From the Desk of the Superintendent | | |
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With the hustle and bustle of a thriving school community of over 300 students and staff members, it’s not surprising that Summit Academy has endless success stories to share. We’re so proud of this ever-evolving school. Here are several of Summit’s most recent proud moments: | Summit Academy has 57 students successfully transitioning back to their sending school on or before the end of January. After spending 17 days acutely focused on transition curriculum and preparations to return to their home schools, they will be ready for a more traditional school experience. These students, here for RSSP, have fulfilled the terms of their agreement. They are now hosting student-led transition meetings. Congratulations to each and every one of them on this great accomplishment! | |
Ms. Megan Watt and Ms. Diamond Ducksworth have nominated Bennie Jackson (pictured at right) for the ICEARY 2023 Student of the Year Award for his outstanding achievement and excellence. A team of Summit staff will attend and present at the 2023 ICEARY Conference in early March. Way to go, Bennie! We're SO proud of you!
Following graduating with a Master’s degree, Mrs. Amanda Hathaway has established a math tutoring and quiet testing center for Summit students who need additional support in those areas.
Also recently graduating with a Master’s degree, Mrs. Tara Klotz transitioned into the Summit Academy position of full-time Homebound Facilitator and Staff Learning Coach. Mrs. Klotz will run these programs parallel to and as an added layer of support to our in-person staff. She will focus on classroom management, credit recovery, and elevating our classroom experiences, all while working with our growing population of students who qualify for homebound services in either the long or short term.
Mr. Kevin Weaver re-opened our schoolwide Reset Room. The goal of the Reset Room and Program at Summit is to reduce the frequency of high intensity crisis events in the building. This is accomplished by providing structure to the de-escalation process in an area outside of the classroom. This allows students a safe space to utilize a wide array of equipment that satisfies their need for certain types of stimulation. The Reset Program allows staff to be available to assist other students, rather than remaining with escalated students for prolonged periods of time.
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Summit Academy is also humbled by the recent feedback from several current staff members. We’re happy to share those here:
I am so grateful to be a part of our amazing family here at Summit Academy. We are rising like a Phoenix, from a new program in its infancy, straight up from the ground, to a blossoming and positive force in the community. The incredible leadership, management, organization, vision, execution and follow through starts at the top and flows down. There is no other place like Summit Academy for students, and no other place like this to work at. This is not "going to a job". This is a loving and caring part of myself and my life that I am blessed to belong to.” - Mr. Stuart Schor, ROE Teacher since 2009
“We have no easy job, by any means! However, it truly takes a special kind of individual to do what we do at Summit every single day. In my time working at Summit, I have never witnessed or experienced so many people who are caring, supportive, empathetic, compassionate, real, and are truly here to make a positive impact on our student population's lives in some shape or form.” - Ms. Megan Watt, ROE Teacher since 2022
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Summit Academy Current Notable:
Enrollment 274 = 43% Increase from January 2022
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"I thoroughly enjoyed the Drones In the Classroom course. The speaker was energetic and engaging and the material was well prepared. I think it was an ideal class with equal parts interactive learning and direct teaching. If I were to score it on a scale of 1-10, I would give an 11." - Logan W., Drones in the Classroom Participant | | | |
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Video Provided by Ben Sondgeroth
"Drones in the Classroom" Instructor
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Professional Learning Current Notable:
170 January 2023 PL Attendees to Date = 93% Attendance Rate
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While we love to have educators and community members on site at the Regional Office for teaching opportunities and to collaborate, sometimes the best ideas, discoveries, or learning sessions happen right in an educator’s home school.
Recently, Chris Collins, Director of ROE 4 School Improvement, partnered with a local middle school’s leadership team to apply recently reviewed data to a new strategy to support students in need of additional help. The group engaged in a process that incorporated multiple perspectives from individual team members to get to the core of what might help students who continue to struggle with sustaining ongoing success in school. The team then brought this new strategy to the school as a whole in order to obtain feedback prior to implementation. Following positive reviews, schoolwide strategic rollout has been planned for the beginning of the new semester.
Teaching on an even larger scale, Chris had the opportunity to present this process at the Raising Student Achievement Conference (RSAC) 2022 in Schaumburg just prior to the holiday break. The conference is attended by Illinois educators who are in search of innovative ideas and techniques which will improve learning for their students. At the conference, national and local professionals are asked to speak on a variety of educational topics they have successfully integrated in their region.
During his breakout session, Chris presented the same problem-solving tool. It utilizes elements of design, which large and small organizations can use to develop and incorporate collective voice. The strategy allows school teams to get from problem identification to solution in under 60 minutes. Chris is well-versed on this strategy as, with instruction and coaching by him and his School Improvement team, the process has been successfully facilitated in several local schools and districts throughout the year.
RSAC presentation feedback for Chris was extremely positive. Attendees rated him as highly successful in keeping their interest, being knowledgeable on the topic, and being prepared to deliver results on the topic presented.
Congratulations to School Improvement on their recent successes!
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It can be a true inconvenience and often time-consuming to complete the steps required for employment by any company. Our Professional Services Division is open every weekday and offers many of these essential services to our community and regional school districts. These services include fingerprinting, minor work permits, education licensure information and resources, and proctored testing opportunities.
