Here is our schedule for the early release on 9/10:

  11:45 - 12:45 - Lunch (PTO is offering pizza in MSR)

                12:45 - 2:15 - Power PD Session - Presence (be sure to dress comfortably for the physical activity session)

                 2:15 - 2:35 - PLC Training

                 2:35 - 3:55 - PLC Time

The Kingsley staff jacket online store is now open. Jackets can be ordered now through September 23 and will be delivered mid-October. Thanks to all of you who indicated interest so we knew to move forward with this process.

September is Respect month and the PBIS lesson will focus on respect to peers. The lesson will be shared by Friday, September 13, and is to be taught the week of September 16. The lesson will take two advisory periods to complete.

There are still a few game duty slots open for the girls basketball season. E-mail Kaleigh if one or more of the open dates works for you and you want to take advantage of this opportunity to earn a little extra money while watching our student athletes in action.  

Our first Out of the Blue event is this Tuesday, September 10, during 1st or 2nd hour. Core teams, please decide the hour that best suits your team's needs. Candy was delivered to one member of each team. If your team is short candy, please let Nikki Brienen know (there's about 126 pieces for each team) by Monday.

The focus for Out-of-the-Blue will be entering the classroom respectfully. Specifically, we want to give candy to the students who enter prepared with their supplies, who enter at an appropriate volume, and who aren't swearing or using foul language.

Attention all LBS1s.. there is an Embrace Work Night on Wednesday, September 25 from 3 - 6 pm at Sugar Creek Elementary School. Natalie Shumaker as generously offered to stay until 7 since we don't end our school day until 3:45. You will be paid for your time. 

Please consider getting a trivia team to participate in one or both of these upcoming trivia nights.  Both organizations do a lot to support Unit 5 students and staff.  

ΦΒΣ Kappa Mu Sigma - September 26th 6-8 pm

Books for Bloomington-Normal Kids - October 10th 

If you are injured at work or during a KJHS event, please notify Kim Mattocks and/or an administrator prior to seeking treatment. There is a process we need to follow and we want to make sure you are well taken care of. Please notify us even if you do not think you will seeking treatment so we can make a record of the incident. 

There are some pretty strict regulations concerning cash collection and handling for Unit 5 schools. Here are a couple that you need to be aware of...

1. No cash apps (Venmo, Paypal, etc) should be used to collect school funds.  Do not set up accounts with these apps in the district's or school’s name.  Unit 5 staff cannot collect district or school funds through their personal cash app account, and then give that money to the school.

2. If you collect money for any school purpose, please be sure to give it to Kaleigh within a couple of days of collection. 

Unit 5 employees (and one guest) can attend Unit 5 student events for FREE. All they have to do is show a Unit 5 ID for entry. This also applies to substitute teachers, who can get a district ID or use the sub ID. To get a new ID, people can put in a helpdesk ticket. Make sure to attach a headshot picture. An ID will be sent via interoffice mail once it is completed. 

Based on staff and family feedback, we are moving the winter open house that we piloted last March to a fall open house on Wednesday, October 2nd. The event will be structured similar to last year, with families walking their students' schedules. "Classes" will be 8 minutes long with 3 minute passing periods. Classes run 5:30 pm - 6:55 pm and administration will host an informational session afterwards. More details will be released as we get closer to 10/2. 

Congratulations to the August PBIS PRIDE Winners listed below! These students were nominated by their teachers for their participation both in and out of the classroom. 

6-1:   Zoe Harris

6-2:   Quawi Williams

      7-1:  Zoe Fish

7-2: Celeste Ebonda

8-1: Rachael Ebert

8-2: Rocco Cottone

   Exploratory: Carly Lange

Updates on the remaining construction projects:

1. Greeter's Station: Progress continues to be made on the greeter's station. Final touches are expected to be completed on September 10th and the goal is to have that station operational by September 16th. Unit 5 has adopted Verkada as a check in system for visitors. Visitors to KJHS will be required to present identification to be scanned as a safety precaution. Verkada runs an instant background check and will notify administration if any issues are detected.  

2. Neuman Gym Bleachers: Tear down of the northern Neuman Gym bleachers begins on September 9th and the new bleachers are scheduled to arrive on September 18th. We're hoping installation is completed by September 25th. 

Congratulations to this week's Kingsley Kudos recipients! 

• Amanda Seibert

• Peggy Bruun-Regan

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. 

Here are this week's instructional technology tips. 

If you have not already done so, please complete this survey for the PTO so they can meet the needs and wishes of staff members during the year. 

The PNC First Grant program provides teachers the opportunity to apply for a grant up to $750 to assist in the implementation of innovative and creative classroom projects that otherwise would not occur due to lack of funding.

Teachers can apply throughout the summer. The application link below is live and will close on Monday, September 9, at 11:59 p.m. You will need to create an account to apply. 

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

The K-Cart is starting up on October 4th and running after Friday through December 13. The K-Cart will visits classroom during tutorial hours.  Here is the schedule: 

South End: 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15/, 12/6

North End: 10/11, 1/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/13

Now that the school year is underway, we are beginning to see some students struggling with school behavior expectations. Please remember to partner with families as we work to provide support to these students. If a student is struggling with classroom or hallway behavior, please be sure to contact the family as part of the support/intervention process.  Thank you to all of you have made this part of your practice - it makes a difference when the adults work together! 

