MMM: Monday-ish Memo 10/12/26

Our Look Up Essential Standards!

Thank you to Mary Honea for putting together binders for fact fluency work! We have been wanting to get that done for a while now and you made that happen! Thank you!

-Christine Spittler--2nd Grade Teacher

A big thank you to Erica B. for assisting with the removal of a cricket from a student’s backpack! Bugs are definitely not my thing, haha!

Mandi O., I appreciate you. That is all.

Thank you to Kim V. for jumping in and helping with a student behavior during the fire drill. Your support is so appreciated!

Finally, thank you, Gina, for spoiling us with treats! They are absolutely delicious!

Jen Groot--1st Grade Teacher

Kudos to Chef Al Giandonato for the soup on a cold October day!

Kudos to Tyler Fish, who always responds quickly to our constant tech issues.

Kudos to Averie Schultz on coordinating her first Pep Assembly....Go Foxes!

Kudos to Cynthia Cook for being my on & off "door watcher" on Thursday.

Kudos to Connor Macko and Mark Perlman. As Stanton's daily subs, they often don't know

which classroom they'll be in until the morning of, or in some cases, maybe the minute before a class starts. Thank you for your flexibility every day!

-Michele Burgess--Administrative Assistant at Stanton

Kudos to:

Everyone for a fabulous Institute Day on Friday!

Erica and Tom for being admin on point on Thursday and Friday!

Matt P, Matt S, Chad, Sam, Meghan, and Kim for attending the Threat Assessment Training on Thursday and Friday! And special thanks to Matt P for being point person there and to Mike Szotek for saving the day with the projector!!!!

The Stanton team and especially Averie Schultz for Thursday's pep rally!

The Lotus team for a fast, safe, and amazing fire drill on Thursday!

Kim R, Leah, and Meghan for your patience and partnership as we worked through an issue in the updated IEP process.

Our Special Education team for getting THIS feedback from Megan Clarke, our presenter on Wednesday: Your staff were very engaged today! I always welcome feedback. I think they see where they can improve. They know why you start with the PLAAFPs and that will drive goals and accommodations. Great group of educators!!

To our principals and associate principals! Did you know...

-Heather

Please send me your "Look Up" kudos by Friday at 4PM to add them to the next Monday Memo! THANK YOU!

🍁🍂Let's try something new for October...🍁🍂

It's a photo a day challenge! If you make a folder of the pictures you take, share it with me!

Updated Special Education Timelines

Click here to see UPDATED timelines for all the types of Special Education meetings. Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns! Thanks to all for helping streamline our processes!

Red for ED!!!! First Wednesday of each month!

Thanks to Kendra Logar for putting this together! 💓

SOCK-tober!!!!

UPDATED SOCK COUNT...694! WOWOWOWOW!!!! 😍

When students bring in a pair of socks, they can drop them in a collection box by the front desk.

This will be a building wide collection so you do not need to keep count of your individual classrooms (unless you want to - I see you, Michelle!)

We will be collecting from October 1-October 30. Please remind students that the socks should be new and unused. Staff are welcome to donate as well!

*If you get used socks, we will still take them (and wash them) to have extra socks on hand in the nurse's office, Pre-K etc.

We will be hanging all of the collected socks on a string with clothespins to see how far our donation string can go throughout the building before we donate them to Grant Township.

Please let us know if you have any questions or if something is unclear.

Thank you all for your support in this endeavor!

Let's get ready to rock the socks off October

-Girls on the Run Coaches (Kelly, Mollie, Sonia, Christine)

Stipends--Clubs, Coaching, and More...OH MY!

Interested in sponsoring a club, coaching a sport, seeing what opportunities are out there?

Check out this stipend folder and read this letter for information!

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.

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

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!

Absence Reporting

Please carefully review this updated document with all you need to know about reporting absences during this school year!

Looking for financial planning advice or loan forgiveness? Discover the different possibilities!

We have a NEA Retirement Specialist assigned to our Fox Lake 114 certified and non-certified membership. His name is Steve Podgorski. His role is to help our members understand the many benefits of NEA union membership that are available to us - especially the ones mentioned below.

Free life insurance
Education about your TRS Tier 1 or 2 pension and what you need to know about it now.
The Federal Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness program for public school teachers.
Teacher Loan forgiveness for Title One certified staff.
Basic knowledge about your 403(b) choices including the one NEA Member Benefits recommends.

Steve Podgorski has times set aside this week just for our membership. Follow the link to sign up for a virtual or in person meeting.

Ongoing Trauma Informed/ACEs training throughout the year through IEA. Typically training lasts anywhere from 1-3 days. Stay tuned for more information. For more information about ACEs and Trauma Informed Systems, click the link above.

SCORE Grants –The purpose of SCORE grants (from IEA) is to encourage early career members (1-10 years as an educator) and their local associations to collaborate and create opportunities for community service projects for school projects. A list of previous winners and the application can be found on the website.

Check out the IEA Teaching and Learning Portal on the IEA website for FREE clock hours on your own time!

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

One Click. Endless Possibilities. A Union Here for YOU!

This school year, turn your commitment into action. Visit the IEA Leadership & Justice Department website to explore equity-focused opportunities, request professional learning, and stay up to date on training, events, and ways to get involved. Together, we can lead with purpose and create schools where every student thrives!