Sunday, October 15, 2023

Monday Morning Memo 10/16/23

         





Karen Brnot and Liz Andersen for nailing the Friz 5 during our walk through this week. I observed students that were truly connected and engaged in their learning!

and

Katie Jalove-Filippelli and the 5th grade team for a high level collaborative meeting focused on math and their learning from the institute day!

And

Niccole Culbertson for nailing all 5 of the Friz 5 during this week’s walk through. Even tied her PGD into her learning target!!

and

To Coach Olson and Coach Goorsky for molding and coaching great sportsman on our soccer team. 
and
Tim Yoder, Katy Gardner, Michele Burgess, Cassie Curtis, Niccole Culbertson, Karen Brnot and Liz Andersen for proudly representing Stanton School at the Fox Lake Rotary / Lions Club Trivia Night. 
and

To Coach Falster and Coach Becmer on another great season. 8th Grade brought home the hardware again🦊💪!!




-From Jeff Sefcik (Principal at Stanton)


Thank you Amanda Lorenz for taking the initiative to improve the Kindergarten CICO sheets to make them more manageable for those kiddos!

and

Thank you Nicole Brinkman for promptly making Work for Boards to help our kiddos!

-From Emily Reczek (2nd grade Teacher)


Thank you Mike and David for finishing the Tardy Kiosk and the lunch cards printer project. I appreciate you very much!

-From Georgette Franco (Food Services Coordinator)


Huge Thank you to Teri and Kelly for helping me with Mollie's lessons. Even in a minute's time. You were so gracious and kind. :) 
and
Thank you Mary Honea for all your help in Mollie's room and for subbing at the end of day Friday so I can get my club ready!! 
and
Mollie, hope you enjoyed your special day and didn't have any worries. Your kids were great and enjoyed my time with them. :) 
and
Thank you Georgette for your extensive spreadsheets and information regarding Santa's Breakfast. Your knowledge and thorough information really helps the PTA with planning such an extraordinary event. We appreciate you.  
and
Thank you Erin Connolly Jordt for jumping in and riding with me to take home a student in an emergency bind Friday. I appreciate you. 
and
Thank you Matt and Natalie for answering your phones outside of your school hours to help with said student. :) Very much appreciated and know if something ever comes up, I can count on you. 
-From Victoria Miller (STEM Teacher at Lotus)



Thank you to whoever left the Take 5 bar outside my office door. YUM!!!!!

and

To Russ for coming to Lotus on Saturday to let a technician in to attempt to stop the leaks while we're mix fix on the roof!

and

To Jill, Leah, and the 8th G Volleyball team for winning conference!!!!

and

To the Stanton Trivia Night team for representing D114 for a great cause!




-From Heather 💓




Please send me your kudos for colleagues each week! I'll happily post them in this section!





Here's a quick scaffolding strategy...













Parent/Teacher Conferences
Clear info for Fall Conferences this year is coming soon!!! 


Medicaid Billing

You know who you are...please be sure to document your billable hours. This generates a TON of funding for our Special Education programming!





A lot is taking place over the next month and half! Mark those calendars, folks! :) 

Stanton Halloween Dance
Friday, October 27th 7:00-8:30
Costume Contest 
$3 door entry, $2 if you bring a canned good. 
Door price includes, Pizza and a drink.
*Candy and sodas will be available for an extra charge. 

Culver's Eat Out 2 Help Out Event
 Fox Lake Culver's
Tuesday, November 7th,  5-8pm
Come to Culver's and Mention D114 PTA Event for 10% of all purchases go back to the PTA, that go towards the school and kids. *You may even see your teacher serving you!! :)  
Drive Thru, Carry Out, or Dine In. 

November PTA Meeting
Thursday, Nov 9th at 6:00 pm at Lotus Library
*NEW* Each month when you attend a PTA meeting, your name will be put in a raffle to win a $10 Gift Card!! 

Parent Teacher Conference Dinners
Monday, Nov 20th-  Needed by 4pm
*Looking for donations from parents for dessert and drinks. *Can be homemade. Will need gluten free and/or dairy free options as well. 
If you are interested in donating, please contact Crystal at pta@foxlake114.org for more information.

