STAFF 411 on 67 - 1/10/23

January 10, 2023

Happy New Year!

We are thrilled to be back in session and eager to tackle our ambitious goals for the remainder of the 2022-23 school year! None of this would be possible without your ongoing support and involvement. Our families, students, and staff, along with our dedicated community members, have made a tremendous impact on our ability to meet our students' needs now and well into the future.

Some of our shared 2022 highlights include:

• The Portrait of Learner, a community-wide vision for our schools, created and developed with the input of more than 150 Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood students, faculty, staff, and community members and launched throughout Districts 65, 67, and 115, to guide our work and priorities

• The District 115 Facilities Master Plan Oversight Committee, made up of students, faculty, staff, and community members, spent countless hours analyzing, discussing, and finalizing plans to address and prioritize primary building needs at LFHS and hosted two community forums

• Academic outcomes were assessed, curriculum reviewed, and plans put in place to address key areas of opportunity in both districts

• Insight, our quarterly print and digital publication, was relaunched to share the stories and accomplishments of our students in both districts with our entire community

• A new District 67 and 115 website was launched with fresh home pages for each District 67 and 115 campus, plus updated content and navigation throughout the site

• Partnerships with our parent groups and other local organizations continued to grow and strengthen

• While both districts retained their Aaa bond ratings

• Additional 2022 highlights for may be found here for District 67 and here for District 115

Looking ahead to the first half of 2023, our focus is on:

• Finalizing Strategic Plans for each district that include actionable and measurable goals in alignment with the Portrait of a Learner core competencies. Plans will be presented to our Boards of Education in March.

• On April 4, our residents will vote on a measure to address the maintenance and preservation of our LFHS facilities. More details on the included projects and projected costs are available here

• Athletics, theater and music performances, clubs, and other highlights of what’s ahead may be found on the District 67 and District 115 calendars and web pages

I look forward to a year of progress and growth for our students in Districts 67 and 115! Once again, I want to thank you for your partnership in your child’s education. Our teachers, staff, and administrators are working hard to prepare our children to succeed in a global and rapidly-changing environment. I am constantly amazed by the commitment, support, and dedication of our community to our schools. Working as one with you, the possibilities for our students are endless.

With gratitude,

Happy New Year District 67 teachers, staff, and administrators!

Hopefully winter break provided you and your families with time for rest, relaxation, connection and of course fun. On behalf of the Board, I’d like to express deep gratitude and appreciation for your service to our community. You are the heart of our district to whom we entrust our children. I say this every chance I get because I believe it so deeply. Your work requires tremendous empathy, creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability.

I am inspired by your willingness to engage in the critical work ahead. It is evident in the feedback shared with the Board by the leadership team that you have truly cultivated a growth mindset. You are motivating models for our students as they navigate their individual learning journeys. I hope that as you work tirelessly to support students in the core academic subjects, you never lose sight of whatever it is that inspired you to work in our schools in the first place.

For those of you who have roles within our schools that have a less direct connection to students, I want you to know that our children benefit from everything you contribute. Our schools are joyous, sparkling, environments filled with adults who love kids. Everyone in every building contributes to those positive environments.

Schools are magical places that grow children. How amazing it is to have the opportunity to witness that process and be on that journey with our students.

Have a wonderful 2023! May the months ahead be focused on supporting students and each other as you teach, stretch, learn, grow, laugh, play, collaborate, and have fun together along the way!

Warmest regards,

Suzanne Sands, President

District 67 Board of Education

For lane change submissions involving an advanced degree, please submit official transcripts to Shelly Charo by January 30th through Frontline Professional Growth (formerly My Learning Plan). Lane changes shall be effective at the beginning of 2nd semester.

Still considering hosting a student teacher? It’s not too late to fill out the interest form!

Dear Staff,

To celebrate Health & Wellness as we kick off 2023, the district is partnering with Chiro One Wellness Centers. They are providing public educators, YOU, free Light Lunch Treats and complimentary Wellness Screenings covering Stress Awareness, Stretches to Reduce Stress, and Posture Analysis.

Chiro One services are covered by our insurance plans, for more information visit www.chiroone.com or contact Shelly Charo.

Please review the schedule and book an appointment or mark your calendar to drop by!

Bio - August 2022 marked the completion of 28 years in Lake Forest. Katie was originally hired as a D115 employee and continues to support both districts in her shared services Director of Fiscal Services role.

Fun Fact - Prior to her career in the school business, Katie was a special education teacher for 9 years in both Quincy and Carol Stream. With 28 years going in Lake Forest, she gets dubbed the “historian” in the group, especially for the high school, which usually gets a good chuckle from her!

Responsibilities -Supports many functions in the Business Office as detailed to the left. She loves to provide support not only to the Business/HR teams, but to the buildings as well when questions arise regarding budgets, accounts, retirement pipelines, student activities, etc.

