Kudos to Dayja for being my gym partner all summer! Wouldn’t want anyone else
Shoutout to Sonia Miller for making our hallways look absolutely amazing and helping create such a welcoming environment for our staff, students, and families as we begin a new school year!
A huge thank you to our custodial crew — Russ Xhemaili, Lidia Perez, Kent Jorgenson, Eddie Villareal, Don Uklea, and Joe Braun for all of the hard work that went into getting our building cleaned, organized, and ready to go. There is so much work that happens behind the scenes to prepare for a new school year, and we appreciate everything you’ve done!
Thank you to Mike Szotek and Tyler Fish for getting all of our technology and audio ready for Institute Day and for making sure everything is up, running, and ready for the start of the school year. We appreciate all the troubleshooting and behind-the-scenes work that makes everything run smoothly!
To our entire summer school staff: Thank you for showing up for our students and families all summer long. Summer school takes flexibility, patience, creativity, and a willingness to jump in wherever needed, and I am so grateful for the time, energy, and care you gave our kids.
Michelle Mattes: You are quite literally a one-woman show! I had no idea until this summer just how much effort, detail, organization, and hard work goes into preparing for all things Kinder Readiness, PreK screening, registration, scheduling, class lists, room set-up, cleaning…and the list goes on and on. Michelle, you somehow keep a million moving pieces going while continuing to take care of kids, families, and staff. Thank you for everything you do for Lotus and our PreK program.
Corinne Corona: Thank you for being such a team player and so willingly offering your time and help to Michelle and our PreK program. You saw where support was needed and simply jumped in. That willingness to help one another is exactly what makes Lotus special.
Colleen Robinson: Thank you for coming in over the summer to help make sure our paras have what they need to start the year feeling prepared and supported. That kind of behind-the-scenes work makes such a difference, and I appreciate you taking the time to help set the team up for a strong start.
Our GC team: Thank you for dedicating two days of your summer to come together, learn, plan, problem-solve, and prepare for the year ahead. Giving up summer time is no small thing, and your commitment to being ready for our students and for one another does not go unnoticed.
Our entire custodial team: While many of us are away during the summer, you are here working incredibly hard to make sure we return to a building that is sparkling clean, safe, and ready for students. Thank you also for the countless furniture moves, garbage runs, room changes, and "can you help me with one more thing?" requests from all of us. We appreciate you more than you know!
Sonia Miller: Thank you for the love and care you pour into our building and our staff. If you haven't already, check out the beautiful walls she meticulously painted this summer! Those little—and not-so-little—touches make Lotus feel warm, welcoming, and cared for before our students even walk through the doors.
Our office, transportation, HR, and business office teams: THANK YOU for alllllllll of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into closing one school year and starting another. Registration, phones, records, schedules, supplies, bus routes, transportation changes, hiring, onboarding, purchasing, payroll, family questions, paperwork, last-minute adjustments…the work never seems to stop. So much of what you do happens quietly in the background, but our school simply could not run without you.
Mike Szotek, our tech guru: Thank you for keeping all things technology moving! New staff access, logins, devices, classroom technology, troubleshooting, and the million little tech things that somehow always pop up right before school starts—you are constantly helping us get up and running and doing it with patience along the way.
Kim V., librarian extraordinaire and summer wearer of ALL the hats: Thank you for being here all summer and jumping in wherever you are needed. From the library to tech support to helping make sure teachers and students actually have devices in their hands and ready to go, you are one of those people who quietly makes a million things happen behind the scenes. We are so lucky to have you.
To all of our new staff: Thank you for walking through our doors with positive attitudes, open minds, and a willingness to learn. Starting somewhere new takes courage, and we are so excited for you to bring your own gifts, talents, ideas, and experiences to our students and families. We are so glad you are here.
And last, but definitely not least…my two right-hand dudes, Chad and Matt. There is no way to capture all that these two have done over the last several weeks. They have been all in—moving furniture, solving problems, answering a million questions, making decisions, changing plans, changing them again, supporting staff, welcoming new people,interviewing, hiring, interviewing some more, and stepping in wherever something needed to get done. There is never a sense of "that's not my job"; if Lotus needs it, they are there.
Thank you for keeping me grounded, making me laugh, listening to approximately 7,000 ideas a day, talking me off the ledge when idea #6,842 gets a little too ambitious, and always being willing to figure it out together. 
More importantly, thank you for caring so deeply about our staff, students, families, and this building. I couldn't ask for better partners heading into another school year.
And to anyone I somehow missed in this ridiculously long kudos section: please know that if you have carried a box, moved a table, answered a parent question, fixed a device, built a schedule, cleaned a room, welcomed a new teammate, solved a problem, or done one of the other 9,000 things it takes to open a school—you are part of this too. 
It takes an incredible amount of work to get a school ready to welcome kids back, and none of it happens because of one person. Thank you to everyone who has had a hand in getting Lotus ready. I see you, I appreciate you, and I am so excited to do this year together!
-Erin Donovan--Special Education Teacher at Lotus
A huge thank you to Don and Russ for helping get my room student ready for the start of the year! I truly appreciate your help.
A big kudos to Sue for all the work she does bee-hind 
the scenes to help make everything run smoothly. Your hard work does not go unnoticed—you are amazing, and I am so grateful for all that you do!
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to my first grade teammates, Cary Scarpino and Kendra Logar, for such a thoughtful start to the year with our Bridges training and planning sessions. I’m so grateful to be starting the year alongside you gals and am looking forward to a wonderful school year together!
Jen Groot- First Grade Teacher 
*Everyone who was part of our New Staff Welcome events!!!! It was great to see so many make our new D114 family feel that this is where they will MAKE THEIR MARK!!!
Welcome Back Info Stipends--Clubs, Coaching, and More...OH MY! ATHLETIC COACHES PLEASE READ: There is a new timeline for applying for coaching positions. Coaches should apply prior to their season, and coaches will be notified as follows. Please contact Jill Becmer, Athletic Director, with any questions, please.
Early Fall: Cross-Country, Volleyball, and Soccer
Applications accepted through July 15, 2026
Announcement of Coaches by July 30, 2026
Late Fall: Boys Basketball, Cheer
Applications accepted through September 1, 2026
Announcement of Coaches by September 15, 2026
Winter: Wrestling, Girls Basketball, Scholastic Bowl
Applications accepted through October 1, 2026
Announcement of Coaches by October 15, 2026
Spring: Track
Applications accepted through November 1, 2026
Announcement of Coaches by November 15, 2026
Staff Device Upgrades- By the time you trade in your current device, you'll need to follow the steps below:
Moving from Windows Laptop to Chromebook
In preparation for the move from Windows Laptops to Chromebooks, users will need to transfer any school related documents (from Desktop, Documents, etc.) that you would like to keep for next year to your Fox Lake School Google Drive.
Before uploading files to your Google drive, please take some time to do some maintenance/cleaning up by deleting any old/unused documents, pictures, and videos. All copies of files or anything that is over 2-3 years old should be deleted, if it is not going to be used in the near future.
Any personal files, pictures, or videos can be saved to a personal external drive if you want.
- If you need help with the steps above, Mike Szotek (Lotus) or Tyler Fish (Stanton) will be happy to help and can partner with you by appointment over the summer or upon our return to school in the Fall.
All LOTUS certified staff will be expected to complete the device exchange by TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15.
WELCOME, PATH TEAM!!!!! Injury Reporting Absence Reporting
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