Stanton Book Fair
Monday, Nov 27th-Saturday, Dec 2nd
Before school and during lunch periods on the stage.
*We are looking for parent volunteers. If you can help, please contact Katelyn or Sylvia at pta@foxlake114.org

Santa's Breakfast & Holiday Market
Saturday, December 2nd, 8am-12pm
*More Info Coming Soon!*






Don't forget your IEA/NEA membership has its perks!  Don't forget to check out the Deals and Discounts page on the IEA website.

October 17 will be our next EAFL Spirit Day!  Join us in wearing your EAFL shirt and then jump into or onto the Board of Education meeting to stay informed.  The Board meeting will be at Lotus School starting at 7 PM.  If you would prefer to log on from home, please follow the Google Meet link: Meeting ID:  meet.google.com/xat-hhyy-rji

October 24-26, Steve Podgorski (our IEA financial planner) will be holding online initial meetings for those with questions about financial planning topics.  Please use the link below to sign up for a time. 

Opportunities that might be of interest: 

NEA’s 2024 Friend of Education Award: Nominations are being accepted through Jan. 2. Here is the nomination packet and the nomination form.










Second Grade---you're up next!!!!


  

(OR GREAT STUFF WE HEARD LAST WEEK!)


I was taking Otis outside to use the bathroom and while walking through the hallway a student stopped and asked me what my dog's name was.  I told her, "Otis."  She said, "That is a funny name."  I asked her why she thought it was a funny name and she said, "He has the same name as our school (Lotus)!"


Thank you, Kim Rauchfuss, for this share!!!!




Please email me to share your funny stories, moments, and quotes (from kids or adults) so I can include them!!! (Ask permission first, please!) 








Have a really wonderful week!!!!
-Heather 💝

Monday, October 9, 2023

TUESDAY Morning Memo 10/10/23

            



Mark Perlman for driving back from Chicago on Monday to support our girls volleyball players. 

and

Graduate Zendrea Pfau for returning to Stanton to speak to our volleyball team on the importance of being a great teammate. 

and

Coach Becmer and Coach Falster for leading our girls bill through another great regular season. Good luck competing for the conference championship!

-From Jeff Sefcik (Principal at Stanton)


I have a kudos for the memo next week!

I just as having car problems and norm came and checked the transmission

-From Maddie Hansen (Special Education Teacher at Stanton)


Thank you to Erin for sharing your knowledge and resources from the TEACCH training with the ECSE team. Your enthusiasm to make sure all your students have access and are able to learn is infectious!

-From Allie Mixon (SpEd Coordinator at Lotus)


Thank you to Abbey Kadera and Kimberly Jacobs-Leable for helping with so much of the EL paperwork at Stanton and sharing so much of their knowledge with me. Thank you to Brian Crask for embracing a new position supporting students.

and

Thank you to our incredible lunch/recess supervisors: Chris Carvell, Lemar Wilson, Lauren Plescia, Mike Fefferman, Jack Resnick, Scott Donovan, Niccole Culbertson, Jamie Smeigh, Jackie Mathews, and Brian Crask. 

and

Thank you to Kim Husko and Kendra Smeigh for all of their support with getting students to school. You are making a difference! Thank you to Chris Carvell for supporting students in stem!

and

Thank you to David Roat for all of his help getting map testing up and running and Betty Cwiak for creating the map sessions.

-From Rachelle Peters (Assistant Principal at Stanton)


Mary Santi,  thanks so much for thinking of the students Always and your generous donations for our PBIS store.  The kids will be beyond excited.  

and

Thanks to all Lotus Cafeteria supervisors for allowing us to assist you during lunch to help promote the new incentive charts.  

-From Kim VanHoorelbeke (Library Paraprofessional at Lotus)


Thank you Maddie for helping me with the detailed information requested at the last minute from the State Auditor.  

 and

Thank you to the Food Service for an amazing breakfast and lunch for Teacher Institute Day, for always going above and beyond, proving one more time One Team All In, every day!! 

and

Thank you Don, for helping arrange all those spork boxes in the shed, I really appreciate it.

and

Thank you Kim VanHoorelbeke for teaming up with Sonia to create the incentive program to improve the behavior in the cafeteria. Wishing you girls all the success on this new endeavor. 

and

Thank you Norm, Cari, Eddy and Russ forall you do for the food service, we appreciate you more than you know.

and

Thank you to Jill, Michele, Sue and Paula for always having the foodservice back at all times, and doing things go smoothly in the buildings.

