Staff Connections Weekly Newsletter
April 22 , 2022
Book Fair Preview the Week of May 2nd. Book Fair May 4th During Open House
Connections is a weekly communication provided to the staff. It is intended to reduce the amount of email team members receive by bringing all of that information into one document. It will also provide a snapshot of the upcoming weeks events and happenings.
We hope this will meet your communication needs. If there are ways to improve our communication methods, we are always happy to hear feedback!
SAS Tier 1 Survey. Please Complete
Every year at this time we need to fill out the SAS survey for our Tier 1 green team. This data is important and will give us another data set to help us set goals for next year. Please take a moment in the next few weeks to take this survey for us.
Substitutes Needed
Portrait of a Graduation Staff Survey
Palatine School District 15 is in the final year of its three-year Strategic Plan and is currently working to renew its vision and long-term strategic plan to guide our future work. This plan and work will be directly connected to our dynamic Moving 15 Forward plan.
One of the first steps in this process is to create a vision of an idealized District 15 graduate. This vision articulates what core competencies and student attributes we feel are essential for our students to develop because of their District 15 learning experience. To make sure our stakeholders inform this vision, we are asking all students in grades 6, 7 and 8 to take a short survey.
This survey will ask students to identify 7 priority competencies from a larger list of competencies with descriptors that explain their meaning. We also would like our certified teaching staff to take the same survey to capture what they feel are the most important student competencies a District 15 education should allow our students to achieve.
The survey consists of two parts.
Students will review a list of competencies that includes examples of what those competencies mean. At that time, questions can be asked and clarification can be provided.
Students will mark their top 7 competencies from the competency list.
Students will then use the student link below to indicate their top seven competencies that they believe are the most important for future success.
The list review should take approximately 10 minutes and the survey should take no more than an additional 5 minutes to login to and complete.
Certified staff will follow a similar process, reviewing the list on their own and then taking the survey to provide this information to our team.
Staff Input
Please read the following competency document to gain a better understanding of each of the competencies. After reading the document, please select the top 7 competencies that you see as a priority for our students. After selecting your top 7, please enter them in this
EDUCATOR POLL LINK: meet.bfk.org/ccsd15educator
Bike To School Day Will Be On May 4th
Covid Communication
Open House and Parent Orientation Dates For Next Year 2022-2023!
Parent Orientation - August 24th 6-6:45 K-3 and 6:45-7:30 4-6
Open House - May 3rd 6:30-7:30
Apply For Summer School Teaching Positions!
Dear CCSD15 Staff,
As we continue to plan for our summer programs, we want to remind you that there are still opportunities for ESY this summer: Student Services Extended School Year (ESY) for students with IEPs is looking to hire teachers, PAs, and Nurses. If you would like to teach at ESY, please click on the staff application. If you have already completed this form, there is no need to reapply. ESY Staff Application
Thank you, Tracey Wrobel, ESY Director
KN95 Mask Availability....Stop By The Nurse Office
We received a box of 50 KN95 masks. Each staff member is eligible for (1) KN95 mask at the beginning of each week*. Staff may go to the nurse’s office to receive a new KN95 mask. When a nurse has less than 15 KN95 masks, they will use their nurse order supply form to request 50 more KN95 masks. For questions about the use of KN95 masks, including how to extend the useful life of a KN95 mask, please contact Karen Flor or Shari Stadler.
*Staff may physically turn in a damaged KN95 for a replacement on any day of the school week.
Steady Silent Right
Katie’s Coaching Corner
Katie’s Coaching Corner
New Math Program Opportunity
At the Board of Education meeting, the adoption of the new K-5 math curriculum for next school year was approved. The committee of pilot teachers selected Illustrative Math as the program the district will adopt and implement next year. The great part about this selection is that we have a lot of experts right here at Pleasant Hill (Kristy, Paula, Emily, and Hannah) that have been using this program for a few years. They will be amazing resources for us as we go through this implementation.
There are trainings coming starting in May, but if you would like to see the Illustrative Math program in action before the end of the school year, here are a few options to consider:
1. Reach out to me to teach a sample lesson for the grade you teach in your classroom.
2. Observe a 6th grade teacher at PH teaching an IM lesson to their class. I will set this up for you.
3. Invite me to attend a team meeting so we can talk more about the IM curriculum and problem-based learning.
This is completely optional. If you are interested, please email me and let me know which option sounds good to you. If you have any questions, please ask!
