This month's Wellness Team challenge is Healthy Eating Bingo! Given that our January PBIS theme is "Participate", this is an advisory team competition where the advisory team with the highest % of participation will win a prize and the coveted "P" trophy! Don't teach an advisory? Don't worry... we've got a team for you too! Many thanks to Jennifer O'Brien & Terry Lillge for their work on this activity! 

The TA schedule has been updated to reflect changes in students' schedules as well as accommodating other issues that have arisen. There will be an opportunity on Monday for paraprofessionals, general education teachers, and case managers to meet to discuss students' needs. 

KJHS will be hosting a Winter Open House at the end of January/beginning of February. Please complete this very brief survey to indicate which date option(s) you prefer for this event.

Here is the tentative agenda for our time together on 1/8/24. More details will be added in the day or so but this will give you a clear idea of what the day will be like. 

Just a reminder that new supervision duties begin on 1/9/24. Please let Dennis know if you have any questions about the supervision schedule. Many thanks to those who supervised during the fall semester!

There was some confusion regarding the sign ups for the instructional technology sessions on 1/8/24. The original Google form had the option to only choose 1 session; however, there are two instructional technology sessions on 1/8/24 and you should sign up for 2 sessions. If you have not already signed up for 2 sessions (Amber O'Day send out an earlier email regarding this), please do so ASAP. Here is a description of your options and here is the sign up link. 

From Payroll...

Good afternoon,

    IRS guidelines allows employers to provide W-2 statements to employees electronically. With this guideline, Unit 5 will only provide paper 2023 W-2 statements to those employees who elect this option. A response is needed by January 12, 2024 of your option to receive your 2023 W-2 electronically or by paper.  If you choose to receive your 2023 W-2 electronically, it is your responsibility to print any forms that you may need for filing your taxes.  Any consent, at this time, to receive your W-2 electronically or by paper only applies to the current calendar year 2023. 

The window to reply to how you would like to receive your 2023 W-2 is open through January 12, 2024.

If no response is received to this notification by January 12, 2024, you will automatically receive an electronic copy of your 2023 W-2, which will be available to print in Tyler Employee Access. We will issue the 2023 W-2 to all employees no later than January 31, 2024. If at anytime you wish to change your election, email Payroll at payroll@unit5.org, prior to January 12, 2024.

From HR... 

District staff,

All absences beyond 3 days must be reported to Human Resources. To notify HR of an absence beyond 3 days, please email Molly Rohde, HR Coordinator. For a planned leave, please ask the employee to fill out the Leave of Absence Request form as linked below.

Applicable reasons to fill out the form are as follows:

• Personal illness (including surgery, maternity leave, or injury)

• Caring for an ill or injured family member

• Military caregiver leave / Qualified exigency leave related to a military family member

• Placement of a child through adoption or foster care

Human Resources will determine if the employee requesting leave is eligible under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and provide the appropriate documentation and counseling to the employee. If the employee is ineligible for FMLA leave, Human Resources will inform the employee of the applicable leaves they can use or request.

If you have any questions regarding this procedure, you may contact Molly Rohde, Human Resources Coordinator at rohdem@unit5.org or 309-557-4400 ext. 74044.

Employees requesting Emergency Leave, Family Hardship Leave, Parental Leave, Professional Leave, or any other leave outlined in their contract, must email their direct supervisor, Monica Wilks, Molly Rohde, and their union president for their leave request to be approved. 

With utmost respect,

Your Human Resources Team

From Bradley University... 

Greeting teachers and administrators!

Bradley Athletics is proud to support local teachers, administrators and their families to enjoy an afternoon of Bradley Basketball when the defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Braves take on Missouri Valley Conference opponent Belmont Jan. 20 at Carver Arena. Teachers and administrators may purchase discounted tickets throughout the upper bowl ($6) and lower bowl end zones ($10) using a dedicated purchasing portal through the link below.

We are proud to support our teachers and administrators and hope you join us on January 20th at Carver Arena!

If you have any questions regarding tickets, please contact Bradley Athletics Ticket Representative, Colten Kahler, directly via e-mail at ckahler@fsmail.bradley.edu or via phone at 309-677-2768.

