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

March 10th marks the beginning of the last 9 weeks of the school year. As such, tardy counts restart. If you have students who are chronically tardy to a class, this may be a good opportunity to tell them that they are getting a "fresh start" and help them set a "be on time" goal. 

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. 

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. 

Here is the schedule for Monday's Data Day. Thank you for all the work you did in filling out the discussion lists so we can have productive conversations about students' needs. 

The KJHS PTO is hosting a Dine to Donate on Wednesday, March 12, from 5-10 pm at DP Dough. 

So, when Elisa put out the March 4th SIP agenda, she forgot to update the check in/eval links. Please be sure to redo your check in and evaluations from that day so you can get your CPDUs. Here is the updated agenda - sorry for any inconvenience! 

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 second video, Creating a Safe Environment, talks about how your classroom structure directly impact student learning. Want to win a gift card? Be among the first 2 staff members to email Elisa answers one question in each of the groups below:

Group #1 (Answer 1 question)

Explain why routines are so important in maintaining student regulation. 

What is the best way to avoid dysregulation of classroom routines are disrupted? 

A parent emails you the second week of school, asking why their child hasn't had any homework yet. How do you respond? 

Group #2 (Answer 1 question)

Explain the relationship between learning and movement. 

Identify one tip for working with dysregulated students in the classroom. 

Explain why creating a safe environment is key to learning. 

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. 

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

Daria Van de Loo

Chaeli Barnes

Erik Rich

Tricia Reckers

Danny Tanner

Charlene Parsons

Eric Stegemann

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 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. 

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.