Monday Morning Memo: Monday-ish Morning Memo 2/16/26

Tip of the Week

Engage Using the Friz 5

Just a reminder of this amazing site full of ideas for each day on personal greetings, check ins, movement breaks, and videos to set a tone for learning!

Paste the URL below into your browser:

https://edtomorrow.beehiiv.com/subscribe

The Lotus lunch bunch for an amazing breakfast and lunch on Friday

Mandi and Mary F for thinking of me after my horrible week.

Sammie and Fiona for teaming up with this rookie for our presentation. You both are so amazing!!!!

Sherry, Mary MP, Dina for the collaboration over dinner last week. It did the body good!!!

For anyone who reached out to me after my loss of a dear friend. Thank you. It means more than you will ever know.

To the Lotus Admin team for believing in me and giving me the encouragement to help present on neurodiversity. You guys all know this is my passion.

To everyone that made the Institute Day one of the best since I've been to Lotus.

-Colleen Robinson--Paraprofessional at Lotus

Thanks Jillian for helping out with assessing a student so we can make data driven decisions to support the student and providing DI instruction for a student in a pinch. Thank you for being one team, all in!

-Lynn Smolen--District Student Support Coordinator

Thank you Colleen for being my uber driver multiple days this week. Thanks for no one taking her parking spot on Monday lol

Thanks to everyone who sent good vibes for David at wrestling.

Thanks Matt for hanging in my room to help with a friend.

Thanks Chad for helping with an update on embrace.

Thanks Amanda and Alana for your visuals to help with math vocabulary.

Thanks Groot for your quick response to a short story and questions.

Thank you Kim for following up with paperwork.

Thank you Mrs.Brown for advocating for a student.

Thank you Dina, Amanda, Erica, Colleen, & Mary for some deep and hard conversations

My life is a whole lot of crazy right now but I’m thankful to have an even crazier support team! Thank you Sammie, Mollie, and Joan for checking in on me and my stepdad.

-Sherry Tietjen--Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Kudos to Samantha Mock for the cookie surprise!

-Michele Burgess-Administrative Assistant at Stanton

AND...

To Sammie, Colleen, Fiona, Nicole, Erica, Stephanie, Anna, Karen, Ashley, Jenny, Jessica, and Danielle for sharing your expertise in breakout sessions on Friday!

To everyone for making Friday's Institute Day one of the best EVER!!!!

-Heather 💙

26-27 Calendar Proposal

Thanks again to the amazing Calendar Committee for leading the work!

The recommendation slides that will be presented to the Board are linked here, along with the data that drove the recommendation.

Thank you to everyone who shared input!

Opportunity!!!!

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.

Stay informed by reading the Region 49 Newsletter

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 Newsletter

Good morning, District 114!

We hope everyone enjoyed the lovely weather this weekend and that you'll join us at this year's Family Fun Fair on Saturday, February 21st. Read on for more details.
Family Fun Fair
Date: Saturday, February 21st
Time: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Place: Lotus Gym/Cafeteria/Library
What to expect:
Free Admission
Food
Games
Inflatable Obstacle Course
Face Painting
Balloon Animals
Book Fair
Lotus Spring Bookfair
Dates: Saturday, 2/21 through Friday, 2/27; Set up on 2/20
Sign up for a shift here.
Help us reach our goal of 90+ members this school year! We currently have 81 members, including 40 teachers and staff, and 41 parents/guardians. Thank you, Don Olson, for being our newest member!

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