May 2024 Staff Newsletter (English)

STAFF NEWSLETTER

BUSINESS OFFICE UPDATES

Micheal DeBartolo

Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations/CSBO micheal debartolo@ ccsd21 org Tel 847-520-2707

● During the summer, the state of Illinois will launch Summer EBT/SUN Bucks, a new grocery benefits program that provides families $120 for each eligible school-aged child to purchase groceries when school is out Summer is a time when many children lose the free and reduced-price meals they get at school, and when households might need a little extra help putting meals on the table Most families will get these benefits automatically, but some parents will need to apply This program is in addition to the Seamless Summer initiative we implement at Community Consolidated School District 21. We sent out several resources for you to consult via ParentSquare, but here is a link to that text, as well.

HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATES

Robert Gurney

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources

robert gurney@ccsd21 org Tel 847-520-2724

● Calendar Adjustment: Each year, we plan for five emergency days in case we cannot attend school due to weather E-Learning has provided us the opportunity to continue students’ learning if they need to stay home due to weather While we had planned on an e-learning day on Jan 16, we were not able to move forward with it due to power outages in the community Due to this, the last day of school for the 2023-2024 school year will now be June 3 Here’s a link to the calendar

● Last Day in the Buildings: Monday, June 3, will be the last day for teachers in their classrooms. If you believe you will need additional time after this date, please discuss this directly with your principal by May 24. Principals will reach out to the Operations Department to see if an additional day is possible, given the summer construction.

● Educator Licensure Renewal: Licensure renewal season for at least 20% of our licensed staff is here! The window opened on April 1 Certified staff members can go into their ELIS account and confirm the email address listed there is correct ISBE will reach out to educators via the email address in ELIS to notify those who need to renew their licenses At the same time, don’t rely on receiving a notification Know the date your license will be renewing and continue to update your professional development hours You need 120 hours every five years to renew your license. Through Institute and SIP days, as well as staff meetings, every certified educator in the district is able to meet their 120 hours.

HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATES (CONT.)

● Staff Appreciation Week: We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering dedication, passion and hard work This week is all about celebrating YOU – the heartbeat of our organization Your tireless efforts, creativity and resilience are what make our workplace not just successful, but truly special In every task you undertake, whether big or small, you bring your best selves to the table, driving our collective success forward Your commitment to excellence and your willingness to go above and beyond does not go unnoticed As we celebrate this week, let’s take a moment to reflect on our achievements, celebrate our collective successes, and most importantly, appreciate each other Your contributions make a difference every single day, and for that, we are profoundly grateful.

● Determination of Summative Ratings for 2023-2024: The teacher evaluation committee meets each school year This committee has representatives that are DEA members, principals and district administrators

The committee has collaborated on a way to determine a staff member’s summative rating It determined that some guidance for future evaluations would be helpful for administrators and staff members to better understand how the individual Domain ratings, along with the final Summative rating, are determined In an effort to ensure consistency across evaluations within the district, the following rating system has been developed to support staff members and administrators during the evaluation process

● Verification of Employment and Loan Forgiveness Requests: At times, mortgage companies and banks are calling the main district number and leaving messages and/or faxing forms to the district office. This has caused delays and some duplication of effort. Please ask lenders to send the paperwork to annabel.salgado@ccsd21.org. Please let her know that she should be receiving something from a company on your behalf. Otherwise, if it is not a live signature, we need to contact you to verify this process.

Staff members who need loan forgiveness forms completed should also send their respective forms to annabel.salgado@ccsd21.org. Please remember to include all the pages of the form so it can be completed in accordance with the stated requirements

● Preparing for the 2024-2025 School Year: Our Institute Days for August are Monday, Aug 26, and Tuesday, Aug 27 More information about these days will come over the summer as we determine when schools will open (2024-2025 School Calendar | 2024-2025 Calendar with staff member roles)

As a reminder, staff members need special permission to use personal days to be absent during the first five days of school, the final five days of school, along with before/after holidays. Please review the calendars. If you will be requesting a personal day during any of these times, please fill out a personal day request form to request that day off. You will need to provide supporting documentation to show why you need to be absent. You can find the documents to fill out on our website here.

HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATES (CONT.)

● Health Screenings: Over the course of three weeks, we have been offering options at 12 schools for staff to receive their health screening within the district We started this during the spring of 2022 and found that we had even more participants than in the prior fall Due to this, we offered it again this spring

You are still able to complete a biometric screening at an offsite LabCorp clinic at a time that is most convenient for you The deadline to complete this is Sept 30 You can also go directly to your doctor for a health screening One annual checkup is free per year under our health plan Please bring the HealthCheck360 form to your screening and then upload it via your account Here’s a link to the HealthCheck360 Wellness Guide

● Key Collection: School staff members will be turning in their key on their last day this year. As a reminder, if you do not have your key in the fall, please see your principal. Per our security protocol, staff members will be charged $25 for each lost key.