One unique service available through the Regional Office, is proctoring of GED/High School Equivalency test for inmates at the Winnebago County Jail. Education/review for testing with the inmates is conducted through a partnership with Rock Valley College. Once the tester completes the readiness portion, they are prepared to test.
While the GED exam is offered in many correctional facilities across the country, the policies and procedures differ from traditional testing centers. One difference is the individual who is certified to proctor the exam travels to the correctional facility and administers the test on site.
Brittany Bauer, ROE 4 GED Coordinator, and Kathy Holloway are both certified proctors for the Regional Office. Currently, Ms. Bauer makes the trek to the Winnebago County Jail twice per week. She assists the inmates with logging in electronically through the GED.com portal to complete their High School Equivalency exam. She oversees the entirety of the on-site testing process as well.
The county jail is equipped to accommodate six individuals at a time to take the GED exam, which equates to a maximum of 12 testers per week. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of inmates interested in completing their High School Equivalency. At this time, there are 14 active participants in the jail GED program with a total of 70 inmates on the waiting list.
In response to this increased demand, an additional jail testing day has been temporarily added each week. This gives a greater number of inmates the opportunity to complete the program and pass their equivalency test prior to being released. No doubt, this will increase their chances of gainful employment and productive lifestyles in our communities post incarceration.
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Fred Kunz
Memorial Scholarship Information
Do you know an aspiring teacher? The Fred Kunz Memorial Scholarship application window is NOW OPEN for TWO $2,500 scholarships. This is intended for students interested in obtaining professional teaching certification.
Simply head this way for more information and for instructions on how future education professionals can easily apply!
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Social-Emotional Learning | |
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The Social-Emotional Learning Team and Area 2 SEL Hub at Boone-Winnebago ROE have been running in overdrive right from the beginning of this school year. In an effort to support as many students and school communities as possible, they’ve worked diligently to offer a vast catalog of free social-emotional professional learning. They proudly shared that over half of area schools (59 out of 110) have participated in these PD events offered through ROE 4.
They also set an original goal to partner with at least 29 schools, as suggested by The REACH Project, for intensive SEL training. Only midway through this year, it’s exciting to discover that the SEL team has already surpassed that original goal…by a large margin. They’ve onboarded 40 schools as partners in the Lurie Children’s Hospital and Illinois State Board of Education statewide initiative!
Teams from those 40 schools made up SEL Cohort 2. Once the teams signed on to participate in The REACH Project, they engaged with their Area 2 SEL Specialist and Coach to complete a needs assessment, create an action plan, and implement their objectives. Since its inception, Cohort 2 teams have had a great impact on their school communities.
With the completion of Cohort 2, the Area 2 SEL Hub is now actively recruiting for Cohort 3. If your school is in Area 2 and is interested in learning more about Cohort 3, there’s still time! Allison Pierson, Area 2 SEL Hub Director, and Assistant Director Kim Maville are holding a virtual informational meeting about the cohort on February 1st. The 1-hour event is free to everyone. Please register right here to receive the Zoom link and attend.
|  | Another major development for the SEL Squad is the creation of a new SEL network called the Social-Emotional Learning Pod. This is a virtual meeting held approximately monthly for school-based mental health professionals. Any school counselor, administrator, social worker, psychologist, interventionist, or SEL team member can join the lunchtime conversation to share ideas and solutions. These sessions will be facilitated by Area 2 SEL Specialist Kelly Duncan and SEL Coach Heather Hall. Click this link to register to attend the February Pod session and learn new problem-solving strategies appropriate for immediate implementation. | |
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In other SEL news, REACH has kicked off the application process for their Communities of Practice (CoP). You do NOT have to be a REACH school to apply. Per REACH’s literature, anyone can register to be a part of this “group of school community members from across the state who share a common interest in trauma-responsive practices in schools.” Learn more by visiting the REACH CoP Brochure and then head right here to easily apply.
Finally, the SEL team recently received the following thoughtful email from an Ogle County Special Education Cooperative social worker regarding a training presented in January by ROE 4 Coach Heather Hall:
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“I wanted to take a moment and thank you for the amazing training that I have been able to attend, provided through the ROE. Heather Hall provided a two-day online training and yesterday provided an in-person training at one of the schools I provide social work services to. During both experiences, Heather provided exceptional information that you could immediately begin using with students, staff, and parents. She structured the information so that whether you were just hearing the information or you had used it for years you had new ideas to try. I look forward to many more opportunities to take additional courses from Heather Hall. Thank you for all that you do to make education a wonderful place to be!” | | | |
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Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education Human Resources would like to welcome two new employees to the ROE 4 work family.
Cynthia Carr will be joining the Food Services Team and Antoine Manning is the newest schoolwide Substitute Teacher at Summit Academy.
Congratulations to both Cynthia and Antoine - We're so happy you're here!
Plus, ROE 4/Summit Academy is still hiring! Summit currently has two open positions remaining at their Machesney Park campus. Visit www.indeed.com and search “Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education” under the Find Jobs tab to learn more or to easily apply.
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Quote of the Month:

"Leaving a bookstore is hard, especially on a day in January, when the ice is treacherous, the wind is blowing, and the books inside seem to gather together in colorful warmth."

~ Jane Smiley ~
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300 Heart Boulevard, Loves Park, IL 61111 • (815) 636-3060
www.roe4.org
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