Click here for an article that explains more about the upside down teaching model encompassed in IM.
Book Clubs:
The weeks after open house could be a great opportunity to try out the book club books! Feel free to reach out to me if you’re interested in getting started or would like to chat about ideas.
Here are some ideas about how I can support you!
Co Teaching - Launching book club talks with your class
Planning the structure and timing of book clubs
Planning mini lessons together
Already started? Let’s think through “What’s next?”
One-Pager - Book Club Resources
Book Club Books - Storage Choice
April SEL Lessons:
Casel Focus: Relationship Skills
SEL Learning Standard Alignment:
2C. Use communication and social skills to interact effectively with others
Coaching Corner - Resource Portal
I’d love to collaborate with you and your teams! Please click here to sign up for a time to meet.
SuccessMaker
Per Teaching & Learning, SuccessMaker should be utilized 3 times a week for 15 minutes. Growth on SuccessMaker is another data point that will be used to determine success in Math intervention (for grades 1-5) on the tracking tool. Interventionists need this data for decision-making.
Employee Assistance Program
This is the time of year when it seems like spring will never come. It can be a time when we get bogged down with work, snow, and cold. This can be a good time to "reset" habits and patterns to achieve better balance and greater happiness. Attached please find tips on "spring cleaning".
The EAP helps staff manage the stresses of everyday life or even work-related concerns. The EAP provides a range of free services including legal consultation, child care, elder care referrals, financial consultation, pet care consultation...just to name a few. This confidential service is designed to help staff with any issue affecting overall health, well-being, and life management. Staff can access these services via email, on the web, via mobile app, or via phone (855-775-4357) 24 hours a day/7 days per week. This short video provides an overview of the many services the EAP can provide
DCFS Recent Questions
DCFS Recent Questions
1. Must we notify parents before a DCFS worker interviews their student at school?
No, we are not required to notify parents in advance of a DCFS worker interviewing their child. We do require a staff member (ideally an administrator) to sit in on the interview with DCFS and our students when they are conducted at school.
2. If the DCFS caseworker asks for a copy of student records (i.e. IEP, evaluation data), are we required to provide them?
If the student is not being taken into DCFS custody and there is no immediate emergency requiring the immediate release of the IEP, then we must have a signed consent from the parents/guardian or a court order to release the student records.
All details about the DCFS reporting process can be found in the D15 Student Distress Response Binder.
OT/PT/RTI Process
To better assist teachers when they have a concern regarding OT or PT and a student in their class, please click this link for more information.
PBIS Climate and Culture
The team met and our April goal is 1200 PAWS. Our celebration will be on April 29th and will be Ozzie's Nature Game. More information to follow. The celebration is an all school event starting at 1:30-2:00. PLEASE SAVE ALL OF YOUR PAWS THIS MONTH. WE WILL COLLECT THEM AS THEY WILL BE NEEDED FOR THE GAME.
Please Remember.....
The Green Team is asking that all staff be in the hallways at arrival when students come into the classroom as well as at dismissal. We are looking to cut down on student behavior in the halls. Please give students a warning and if they continue a minor write up is appropriate.
Please put the homeroom teacher on the form with a note in the description that mentions the incident and who administered the minor.
Birthdays!
APRIL BIRTHDAYS
Roxane Bencriscutto - 4th
Becky Little - 4th
Blaze Szwedziuk - 14th
Denyse Whisler - 17th
Katie Carlson - 24th
Jim Dano - 30th
FOR THE WEEK Of April 25 - April 29
MAKE A DIFFERENCE WEEK
Monday 4/25
Tuesday 4/26
Wednesday 4/27
Thursday 4/28
Friday 4/29
Cougar Carnival 6-8:30
Door Duty/Bus Duty For the Week of April 25 - April 29 Please bring vests and radios.
Location:
1/2 Door PM Only Door #3
Contreras
3 Door PM Only Door #7
Marx
4/5 Door PM Only Door #10
Smaga
6 Door PM Only Door #11
Gore
Bus Duty PM Only Door #1
Bell