-From Georgette Franco (D114 Food Services Coordinator)


A big kudos to Kim Jacobs-Leable for making sure one of our kiddos got their books from the book fair VERY last minute. You are always going above and beyond for our students and I so appreciate YOU! I also wanted to thank Don for getting my new blinds up so quickly due to user error, I promise I will be more careful with them! Finally, I wanted to say how much I enjoyed collaborating with my first grade teammates Cary Scarpino and Kendra Logar on Friday during our institute day, we got a lot done and had a lot of laughs while doing it! 

-From Jen Groot (First grade Teacher)


To Georgette Franco and the Kitchen teams at both buildings for an amazingly positive Food Services audit!!

and

Sonia Miller or the Lotus cafeteria incentive idea

Kim VanHoorelbeke for digging into the PBIS data over, and over, and over again

-From Heather






Please send me your kudos for colleagues each week! I'll happily post them in this section!





I'm LOVING Edutopia right now!

Check out this article:






In Case You're Interested...


Medicaid Billing

You know who you are...please be sure to document your billable hours. This generates a TON of funding for our Special Education programming!





October PTA Meeting
This Thursday, October 12th, 6:00 pm (NEW TIME!) @ Lotus Library
* We will be reviewing our budget for the year! 

Stanton Halloween Dance
Friday, October 27th 7:00-8:30
Costume Contest 
$3 door entry, $2 if you bring a canned good. 
Pizza and drink will be provided. 
*Candy and sodas will be available for extra charge. 
Volunteers: We are looking for some staff to help chaperone the dance. If you are interested, email Victoria at pta@foxlake114.org. 





We hope everyone has enjoyed their nice long weekend.

Don't forget your IEA/NEA membership has its perks!  Don't forget to check out the Deals and Discounts page on the IEA website.

October 17 will be our next EAFL Spirit Day!  Join us in wearing your EAFL shirt and then jump into or onto the Board of Education meeting to stay informed.  The Board meeting will be at Lotus School starting at 7 PM.  If you would prefer to log on from home, please follow the Google Meet link: Meeting ID:  meet.google.com/xat-hhyy-rji


October 24-26, Steve Podgorski (our IEA financial planner) will be holding online initial meetings for those with questions about financial planning topics.  Please use the link below to sign up for a time. 




Second Grade---you're up next!!!!


  

(OR GREAT STUFF WE HEARD LAST WEEK!)


Recently I was working with a first grader on i-Ready. When the student was logging onto Clever, David Roat's name popped up. The student asked what it said and I mentioned David's name. A few days later, this student was working on i-Ready again. As he was logging on, the student said, "Who's David?" It took me a minute to figure out what the student was talking about. Before I could answer, the student said, "Is he the CEO of i-Ready?" I replied no and said that David Roat worked at Stanton. A couple of days later, the student and I were going into the classroom where Lisa Werner works. She wasn't there and I commented that Ms. Werner worked at Stanton on Mondays. The student said, "Is that where David is?" I guarantee you, David, that when this student enters Stanton in four years, he will remember that you work there!


Thank you, Mary Santi, for this share!!!!




Please email me to share your funny stories, moments, and quotes (from kids or adults) so I can include them!!! (Ask permission first, please!) 








Make it a fabulous 4 day week!
-Heather 💝

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Monday Morning Memo 10/2/23

           



Sue Giandonato and Georgette Franco for compiling lunch serve data to help with creating a smoother transition from the cafeteria to recess.

-From Jeff Sefcik (Principal at Stanton)


CICO coaches right away and have been extremely prompt at inputting data without needing any reminders!

-From Emily Reczek (2nd grade Teacher)


Thank you to the 5th grade para - Aly Bachara.  She works with the students in class that have challenges and she does this with grace and patience.  The students know they can depend on her as much as me!!!  And she's a great person to bounce things off of!!!  She's a great addition to the team!

and

Thank you to Marla Wilinski for taking the time to stop in and check if I needed any help.  Some kiddos in class were in desperate need for a cubby clean and organization and she took the time to come back during flex to help out so I could focus on reteaching math to some others.   She got through 3 students on a short day for FLEX and I know this organization will definitely help them out!!!

-From Veronica Kretz (5th grade Teacher)


HUGE kudos to everyone that helped us celebrate Mollie. From planning, decorating, bringing in a food item to share - it truly was all hands on deck! The shower was a beautiful celebration for a beautiful person. We are so grateful ❤

-From Kelly Roland, Teri Valenziano & the Marys (Mary Santi and Mary Honea)


Thank you Ashley Arff for the fabulous new coffee syrups and delicious coffee for our staff coffee bar supply. 

