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All administrators have been meeting regularly via Zoom dating back to the beginning of the Pandemic in March 2020. At our most recent meeting, I ended by sharing a quote from Chadwick Boseman:
“Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history.”
Now that we have fully returned to in-person learning, I have enjoyed returning to my visits to schools. While many of my visits are to visit classrooms, I also love visiting lunchrooms and talking to students.
Often I ask students to tell me their favorite subject or class, or their favorite thing about school. Once I hear the answer, I immediately follow up to inquire with the question of why. The response always relates to a person. In response to the question about favorite courses, every answer stems from their relationship with the teacher, not the actual subject being taught.
In response to the question about their favorite part of school, the answer also always comes back to some relationship that is meaningful… the bus driver who greets them every morning, the principal or other administrator who high-fives them as they enter the doors, the teacher they cannot wait to see.
You are the reason students come to school.
I know this year is difficult. Despite adding numerous positions to help lower class sizes, we struggle to fill vacancies (as does every other district around us). We struggle to find educational support professionals like paraprofessionals and bus drivers (also not unique to us). We do not have enough substitute teachers which then requires administrators both in schools and from central office to sub, along with all our non-classroom-based teachers who have their own workload who graciously step in to help schools weekly (again, not unique to us).
I know these topics are not unique to us. There are newspaper stories on the shortages of both staff, school supplies, and even food. I also know from my regular meetings with our peer districts in Illinois and across the country.
There is a purpose for you being in your position at this moment in history. You make a difference every single day.
Thank you for all you do.
Tony
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Superintendent's Scholarship
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No Cook Night Competition
The Superintendent’s Scholarship supports U-46 students who are the first in their family to attend college, and this fall three locally-owned Elgin franchise restaurants are helping raise funds for the scholarship with a friendly
no cook night competition.
The next event is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19 at
Culver’s
on McLean Boulevard (near Big Timber) in Elgin. Give yourself a break from kitchen duty and support a great cause!
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U-46 Educational Foundation
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Substitute Teachers
Our daily substitute rate has increased by $20 a day across the board! U-46 substitute teachers will now earn $130 a day for general education classes and $140 a day for Dual Language and Special Education classes.
Because U-46 is committed to Professional Development for our teachers, there are more than a dozen designated days during the 2021-22 school year when substitute teachers can earn an additional $20 a day. During these days, substitute teachers allow our classroom educators to receive additional professional learning. Those dates are all listed
here.
This news has been posted
on our website
. It has also been shared via our social media accounts, and that message will be amplified if you share it with your own community. Find a downloadable flyer
here
that you can print out and post in your neighborhood coffee shop, church, or job board. Any questions can be directed to
humanresources@u-46.org.
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 The Literacy department would like to invite U-46 staff to participate in the annual
Read for the Record
event in preschool and kindergarten classrooms on Thursday, Oct. 28.
This year’s book is Kat Zhang’s “
Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon
/Amy Wu y el dragón de los retazos” which aligns with the event’s efforts "to bring together our global community of readers for a celebration of cultural symbols, family, and self-affirmation."
Here is the
sign-up sheet
for staff guest readers (yellow highlight indicates Dual Language classroom). We ask that you please sign up for at least two slots so we have enough readers for all classrooms. Please put your email address and location in the sign-up sheet.
Guest readers, we have the book at ESC. Please email
Nina Lopez
to tell her how you'd like to receive the book (delivered within ESC, sent via District mail, or guest readers pick up at ESC.) The books will remain with the classroom teacher after the reading.
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Dual Credit
The full-time Dual Credit program provides students the opportunity to take all of their coursework at Elgin Community College while earning both high school and college credit for all of their courses. Two virtual information sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21, and Tuesday, Oct. 26, for current sophomores, juniors, and their parents/guardians, interested in learning more about the program. Interpretation in Spanish will be available. Find more information, and the links to join the sessions, at
u-46.org/dualcredit
.
University Admissions Panels
The
Alignment Collaborative for Education
and School District U-46 have hosted this fall a series of University Admission Panel webinars. The final one, on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m., will feature representatives from Aurora, Loyola, Purdue and Southern Illinois universities. High schoolers and their families are invited to join these webinars to listen, learn, and ask questions. Students should sign-up for the virtual event using their student email address via
this form
. More info, and recordings of the previous panels, can be found at
www.u-46.org/Page/18635.
Magnet Academies
There is just one week left for 8th grade students in U-46 to apply to attend one of the District’s five
Magnet Academies
. Students can submit applications through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 22. Application forms are available at
apply.u-46.org.
More details at
www.u-46.org/magnetacademies
. Please help spread the word to any U-46 8th graders in your life!
