Welcome to Tina Guryn, our new Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing! She's jumping right in to help our students who have Hearing Impairments. Welcome, Tina! We are SO glad you're here!
It's almost Winter Break!!!! I have some sweet treats planned this week, but please know that you DON'T have to bring a lunch on Thursday---we'll be having a pre-Break pizza party at both schools for our amazing staff during the lunch periods. THANK YOU for bringing your A game each and every day during this first chunk of the school year!
Huge thank you to Colleen, Chris and all paras for being so amazing and supporting our students while I was out this week. Your constant flexibility & attention to detail/routine helps our students so so much!! 
THANK YOU ALL!! -From Morgan Figel
I need to give a shout out to my 3rd grade team! Talk about it really takes a village! We've had a crazy week, but we kept our heads up, stayed positive and did what's best for our kids. Thanks so much ladies! I couldn't have done it without you!
I wanted to mention a kudos to Andrea Sekulich. She’s a hard worker and a great collaborator, always looking to help the students. I really appreciate how you help the students in my room. I love how you’re eager to share your ideas! It was also great to review an upcoming summative for accommodations. Thanks for all you do Andrea!
-From Dani Jones
I want to give a shout out to Kim Hanson! The way she shows she cares for students really shows. The kids just LOVE her! We're so lucky to have her here at Lotus :)
-From Cortnee Snell
THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the Santa Drive Through Breakfast a success. Your support and smiling faces mean more than you can ever know.
and
To Karen Simon for dealing with a really tough situation while driving this week. Big hugs to you.
and
To Kelly Roland for the heart to heart. I appreciate you.
and
To everyone who contributed to the PTA basket auction. WOW! What a success!!!
and
To every single person in the D114 family. This has been a HARD fall, and I appreciate you all more than I could express. In visiting a few rooms and being out and about this week and being reminded of the reality of all the plates everyone is spinning, I'm awed at what you're making happen day in and day out. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.
-From Heather
Rachelle for starting every morning making sure every classroom is filled with a substitute, paraprofessional, or internal sub. and
Every staff member that has graciously accepted Rachelle’s request to be flexible and shift roles.
and
Lora for navigating the Covid protocols.
and
David for calmly dealing with our forgetful students every morning.
and
Jill and Michele who welcome every visitor to Stanton so professionally and with a smile.
-From Jeff Sefcik
Matt Shannon for letting me pop into your class this past week. I saw GREAT classroom management and students actively engaged in the learning, and being very respectful.
and
Scott Donovan for letting me pop into your class this past week. I was able to see students having fun weighing their hand-made cars with different scales; as well as differentiation between groups!
and
Dani Jones for letting me pop into your classes and seeking feedback. I love our discussions about trying new things and then reflecting how it went.
and
Ryan Hochman for always wanting to collaborate and problem-solve together!
-From Stephanie Kaye
Just a quick note to publicly thank Abbey for her time and effort at a Parent/Teacher Conference we held last week. The Mom was unable to make the scheduled times offered, so we scheduled a time outside typical conference availability. Abbey rearranged her schedule in order to help translate. I appreciate her expertise and her flexibility!
Thanks Abbey!
-From Theresa Kovach
Thank you SO, SO much to my amazing team and everyone else that has been jumping in for me and escorting my class around so that I can still be here! You have NO idea how appreciative I am. Project "Keep Twins In and Keep Working" is possible because of your support and care! Thank you!!
-From Tiffany Tardio Weber
Please send me KUDOS to give shout outs to colleagues! I LOVE to put them in the Monday Memo! 🎉
FURNITURE PLAN
MORE HELP WANTED!!!!
Fox Lake Grade School District 114 is looking for full time paraprofessionals. Full time positions are available at Lotus Elementary School and Stanton Middle School. Must have a PARA License (SUB or PEL also acceptable). Pay ranges $12 - $15 per hour. To apply, follow this link. You may also visit our district website www.d114.com and select Employment > Job Postings.
EARLY RELEASE ON 12/17/21
On Friday, please feel free to kick off your Winter Break after the students are safely dismissed if you choose. All classrooms MUST be ready for furniture moves before you leave, please. Instructional support staff may also leave once students are safely dismissed, including those who usually jump on bus routes. Matt, Natalie, Mary, Lynn, and I will be riding the buses on Friday.
EQUITY TEAM WANTS YOU!
The Equity Core Team has been working hard together for a long time, and we have learned a lot. We'd love to welcome anyone interested in exploring equity and how to reach out to ALL students in our classrooms in new and different ways. If this is something you'd like to be a part of, please plan to join us on Wednesday, January 26 at Stanton at 3:15. We'll share some of our efforts, show you some great activities we learned at Deep Equity Training, and then get input from YOU on how to move forward to help us all continue to grow. Participants will be paid for their time, so mark your calendar if this sounds like something that interests you. More info coming after break!
CELEBRATION!!!!
SUPPLY MONEY
If you haven't yet spent your supply money for the year, you can still do so through Feb. 1 in case there are things you need once the new furniture is in place over winter break. Please reach out ot Andrea DeMatteo with any questions.
COVID Updates
There will be NO WEEKLY SURVEILLANCE TESTING over Winter Break. Testing will resume the week of January 3, 2022.