● Daycare Survey for Staff: Each August, staff come early to prepare their rooms for the first day of school We have asked that children are not part of this preparation due to the liability should someone get hurt In an effort to support staff, we are considering a daycare option for staff when they are preparing their room for the first day of school This would be offered for children ages 4-12 years We are targeting the week of Aug 19 to offer this daycare, with a time range of 8 a m to 4 p m

Please fill out this form to help us gauge the interest and need for daycare

● Contracts: Jan Connick will be sending out contracts to staff for the 2024-2025 school year on May 20. If you did not receive an email from Jan by May 21, please reach out to Bob. We are asking staff members to print, sign and return their contract to Human Resources before you leave for the summer. Twelve-month staff will receive their contracts electronically from Jan by June 14

● Evaluations: Are you wondering whether you got everything done with Perform? Within Perform, you can see all of the documents awaiting your signature By clicking on the signature button on the left, you’ll see the documents still awaiting your signature If you have some still pending, please complete them as soon as possible This is what you would see in Perform:

EQUITY & LEARNING UPDATES

Beatrice Reyes Childress

Assistant Superintendent for Equity & Learning beatrice childress@ccsd21 org Tel 847-520-2743

● MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency Spring Benchmarks: The spring MAP testing window is from April 25 to May 9 Thanks for helping our students do their best by creating optimal testing environments and providing them with words of encouragement!

Language Services: Did You Know…As a district we are proud to celebrate the diversity of our learning community! These are some traditions and holidays celebrated and acknowledged in our community this month. This month we begin by celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Cinco de Mayo, Orthodox Easter, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day

If you’d like to learn more, click on the links: Don’t hesitate to reach out and share it with our Language Services Department to add to our resources!

INFORMATION SERVICES UPDATES

Mike Frantini

Chief Technology Officer mike.frantini@ccsd21.org Tel 847-520-2732

● Our May Information Services Newsletter is out now! We want to specifically highlight these points:

○ End-of-Year Tech Checklists: All staff members should use their school’s all staff checklist in this folder to make sure they’ve completed all their end-of-year steps In addition to the checklist, staff who are leaving the district or retiring should use this checklist to ensure everything is completed before accounts are deactivated in June.

○ Information for Name Changes: Once you’ve completed your steps with HR, we’ll reach out and set up an appointment to complete the process to change your email and badge

○ Print Shop Reminders: Please send jobs prior to July 8 if you need copies for August

INFORMATION SERVICES UPDATES (CONT.)

● Student Chromebooks: As a reminder, all students that currently have a 1:1 Chromebook in grades K-7 will be taking their Chromebooks home with them for the summer once again Students currently in eighth grade will be returning their device before leaving this summer on a schedule decided by each middle school that is currently being developed We are glad to be in a position to allow students to continue to take their devices home now each summer as it allows for extended learning opportunities Please be sure all students in grades K-7 are prepared to take their devices home for the summer Further details will be provided this summer on new Chromebooks for incoming K students as well as other students that will be getting new devices

For all other students leaving the district, please leave the student’s devices and accessories with your LMC/TSS staff. School secretaries and the Receptionist at the Community Service Center and Administrative Office may also be available to receive.

● Staff Members Leaving CCSD21 – Tech Items: Staff members leaving the district at the close of the current school year, including those taking an extended leave of absence for the entire 2024/2025 school year, will need to complete the following tasks between May 28 and June 3:

○ ID badges, keys and all technology devices should be brought at the end of the year to schools that you have worked at this year

○ Please clean your CCSD21 staff laptop, and return the device, case, and power adapter (power brick, cord and plug) More information about files, contacts, and Google Apps account procedures can be found here

○ If you are teaching summer school with us, you can keep your laptop and badge until the end of summer school

● Building Changes – Tech Items: In June, after the school year is over, Information Services will start updating the user accounts of all staff members who are changing schools for the 2024/2025 school year After that time, staff members will begin to have permissions to email groups and printers for their new schools Staff members who have been issued a School District 21 device will not need to bring their laptop to the Gill Administration Center for updating or do anything else to initiate this change

SUPPORT SERVICES & SCHOOL SAFETY UPDATES

Kim Cline Assistant Superintendent for Support Svcs &

School Safety kim.clilne@ccsd21.org Tel 847-520-2717

● You are invited to a support group for educators: Read to be heard? Join EDGE Counseling Solutions therapist Rebecca Doyle at our free weekly support group designed for educators and school administrators/staff More information can be found here

● Introducing the District 21 Health Center: We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand new health center, which is dedicated to fostering the well-being of all our students and staff members. This initiative stems from our unwavering commitment to prioritize your health and happiness in the workplace. We encourage each and every one of you to take full advantage of this incredible resource Your health and well-being are invaluable, and we’re here to support you every step of the way on your wellness journey Here’s a flyer with more information

● Mental Health First Aid Training: This training is available to any staff member on Wednesday, June 5, from 8 a m to 3:30 p m

Learn how to support the young people in your life! Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adolescents ages 12-18. You’ll build skills and confidence you need to reach out and provide initial support to young people who are struggling. You’ll also learn how to help connect them to appropriate support.

After the course, you’ll be able to: recognize common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; recognize common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges; understand how to interact with a young person in crisis; know how to connect a young person with help; and better understand trauma, substance use, self-care and the impact of social media and bullying