Sunday, April 7, 2019

Monday Memo--April 8, 2019






I really wanted to give a KUDOS to Kelly Roland! This is a little late but the Friday before
spring break she helped uplift staff members by bringing us some before break cheer!
I hope this can be added in next weeks Monday memo thanks!
-From Paige Shaffer

I would like to thank Erin Conn0lly-Jordt for allowing the very amateur photography team :-D
to again use her music room for Saturday’s Mother/Daughter event. Much appreciated.
-From Porfiro Franco

To all D114 Admin.... Thank you for being the type of leaders that drive us to be our best!

-From Tiffany Tardio

Thank you Heather Pear, Lynn Smolen, Don Ukleja, and Mike Szotek for working on the
sensory room this week and making it look amazing!
-From Matt Peters

Kudos to Bob H. for always answering my 5:00 a.m. emails when we have a bus/van
schedule change!
and
Kudos to all the drivers for making last minute changes and always being so flexible. Thank
you for being such a great team and always willing to help out in anyway possible.
-From Becky Laverdure

Kudos to Natalie U for taking two of my friends during my plan times and for eating lunch
with them! It is nice to have your support for these students that struggle to transition and
complete tasks in the classroom. I really appreciate you for going above and beyond!!
-From Tiffany Mihovilovich


When you have a kudo to share for someone, please just email me and I'll include it here!
The goal is to create system celebrations--so your input is truly welcome!


 



Business Office Updates
System Expectations
If/when students display behaviors that are escalating or make you uncomfortable:
  • Call for help! We will find staff to assist you.
If/when students display aggressive behaviors:
  • Call for help so that you are not alone.
  • Use all proactive and preventative approaches before considering using a restraint.
  • Remember that ONLY staff who are CPI certified may restrain a child.
  • Restraints should be done alone ONLY as a last resort; you should call for help as soon
as the behavior is escalating to aggressive.
  • Restraints should only be used when a child is unsafe to him/herself or others;
deflect/distract/give space as the first resort whenever possible.
  • As soon as possible, let your building principals know of the event. If the student is
IEP-entitled, inform the case manager and Lynn/Keli ASAP.
  • If a restraint is used, complete a D114 Restraint Report. Ask for administrative support
in completing the report.
If a staff member is injured in any way:
  • Call Company Nurse to report the injury ASAP. Colleen at Lotus or Jessica at Stanton
can assist you in making this call, but YOU must make the call yourself.


I’m always happy to debrief or be a part of any situation, but there are very defined steps
that MUST be followed in order to keep students and safe safe and the District in a place
where we are not potentially legally vulnerable. If you have questions about any of this
information, please see/email/call me as soon as possible.


Curriculum Updates
Upcoming Assessment Windows:
iReady diagnostic--week of April 22
AIMSWeb progress monitoring--remains in place for all students who have this as part of
their plan/data collection.


Math






When we meet the 80% pass rate goal, we’ll do a yummy dessert bar!!!




SEL


Voting for the TRS 2019 Teacher Trustee Election is open now through May 1, 2019 at
10 a.m.
Click HERE for more information and a link to your TRS account to vote.


If you are interested in voting in the 2019 IEA Spring Elections, you may vote HERE.
You should have, or should be, receiving an Election Code and Voting Pin via USPS mail.
Please call IEA Connect at 1-844-IEA-1800 if you need additional support. The election
closes at 4:00 pm Central time on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.


Awesome IEA Podcast: Episode 15




Melissa Jakstas, President
Maureen DeVoss, Vice President for Certified Staff
Chris Brown, Vice President for Non-Certified Staff
Katy Gardner, Treasurer
Betty Cwiak, Secretary
Cathy Jawnyj, Region Representative
Kendra Smeigh, Stanton School Representative
Tiffany Tardio, Lotus School Representative



Thank you to everyone who participated in the D114 March Step Challenge! As a
district we logged 9,312,793 steps! Congratulations to Kelly Roland for leading the
group in steps and being the only participant to pass the 500,000 step threshold! The
winner of the $20 gift card for her 300,000 step raffle ticket is... Betty Cwiak! Thank
you Jessica Lanners for pulling our winner and Jill Becmer and Michele Burgess for
supervising.


The D114 April Hydration Challenge is underway! You may join the challenge anytime
this month and will earn one raffle ticket for a chance to win a $20 gift card for
everyday you meet your personal hydration goal.


The Wellness Committee will next meet on Wednesday, April 17th to plan future
challenges and events. If you have any feedback or ideas to share, please feel free to
pass them along!



*check here for documents most frequently used/requested
Please let Heather know of suggestions for any documents to add to this folder!






Blue Cross Blue Shield:


SEL Pacing Guides
Stanton:





Questions:
What do you hope your students say about YOU?
What impact do your students have on you?


