From March 17-19, Katie McKnight, a Literacy Coach, will be working with the Unit 5 middle schools to support and strengthen our literacy-focused instructional practices. During this visit, one of her key objectives is to observe a variety of classes, including science, social studies, language arts, and literature and composition. Through these walkthroughs, we aim to assess the current instructional strategies in place. The goal is to identify areas where we can focus our efforts for next year’s school improvement plan and professional development. 

Katie will be at KJHS the afternoon of 3/17 and the morning of 3/18 and is scheduled to visit the classrooms below. If you would like your class added to the list, please let Elisa know. Katie can visit up to 4 classes in a period. 

Monday, 3/17

5th hour: Brienen, Guy, & Dabler (1 opening)

6th hour: Pett, Borne, Torbeck, & A. Anderson (1 opening)

7th hour: Peterson & Trimpe (2 openings)

8th hour: Leverton, Chavez, Spears, & Allee

After School: Available 

Tuesday, 3/18

Before School: Available

Advisory: Team 7-1

1st hour: Musselman, Sebeny, Fisher, & Ritchason

2nd hour: Team 7-2

PBIS Lesson

There is a lot happening this month and our committee recognizes that adding one more thing can be stressful, but this month's PBIS lesson will help students deal with all the craziness that is March. This lesson may seem lengthy but the majority of the slides are tools for students to use when they struggle to manage their emotions. These tools/websites (slides 8-13) can be added to your Google Classroom for students to utilize. Thanks, Tayler, for these tools!

Please plan to teach this lesson during Advisory the week of March 17th.

Integrity Form

Here is the Integrity Form for March. I'll accept nominations until April 4th! We will announce the February winners tomorrow.

Quarter 3 Celebration

Here are reminder slides for students about the Quarter 3 Celebration/Assembly. Please encourage them to submit their K-Cash during lunch so they can, hopefully, be chosen to participate. Please find time on your team to show these- it shouldn't take long.

Here is the assembly schedule for those who are planners and would like to get an idea of how this will go. We will have a quiet room for students with sensory issues. Anita Holland will run this room.

Friendly reminder to email your name to Mindy if you are the teacher who volunteers as tribute to get pied in the face by a student. Aside from grade-level teams, we also need an explore teacher and an admin! Please send your name by March 13th so we can show students in the KJ news.

As a way to continue our work on self regulation beyond the school year, we are offering to purchase copies of the book Onward, along with the accompanying workbook, for any staff member interested in reading them. If you are interested in these materials, please complete this Google form by March 17. 

Advisory Building Leader

Dance Coach

Cheer Coach (2)

7th Grade Girls Basketball Coach

8th Grade Girls Basketball Coach

Wrestling Coach (2)

As we proceed throughout this second semester, we are continuing our work on "maintaining our composure and rational detachment throughout the school year in order to handle escalations in student behavior in a healthy manner".   To date, we have utilized sessions with Abby Lyons and the district-wide de-escalation training to help support these efforts.

We are on another one of Bruce Perry's video series, Insights for Educators. This third video, Creating an Inclusive Classroom, talks about the biology behind implicit bias. Want to win a gift card? Be among the first 2 staff members to email Elisa the  answers to these two questions... 

1. Explain the neuroscience behind implicit bias. 

2. Identify 3 things teachers can do to create a more inclusive classroom. 

All SMART boards at KJHS are being replaced by interactive boards this summer. If you do not like where your SMART board is located and want the interactive board somewhere else, please let Amber O'Day know. If you've already spoken with Amber about this, there is no need to do that again. If you need your whiteboard moved in order to make room for an interactive board, please email Elisa and Darrin about that. We will look at moving whiteboards at the end of May. 

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. 

Since we don't have any trainings in March, here are some de-escalation tips that you may find helpful as we finish out these last few days before spring break. Thanks to Tayler for the resource! 

