearing the cold and doing a great job plowing the parking lot and sidewalks on Friday morning. Thank you for making sure we all got safely into the building. I would also like to thank Russ for noticing that my car was still running in the parking lot on Friday. I don’t even know how I let that happen!
-Joan Kantenwein--Literacy Interventionist at Lotus
Thank you Matt, for giving me the extra day off this weekend! I appreciate you!
Kudos to our school psychologist, Kim Rauchfuss! Your knowledge and expertise are truly impressive, and I learn so much from you. Thank you for always stepping up and ensuring our students receive exactly what they need to be successful!
Thank you to Mo, Janene, Christine, Stephanie, Adalia, Serene and Donna for your incredible flexibility during MAP testing this week. Your support made a big difference - saints, all of you!
Amanda, thanks for being my emotional support person last week! I am so grateful for our chats!
-Melissa McCart--Special Education Teacher at Lotus
Kudos to Erin CJ for always showing my students a little extra love. They really enjoy music class, and I'm grateful that they have such an awesome music teacher! Thanks for all you do!
Kudos to Gayle for giving our 4th graders mini easels and canvases! They all love them, and it is so awesome to see them expressing themselves through art!
Thank you to the entire 4th grade team for being supportive and helpful while I was out this past Thursday! Best team ever!!!
Thank you to Mary Honea and Melissa McCart for making sure all my students were able to log on to the MAPS test when there were technical difficulties!
Thank you to Erica Barazza for coming into my classroom and problem-solving some patterns we have been seeing with the students!
Thank you Matt Peters for having lunch with some of my students to foster friendships and bonding between them :) That makes a huge impact!
Thank you Ms. Kim V for taking extra time to allow some of my students to decompress with you in the library :)
-Serene Madison--4th Grade Teacher
Sam Mock for always willing to read with a group during our ELA class. We would be bonkers without you.
Leah Falster for always putting in the effort to make sure her students have the tools that they need to be successful.
Niccole Culbertson for always providing me with laughs and smiles when I come to visit her classroom.
-Dayja Wydzierzecki--6th Grade ELA Teacher
To Mary MP, Erin D, and Jeff F for making sure our Sped kiddos got home safe after we had a bus issue last week
Erica B and Chad for letting me try something new with our Para meeting this month.
To ALL the LOTUS PARAS for giving me feedback, both positive and negative. I appreciate you all more than you will ever know!
Sherry for bringing me in a Bears (gag, choke, throw up in my mouth) jersey for Friday. Sorry guys, I just can't!!!!
Gayle for sharing my passion with the kids. I loved all their feedback!!
Samantha S. for our informative talks every morning while doing bus duty. Always look forward to them.
-Colleen Robinson--Paraprofessional at Lotus
Kudos to Averie for always asking if I need anything done and for volunteering her time (and ideas) to help me with student council! You are a huge help!
-Renee Evans--7th and 8th Grade Math Teacher
Kudos to Nicole B for being flexible with group on Thursday so we can do some MAP testing!
Kudos to Kaitlyn May for tearing out math pages for me!
Kudos to my team for all the prepping and planning. It truly takes a village.
Kudos to Colleen, Mary, and Sherry for all they are doing with a special friend-seeing how much growth this student has made has been breathtaking. Thank you for working with me to keep this student on track for kindergarten!
Kudos to Amanda and Erica for helping with all my IRLA questions- I have learned a lot of different things this year with transitioning to a full time classroom teacher and they always answer my constant questions!
Kudos to Collen for literally making my day on Thursday for MAP testing. One of the students' computers wasn't working with the headphones and kept saying we needed to talk louder which meant SCREAMING! That was a much needed laugh during testing week.
-Adisyn Illg--Kindergarten Teacher
Anna R. for all the hard work she does checking in on students and following up with the teachers.
-Stephanie Kolk--4th Grade Teacher
A big thank you again to Kelly Roland for being so kind and generous and sharing her contest winnings with her fellow colleagues. I am super excited to use the new Lakeshore Learning boards with my first graders during word work in UFLI.
Also a huge thank you to Kim V. for getting all of these materials inventoried!
Thank you to Gina C., Dina and Brooke for your continued help with all things first grade. You are so appreciated!
-Jennifer Groot--1st Grade Teacher
Kudos to Brooke for her help and flexibility in my classroom! You rock, and have done such a great job building rapport with my students!
-Janene Leicht--2nd Grade Teacher
Kent: special thanks for all the extra/extra recycling you have had to keep up with this week. It's almost done :)
-Kim VanHoorelbeke--Library Paraprofessional at Lotus
Thank you to the entire K team for welcoming my questions about Number Corner and helping me with supplies. I appreciate you all so much!
Thank you Sammi for assisting in putting together a student's personal weighted vest. Your attention to detail is awe inspiring.
Thank you for Mr. Russell for taking on the task of editing, printing and reviewing our numerous classroom schedules, your dedication does not go unnoticed.
Thank you to Ms. Sam for cutting out stars, circles and anything shape related on the die cut machine. I greatly appreciate how you jump in to help!
Thank you Mary F for always making sure our classroom has a deep clean on Wednesdays. You are ALL in ALL the time- and your dedication is outstanding.
