December Newsletter

Important December Dates

1 PTN Night Out - MOD Pizza (St. Charles)
9 1st Grade Holiday Concert 9:30am
9 Movie Night / Food Truck / Stuff Animals Filling Party
12-16 Holiday Shop

14 Fun Lunch - Culvers
15 Evening Holiday Shop 4-7pm  (DATE CHANGE)
20 One-Hour Early Dismissal (2:25/2:30)
21 Holiday Party (Kinder 10:40-11:20 / 1st-5th 1:35-2:20)
21 One-Hour Early Dismissal (2:25/2:30)
Dec 22 - Jan 8 Winter Break

Important January Dates
9 Students Return to School
12 Four Schools, One Book Assembly and Book Reveal
12 PTN Dine Out - Noodles & Company (Geneva Commons)
16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
31 PTN Mtg 6-7pm

UPCOMING TESTING at KST
Grades 1-5 will be participating in their second iReady Diagnostic test the week of 12/5-12/9. Your child's teacher will have more specific testing date information. Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast on testing days! Thank you!

SPIRIT WEEK
Mark your calendars for Holiday Spirt Days!!!

PTN MOVIE NIGHT
PTN will be hosting another movie night on Friday, December 9th. There will be a double feature of Prep and Landing and The Grinch (2018). The Pasta Box Food Truck will be present!! There will be kid-friendly options such as buttered noodles and mac n' cheese. If you pre-ordered a festive Furry Friend, you will pick them up that evening. If you are unable to attend movie night, your child will receive it at school on 12/12. We still have a few Furry Friends that could be purchased, click HERE to purchase for $20.

In order to continue to have these movie nights, we need all attendees to abide by the following expectations:
- All students sit with or near their parents/guardians
- No running in the gym, halls, or lunchroom
- Voices are at a whisper or silent during the movie
- Phones and devices are silenced
- Food meals and open pop/soda cans are consumed in the lunchroom
- Everyone is respectful and responsible

Schedule:

Doors, Food Truck, and Concessions will open at 5:00 pm 

Fluff your Plushie 5:00 - 5:30 pm

Prep and Landing Showing at 5:30 - 6:00 pm

Intermission Between Movies 6:00 - 6:15 pm

The Grinch Begins Showing at 6:15 pm

The Food Truck & Concessions Close at 7:00 pm (Food and concessions will be available while supplies last)

           

HOLIDAY SHOP at KST
We are having Penguin Patch/ Holiday Shoppe during the week of Dec. 12 - 16th during school hours. Click HERE to preview possible gift options (some styles and options may vary). If you would like your child to participate, please send them cash in the envelope that will be sent home with your child on Monday. There will be special evening hours on Thursday, December 15th from 4-7pm. This is a great opportunity for students to shop for their family members!!


TEACHERS FAVORITE THINGS

I wanted to reshare this list as you begin your holiday shopping, you might be thinking of what you could get for your child's teacher. Here is a list of a Few of Their Favorite Things!

SECOND STEP CURRICULUM - SEL
Did you know that we utilize the Second Step Curriculum K-5 for our SEL support? This tool provides a great foundation for our students in supporting their social-emotional needs. Feel free to visit the Second Step website for more information.

FOUR SCHOOLS, ONE BOOK - MASKED READER

We are so excited to introduce our next book for four schools, one book. But before we do that, can you and your family guess who the masked reader is and what book we will all read together.  Visit kst.Kaneland.org   and click on the link found on the banner.   

