The coaching positions listed below are available for the 24-25 school year. If you are interested in any of these positions, please complete the corresponding Google form. 

Pom/Dance Team Coach

Cheer Team Coach

8th Grade Girls Basketball Coach

If your team is taking a field trip in the next two weeks, please make sure you do the following things...

1. If you have any students with diabetes on your team, you must have someone who is DCA trained accompany you on the trip. If no one on your team is DCA trained, you will need to see if an administrator or DCA trained staff member is available to accompany your team.

2. If you will be gone over the lunch hour, please be sure the food service staff knows. 

3. Communicate your plans and schedule with the main office. 

Please fill out this short survey to help Social Committee plan for the upcoming year.  We love our traditions but gladly welcome new and different ideas! Maybe there's something you have done at another school or heard about and would like us to try.  Please share your thoughts and ideas with us.  

All users have now been uploaded into #WinAtSocial!  Teachers, you can now  follow these instructions along with the school code: 3c571547149D0E to register for #WinAtSocial.  Once you're logged in, you can easily access the following listed below. Please also know time will be spent as part of our August Institute reintroducing everyone to #WinAtSocial so Advisory Teams can begin to plan within the new Advisory schedule.  Please let me know if you have any questions or have any difficulty accessing the site. 

• To preview the Worldwide Calendar and lessons by month, visit the Lessons tab

• To preview Orientation Lessons for students and faculty, visit the Lessons tab and filter by Trending Lessons

• To watch a short demo of #WinAtSocial, visit the Resources tab and watch the video: "How To Run #WinAtSocial"

1. Lisa Bartels for being recognized by ISU as an Inspirational PK-12 Educator. According to her student teacher this spring... 

“Mrs. Bartels was my cooperating teacher during student teaching. Even before working at Kingsley, I knew I had the best CT. Mrs. Bartels was extremely organized and shared the curriculum and routines with me, to prepare, before I began. Each day, Mrs. Bartels spent time planning and providing feedback on my ideas to help me prepare for my classes. While I was teaching, Mrs. Bartels was in the bleachers taking notes to share feedback with me to improve my craft. The kindest thing Mrs. Bartels did for me was to allow me to head home for a family emergency before a massive snowstorm because she was worried about my safety. Her heart and passion for teaching go well beyond the classroom. Mrs. Bartels cares about education and lifting up her students and student teachers. I loved my experience at Kinglsey and am excited to begin my teaching career at a middle school this fall, as a result of this awesome experience.” 

2. Beyond the Books Grant Winners: Eric Stegemann, Lakeisha Banks, Anita Holland, Jennifer Ritchason, Nikki Brienen, Mindy Leverton, & Katie Starkey. KJHS recieved 5 grants, totaling $5930. 

3. Jen Rtichason for winning a grant from Delta Kappa Gamma Beta Iota. 

Here is the May KJ Family Connection for your reading pleasure. 

KJHS SWAP AND SHOP

MAY 20-23

ARE YOU STARTING TO CLEAN OUT AND ORGANIZE YOUR CLASSROOM FOR NEXT YEAR?

IF SO, BRING ANY ITEMS THAT CAN BE REUSED/RECYCLED TO MSR FOR OTHER STAFF TO  

SWAP AND SHOP.  

WE WILL HAVE LABELED AREAS FOR YOUR ITEMS ON THE TABLES SO PLEASE JUST DON’T MAKE PILES.

ALL REMAINING ITEMS ON THURSDAY, MAY 23RD WILL NEED TO BE DISPOSED OF BY STAFF.

This Monday is our final Data Day for the 23-24 school year. Here is the schedule, which includes the discussion lists for the day. 

Here is the plan for our PBIS Field Day on Wednesday, May 22nd during 7th & 8th hours. Many thanks to Nikki Brienen and the PBIS Celebrations Team for putting this together! 

The EOY checkout process includes completing the EOY Checkout Form and the EOY Google form. 

Please place team letters to be sent out this summer and team Back to School Bash Celebrations in this folder so Elisa doesn't have to bother you this summer. 

From Candid Omachel:

Thank you for attending the insurance meeting. You will receive an email shortly, from Employee Navigator, notifying that the special enrollment period is open. Please remember, this special enrollment is open for medical plan changes only. Dental and Vision plans are not being updated at this time. Information regarding this special enrollment can be found here at the District payroll website. You will need to access Google, using your Unit 5 login, to view the information.  The enrollment period ends on May 21, 2024.

If you missed the meeting, you can view the meeting here.

 We will hold Q&A sessions for staff with general questions on the dates below. Links to the meeting are provided below. Reminders will be sent the day of the session.

·       May 2 : 4 - 5:30pm : Video call link: https://meet.google.com/atv-cwem-cvt

·       May 7 : 4 - 5:30pm : Video call link: https://meet.google.com/efn-ujzv-xee

·       May 15 : 4 - 5:30pm : Video call link: https://meet.google.com/dya-pbgc-emu

·       May 21 : 11:30-1pm : Video call link: https://meet.google.com/iov-gcfr-mtd

You may contact David Underkoffler at david@clemensins.com with any questions you may have regarding this special enrollment. Questions can, also, be submitted using this Google Form or you may contact payroll@unit5.org.