-From Sonia Miller (Kitchen Lead at Lotus)


Thanks to Betty for being flexible to help support the DI needs for some students. 

and

Thanks Kim Mack for going above and beyond to collaborate and support a family in need of resources. Making a huge difference in a child’s life.

-From Lynn Smolen (Stanton Special Education Coordinator)


Emily, Christine and Mary- Thank you all for your support and encouragement. Love our team and how we work together. Wouldn't want to do this with anyone else by my side.

and

To the National Board Cohort (Laura, Katie, Amanda, Kendra, Amber, Sherry, Emily and Nicole)- You are all amazing!  I am so excited to take this journey with you, it will be a fantastic two years!

-From Maureen DeVoss (2nd grade Teacher)



To our first ever National Board cohort!!!! I'm so proud of you for starting this journey!!!

and

To the Lotus cafeteria team, and especially to Sonia Miller, for coming up with a fabulous

positive reinforcement plan!

-From Heather




Please send me your kudos for colleagues each week! I'll happily post them in this section!






Institute Day
The agenda for Friday is almost done--I'll send it out by Tuesday morning! Thanks for your patience...lots of great learning and work time will be happening!!!

Staff Wellness Event
Friendly reminder. Don't forget to sign-up. See below for details.

It's time for our annual Wellness Screening Event through NIHIP!

Empower Health Services will be at Stanton on Friday, October 6, 2023 from 6:30am - 10:30am. The event is available to ALL staff.

The wellness screenings will consist of three components:
  1. The Screening package (see attached for more information)
  2. Seasonal Flu Shot
  3. Additional Test Options
Screening package and Flu Shots are available at NO COST to employees and spouses on any district health plan. 

Additional test options are available and covered for all BCBS PPO members and on a self-pay basis for all BCBS HMO members. 

Employees and spouses not on the district's insurance plan can also participate on a self-pay basis. 

For those only interested in the Seasonal Flu Shot, you must register online and select the "Flu Only" option when creating an appointment . Flu Shots will only be provided to those with an appointment.

Registration is now open! Please follow these steps to sign up:
  • Visit the Empower Health website by clicking here
  • If you previously created an account, sign in under "Welcome Back!"
  • New Participants: Complete "New User" fields and enter
    client code: foxlakedist114EHS

Feel free to reach out to Maddie Mercado with any questions.

In Case You're Interested...


Medicaid Billing

You know who you are...please be sure to document your billable hours. This generates a TON of funding for our Special Education programming!





Lotus Bookfair 

Friday, September 29th-Thursday October 5th

* This takes place during your child's school day. Your child will preview the fair one day, make a wish list, and go back another day to purchase. 


 October PTA Meeting

Thursday, October 12th, 6:00 pm (NEW TIME!) @ Lotus Library

* We will be reviewing our budget for the year! 


Stanton Halloween Dance

Friday, October 27th 7:00-8:30

Costume Contest 

$3 door entry, $2 if you bring a canned good. 

Food and drink will be provided. 

Volunteers: We are looking for some staff to help chaperone the dance. If you are interested, email Victoria at pta@foxlake114.org.







Thank you to everyone for coming out to our first articulation meeting. It was wonderful to see everyone and hear your thoughts and opinions.  

EAFL Spirit Day- Wednesday, October 17.  Then, join us at the board meeting at 7 PM.  We look forward to seeing everyone's spirit. 

Don't forget to check out all of the resources available to you as a union member: https://ieanea.org/resources/  

Educational Support Professionals- Check out these opportunities!
NEA ESP Learning Network: Upcoming opportunities for taking action.








  

(OR GREAT STUFF WE HEARD LAST WEEK!)


Student:  "Hey, Ms. Ellie, do you know I am half human and half vampire?"

Ms. Ellie:  "I don't even believe you."
Student:  "It's true.  I take medicine for it."
-Thank you to Kim Rauchfuss for the share!!!


This makes me think about being in Kindergarten rooms and hearing our students learning about the letter sounds from our fabulous Kinder teachers...



Please email me to share your funny stories, moments, and quotes (from kids or adults) so I can include them!!! (Ask permission first, please!) 




Some October wishes for all of us...


Let's all remember that we are ONE TEAM, ALL IN!
-Heather 💝