The new masked readers will be released on these days:

November 30 - Masked Reader #1
December 5 - Masked Reader #2
December 7 - Masked Reader #3
December 12 - Masked Reader #4
December 19 - Masked Reader #5

Mid-November Newsletter

Important November Dates

21 - 25 No School - Thanksgiving Break
29 PTN Meeting 6-7pm KST Library

30 Fun Lunch - Corner Grind

Important December Dates

1 PTN Night Out - MOD Pizza (St. Charles)

9 1st Grade Holiday Concert 9:30am 

9 Movie Night / Food Truck / Stuff Animals

12-16 Holiday Shop

14 Fun Lunch - Culvers

20 One-Hour Early Dismissal (2:25/2:30)

21 Holiday Party (Kinder 10:40-11:20 / 1st-5th 1:35-2:20)

21 One-Hour Early Dismissal (2:25/2:30)

Dec 22 - Jan 8 Winter Break (Students Return January 9th)

District Information

On November Tuesday 29th, 6:00-7:30 pm, Kaneland will be hosting a District Information Night hosted at Harter Middle School to discuss the following topics: Standards-based grading at the 6-12 level, R.E.V. data, and updates, as well as opportunities to learn about job postings and staffing needs across the district.  More information with a more detailed description of each session will be shared with our families and staff next week.  Kaneland families are encouraged to attend. 

Our Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences have recently concluded with great attendance across the district.  Thank you to our parents for attending and for our teachers sharing important updates on our student progress.  Over the past several years, more and more students are demonstrating their levels of proficiency and understanding of standards through student-led conferences. Students shared with their parents how they are progressing in their learning, how they advocate for their learning, and what is going well in their day-to-day experiences.

IgKnight Conference 2022- On Monday, Nov. 21st our staff and administrators will be engaging in a busy day of professional learning through our annual Kaneland IgKnight Conference. With nearly 50 Kaneland staff members set to present to their colleagues, this is one of our largest, peer-led conferences that we provide. On November 22nd, our staff will work with their grade-span colleagues at their buildings working on building-specific topics relevant to the rest of the year. 

Emergency Snow Day Information 

It is that time of year again to prepare for possible snow days or remote learning emergency days.  The district will call a remote learning emergency day by 8:00pm the night prior to the learning day.  A snow day will be called anytime after 8:00pm the night before to 5:30am on the learning day.  The following are guidelines for the remote learning emergency day when they are called:

-All EC-1st grade will complete lessons in the Blizzard Bag that was sent home the first two weeks of November

-2nd-12th grade students will access Google Meet links using Canvas.  --Students should log onto the class period using the posted Google Meets link at the designated time as regularly scheduled or school shared schedule.  
-Learning activities will be posted on Canvas to support the instruction on Google Meets for all classes on an emergency day on the Canvas learning management system
-Families will not be asked to pick up any materials from the school on these days
-No schools are physically open for family and student academic communication.
-A school may be opened for extra-curricular activities on an individual basis

Student Expectations:
-Students should follow the regular, or posted school day schedule
-Students will need to log onto all class sessions and check for the activities to be completed
-If a student is unable to attend to learning activities due to illness, technology connectivity issues, etc, please call the attendance secretary for your school in order to be counted as an excused absence
-All work is to be completed by the noted due date (some due dates may be the next school day).

John Stewart Information

Bookfair

Thank you to everyone who visited and purchased from the book fair during parent-teacher conferences, it was a huge success!! A portion of your purchases gives money back to our library for us to purchase more books from student feedback and interests. We will be hosting another book fair in the spring during the week of Open House.

Teacher Favorite Things
As the holiday season comes around, you might be thinking of what you could get for your child's teacher.  Here is a list of a Few of Their Favorite Things!

Art to Remember

This semester, our school is participating in a unique fundraising program with Art to Remember that gives you the opportunity to purchase keepsake items with your child's artwork on them. The best part is that every keepsake order supports our school. Just head to ArtToRemember.com and search for your child’s name, enter their online order code, or upload artwork from home and start shopping!

Staff Book Club - Restorative Justice

What is Restorative Justice and Why Do We Do It?

• Senate Bill 100 - A new approach to student behavior and discipline 

• A way to understand the root behavior to address and teach alternative behaviors. Brings awareness to the student of the harm they caused others from their actions. 

• Last year’s feedback from staff and students asked for more professional development on restorative practices and a desire for more positive peer relationships. 

