From the Desk of the Superintendent

Hello Friends,

Celebrating is a way of expressing joy, happiness, and gratitude for a particular event or milestone. It is a moment of appreciation and recognition of something that is important to us or to those around us. Celebrations bring people together and can create a sense of community and belonging. By celebrating, we acknowledge and honor the things that matter to us and our communities.

During the month of May, the Regional Office was grateful to have the opportunity to recognize many who have participated in our education programs. Several Winnebago County Corrections inmates earned their Illinois High School Diploma through testing facilitated by ROE 4 (with many more on a waiting list). On May 9th, more than 30 people were honored for completion of the Area 2 SEL Hub’s first Social Emotional Leadership foundations (SELf) year-long training program. Two staff members at Summit Academy and two from ROE 4's At Risk Student Services graduated with a Master's degree this month. Last week, we proudly handed diplomas to 24 seniors who completed their high school education at Summit Academy. These are young adults in our community who overcame often extraordinary challenges to achieve this goal.

While we attend these time-honored festive traditions, we also must keep in mind that celebrating is not only about having fun and enjoying ourselves. It’s a way of creating memories, building connections, and strengthening relationships. It’s also about reflecting on the past, appreciating the present, and looking forward to the future. And, as we honor the reason for each celebration, we often are fortunate enough to find meaning and purpose in our own lives.

Congratulations to ALL 2023 Graduates!

OVERVIEW

May Updates

Social Emotional Learning Hub - SELf Circle-bration; SEL Bootcamp

Human Resources - HR Advisory Group

Professional Services - Spelling Bee

School Improvement - Four: For Leaders; Administrators' Kick-Off Breakfast

Professional Learning - New Director

At-Risk Student Services - Success Story: Meet Student S

Summit Academy - HS Graduation 2023

ROE 4 Connections is a monthly snapshot of Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education news and updates for our 13 districts, students, staff, and communities in Northern Illinois! We'll keep you informed of what we've been up to as well as upcoming events. We are grateful for the opportunity to advocate, educate, and serve.

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Scott Bloomquist, Regional Superintendent of Schools, Sworn In for New Term

Last week, Mr. Scott Bloomquist was officially sworn in for his next term as Regional Superintendent of Schools by Mr. Joe Chiarelli, Winnebago County Board Chairman. Congratulations! Keep up the great work!

Social Emotional Learning:

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May has been an especially busy month for the Social Emotional Learning Department and the Area 2 SEL Hub headquartered at ROE 4. The entire office participated in workplace events, a focused social media campaign, and reminders to share awareness of mental health vocabulary and visuals. This was done in an effort to help alleviate the stigma associated with mental health issues.

On top of projects, school and district partnerships, and leading SEL team cohorts, the beginning of May took members of the much-sought-after group of Area 2 directors and coaches to Springfield, IL for the Illinois SEL Hubs retreat. During the get-together, Coach Heather Hall and SEL Specialist Kelly Duncan presented on The Functions of Behavior. Following a variety of updates and specialized training, the Regional Office team in attendance used their remaining time focused on team building. This retreat took place in the peaceful setting of the beautiful University of Illinois Springfield campus.

Social Emotional Leadership foundations (SELf)

Training Celebration Ceremony 2023

Pictured (above): Social Emotional Leadership foundations (SELf) "Circle-bration"

On May 9th, the very first Social Emotional Leadersip foundations (SELf) training cohort completed their nearly year-long commitment to bringing the very best SEL leadership practices back to their school communities.

Each team created a showcase project based on the most impactful aspects of the leadership training. The teams presented their showcases throughout the event, which concluded with a "Circle-bration," which incorporates the restorative circles concept used during SEL practices.

School mentors and administrators were also in attendance as participants received a certificate of dedication during their "pinning" ceremony by Director of Area 2 SEL Hub Allison Pierson, as well as Dr. Julie Sperry and Michael Barolek of CharacterPlus, trainers for the FY23 training. SELf Cohort 2 kicked off their training the following day.

Early Bird Registration Discount Ends May 31

The deadline to attend the 2023 SEL Symposium at a reduced Early Bird Registration rate of only $30 (courtesy of Area 2 SEL Hub) is here!

Check out the 2023 SEL Symposium website for more information. And don't forget to click the SEE SCHEDULE button on the site for details on every breakout session and the Featured Administrators Academy.

Additional SEL Information

The deadline to join Cohort 3 of The REACH Project has officially passed, but if your school or district is interested, there is still an opportunity to be part of Cohort 4. Simply reach out to Area 2 SEL Hub Assistant Director Kim Maville at kmaville@roe4.org for more information.

Area 2 SEL Hub Offers Bootcamp Support

Visit the Area 2 SEL Hub Website

Human Resources & Finance

Grand Canyon University

Presents on Collegiate Education Programs

During the most recent Human Resources Advisory Group, representatives from Grand Canyon University were on hand to share information about their on-site and virtual college degree programs.

GCU is a private university located in Phoenix, Arizona. Quickly becoming a leader in education, Wikipedia notes it was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018. GCU offers both undergrad and graduate programs with 25,000 students attending in-person classes on campus in AZ and another 90,000 students participating in courses virtually with Grand Canyon.

Other topics touched on during the May HR Advisory were several districts sharing how they celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week, a discussion on the benefits of an Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators membership, as well as a deeper dive into Faith's Law.