Get Tickets Here!

From Candid in Payroll...

As a reminder, due to the changes this year with the current PPO Gold and PPO Silver plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois will issue new ID cards for all members. In saying this, there is a delay in employees receiving their new cards this year, due to the large quantity of cards being issued. 

The fastest way to get your new ID card is by utilizing the Blue Cross mobile app or by logging into Blue Access for Members to print/view a temporary card. The attached instructions will help guide you to access your BCBS member portal or the app. 

If you have any questions or need assistance obtaining a temporary card, please contact me.

We are excited to announce that Natalie Greenfield will be joining Team 8-1 as their new LBS 1 for the second semester. Natalie is a recent ISU graduate and student taught this fall in a middle school behavioral program. 

If there is anything you would like included in the January Kingsley Family Connection, please send it to Elisa by January 10, 2024.

KJHS students averaged more tardies per day (37.7) in December than they did all school year. In comparison, the average number of tardies per day in December 2022 was 24.9. We'll be revisiting what we can do as a staff to encourage students to be on time to class during our time on January 8th. Even with the increase in tardiness in December, we ended the first semester with 8.4% fewer tardies than in Fall 2022. 

There will be an all school PBIS assembly during 8th hour on 1/12/24. More details will be shared on 1/9/24.

1. The PTO is selling Papa Murphy coupon cards for $5. If you are interested in purchasing one, please let Elisa know. 

2.  The Gobena Coffee Fundraiser is an ongoing one and an excellent opportunity to try some new, local coffee. 

3. Want to request PTO funding for a classroom project? Use this form please. 

Check out what instructional coach Jenny Snyder has been working on and is planning to do this semester! We are so proud to see that so many KJHS are taking advantage of her support to up their teaching game! 

Here are the Instructional Technology Tips for January.

Here is the December Kingsley Family Connection, which was sent out on Wednesday. 

On behalf of the KJHS Wellness Team, we'd like to thank all the staff members who participated in the November Staff Wellness Challenge. We were very encouraged to see so many staff members walking the hallways, utilizing the fitness area in Arends, and being active outside during those warm days earlier in the month. Our hope was to give you all some tools to address your own physical and emotional wellness that might become habit(s) for you going forward. 

Our weekly winner for the Week of November 27-December 1 is Sharee Conely. 

Our Major Award winner, who completed and submitted a challenge form each of the four weeks, is Jennifer Dierkes!

Congratulations to all who participated. Please consider continuing those walking meetings, using the fitness area in Arends, and finding pockets of time in your week to dedicate to your overall health and wellness.

Best,

The KJHS Wellness Team

Just a reminder, according to our Pepsi contract, we cannot serve competing products (including Coke products. It does not matter whether we give them away or sell them. Doing so would be a violation of our contract and we could be fined. Competing products can only be for individual use and cannot be photographed or displayed in public places. 

Campus Optimizer (the automation of our HVAC system) is now live at KJHS. Please complete the KJHS Building Use Request form for any KJHS space you are using after 5 pm during the week or any time on weekends. We need to indicate that the space is being used on one of our room Google calendars to ensure heating/cooling is turned on. 

Want another way to talk with your students about engaging in class? Try using the Continuum of Engagement Framework as a way to get your students thinking about how engaged they are in their own learning. 

If a student tells you something that you didn't witness yourself, please have them complete a "What's Up Kingsley?" form rather than a referral. Administration will follow up with a referral if needed. Please only complete a referral if you witnessed an incident yourself. 

The November Kingsley Family Connection was sent out via Infinite Campus last weekend. 

There have been several changes in HR staffing this semester. Here is an updated HR "Who Do I Contact?" guide to help you navigate these changes. 

The KJHS Tardy Dashboard is updated with the October stats. Overall, tardies for October were down 5.8% from Sept 23 and down 33.8% from October 22. In September, we averaged 47 tardies per day and in October we averaged 42 tardies per day. Admin will follow up with teams during team meetings regarding grade level trends. Well done all!