Updated Close Contact Protocols for STAFF
The newest section is as follows:
UPDATED QUARANTINE PROCEDURES--DRAFT 12/12/21
STAFF ONLY: If someone in your household tests positive for COVID that you continue to live with during their quarantine period YOU MUST FOLLOW THE GUIDANCE BELOW:
YOU ARE NOT VACCINATED- you must quarantine for the 10 days of the COVID + individual and then another 7 days with a negative PCR result on day 6 or 7 to return on day 8 of your quarantine or day 10 without a PCR result. This is a total of 17-20 days of quarantine for unvaccinated individuals. If you are a certified employee, you may work remotely per the MOU from the beginning of the school year.
PLEASE NOTE: If another family member tests positive the above protocols start over respective to their positive test date. If you become positive at any point then a MANDATORY 10 DAY QUARANTINE WILL BE IN PLACE. You can return after your 10 day quarantine as long as you are symptom/fever free for 24 hours.
ANY UNVACCINATED OR SYMPTOMATIC VACCINATED EMPLOYEE WHO HAS TAKEN A COVID TEST AND HAS RESULTS PENDING MUST STAY AT HOME UNTIL A NEGATIVE RESULT IS OBTAINED.
Current Local COVID Data
D114 Daily COVID Data
12/10/21
CDC thresholds and local data for Lake County
Indicator | Low Transmission | Moderate Transmission | Substantial Transmission | High Transmission | Current Status
|
Incidence Rate: Total new cases per 100K persons in the last 7 days | 0-9 | 10-49 | 50-99 | 100 or greater | 370.40 |
7 Day Average Test Positivity Rate | Less than 5% | 5.0%-7.9% | 8.0%-9.9% | Greater than 10% | 5.38% |
D114 Local Zip Codes Data from Northwestern University COVID Dashboard--ALL DATA INCLUDES ACTUAL AND PROBABLE CASES!
Indicator | Low Transmission | Moderate Transmission | Substantial Transmission | High Transmission | Current Status
|
Incidence Rate: Total new cases per 100K persons in the last 7 days | 0-9 | 10-49 | 50-99 | 100 or greater | 574.7 |
7 Day Average Test Positivity Rate | Less than 5% | 5.0%-7.9% | 8.0%-9.9% | Greater than 10% | 5.70% |
-December iReady GOALS:
The testing window for iReady and ELA MAP benchmarks is January 10th - 21st.
Looking ahead to prepare for the upcoming Diagnostic, here are some resources:
Preparing for a Subsequent Diagnostic presentation to energize and motivate students.
Have data chats with students to empower them to do their best.
Planning celebrations that recognize growth. Visit the i-Ready Central® Engage Students page and the i-Ready Central Ideas page for resources and inspiration!
Even if you’ve done these things before, it’s always important to remind students of expectations and why
it’s important to try their best. For all tips and tools to help you prepare for the Diagnostic,
visit i-ReadyCentral.com/GetGoodData.
-December iReady DATA:
THIS WEEK District Totals:
LAST WEEK District Totals:
-Formative Assessment (updated bi-weekly)
Video
Relationships Matter
Celebrating classroom diversity, especially around the holidays, helps students to build an
understanding and awareness of other cultural practices and to reflect on their own. Here are
a few ideas to embrace this time of year in a culturally responsive way:
*Encourage students to bring in a dish related to a holiday they celebrate. Ask them to write a recipe card to share with the class.
*Discuss similarities between different holidays. For example, many traditions incorporate the
motif of light. Ask students to research the cultural significance of these themes.
*Invite students to create their own holiday. This allows them to contemplate what values and
customs are most meaningful to them.
*Connect globally. Contact schools in other countries ahead of time to establish a relationship
and form pen pals so students can share traditions around the world.
*Stock your classroom library with books that introduce students to different end-of-year
celebrations across the world.
-Community Builder:
Clapping Game
This can be done as a whole group or in smaller groups. One person is
elected the seeker and is sent out of the room. The rest of the students
decide on an object that the seeker can find and touch. When the group
has decided on an object, the seeker is invited back in. Their goal is to find
the object. The helpers give the seeker a “helping hand” by clapping. The
helpers clap, low, slow, and quietly if the person is “cold.” They clap higher,
faster, and louder as the seeker gets “warmer.” When the seeker finds the
object, everyone celebrates and a new seeker is selected.
-Weekly Cheer/Silly Sport/Brain Break:
Thank you to everyone who came out to help with Santa's breakfast. It was so wonderful to see so many smiling faces (staff and students).
Click here to check out the
Region 49 Newsletter. There are lots of links to ongoing professional development opportunities as well as deals and discounts through the union page.
Winter PD: The 2022 Winter PD Newsletter includes fliers and registration links for FREE professional development! New online courses and book study begin Jan. 10.
SCORE Grant deadline approaching! Jan. 15, 2022 is the application deadline for IEA SCORE Grants. All IEA members are encouraged to apply! Funds are available for IEA members and their local associations to collaborate and create opportunities for community service or school projects. To learn more and apply online, visit ieanea.org/score.
The EAFL Board hopes that everyone has a relaxing, refreshing and joyful winter break. Thank you for all that you do and your dedication to the students of D114! It is amazing to work with such talented and amazing people.
LOTUS UPDATES
SAFETY! SAFETY! SAFETY!*With Winter almost at our doorstep.... giving out safety points is key!!!! Examples include:
wearing face masks properly, safe distance in the halls (utilizing the blue circles), maintaining 3 feet apart where appropriate, not touching other students belongings and washing hands.
IDEA? set a goal for yourself everyday to award at least 5 all stars for students showing good safety practices.
December 14--Board of Education meeting at 7PM at Lotus or
via Meet
December 17--Early Release
January 3--First Day Back!!!
So grateful to work with you!
Heather