• The School-Improvement (SIP) Team at KST reviewed the fall REV (Respect, Equality, Value) survey data, collected earlier this year from students, staff, and families, where we identified three areas for growth. 

1. Our school uses a restorative justice approach to discipline.
2. Students have a choice over what, when, where, how, and with whom they learn.
3. Students are solving real-world problems in their communities. 

The book study is just one way we will be addressing these identified areas.  Our team will be working on infusing student voice into our action plan as we begin to address this feedback.  Please keep a look out for future information about these topics throughout the school year. 

 

CELEBRATIONS: We are happy to share REV Identified Areas of Strength within John Stewart. 

Student's Top Responses:

Knowing how to access mental health support at school

Our school climate is positive, warm, and welcoming  

Students feel safe 

Students have at least one adult that cares about them & supports them

 

Staff Top Responses: 

Families feel welcomed and valued

Social-emotional needs of students are supported in our school  

Students are regularly asked for feedback

 

Family's Top Responses: 

My school is committed to an excellent education for each student

Families feel welcomed and valued.

Our school climate can be described as warm, welcoming, & inclusive. 

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!!

We are so very thankful for the wonderful families, students, and staff at KST!

~ Mrs. Aversa and Mrs. Tucker ~

November Stewart Newsletter

Important November Dates

2 Parent/Teacher Conferences Dinner 4pm-8pm

3 Parent/Teacher Conference 10am-8pm

4 No School - No Student or Staff Attendance

8 No School - Election Day - No Student or Staff Attendance

9 Fun Lunch - Doughbrother's Pizza

9 PTN Night Out - Chipotle 

21 - 25 No School - Thanksgiving Break

29 PTN Meeting 6-7pm KST Library

30 Fun Lunch - Corner Grind

Important December Dates

1 PTN Night Out - MOD Pizza (St. Charles) 

9 Movie Night / Food Truck / Stuff Animals

12-16 Holiday Shop

14 Fun Lunch - Culvers

20 One-Hour Early Dismissal (2:25/2:30)

21 Holiday Party (Kinder 10:40-11:20 / 1st-5th 1:35-2:20)

21 One-Hour Early Dismissal (2:25/2:30)

Dec 22 - Jan 8 Winter Break (Students Return January 9th)

A Few Weather-Related Reminders

This a friendly reminder, especially as the weather is beginning to change. Parents are expected to drop their children off in the west parking lot. If your child needs help getting out of the car, please make sure to park in a spot.  When it starts snowing and they have their snow bag, it might take them a little longer to exit the vehicle. This allows us to make sure we keep all students safe and the flow of traffic moving.  

When it snows, please send their snow bag. Their snow bag, usually a reusable bag of some sort, should contain, snow boots, snow pants, gloves, and a hat.  Please make sure to LABEL all items and the bag.  Students will continue to go outside for recess as long as the real feel temperature is above 5 degrees.

Teacher Favorite Things
As the holiday season comes around, you might be thinking of what you could get for your child's teacher.  Here is a list of a Few of Their Favorite Things!

Veterans Day Celebration 

On Friday, November 11th, Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School will be holding a Veterans Day celebration.

Legion members and veterans will be honored with a morning breakfast which will take place at 8:10 a.m. in the teacher’s lounge. Our flag-raising ceremony will immediately follow in front of the school at 8:50.  We are inviting local veterans to join us for both the breakfast and morning flag ceremony. We are hoping to have many veterans and Legion members in attendance.  These annual events help teach our students about the importance of good citizenship. Please email Mary Kunstman, KST music teacher, at 10274@kaneland.org with any additional questions.  If you are a veteran and are able to join us for breakfast, please complete this form - Veterans Day Breakfast RSVP

If you have a family member who is in the military, we would love to honor them at school on our Veterans bulletin board.  A Veterans Day picture template will be sent home with your student but I have also attached a copy here. The pictures are due back to Mrs. Kunstman As Soon As Possible. Thank you! 

