Sunday, March 8, 2026

Monday Morning Memo 3/9/26

  Get ready for...


Tip of the Week

Every student, every day

How are you answering these 3 questions for ALL our students each and every day?


I popped this in Chat and asked for practical ways to answer the questions...here's what I found for Question 2:

3️⃣ “Do you care about me?”

Care = Connection + Dignity + Advocacy

Daily Practices

Greet every student by name. (aka Personal Greeting at the Door)
Notice specifics: “You seemed quieter today.”
Attend at least one extracurricular event per semester.
Protect their dignity publicly.
Ask about life outside school — and remember the answers.

Relational Structures

Weekly 2-minute connection rounds.
Student interest surveys.
Restorative conversations instead of reactive discipline. (aka alllllllll the STARR strategies)

“Tell me what happened” before consequences.

Subtle but Powerful Signals

Kneel or sit to student level.
Make eye contact.
Say “I’m glad you’re here.”
Use their name in positive ways 3x more than corrective.









Thank you Colleen for always being in my corner for the hardest times of my life. 
Thank you Ashley Arff for the cheeseburger.
Thanks Mary for the Pepsi and skittles. 
Thank you Kelly for the wind chime and bracelet. Thank u Kaitlynn May for the card.  

THANK YOU to everyone who reached out and checked on me during a very hard week. Time to MARCH towards positive outcomes!!! 
-Sherry Tietjen--Special Education Teacher at Lotus


Thank you Alana and Fiona for helping my daughter complete a survey about Early Intervention!  I really appreciate your expertise and willingness to help her!☺️
-Kim Leable--Long Term Sub at Lotus


Sam Mock – Thank you so much for the coffee! It was greatly appreciated. I also appreciate you always helping by making any copies I need!

Jamie Smeigh – Thank you for helping me create the God and Goddess March Madness bracket for the hallway. The students absolutely love it!

Renee Evans – Thank you for always being there for me, for sharing new ideas, and for helping me out whenever I need it. You're the best! 

6th Grade Team: Dayja, Katy, Leah and Cynthia-  I really appreciate how our team always works together and helps each other out. Everyone is willing to step in, share ideas, and support one another whenever it’s needed. Thank you all for being such supportive and collaborative team members!

Kaitlyn Goorsky- 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher 


Kudos to Sam Mock for being so sweet and bringing me coffee over the past 2 weeks!  It truly warmed my heart!  I appreciate everything you do!

A huge thank you to Jill, Michele, and Tom for taking care of me when I really needed help.  I am forever grateful!

Kudos to my amazing 8th grade team!  Hailey, Josie, Walter, and Dan!  I would not have gotten through the past 2 weeks without your help, concern, and care!  You all are the BEST!!

Jackie and Mark—thank you for all of your help and stopping by to help when you had breaks!

Cindy Hamilton- 8th Grade Science Teacher



AND...


To Kristie, Maddie, and Natalie for ALLLLLL the things while I was out. 

-Heather 💙









Just for Fun...

Click here to get to the BINGO board. Read the directions and let's play BINGO!!!! 



Summer School 2026
Please let me know via email if you are interested in working Summer School 2026! We need certified staff, paraprofessionals, related service providers, bus/van drivers, and bus paraprofessionals! 

Here are the details you need for our site based programs:

July 6-30
Monday-Thursday
Lotus 8-11
Stanton 8:45-11:45

Certified Pay Rate: $45/hour (3 hours per day of instruction and 2 hours per week of planning)

Support Staff Pay Rate: Your 26-27 hourly rate of pay

Please email if you are interested. 

In the upcoming weeks, we will firm up the class lists for:
Extended School Year--students with IEPs who are guaranteed access to summer programming due to predicted regression (documented service in their IEP)

Summer Intensive--students our teams recommend for summer remediation and reteaching based on qualifiers like:
*Current need for academic/SEL targeted interventions
*Multilingual students who would benefit from summer intensive support 
*Absenteeism
*Data indicating lack of progress

There will NOT be a separate program for our multilingual learners. 

Please reach out with questions or interest. 🩵



Please Share!!!!!












Employee Assistance Program Updates

Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) partner, AllOne Health, has launched a new Member Portal.

The updated portal is easier to use and aligned with the AllOne Health App, making it simple to access counseling, mental health resources, and well-being support.

What’s new:

  • A refreshed, user-friendly portal
  • Easier access to EAP and well-being services
  • One login for both the app and the portal

You can access services at AllOneHealth.com/portal.

You may notice that new materials reference updated landing pages. If employees use an existing or bookmarked link, it will automatically redirect to AllOneHealth.com/portal—no action needed.