The Patience and Persistence Needed for Our Students

By George Couros on Apr 07, 2019 07:17 am
Reflecting on what makes a "Master Teacher," George Couros says the most important quality is the ability to connect with students. The other qualities won't make a difference without this one.
A friend, and former colleague, Les Worthington, wrote the following Facebook post
(shared with permission):
While standing in line at a store today a young man approached me and said, “Hello Mr.
Worthington.” He has grown a lot since I saw him last (+/-5 years), and I didn’t recognize
him (I guess I’ve aged well because he recognized me!) Once he said his name I said hello
and gave him a hug. We chatted briefly before he had to go. I thanked him for coming up
to me and saying hello.
I know (as do most people in education) that what I do has an impact on kids, and that I
have an important role in guiding and educating the next generation. Moments like today
remind me that students also have an impact on us. As I drove home the positive
emotional impact hit me, brought tears to my eyes, and really filled my bucket.
This young man, for reasons beyond his control, has had to overcome more obstacles
than a child should. My time with him had its ups and its challenges. I’m a better educator
and person for having known him. I hope my impact on him was equally as positive, and
I hope this post finds its way to him. Him choosing to come say hello, although small in
action, was large in impact, and reminds those of us in education why we do what we do.
Les is the real deal, and from knowing him and seeing him work directly with students, I
could feel the emotion in his post.
A few things:
My hope as an educator was not to solely “prepare kids for the future” but to help them
build a better world than we have currently. Although, we all can have frustrating days as
teachers when students challenge us, how we interact in those moments, as Les reminds
us, will model a way for our students in the future.

I remember getting frustrated with students early on in my career when they were “acting
up” but, again as Les reminds us, many students are going through things that I would
struggle handling as an adult.  When you feel them struggling, the trick is not to “love less”
but to “love more.” Students need to know you have their back especially when they are
struggling.

I remember one mom being upset with the progress of her child and I kept reminding her
that kids develop in different ways at different times, and we just needed to be patient. Her
son grew up to be a fantastic person because our focus as a team (educator and parent)
was to not focus on the “right now” but to focus on the child’s future and be patient with
the pathway they were taking.  This is not about being “soft” on kids at the moment but
just to remind me to be patient and persistent. On days when we struggle, it is essential to
look back on how far a child has come, as to become frustrated where they are in that
moment.
I loved the post from Les. It gave me several reminders on the incredible work of educators
being done everywhere.


April 9, 2019--PTA meeting at Stanton
April 16, 2019--Board of Education meeting at Lotus
April 17, 2019--New IEP platform (EMBRACE) training...DETAILS COMING!!!
May 14, 2019--Board of Education meeting--NEW DATE
Had an amazing time with my girls in Dayton. Katie’s team finished 61st of 144 at Winter
Guard World Championships--couldn’t be prouder.

Have a great week and remember...ONE TEAM, ALL IN! How will YOU be all in this week?
Heather

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Welcome Back and Happy Spring!

I hope you had a really, really wonderful Spring Break!






Thanks to David Roat and Mike Szotek for a great presentation to the Board on Tuesday!


I'd like to give a "Shout Out" to Stephanie Brual for bringing down a student's desk to our classroom
to be used by a student doing Lexia!


I'd like to give a "Shout Out" to Mike for bringing down a laptop and headphones for my student to use
doing Lexia.
-From Ellen Stirrat


Thank you Renee Kanari, Janette Jennings, and Kathleen Winkiel for all your help with printing
the Fitnessgram reports for Q3!
and
Thank you Jill Becmer for all your help with the track uniforms and being sure to include the track
team in the upcoming yearbook!
and
Thank you Kim Husko and Chris Carvell for covering me in 5th grade PE this week!
and
Thank you Kathleen Winkiel for all your help in 8th grade PE to start the quarter!
and
Thank you to Oner Medrano for handling all the spirit wear for the track team!
and
Thank you to Jeff Sefcik for covering my lunch room duty so that I could eat lunch with a student
and thank you to Beth Rendon for all your great advice to help me with my lunch "meeting".
-From Melissa Jakstas


Big "Thanks" to Kim V. for the wonderful field trip she planned for third grade.  We bussed to the
Fox Lake Library, where we learned many new things. It was so great to have a field trip in order to
provide the children with a real-world experience of their own public library!  Kudos!
-From the Third Grade Team


Many thanks go out to Gayle M. for making extra time in her busy schedule and allowing my class
extra time to finish their art projects. Not only do I appreciate her making time for them, but I
appreciate her allowing me to sit in and observe the students that I usually guide.  It was a great,
eye-opening experience! Thank you!
-From Theresa Kovach


When you have a kudo to share for someone, please just email me and I'll include it here!
The goal is to create system celebrations--so your input is truly welcome!


 



Business Office Updates
Time Clocking:
Please remember--just like always--any under/over time must be pre-approved. This was
true on the old time sheets and remains true now. Thanks, and please see me or your
building principal with any questions.


Coursework Approval:
If you're thinking of taking classes, be sure to submit them for pre-approval!!!! All coursework for which you'd like reimbursement or for which you think you'll be entitled to a lane change MUST be pre-approved. The forms for this are available in both school offices, and they must be received prior to beginning coursework. Employees must serve notice of intent to change lanes by July 1.


Curriculum Updates
Summer Curriculum Hours
Please know that summer curriculum work will be prioritized for work on fence
posts/rails/pacing/assessments. I’m happy to pay teams to get ahead on this for next
year, but--with limited funds--requests for this work will be the priority!