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Teacher Academy
One last reminder about the 7th U-46 Dual Language Teacher Academy: It will return this school year virtually on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Renowned authors and educators Dr. Alma Flor Ada and Dr. Isabel Campoy will be the keynote speakers. Do not miss this incredible opportunity to learn about dual language instructional practices such as The Bridge, Effective Differentiation strategies, etc. and network with teachers across the school district! Sign-in begins at 8:15 a.m. with the keynote speakers scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Find the links to join on the
digital program here.
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The 2021- 2022 Building Energy Incentive Program is underway and will run through March 31, 2022. Congratulations to the 2020-2021 Winners: South Elgin High School, Larsen Middle School, Highland, Channing, and Spring Trail Elementary Schools!
The goal of the program is to encourage participation by administrators, teachers, custodians, maintenance, and all other support staff in reducing energy consumption with a focus on unoccupied times. Schools that earn the most points win Plant Operations award dollars to be used on wish list items. There is one high school award valued at $8,000, one middle school award valued at $5,000, and three elementary school awards valued at $4,000 each.
Actions that reduce consumption and receive points include:
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Turning off lights
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Turning off smart boards or other classroom equipment
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Turning off exhaust fans when not needed (Custodians)
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Responding to Plant Operations surveys (Administrators)
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Scheduling HVAC systems (Custodians and Maintenance)
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Overall reductions during unoccupied times (everyone contributes)
Visit the
U-46 Energy Efficiency webpage
to learn more and see some of the prizes awarded last year.
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Teacher Appraisal Plan: Student Growth Information
The SLO Process is a means for teachers to engage in data gathering and analysis to not simply evaluate student learning, but to establish a framework for reflecting upon and informing their own instructional practice in keeping with the TAP Values and Beliefs.
Pre-Tenured teachers are responsible for the completion of 2 SLO Processes by the March 1st deadline. Tenured teachers are responsible for 2 SLO Processes per Summative appraisal cycle. The deadline for completion (for both SLO Processes) for a Tenured teacher is April 15th in the year of the Summative Conference.
Contact
StudentGrowth@u-46.org
or
AlishaWildermuth@u-46.org
for individual requests for support. You may also
use this link
to schedule your own appointment for support. Individual support could range from understanding the SLO Process to support in instructional design (ie. rubrics, assessments, data analysis, etc). Support is not limited to the SLO Process, but could include support around any piece of teaching and learning in the classroom.
Teacher Appraisal Plan: Student Growth Professional Development
The SLO Process - Beginner PD session will be offered on the dates listed below in a live, in-person format from 4 p.m to 5 p.m. Please click on the links to register in Canvas Catalog:
Need support working through your SLO Process? Live, in-person support will be available during the Oct. 22 PPD! Please register in
Canvas Catalog.
For an overview of the SLO Process, please
click here
to access a web-based, 13 minute, SLO Beginner PD session. This offering is also available in
Spanish
.
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Illinois Report Card - Principals may now
preview data
before it becomes public on Friday, Oct. 29. Sign in with Google and select Educator preview to see your school’s data ahead of time.
Upcoming Assessments:
Oct. 6 - Oct. 20
Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS)
Oct. 12 - Oct. 31
Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) - Pre-K
Oct. 25 - Nov. 5
CogAT Planning Checklist
Grades: 3 and 6
Oct. 25 - Nov. 5
LAS Links Planning Checklist
Grades: 5 and 8 Dual Language
Assessment Guides:
MTSS:
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Maximize your time and efficiency by
integrating your SIP and MTSS efforts using this step by step resource.
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Please be sure you are contributing to and supporting District wide consistency of intervention implementation by documenting in Infinite Campus.
T
his Reference Manual can assist
, along with
these intervention specific resources.
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Research shows that we can best implement Tier II intervention instruction for roughly 10-15% of the student population, and Tier III intervention instruction for roughly 1-5% of the student population. Going beyond this can strain - if not flood - the system, deteriorating instruction for students, communication with families, and support for staff.
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Elementaries can
manage students using ST Math.
For istation, elementaries can roster students assigned for intervention use to one unique “class” (i.e., a class assigned to the Principal - for data tracking and sorting purposes). BlueStreak is still working on a solution; however, teacher engagement in the instruction aspect of the intervention utilizing a (computer or otherwise) resource can provide a regular check and balance on student use and monitoring for all interventions.
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If you plan to partner with Community Organizations to leverage their services for intervention, please be sure to protect safety for all and operate in compliance. Community Partners should begin service in our buildings and/or with our kids after formal approval is received from the MTSS Department. This is an annual process, and
U-46 Community Partnership Agreement Forms can be found here.
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Please be sure to use the
2021-2022 MTSS meeting forms
to guide your school’s work.
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Please bookmark, regularly check, and share
MTSS News!
to keep up to date in real time with announcements, resources, revised forms, and more. You can also reach the MTSS department by phone 847-888-5000 x 4203 (main line) or x 5395 (MTSS Coordinator, Sam LeDeaux), or email
melenyvargas@u-46.org
(MTSS Dept Secretary) or
samuelledeaux@u-46.org
(MTSS Coordinator).