If you already use the AllOne Health App, log in with the same credentials. If not, create an account—your login will work for both the app and the portal.

Please review the attached flyer for sign-up instructions and watch the short orientation video here:
👉 Orientation Video

Confidential support remains available 24/7 for employees and their household members.

If you have questions, please contact me.


Thanks,

Maddie


Lake County Educator of the Year Nominations---PLEASE HELP!
The Lake County Regional Office of Education in partnership with the Lake County Regional Office of Education Foundation will be hosting the fifth annual Educator of the Year Ceremony. The Ceremony will be held at the Lake County Fairgrounds on May 6th, at 6:00 pm. Doors open at 5:00 pm with a social hour then dinner to follow. The awards ceremony will take place after the dinner. Tickets will go on sale March 30th, information will be shared once the link is live.

I have included all of the information about the EOY in this email. The information can also be found on the ROE shared drive under the  Educator of the Year folder  and on the ROE website under the tab Educator of the Year later today. 

There will be 9 categories for nominations. Districts can submit 1 nomination per eligible category, all  paperwork must be included for each nomination to be considered. Nominees will receive a free ticket to the EOY Ceremony. Electronic nomination packets are due by Friday, March 20, 2026. 

Here are links for the 2026 EOY.

Educator of the Year Letter (1 page introductory letter on the EOY)
Educator of the Year Power Point (Powerpoint explaining the EOY nomination guidelines)
Educator of the Year Guidelines (Word document of the EOY nomination guidelines)
Educator of the Year Nomination Form (This form must be filled out and submitted with your nomination packet)
Educator of the Year Nomination Submission (Link to submit your nomination packet for EOY)




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!






 

🍎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!

Join us TONIGHT for our March PTA meeting!. 
  • March PTA Meeting
    • Date: Monday, 3/9/26
    • Time: 6:00 pm to ~7:00 pm
    • Location: Lotus Library or Google Meet
Mark your calendars for the following dates:
  • March Eat Out to Help Out
    • Date: Tuesday, 3/10/26
    • Time: 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
    • Location: Culver's in Fox Lake
    • Make sure to say you're with District 114 when you order!
  • Day of Service
    • Date: Wednesday, 4/22/26
    • We're currently seeking sponsors for this year's Day of Service! If you have or know of a small business that is interested in supporting the PTA's work, please visit our Givebacks site or email us at pta@foxlake114.org
    • Our annual Day of Service fundraiser is coming soon! 
    • Day of Service is a unique event that combines fundraising with hands-on community service, where students complete projects like cleaning community gardens and creating care packages for nursing home residents. 
    • This year, our fundraising goal is $25,000 to sustain the PTA's annual programs:
      • Teacher Conference Dinners
      • Stanton Halloween Dance
      • Santa's Breakfast
      • Book Buddies
      • Holiday Dinners for Families in Need
      • Family Bingo Night
      • Family Fun Fair
      • Teacher Appreciation Breakfast
      • Teacher Grant Money
      • School Assemblies
      • 8th Grade Funds
      • Family Rocket Launch
    • Additionally, any funds raised beyond this goal will go toward a dedicated account for the future construction of a new playground at Lotus Elementary School—an investment that will benefit students and the community for years to come!
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.

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







Link to the D114 25-26 Calendar
Link to the D114 26-27 Calendar

THIS WEEK
Remember to play SPRING BREAK BINGO!!!!
Monday---PTA meeting (see info above)

Looking Ahead...
March 23-27--Spring Break
April 22-DAY OF SERVICE
May 22--Last Day of School for PreK
May 26--8th Grade Promotion Ceremony
May 27--Last Day of School






Emergency Weather Information

Field Trip Request Form

2025-26 D114 Staff Absence Reporting: Guidelines and Contacts

Transportation Q and A

2025-26 Certified Staff Evaluation Documents

Paste the URL below into your browser:

https://edtomorrow.beehiiv.com/subscribe




2025-26 Early Release Plans----always a work in progress


2025-26 Updated Approved Calendar

2025-26 Assessment Calendar

2025-26 Stipend Documents

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Pacing Guide 2025-26

Work Order Request--please use this to ask for help with anything facilities, room, cleaning related!

Business Office Shared Drive












Governors State University will be hosting a few virtual informational sessions to discuss the LBS1 endorsement and the Master of Arts in Multicategorical Special Education program. The master’s program has initial licensure and advanced licensure options.

 

The session will begin promptly at the scheduled time and will include detailed information about the completely online programs and how to apply by the program coordinator, Dr. Sara Jozwik. Questions will be encouraged!

 

Please share the registration links below with your staff, and/or post the flyer attached to this email

 














Proud to be...

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