One person at each grade level (see below) and all lab teachers (DEMD, GTT, Computer App) can change students' passwords.  Please be respectful of these teachers' class time when asking for assistance.  If one of these teachers is not at school, Kaleigh in the office can change passwords. 

6th Grade - Carl Torbeck

7th Grade - Eric Stegemenn

8th Grade  - Katie Starkey

Unit 5 HR will be visiting KJHS on October 2nd from 11am - 1 pm in Main Street Retreat to answer any questions that you have.

1. If a student from your team is referred for a Tier 2 behavior intervention, we will invite your team to the Tier 2 meeting where that student will be discussed. If you can send a team representative, please do so as it is helpful to have someone there to answer questions. 

2. Student returning from a hospitalization or extended absence (such as homebound) will have a re-entry meeting with their guidance counselor, AP, case manager (if applicable) and at least one team teacher. We will provide class coverage as needed so a team teacher can be at the meeting. 

The KJHS Data Days are scheduled for 10/17, 12/16, 3/3, & 5/15. The 24-25 KJ Assessment Calendar is now available for your viewing and planning pleasure! (Type A personalities, you are welcome)

Nurse O'Brien is offering training in the administration of medication and Diabetic Care Aide as well as the administration of the opioid antagonist, Narcan. This training is optional but please note the following...

1.  If you have a student on your team with diabetes and plan to go on field trip, there does need to be a DCA-trained adult with that student. 

2. Students who are prescribed medication for the treatment of food allergies, seizures, or asthma must be accompanied by a trained staff member when leaving campus for any reason, such as field trips.  

3. If a student needs an oral medication during the time he/she will be off campus, he or she must be accompanied by a staff member who is trained to dispense oral medication.

4. Students who participate in any co-curricular activities (sports teams, before/after school clubs and activities) who are prescribed medication for food allergies, asthma, or seizures MUST be accompanied by a trained staff member the entire duration of the activity.  If a student needs an oral medication during the duration he/she will be at the activity, he or she must  be accompanied by a staff member who is trained to dispense oral medication.

Please do not assume that an administrator will be available to go on your field trip or outing with you.  

 Starting next week, we will be monitoring daily attendance to track who is getting attendance entered.  Those staff members who are not will get a follow up email reminding them of this important responsibility.  Attendance should be taken for each class period, including advisory.  We have had more late buses than usual this year and are giving students a pass with the time and date.  It is a good practice to wait until the advisory has begun to allow for any late buses/students to arrive.  Please change your attendance if a student arrives late with a pass.  Thank you for helping us keep accurate attendance records. 

Just a reminder that now that school is in session, KJHS staff are only to park in the parking lots on the north and south end of the building. Parking on the west side of the building is reserved for maintenance and the KJHS SRO. 

We have an administrative update regarding a change to student re-entry after an out-of-school suspension(OSS).  We will no longer be assigning an in-school suspension(ISS) after an OSS.  Students will have a re-entry meeting upon their return to school during advisory.  Our goal with this change is to minimize the amount of time students are removed from the educational setting.  Please see an administrator if you have any questions regarding this change. 

Mary Kate Kroesch (KJ Class of '23) is undergoing treatments for a rare and very aggressive form of sarcoma in Houston, Texas. To assist her family with the costs, the KJHS Drama Club is planning a benefit on Friday, October 25th. More details will be sent out at a later date. In the meantime, if you are looking to help support Mary Kate in her cancer battle, you can order a Team MK t-shirt. 

Hello Unit 5 Educators and Staff,

Welcome back to the 2024-25 school year. Illinois and Federal law mandate that the District provide certain training to educators and staff. The mandated staff training differs based on grade level, job function, and when they must occur (e.g. annually vs. once every couple of years). 

Unit 5 uses an online web-based platform, Global Compliance Network or "GCN", to complete most of the mandated training. To access the training modules, please click this link to be redirected to GCN’s site.

• Unit 5's organizational ID is 163053m. 

• Your User ID is your Unit 5 email address.

• After you login, you will see a list of your "required" tutorials. To start a tutorial, you will click on "Start" to the left of the title. 

This year, several mandates were updated and include requirements for certain training to be prioritized for completion by December 20, 2024.  Therefore, we ask that you complete the following tutorials first:

• Bloodborne Pathogens

• Child Abuse

• Ethics and Boundaries for School Employees

• Medical Emergency Response in Schools

• Sexual Harassment

• Title IX

Note: If you do not see one of these training modules listed in your “required” tutorials, that means the module is not a requirement for your employee group.

Time to complete most of the training will be dedicated during Early Release and Institute Days. You may also complete training during the course of your work day. The deadline to complete all required tutorials is May 21, 2025. However, as mentioned above, certain training modules must be completed no later than the end of the day on December 20, 2024.

If you have any questions or have trouble logging into GCN, please let me know. Wishing you a great start to the 2024-25 school year. Thank you for all you do!

Thank you!

Megan Peterson, SPHR

Human Resources Generalist

McLean County Unit District 5

309-557-4084

If you come into work after hours or are at an after hours event at KJHS and the HVAC system is not operating, you have a couple of options. 

1. Check thermostat in the space and locate the home button (it has a house on it). Push down on that button until the light turns red. That means that the system knows the space is occupied and it will run for 2 hours. You can re-set it again if you need to. 

2. If you cannot find the thermostat or the home button approach isn't working, text Elisa and she will contact Alpha Control to get your space turned on.