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African American Advisory Council
The monthly meeting of the
U-46 African American Advisory Council
on Tuesday, Oct. 19, will focus on providing an overview of the opportunities available to students and families in U-46. There will be brief presentations from several mentoring programs and departments, including Post-Secondary Success and Educational Pathways. The meeting will be held in the library of Glenbrook Elementary School, 315 Garden Circle in Streamwood, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Questions can be directed to Melissa Stevenson by email at
MelissaStevenson@u-46.org
. All are welcome.
Community Advisory Council
 The Community Advisory Council’s
Specialized Student Services Committee
will host
a virtual program
on Tuesday, Oct. 19, for parents of children with special needs, focused on planning for the future and protecting benefits.
Sherri Schneider, the founder of Family Benefit Solutions, will deliver an interactive program from the viewpoint of a social worker. Specific discussion points include the different types of special needs trusts, how a divorce may impact benefits, and the difference between a power of attorney and supported decision making.
This free program will be delivered virtually and get underway at 6:30 p.m. Those interested in attending should register in advance at
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88081814630
. The presentation will be in English with interpretation in Spanish. More information can be found
here
on the CAC website.
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Help make a difference in the lives of our neighbors as part of the DUEA’s “Socktober” collection. The DUEA is collecting new socks and underwear of all sizes for men, women, and children to donate to the Elgin Crisis Center, Elgin PADS, and McKenna’s Bags of Elgin. Collection boxes are located in school buildings and by the Human Resources entrance at ESC. For questions or more information, please email
patriciahyzy@u-46.org.
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Educational Services Center
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Display Window
Do you want to get the word out about an upcoming event or holiday? Does your department have something to celebrate? Spread the word using the display window in the Educational Services Center! Learn about details and requirements, or sign up for a time slot, on this
Google spreadsheet.
Questions can be directed to
Sara Rodriguez Horn.
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KCT Credit Union Mini Grant
This Friday, Oct. 15 is the deadline to apply for KCT Credit Union’s Classroom Mini Grants, with available awards ranging from $100 to $1,000.
Click here
for details and a link to the application.
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The Oct. 13 Weekly Message from State Superintendent Carmen I. Ayala, Ph.D., is available online in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format
here
. All editions of the Weekly Message are archived on the Illinois State Board of Education's website at
here
.
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Dalia, a PreK student in Mrs. Morales’ class at Huff Elementary School, focuses intently as she paints a pumpkin patch.
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Send Kudos directly by clicking
HERE
or using Let's Talk. Remember, only kudos with the sender’s name will appear in the Weekly; no anonymous messages. Kudos are due by 5 p.m. each Tuesday.
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Kudos to Antonio Mendez, Home School Liaison for English Language Learners at Horizon Elementary School, from Kelly Akemann, Registered Nurse at Horizon
Thank you so much, Antonio Mendez! You are so quick to relay messages to me in the nurse's office from our families who speak Spanish and help me to advise them properly. I truly appreciate your help each and every day. You even are super quick when you are not in our building. You have no idea what that means to me. Thank you! Gracias!
Kudos to the Staff of Streamwood High School, from Dr. Jennifer Van Deusen, Principal at Streamwood High School
Thank you to our SHS staff for going above and beyond, and assisting their colleagues when they are out and need a substitute teacher. On top of planning and delivering lessons, they assist one another to cover classes to ensure that students have a continuum of learning! Thank you - your efforts do not go unnoticed!
Kudos to Alisha Wildermuth, Effectiveness Initiative Teacher, from David Dybalski, Psychologist at Elgin High School
This thank you goes out to Alisha Wildermuth for giving of your time and patience to assist me with Canvas on numerous occasions.
Kudos to Rafael Martinez-Ortiz, Elgin High School’s Assistant Principal of Freshman Success ELL/DL/PE, from Wendy Witt, World Language/French Teacher at Elgin High School
On behalf of the EHS World Language Department, I would like to thank Mr. Martinez for his dedication in coordinating more than 560 language tests for the Seal of Biliteracy. He tracked student completion and personally made sure that each student had ample opportunity to finish testing. Thank you for always putting students first!
Kudos to Marcie Marzullo, Principal at Ronald D. O’Neal Elementary School; Darlynn Terry, Assistant Principal at Ronald D. O’Neal; Ty Johnston, Custodian at Ronald D. O’Neal; Scott Winter of Business Services, and All of the Staff and Students at Ronald D. O'Neal, from Michelle Baldwin, Library Paraeducator at Ronald D. O’Neal
Your assistance and support with the renovation of the Ronald D. O' Neal library is greatly appreciated. Thank you, all.
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Next week is our first ever
Run for U 46 benefiting the