Employment Opportunities 
Have you ever wanted to be a Knight?  Kaneland is looking to fill several critical areas within the District.  These positions are perfect for those looking for a way to give back to their community, work with a great team of fellow Knights, align their work schedule with the school schedule, and support our students.  We have immediate openings for:

• Food Service - HMS & KHS
• Head Cook - HMS
• School Psychologist - KHS
• Speech/Language Pathologist - KHS
• Part-Time Security - KHS
• Part-Time Early Childhood Paraprofessional - KBK
• Lunch Monitors - HMS & KHS
• 1:1 Nurse for Transportation - District
• Substitute Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Bus Drivers, Food Service, Nurses, and Bus Aides

If you are at all interested or able to support the Kaneland Community, please contact Dr. Adkins at 630-365-4113 or via email at 75522@kaneland.org for information on qualifications, pay rates, benefits, and how to apply.  You will find that Kaneland schools are rewarding, engaging, and exciting places to work.  We are glad to help you join the team!

Mid-October Newsletter

Kaneland Connects
Over the course of the beginning of the school year, Kaneland has been focusing on the shift from Response to Intervention to Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).  MTSS consists of pushing in to support students in the classrooms to enhance and remediate learning for students.  The focus of MTSS is expanded to all content and support for behaviors.  The MTSS interventionists co-teach within assigned classrooms and use the six models of co-teaching to best serve our students.  MTSS staff and classroom teachers meet and co-plan based on the needs of the students and work on supporting all students through co-teaching.  The benefits of MTSS co-teaching are looking at the whole child within the classroom and supporting them in the learning environment.  Feel free to ask your students about co-teachers that might be working in their classrooms.  We are excited to continue to support learning through MTSS this year!  

Please be on the lookout this month for the Todd Talks (at Kaneland.org) featuring the revised learner profile! We are excited about all the revisions and connections students are making regarding their learning styles.

We would love to hear from you!! We are looking for more parent involvement on our Kaneland Connect Commitment Teams. These teams meet only a few times a year in the evenings. If you would like to get more involved in district-wide committees, please email Dr. Todd Leden at 11613@kaneland.org

Personalized Learning Academy

Registration has opened for the inaugural class at the Personalized Learning Academy! Registration is already a quarter of the way full! As a reminder, there are two upcoming IgKnight Academy Open House Informational Sessions. They will be held on Thursday, October 20th, and Thursday, November 17th, at the Meredith Road building, just north of Kaneland High School, from 6:00-7:30 pm. The evenings will include opening remarks, followed by a tour of four Academy spaces, with information on the differences between personalized and legacy (traditional) instruction, how to determine if IgKnight is right for you, and the opportunity to envision a day in the life of an IgKnight student. The tour is self-paced, allowing families to spend as little or as much time learning and exploring as they need. 

If you have any questions regarding IgKnight Academy registration, please contact Laura Garland, Personalized Learning Coordinator at 10166@kaneland.org or 630-365-5111x71127.

~ Kaneland Administration ~ 

Important October Dates
17-21 School Bus Driver Appreciation 

19 Fun Lunch - Taco Bell

19 Fall Picture Retakes
27 PTN Night Out - Portillo's Fundraiser
31 Halloween Party (see information below)

Important November Dates

2 Parent/Teacher Conferences Dinner 4pm-8pm

3 Parent/Teacher Conference 10am-8pm

4 No School - No Student or Staff Attendance

8 No School - Election Day - No Student or Staff Attendance

9 Fun Lunch - Doughbrother's Pizza

9 PTN Night Out - Chipotle 

21 - 25 No School - Thanksgiving Break

30 Fun Lunch - Corner Grind

Halloween Day & Party Reminders

What: Annual Halloween parties and costume parade on Monday, October 31st
Where: Kaneland John Stewart Elementary
When: 1st-5th Grade Classroom Parties will be held from 2:30-3:00pm. Kindergarten parties will be from 10:30-11:15am. School-Wide Parade will be held from 3:10 – 3:20 pm. AM Kindergarten students are welcome to join the parade. Please drop them off in the office by 3:00pm. 

