Discipline referrals dropped 30% from Quarter 2 to Quarter 3 this year, which is the complete opposite of last year, where referrals rose 21% from Q2 to Q3. Moreover, discipline referrals for Q3 of 2025 were 26% lower than Q3 of 2024. Thank you for all you've done to contribute to this shift in student behavior! 

It is the time of year for school supply lists for the 25-26 school year. Below are last year's lists. Please review them and, if there are any changes, please make a copy and send me an updated list for next school year. Elisa will order core folders for all grade levels with SIP funds so you do not need to worry about having those on your list.  Thanks and have a great day! 

6th Grade 24-25 Supply List

7-1 24-25 Supply List

7-2 24-25 Supply List

8th Grade 24-25 Supply List 

The window for Summer 2025 tuition waiver requests will open on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 6:00 a.m. and will close on April 30, 2025, at midnight. Here are the procedures outlining the distribution process for tuition waivers. 

The Illinois Retired Teachers Association is offering Excellence in Education Grants for Teachers.  Applications are due June 1, 2025. 

The KJHS PTO is sponsoring a fundraiser at Fannie Mae on April 5 from 11 am to 3 pm. Fannie Mae will donate 30% of the sale for any customer who mentions KJHS PTO. 

Congratulations to this week's Kingsley Kudos recipients:

Maggie Quist

Kim Johnson

Breanna Schwarz

Anita Holland

Calynn Chavez

Kaleigh Menken

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. 

Integrity Form

Here is the Integrity Form for March. We'll accept nominations until April 4th! 

Advisory Building Leader 

Dance Coach

Cheer Coach (2)

7th Grade Girls Basketball Coach

8th Grade Girls Basketball Coach

Wrestling Coach (2)

PBIS Tier 2 Coach (email Elisa if interested)

CARES Case Manager (email Elisa if interested)

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. 

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'll continue with Bruce Perry's "Insights for Educators" video series when we get back from break. 

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! 

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 last 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. 

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. 

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. 

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.