Meeting Highlights

• Special enrollment period is May 1 through May 21 for employees who are currently active on the Unit 5 insurance plan (except for Custodial and Maintenance personnel).

• This special enrollment is a "passive" enrollment. If no action is taken by the employee during the enrollment period, the employee will remain on their current plan.

• The enrollment/changes are effective July 1 through December 31, 2024. We will have another open enrollment period, in the Fall, for 2025 coverage that starts January 1.

• Addition of "Utilization Management" to the prescription drug coverage for all plans.

• • Prior Authorization for some medications.

  • Step Therapy for certain chronic conditions.

  • Quantity Dispensing Limits

• Addition of “90DayMyWay” to all prescription drug coverage.  This will require all covered maintenance medications to be filled as a 90-day supply either through select retail pharmacies or through Home Delivery.

• Pharmacy network changed to "preferred" for all plans.  This network includes Walgreens, Osco, Walmart, and Sam's Club. For your lowest costs you will need to use these pharmacies.

• Changes to the premiums and employee contributions for our existing medical plans. This is in addition to the increased Board contribution to the Health Insurance Fund.

•  A new “Bronze” medical plan option is being added, which will be at no cost to eligible full-time employees.

• No changes to current Dental and Vision plans.

Looking to have a little dress up fun in May? Join us for the Kingsley Countdown to Summer Break dress up days! 

Please join us in welcoming Calynn Chavez (8-1 LBS 1) and Anna Trimpe (7-2 L&C) to Team Kingsley! We are so excited that they have chosen to join us for next year! 

Here is an updated draft of the 24-25 Master Schedule with individual teachers' tentative schedules (2nd tab). Schedules may change based on staffing changes or enrollment changes.

If there are any room repairs, painting, furniture changes, etc. that need to be done to your assigned classroom(s) before the start of the 24-25 school year, please record these on the 24-25 Room Needs Sheet. Any room change requests should be discussed directly with Elisa. 

Our annual PBIS fundraiser is currently underway! We have a block of tickets available for the Cubs vs. Cardinals game at Busch Stadium on Friday, July 12th, at 7:15 pm. If you are interested in purchasing tickets, please complete the form linked in the fundraiser flyer. Thank you in advance for your support! 

After serving in the role of KJHS Yearbook Sponsor for many years, Danny Tanner has decided to step down from the position. If you are interested in becoming the next KJHS Yearbook Sponsor, which is a paid Schedule B position, please let Elisa know. 

May 17        Mo's Front Porch Food Truck 11-2

May 17        Retirement Celebration at Hacienda Leon (Uptown) 4-6 pm

May 23rd    Staff Celebration during staff meeting

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. 

 We wanted to share some of the many benefits that are no cost to employees and eligible dependents, through your BCBS medical plan. Through BCBS, you have access to benefits that will help you achieve your health goals. Below is a brief overview of some of the programs that are offered. Additional details are attached.

Wondr - This is a digital weight loss and weight management program. It is not a diet! This program will teach you science-based skills so you can still eat the foods you enjoy while improving your overall health. Wondr is available to all interested employees currently enrolled in the BCBS medical plan.

Livongo - This program is designed to help individuals with hypertension, diabetes, and prediabetes manage their conditions to live a healthier lifestyle. Livongo will reach out to individuals who qualify for this program.

Hinge Health - This program helps individuals conquer back and joint pain without medication or surgery. Hinge Health will reach out to individuals who qualify for this program.

BCBS Fitness Program - This program provides discounted gym memberships to eligible employees and their dependents.

You may find additional information regarding the above programs and other benefits here at the District Payroll website. To access information at this, you must be logged in to your Unit 5 Google account. 

If you have any questions regarding your insurance benefits, please feel free to contact us. 

--

Candid Omachel

Payroll and Insurance Manager

McLean County Unit 5 Schools

Desk Phone:(309)557-4045 

District Cell: (309)306 -1085

** Unit 5 Staff Payroll and Insurance Resources can be found here**

If you are interested in training to be a mentor for the 24-25 school year, please let Elisa know by May 1. Elisa will be providing a training session in May for those teachers who are interested. Mentor training is valid for a period of 3 years and Elisa notified KJHS staff who need to renew their mentor training earlier this week. 

Here is the KJHS master schedule template for the 24 -25 school year. Individual teachers' schedules are still being developed and will hopefully be ready for release by May 1st. 

If  you feel that you want administration to be aware of communication with a student's family, please feel free to cc that student's AP when you email them. 

Due to the large number of students in the hallways at the beginning and end of the class periods, we are recommending that teachers institute a "no pass" rule for the first 5 and last 5 minutes of class. We are considering making this a whole school policy.

Just a reminder that teachers and staff should not be using crowdfunding sites, such as GoFundMe.com and Classful.com, to collect funds for field trips, school clubs, school events, etc.  Use of these sites compromises the district’s internal controls of handling funds and usually requires funds to be funneled through a personal account before ending up in the school’s account.  The district has the ability to accept electronic payments through the Infinite Campus school stores.  If you would like to utilize the Infinite Campus school store, please contact Elisa and she will help you get it set up. 

Here are the Instructional Technology Tips for February.

Need ideas for providing supports and accommodations? Check out these resources! Thank you to Tayler Musselman for compiling this collection and to all of you who contributed to it!