The Parade will take place outside, along the front sidewalk. Parents are welcome to line the walkway and view all of the wonderful costumes. In the event of inclement weather, the parade will be held indoors. 

Students are welcome to wear school-appropriate costumes to school. Please refrain from sending face masks that cover their entire face, weapon-like accessories or anything that indication of violence. Be sure your child can independently manage bathroom needs while in his/her costume.

If you would like to take your child home at the end of the school day, you MUST send a note to school, in the morning, indicating a change in their afternoon transportation plans.  However, they will not be dismissed until the first bell at 3:25.  If you need them earlier than the dismissal time, you must sign them out of the office and your note must indicate the earlier time. 

To ensure a safe and timely dismissal, please wait outside in the designated area for your student.

Upcoming Bookfair News

I'm excited to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair will be at Parent-Teacher Conferences in the LRC! Here's what you need to know about our upcoming fair:

■ Every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly
■ The fair will be held for 2 days only: November 2 & 3 during Parent-Teacher Conferences
■ You can sign up for Book Fair eWallet, a convenient digital payment account, so your child can shop the Fair cash-free. Grandparents, friends, and others can contribute to the eWallet to help build your home library.
■ The new flier will be coming home with your child soon.

Fair Dates and Location:
Wednesday, Nov. 2nd & Thursday, Nov. 3rd - During Parent/Teacher Conferences
KST-LRC

We can’t wait to see you at the Fair!

Nancy Steers
John Stewart’s Librarian & Book Fair Chair
630-365-8170 x120
10818@kaneland.org

Parent-Teacher Conferences

We are all looking forward to the upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences. We really enjoy connecting with our families and strengthening the relationship between home and school.  This year parent-teacher conferences are on Wednesday, November 2nd from 4-8pm and on Thursday, November 3rd from 10am-8pm.  Please reach out to your classroom teacher if you forgot when your scheduled time is.  Conferences are 20 minutes in length. 

Narrative Writing Reel

Students have been writing all year long and to help students understand ways to improve their writing, it is important to look at examples and discuss what they notice. One way to do this is by looking at writing from Kindergarten all the way to 5th grade.  The narrative writing reel shows the students and staff what an exemplary narrative writing piece looks like for each grade level. Students and staff alike are asked what they notice and use that to apply it to their own writing. Below are links to those examples if you want to look at them with your child at home.

• Kinder

• 1st Grade

• 2nd Grade

• 3rd Grade

• 4th Grade

• 5th Grade

Veterans Day Celebration 

On Friday, November 11th, Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School will be holding a Veterans Day celebration.

Legion members and veterans will be honored with a morning breakfast which will take place at 8:10 a.m. in the teacher’s lounge. Our flag-raising ceremony will immediately follow in front of the school at 8:50.  We are inviting local veterans to join us for both the breakfast and morning flag ceremony. We are hoping to have many veterans and Legion members in attendance.  These annual events help teach our students about the importance of good citizenship. Please email Mary Kunstman, KST music teacher, at 10274@kaneland.org with any additional questions.  If you are a veteran and are able to join us for breakfast, please complete this form - Veterans Day Breakfast RSVP

If you have a family member who is in the military, we would love to honor them at school on our Veterans bulletin board.  A Veterans Day picture template will be sent home with your student but I have also attached a copy here. The pictures are due back to Mrs. Kunstman by Tuesday, November 1st. Thank you! 

October Newsletter

IgKnight Academy/Kaneland Connects Information

This month the district has been hard at work on the IgKnight Personalized Learning Academy opening. The Academy opens on August 2023 with early registration opening on October 3, 2022. The next IgKnight Personalized Learning Academy Parent Nights will be held on October 20th and November 17th. Please be sure to send any inquiries to KIPLA@kaneland.org. 

