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! 

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 is the tentative IAR testing schedule. We will have further details/specific assignments as we get closer to the actual testing dates. There will be IAR testing training during our early release PD time on March 4th.  here are some other details surrounding IAR testing... 

1. There will be no advisory on 3/11- 3/13.

2. Please share your team's schedule on 3/11 - 3/13 with the main office, counselors, and admin team so we are able to located students when needed. 

3. The IAR assignment schedule will be published this week. 

Carl Torbeck for being named the Bridgestone Classroom of the Month

                                             AND

           Deanna Quick for being hired as an LBS 1 at KJHS for the 25-26 school year. Ms. Quick will be working on Team 8-2.

Congratulations to this week's Kingsley Kudos recipients... 

Barb Eaton

Elisa Palmer

Dennis Larson

Sylvester Davis

Jennifer O'Brien

Darrin Kimmel

Anita Holland

Charlene Parsons

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. 

11:45 - 12:45:   Lunch

12:45 - 1:15:     5 Essentials Survey Completion

1:15 - 2:15:       IAR Training

2:15 - 3:30:      PLC Sessions

3:30 - 4:05:      Work Time

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. 

Unit 5 IT is hosting an interactive board showcase on Tuesday, March 4, from 2:30 - 5:30 pm at the District Office. This is a great opportunity to give input into which boards are purchased. PLC sessions will go until 3:30 and you are welcome to go over to the district office after that to test out the board options. 

KJHS is looking for a dance coach for the 25-26 school year. Please contact Sylvester if you are interested in this position. 

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. 

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 have finished the Neurosequential Model series and are now on to Bruce Perry's second series, Insights for Educators. this first video, Building a Connected Classroom, goes deeper into some of things touched on in the NSM series and introduces us to some different concepts. Want to win a gift card? Be among the first 2 staff members to email Elisa answers to the following questions:

1. What is meant by the brain being a prediction machine and how does this impact how students see the world? 

2. Explain how proximity can impact students, especially those who are stress response sensitized. 

3. Waht are the 4 "Ps" of creating an optimal relational space? 

KJHS is hosting the Class 4A 7th Grade Girls State Volleyball  tournament on 3/14 - 3/15. There are few open spots open for those looking to make a little extra money before spring break. If interested, please email Kaleigh. 

The teacher version of the 5Essentials survey is now open. There will be time given on 3/4 to complete this but you are more then welcome to do it ahead of that date. 

The KJHS PTO has $1000 to spend on teacher requests. If you have a request for funds for your classroom, please complete the PTO Teacher Funding Request Form. This is due by March 7th for the March 10th meeting, which is the last meeting where funding requests will be considered. 

The Advisory Building Leader is a new Schedule B position for the 25-26 school year. The Advisory Building Leader is responsible for providing leadership and support to middle school teachers within the context of the advisory program. Interested individuals can click here for a full description of the position and apply via Applitrack. 

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. 

We are arranging for a Youth Mental Health Training for Kingsley staff in June 2025. Thanks to SIP funds, we are able to pay participants a stipend for attending. If you are interested in attending this training, please complete this brief Google form. 

Here are this week's instructional technology tips. 

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.