Unit 5 is hosting an Excellence and Equity Summit in September 2025. If you are interested in presenting at this event, please complete the proposal form by March 17. 

Two big StuCo things coming up... Trivia Night & Name Our Cougar! 

March 11-18:  Trivia Night reservations sold during lunch

March 17:  Name Our Cougar survey goes out to all Advisories and staff

March 19:  Name Our Cougar survey closes at the end of the day

March 19:  Trivia Night 3:45-5:00 room 6

KJHS is hosting a Youth Mental Health Training workshop on Monday, June 2. We currently have about 15 staff members who are attending and have room for 15 more. Let Elisa know if you are interested in attending this training. 

Elisa sent out an email on Wednesday regarding ISU PDS students for the 25-26 school year. If you are interested in hosting one of these students, please let Dr. Mertens know ASAP. 

Please be sure you are working on your GCN modules, which are required annually by state code. Elisa emailed those staff members who still have a large number of modules to complete. 

The student support team and truancy committee are working diligently to improve student attendance. One of our Tier 1 strategies is to message KJHS families weekly with different attendance messages. Want to know what they are? Check out the KJHS Attendance Matters Calendar. Many thanks to Breanna Schwarz for creating this tool. 

Here are this week's instructional technology tips. 

For the first time in 3 years, KJHS saw a drop in discipline referrals in February. There were 151 major referrals in February 2025 as compared to 268 major referrals in February 2024, representing a decrease of 43.7%. Congratulations on maintaining high standards for student behavior and learning while decreasing office referrals. Well done! 

On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, school districts in McLean County are asking voters to consider a 1% Illinois County Schools Facility Tax. All school districts in McLean County have united to bring forward this request to voters.

If approved, the revenue would directly benefit all public school districts in McLean County, including Unit 5. 

School districts are proposing the 1 cent sales tax to address:

• Increased safety, security and student support needs

• Aging facilities in need of significant updates

• Desire to reduce the financial burden on local property owners 

In Unit 5, this money would be used for:

• Safe Schools - School Resource Officers, crisis alert tools, improved surveillance systems, and secure learning environments

• Facility Needs - Maintenance and upgrades including: roofs, HVAC systems, plumbing and electrical updates

• Mental Health Professionals - School Psychologists, School Social Workers

• Technology Infrastructure - Enhancing technological resources and infrastructure to support modern educational needs.

• Property Tax Relief - Unit 5 would offset one-third of any new one-cent tax revenue to reduce property taxes for at least five years.

It is important to remember that staff cannot advocate for or against the referendum on the district’s time and/or using district funds and resources. When acting in the capacity as a Unit 5 staff member, while you should not advocate for or against the referendum, you can provide factual information. On your own time you can advocate in any manner you wish.

To learn more about the referendum, Unit 5 is hosting several community meetings, as well as three staff-only meetings.

The community meetings are:

• Thursday, March 13 , 6 pm at Northpoint Elementary

• Tuesday, March 18, 6 pm, Virtual

Virtual links will be sent closer to the date.

Here are helpful BRISK links, compliments of Eric Stegemann... 

Getting Started

• Basic Setup

• Getting Started from Brisk

• Getting Started from District

Tech Tuesday about Brisk from Amber

More Advanced Features

• How to: Brisk Student Extension

• Follow Brisk Bites on YouTube

• Become Brisk Certified

Still have questions? Try the Unit 5 Question and Answer forum!

• Q&A Forum

Just a reminder that if you want to use rooms other than those assigned to you during the school day, you need to complete the Building Use Form or the Gym and Outdoor Space Use Form. IMC reservations during the day are managed by Courtney Knowles. Usage of common spaces (cafe, gym, etc.) outside of school hours also require a reservation. If you have any questions regarding building reservations, please talk to Kaleigh. 

One of your benefits as a Unit 5 employee is access to our Employee Assistance Program. We encourage you to check out the program site to see if any of the many resources can meet your current and future needs.