There is an upcoming audit being conducted for employees who currently have dependent coverage. NIHIP will be conducting the health insurance dependent eligibility verification audit beginning on February 1, 2023 through Impact Interactive, an independent healthcare verification firm. This audit is mandatory. All employees with dependents on the District’s health plan are required to go through this dependent eligibility verification process. It is crucial that you respond and provide dependent verification documents as requested. Any dependent who is not verified through this process by the deadline provided to you will be dropped from the health insurance plan. The Business Office/HR Staff will not be involved in the audit as it will be conducted by Impact Interactive. Please see the NIHIP Dependent Audit Pre-Announcement for further information.

As we are starting off the new year, we ask that you take some time to ensure that your beneficiaries have been updated! There are a number of people who have not completed this yet. Here is some helpful information to help you get this completed:

Benefits Solver: Follow the Designation of Beneficiary form instructions on how to update your beneficiaries on Benefits Solver.

IMRF: Complete the Designation of Beneficiary form or complete the online form through your Member Access account.

TRS: Follow these instructions on how to update your beneficiaries on TRS’s website.

403b/457b: Complete the Designation of Beneficiary Form and submit to TCG

In the event of an emergency, it is important that the district is able to contact your family and friends. Please take a moment to sign in to your Alio Employee Portal and complete the Emergency Contact Request Form. The information will remain confidential and will only be used in the event of an emergency situation. Please contact HumanResources@lfschools.net if you have any further questions.

Emergency Contact Information Instructions

403 (b) Updated 2023 Annual Plan Notice

2023 403(b) & 457(b) IRS Contributions Limits

Any questions always feel free to email us at :

humanresources@lfschools.net for any HR related questions or payroll@lfschools.net for any Business related questions.

Interested in being a lead learner and hosting a D67 Academy class for your colleagues? We are building the catalog for class offerings of March, April or May. Make sure your class proposal is added by Feb 5 to be reviewed by our district committee.

Academy Class proposal

• Agenda will be posted prior to the meeting on the District 67 Board of Education website.
  
• Livestream Link

• Agenda

• Recording of Meeting

• Board President's Report

  Superintendent's Report

• School Spotlight: Sheridan Elementary School - Watch Below!

In the latest issue, you can read about:

• An Update on Finances and Facilities in Both Districts
• Community Engagement with D67 and D115
• LFHS Highlights
• D67 Highlights
• The Portrait of a Learner in Action

Join us for the next LET'S TALK presentation on Thursday, February 2, 2023 from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM in Administration Center Board Room. A panel of staff and administrators from our Student Service Department will be on hand to share information and answer parent questions.

VIEW ALL THE DETAILS HERE!

District 67 parents/guardians are invited to an Early Childhood Information Session on Wednesday, January 11, from 9:30 - 10:30 AM at Sheridan Elementary School, 1360 N. Sheridan Rd., Lake Forest. Parents/guardians will learn more about the Community of Learners Early Childhood Preschool and have the opportunity to visit the classroom to see the program in action.

Please use this link for more information and to enroll in the program.

In the event of a weather emergency, District 67 has allocated two traditional days of non-instruction (what we have historically referred to as "snow days") for students and staff. Should conditions require school closure beyond those two days, the State of Illinois now allows for eLearning days in lieu of traditional snow days. You can find more guidance regarding weather emergencies on the District 67 website.

All District 67 families are invited to join Cherokee School for a Lunar New Year Celebration, Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 5:00-6:00 PM in the Cherokee Gym.

Celebrate the 2023 Lunar New Year and enjoy Chinese treats, traditional games, arts, and crafts!

Paper-cutting Presentation Schedule:

• Presentation 1: 5:10-5:20 pm

• Presentation 2: 5:35-5:45 pm

Did you know anyone can fill out a grant application for review?

We are so lucky to live in a community of parents, family, and staff who think BIG! All you need to do is fill out the grant application online. The application deadline has been extended to Thursday, February 9 at 3:00 PM. Submit your applications today!

The Spirit Board encourages anyone with an innovative idea that fills a need and is supported by the school administration, to submit a grant. Upon review, the Spirit of 67 Board will contact you! Each request will be evaluated by the building principal and the Grants Committee to ensure that they meet the goals of our Spirit of 67 Foundation mission.

Spirit of 67 Spring Event

Friday, May 12 (evening - exact time TBD)

Ferrari Lake Forest (990 N Shore Dr, Lake Bluff)

CROYA will be hosting a service project on January 16 (MLK Jr. Day) from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm at CROYA. All 7th and 8th grade students are welcome!

Join District 34 and Clearbrook for Navigating Illinois Disability Services and Supports. Open to ALL District 34 and TrueNorth Families - Thursday, January 19 at 1:00 PM or 7:00 PM. To Register Click Here.

MOCHA (Mothers of Children Having Allergies) is a group of parents sharing information and supporting each other. M.O.C.H.A. is not a professional or medical organization. Always discuss individual health questions and medical issues with a qualified personal physician.