The district also has been working on collecting evidence to show the progression of the five commitments in each of the schools. We are excited to see the progress of the commitments within each school and hearing from students on progress. Our Fall SIP data indicated students self-rating themselves at the understanding and application levels at the following percentages per commitment: MTSS 76.9%, 1:1 Learning 72.4%, PBP 76.9%, SBG 79% and SEL 78.5%. The district looks forward to the beginning of the commitment team meetings this month! 

If you are interested in serving on a commitment team, please contact Dr. Todd Leden at 11613@kaneland.org. Be sure to check out the Todd Talks posted on our Kaneland website to learn even more about our Graduate Profile and Five Commitments!

~ Kaneland Administration ~

Important October Dates

3 Charleston Wrap Fundraiser Orders Due

5 Fun Lunch - Paisano’s Pasta

7 PTN Movie Night/Food Truck Event

10 NO SCHOOL - Indigenous People Day

12 Walk to School Day  

13 PTN Night Out - Rosati's Elburn Fundraiser

19 Fun Lunch - Taco Bell

27 PTN Night Out - Portillo's Fundraiser

31 Halloween Party (see information below)

Bus Notes - Riding a Different Bus Home

Please know that we are not allowing students to ride home from school with other students on a different bus this year.  With the shortage of bus drivers, our bus routes have been combined and many of the routes don’t have space for extra students.  We want to be sure that all students that are regularly scheduled to ride the bus are able to have a seat allowing them to get home from school.  Thank you for your understanding.  

Substitutes Needed in Kaneland

Have you ever wanted to substitute in your school district? 

Subbing is a flexible, convenient, and rewarding opportunity that many can take advantage of. 

Getting a substitute certificate can be simple, and once done, there is a significant need for substitute teachers here in Kaneland. 

Please follow this link for additional information.

There are two pathways to becoming a substitute teacher

1. If you hold a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college/university, you may obtain a full substitute license.

2. If you have an Associates Degree OR sixty (60) credit hours from an accredited college/university, you may obtain a short-term sublicense. 

3. The short-term substitute license has various limitations and would only be valid until June 30, 2023.

If you are interested in subbing and qualify under either of the pathways above, simply click on this link to the Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) and start an account.  Follow the prompts to apply for a Substitute License.  The State will provide you with an email to send official college transcripts to so that you can finalize the process.  Once you have a license issued from the State, please contact the building principal for a screening interview.  

If you have any questions or need any additional information or help, please contact Dr. Chris Adkins, Director of Human Resources at 630-365-4114 or via email at 75522@kaneland.org. 

Halloween Parties

Halloween parties will take place on Monday, October 31st. Specific information regarding the Halloween Party and Parade can be found here: Halloween Party/Parade Guidelines.  There can be two-parent/guardian volunteers per classroom for this party. All volunteers must be pre-signed up through the PTN before the event. *AM Kindergarten students are welcome to come back for the parade at 3pm, please drop them off in the office a few minutes before so they can line up with their class.    

Yoga for Kids

“Yoga for kids helps promote flexibility, balance, and strength. Beyond the many physical benefits, yoga can help promote patience, focus, and mental clarity in children. Yoga practice can help a child to learn to take a moment to themselves to breathe and find their calm while building individuals' self-esteem and self-respect. Rather than focusing on perfect poses, we place emphasis on children's individual selves, their minds and bodies, and what feels comfortable to them.”

Important November Dates

2 Parent/Teacher Conferences Dinner 4pm-8pm

3 Parent/Teacher Conference 10am-8pm

4 No School - No Student or Staff Attendance

8 No School - Election Day - No Student or Staff Attendance

9 Fun Lunch - Doughbrother's Pizza

9 PTN Night Out - Chipotle 

21 - 25 No School - Thanksgiving Break

30 Fun Lunch - Corner Grind