Thank you to Ms. Groot who has been amazing at welcoming a student of mine in her classroom. You are such a rockstar, and my student loves time with you and your class!
Thank you to Gayle and Ms. CJ for being flexible and excited about adaptations, changes and unique ways to engage our students. Your heart is all in, and we love working with you. You are so appreciated.
Thank you to Amanda L for all the behind the scenes work you do that sets a firm foundation of success for the students in the Life Skills program. You lead with your heart, and words cannot express our gratitude. Thank you for all you do each and every day.
-Erin Donovan--Special Education Teacher at Lotus
Kudos to...
Kim Mack for passing your LCSW test!
Natalie, thanks in advance for running the January Board meeting so I can be in Miami to watch
my Hoosiers!
-Heather 💙
Required Training
This week, you'll receive a link for two training modules that will require 20 minutes or so of your time. We are allocating time during Early Release for this, as it's mandatory and related to technology cybersecurity for us to meet requirements for our insurance provider. Please direct any questions to me. THANKS in advance!
Opportunity!!!!
Licensure Updates
On January 12, 2026, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) identified an issue with the recent distribution of the Notice of Intent to Audit for the Educator Professional Development Audit. Unfortunately, the notice was inadvertently sent to all educators who renewed their licenses in 2025, rather than the 360 educators originally selected for audit.
As soon as this error was discovered, ISBE acted promptly to issue correction emails to the impacted educators and to communicate with regional superintendents, assistant regional superintendents, superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, and assistant principals.
We have since received reports that some educators did not receive these correction messages. In many cases, this may be due to individuals having previously “unsubscribed” from ISBE communications via ClickDimensions. At this time, the system does not allow an unsubscriber to resubscribe. Please assist us by sharing this information with your districts. Educators who believe they have not received the correction email may contact the Educator Effectiveness department at renewal@isbe.net for assistance.
Thank you for your partnership and continued support in ensuring clear communication with the field.
Updated Absence Info
Please refer to this document for all things absence reporting. Please send any questions to Maddie Mercado or me.
THANKS!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be sure to enter absences as far in advance as possible! WE HAVE A POOL OF SUBS who can fill spots that are entered!!!! We're working on adding even more, so PLEASE enter your absences as soon as you know you'll be out.
REMINDERS
1. If you know you're sick, please put in your absence ASAP. This helps us plan for coverage more effectively. The more we have to react to in the morning, the more crazy the start to the day for everyone.
2. If scheduling personal tasks, it would be amazing if you could try to avoid THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS whenever possible.
3. If you are asked to cover for someone, please know that you're being asked as part of a bigger plan to meet the needs of kids. Unless there's a truly extraordinary situation, you are expected to say YES when asked. We only ask when it's the best answer for kids.
Please direct any questions to me about this. Principals and Associate Principals are charged with creating the plans that best meet the needs of our students. If you have questions or issues with this, they should come to me for discussion.
Thanks!
Referral GPS--Reminder!
We are committed to creating a culture of well-being of students, staff,
parents, and community. In an effort to continuously support this
commitment, the district has entered an agreement with Referral GPS.
ReferralGPS is a web-based service focused on assisting our students,
staff, and community in finding local mental-health and substance use
related treatment. The service compliments the districts existing
systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to
connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment
options, Referral GPS provides Care Navigation to assist families in
triage, appointment setting, and follow up care.
School families may access Referral GPS in two ways:
1) Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists,
counselors) to seek out treatment options.
2) Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/D114 to
search for treatment resources or connect with a Care
Navigator anonymously.
ReferralGPS takes into account all types of private and public insurance
including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, Medicare, and families who are
uninsured or underinsured. The platform also filters by age, gender, zip
code, and special requests.
ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at
no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely
confidential and securely stored.
If you are interested in seeking counseling-related services at this time,
please consider visiting https://referralgps.com/find-help/D114 or
reaching out to the Student Services team.
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.
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.
NEA Member Benefits is hosting 10 free virtual meetings to guide our members through student loan options and relief programs. If you’re carrying loans, this is absolutely worth your time. Pick a date and time that works best for you.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. Stay informed by reading the Region 49 NewsletterBurroughs Education Association
$2,500 College Scholarship funded by Woodruff Johnson Evans & Haugen. Applications are accepted from October 1 through January 31. The winner will be announced in March. Scholarship Information
Happy Monday, District 114!
We're also excited to have you join us for our first-ever Family Bingo Night!!
- Family Bingo Night
- Date: Wednesday, January 28th
- Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
- Place: Stanton Cafeteria
- What to expect:
- First book of 5 games is free, $5 for each additional book
- Prizes!!
- Snacks (popcorn and lemonade)
- First round of games: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
- Second round of games: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
- Choose to come to one or both rounds!
Help us reach our goal of 90+ members this school year! We currently have 80 members, including 40 teachers and staff, and 40 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!
Make sure to join our Facebook Group Page!
YOUR PTA Board
THIS WEEK
January 19--District Closed--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 20-- Board of Education Meeting AT STANTON or via Google Meet
Looking Ahead...
January 28--Family Bingo Night at STANTON 6-8PM
Paste the URL below into your browser:
For Primary, use: https://www.edtomorrow.
For Secondary, use: https://www.edtomorrow.
Proud to be...
