The Winter aMath/aReading Screener window is December 4 - 8. Please try to coordinate testing with your fellow grade level team (if in same hallway) and have your testing sessions  in the morning when possible. 

Mark your calendar... Cycle 3 Data Day is December 18. More details will be discussed during our SIP time on December 7. 

The PBIS Quarter 2 Celebration will be on December 21. The PBIS Celebrations Team is finishing up some logistics and will release further details soon. 

The KJHS Pep Band will be performing at the Kingsley Boys Basketball game Monday night at 4:30 pm. 

KJHS Administration is partnering with ISU Athletics to provide KJHS students the opportunity to win a pizza lunch with ISU athletes. The next lunch is this coming Thursday, November 30th. Please note that we only have athletes available for 6th & 7th grade lunch periods.  Students can enter by submitting KCash with their name on it during the lunch hours. Winners will be drawn at the end of each lunch on Wednesday, November 29th. For more information, check out the Redbird Raffle announcement. 

NCHS and NCWHS future education students are hosting a "lunch and learn" session during each lunch period on Wednesday, November 29. Students wanting to attend can get a pass that day at the cafeteria entrance. 

Please send Barb a summary of your individual or team family/teacher conference numbers by Friday, December 1. Please include how many in person, virtual, and phone conferences you had as well as how many of those conferences were on 11/3 and how many were on other dates. 

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

There is a Kingsley family with a premature newborn baby in the NICU in Peoria. The doctors are saying she may be there until late December. We are taking up a collection for a gas gift card to assist with the costs of traveling back and forth from Peoria. If you would like to donate to this cause, please drop the money off in the main office by Monday, November 27th. 

Hello KJHS community,

Do you need a little stress relief??? How about participating in the KJHS staff wellness challenge? 

"Why?" you say!!! Well, I'll tell you:

-You could increase your endorphin flow which may help to reduce your stress level. 

-You could increase your heart rate which may increase your sweat production which may increase the amount of toxins your body is getting rid of which may reduce your stress level. 

-You could increase your flexibility which may increase your blood flow which may decrease the time it takes for your body to heal its' aches and pains which may decrease your stress level. 

-You could increase your thirst which then may need to be quenched at the social gathering of your choice which may decrease your stress level (this is not an endorsement for any specific substance as a stress reliever).

-You could win fabulous prizes or a major award which may reduce your stress level.

It has been a pleasure seeing many of you outside walking the track or taking a lap around the school, as well as the various walking meetings we are seeing during the day. Please remember to fill out the fitness challenge reporting form by the end of your day on Sunday to be included in the prize drawing next Monday.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to let us know.

Best,

Your KJHS Wellness Team

Has a fellow Cougar gone out of their way to help you? Have you seen a staff member who goes above and beyond to make Kingsley a better place to work and learn? Reward them by nominating them for a Kingsley Kudos! It's quick, painless, and brings joy to you and the recipient. 

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. 

Upcoming food dates... 

1. November 30th: PTO is providing donuts.

2. December 7th: Baked Potato Bar for lunch courtesy of the main office. 

3. December 20th: Staff Breakfast in MSR. 

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. 

From Candid...

Hello Unit 5 Employees,

       On Monday, November 6, you will receive an email from Employee Navigator announcing the beginning of open enrollment for 2024 for all eligible employees. Please review this email carefully for important information regarding the Unit 5 Health Insurance Plans and the Open Enrollment period. 

Important Reminders

• The Open Enrollment window will be open from noon on Monday, November 6, 2023 through midnight on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. You may log in and make changes to your elections as many times as you need during the open enrollment period.
  
  

• It is mandatory open enrollment for all employees. Current elections will not roll over to the new year. Every eligible employee should log into Employee Navigator and either elect or decline benefits.

• Custodial employees can elect life insurance during this open enrollment period only.

• Rates attached are just an overview. Please login to your Employee Navigator portal to view specific coverage amounts next week during open enrollment.

• If you are unable to log in to Employee Navigator or have questions, please submit a Help Desk ticket and we will reach out to assist you.

New for 2024

After researching our claims for the past 12 months, we found that 99% of the claims dollars spent were from providers in both the BCO and PPO networks. Adding the BCO network will allow our self-insured health plans to save substantial amounts of claims dollars. Although not all providers will be in both the BCO and PPO networks, we have designed the plans to minimize the cost differential between the BCO and PPO networks.

• The PPO Gold Plan will be changed to a three tier network utilizing the Blue Choice Options Network (BCO), Blue Cross PPO Network (PPO), and out of network providers.  To maximize benefits, be sure to use Blue Choice Options providers. The maximum out-of-pocket will be increased $1,000 to $6,000 for either BCO or PPO services.

• The PPO Silver Plan will be changed to a three tier network utilizing the Blue Choice Options Network (BCO), Blue Cross PPO Network (PPO), and out of network providers.  To maximize benefits, be sure to use Blue Choice Options providers. The maximum out-of-pocket will be increased $1,000 to $7,000 for either BCO or PPO services.

• The Silver HSA Plan will continue to be a two tier network plan utilizing the Blue Cross PPO Network and out of network providers. To maximize benefits, be sure to use PPO providers. The deductible and out-of-pocket limit will increase to $5,000 for PPO services

Additional note:  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 members. In saying this, you may not receive your new card by January 1, 2024, due to the large quantity of cards being issued. The fastest way to get your new ID card, for the new year, 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.

During open enrollment, we will be in the buildings to assist staff with questions. Information will be provided next week on the day and time for your building. Additional staff resources for Benefits will be available on the Payroll website on Monday, which can be found here. 

Please feel free to contact myself or Clemens, if you have any questions regarding Benefits. Clemens can be reached at (309) 662-2100. Please ask to speak with Dave Underkoffler or Kaleigh Vaughn when calling. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

--

Candid Omachel

Payroll Manager

McLean County Unit 5 Schools

P:(309)557-4045 

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! 

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. 

Here are the Instructional Technology Tips for October.

Chess Coach: KJHS is in need of a chess coach. Please notify Elisa if you are interested. 

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. 

We have several staff teams to serve on. Please check out the 23-24 KJHS Committee descriptions. Please note that you can be on the Wellness Team or 20th Birthday Team without joining the Building Leadership 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. 

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!