Math

Add caption


When we meet the 80% pass rate goal, we’ll do a yummy dessert bar!!!




SEL


Please fill out and  turn in your EAFL Contract Negotiations Membership Survey to Melissa Jakstas
by Friday, April 5th. This will help the Negotiations Committee determine which contract issues are
most important to our members.


If you are interested in serving on the Negotiations Committee, please fill out and turn in your
EAFL Negotiations Committee Application to Melissa Jakstas by Friday, April 5th. Applications will
guide the Executive Board in forming a well-rounded committee.


If you are interested in voting in the 2019 IEA Spring Elections, you may vote HERE. You should
have, or should be, receiving an Election Code and Voting Pin via USPS mail. Please call IEA
Connect at 1-844-IEA-1800 if you need additional support. The election closes at 4:00 pm Central
time on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.





Melissa Jakstas, President
Maureen DeVoss, Vice President for Certified Staff
Chris Brown, Vice President for Non-Certified Staff
Katy Gardner, Treasurer
Betty Cwiak, Secretary
Cathy Jawnyj, Region Representative
Kendra Smeigh, Stanton School Representative
Tiffany Tardio, Lotus School Representative



A Walk in the Woods
We hope that you will mark you calendar for Wednesday, April 3rd at 3:45 and join your colleagues
for a walk in the woods to celebrate the end of our D114 March Step Challenge! (Rain date
Wednesday, April 10th.) To get to the meet-up point, traveling east on Rollins Road, after you pass
Wilson Road, start looking for the Grant Woods Canoe Launch parking lot on the right hand side of
the road. The address is 25225 Rollins Road, Ingleside, IL, 60041. We will meet in the parking lot
before hitting the trail. Check out the MAP to help get you to the right place and see the walking route.


Step Challenge Wrapping Up
Currently, D114 employees have logged 7,231,971 steps BUT there are lots of steps waiting to be
logged due to spring break. Excited to see if we can hit 1 BILLION steps! Don't forget to finish
logging your steps HERE.  For every 50,000 steps you take, you earn one RAFFLE TICKET  for a
chance to win a $20 gift card. You can "make a copy" of the raffle tickets and type your name on
each raffle ticket you've earned and share the file with Melissa Jakstas. Or, you can print the raffle
ticket sheet and write your name in each box. Tickets may be sent via interoffice mail, put in my
mailbox, or scanned and sent electronically to Melissa Jakstas. Be sure to have your tickets in by
the end of the school day on Wednesday, April 3rd to be sure your tickets are included in the drawing!


Hydration Challenge Starting Up
During the month of April, you have the opportunity to earn 1 RAFFLE TICKET for each day that you
meet your personal hydration goal. Generally speaking, 64 ounces of water per day is recommended,
but maybe your personal needs are slightly higher or lower based on activity level, medical needs, etc. (You do not need to share your goal.) For each day you reach your personal hydration goal, mark a "1" for that date on the D114 April Hydration Challenge Google Sheet (see example in the sheet). Each time you log a "1" the number of days you reach your goal in April will be calculated for you. At the end of the month, turn in one raffle ticket per day you reached your goal for a chance to win a $20 gift card! Sign-up for the challenge by adding your name to the D114 April Hydration Challenge Google Sheet! We feel so much better mentally and physically when we are hydrated, so we hope all D114 will join in building healthy hydration habits during the month of April.


Thanks to Betty Cwiak for planning the awesome mani/pedi event at Blizz Nail Salon before spring
break and thanks to everyone who joined in on the pampering!


We hope everyone enjoyed the weekly self care challenges during the month of March and hope you
will keep finding ways to incorporate self care into your life!



*check here for documents most frequently used/requested
Please let Heather know of suggestions for any documents to add to this folder!






Blue Cross Blue Shield:


SEL Pacing Guides
Stanton:





Questions:
What can you do to reconnect with students after Spring Break?
How can you use the last part of the school year to focus on building even more
positive relationships with the kids?




Thank you, Maureen DeVoss, for passing this amazing piece along!
April 3, 2019--Walk in the Woods (see info in WELLNESS section above)
April 9, 2019--PTA meeting at Stanton
April 16, 2019--Board of Education meeting at Lotus
April 17, 2019--New IEP platform (EMBRACE) training...DETAILS COMING!!!
May 14, 2019--Board of Education meeting--NEW DATE
Just want to let everyone know that this is a wacky week on my end. I was asked and agreed
to fill Becky DuFour’s spot at the Leadership Now conference on Monday and Tuesday. I’m
humbled and very anxious about trying to fill her very big shoes, but will do my best. I’ll be in
D114 on Wednesday.
However, Katie (my oldest) and the Stevenson Winter Guard team did incredibly well at
Midwest Championships this weekend. They are now seeded very high at the Winter Guard
World Championships in Dayton, Ohio on  Wednesday-Saturday. This seems like a “don’t
miss this, Mom” opportunity, so I’ll be headed to Dayton for Thursday and Friday.

As I hope you know, I try to stay on top of email, calls, and texts and will do so this week as
well. If you need me, please just reach out.


One Team, All In! Thank you for all you do!
Heather