The next Human Resources Advisory Group will take place the second Tuesday of June. Featured speakers for that event are yet to be determined. If you'd like to attend the monthly virtual HR networking opportunity, please contact ROE 4 HR Assistant Director Jamie Watts at jwatts@roe4.org to connect.

Professional Services

ROE 4 Will Be Cheering On Julissa Negron at the

Scripps National Spelling Bee This Week

Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education is all a-buzz with excitement as it is finally Bee Week!

Eighth grader Julissa Negron of Roscoe Middle School will be competing for all the honey at the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. She's been working with past National Bee Qualifier Avani Joshi to be sure she had all her I's dotted and her T's crossed before stepping on stage for the preliminary rounds which began May 30th.

Julissa, Speller #62, hopes to be in the mix when the finals air on ION Television on June 1st. There are several ways to watch all the action (see chart below), including live updates on the Scripps official website at www.spellingbee.com throughout the competition.

Good luck, Julissa! We could not BEE more proud of you! 🐝

Photo(s) Credit: Scripps National Spelling Bee

June 30th Marks Educator License Renewal Deadline

If you are an Illinois teacher, paraprofessional, or substitute and your Professional Educator's License (PEL) cycle is scheduled for renewal in 2023, then you should plan to renew your license before renewal season expires.

You'll complete this process directly through your ELIS account by visiting the Illinois State Board of Education website, where you'll find clear, step-by-step instructions in PDF format. To bookmark links to instructions for renewing various licenses for use now or at a later date, you can find them conveniently located at the BOTTOM of this page on the Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education website.

The renewal deadline is June 30, 2023!

For additional questions about licensure or deadlines, please contact ROE 4 Licensure Director Leah Blake at lblake@roe4.org at any time.

Paraprofessional Testing Information

Paraprofessional testing dates are now available on the ROE 4 website. Head to tinyurl.com/paratesting and follow the orange link to schedule your exam date. This test is now offered at the Regional Office Testing Center at a reduced rate of only $50.

School Improvement:

Four: For Leaders - May Edition

Have you subscribed to Four: For Leaders with Chris Collins of ROE 4's School Improvement? Check out a quick glimpse of this month's edition and then head to https://conta.cc/3OKgCf2 for details of how to subscribe!

FY24 Administrators' Kick-Off Breakfast Info

Have you registered yet for the second annual ROE 4 Administrators' Kick-Off Breakfast? This year's event will once again be hosted by the Regional Office at the Illinois Bank & Trust Pavilion at Aldeen Golf Club.

Dr. PJ Caposey will deliver the keynote centered around his book, Manage Your Time or Time Will Manage You. Each guest in attendance will receive a signed copy thanks to Scott Bloomquist, ROE 4 Regional Superintendent of Schools. It's an awesome idea for a book study with your leadership teams!

Let us treat you to breakfast, coffee, and community to kick off FY24, as well as a chance to win fun gift baskets created and donated by several Regional Office teams. If you joined us last year, you'll know just how good these were!

Plus, this year you'll have the option of a round of 18 holes of golf with a cart for only $45/person. Bring your foursome or join one of ours immediately following breakfast. You'll find all the information on the flyer above. Be sure to register ASAP to save your spot. Let's kick off the FY24 school year the right way - TOGETHER!

Professional Learning

Boone-Winnebago ROE 4:

Carrie Brockway Accepts

Director of Professional Learning

Position Beginning FY24

Regional Superintendent of Schools Scott Bloomquist and Assistant Regional Superintendent Allison Pierson had big shoes to fill when Casey Veitch, current Director of Professional Learning for ROE 4, recently accepted an instructional coaching position in McHenry County starting in July. With a young family at home, Mrs. Veitch made the decision to take a professional detour and practice her educational craft within a few minutes of her home in the suburbs.

What the leadership team at the Regional Office could not have known at the time was they would have an outstanding handful of candidates who were interested in the PL Directorship starting in FY24. Among the talented group who threw a hat into the hiring ring was Carrie Brockway. Ms. Brockway has built an impressive resume, having worked in the role of principal for nearly 20 years. Most recently, she was an elementary principal in the Pecatonica School District under Superintendent Carl Carlson.

Carrie admittedly held off going public with her new role at ROE 4 so she could "feel all the last weeks of school feels" without interruption. If you don't believe you know Carrie, we're sure you've seen her live interviews on local news stations on education issues or innovative projects she's brought to fruition.

We will miss Casey Veitch and her energy, intelligence, and creativity at the Regional Office. We also know Ms. Brockway will bring her own excitement to the role. We feel lucky to have them both in our corner.

Online, Self-Paced Courses for May

Casey Veitch, current Director of ROE 4 Professional Learning, was an educator in her past life and understands the stress that teachers experience as each school year comes to a close. With that in mind, Ms. Veitch elected to pack the ROE 4 May PL event catalog with virtual workshops for education professionals in our districts and throughout Illinois.

The courses included the first class in the PD Podcast series; workshops on literacy, math, and tech; along with PL Quick Bites, which are 1- to 2-hour sessions after school where participants leave with a fresh hot pizza for their family for dinner.

Noting that any Illinois educator can take part in professional learning courses through the Regional Office for full credit, she was sure to also include at least half a dozen, mainly virtual, evaluator academies. These are intended for newly hired or elevated school administrators throughout the state who need to complete that requirement for their position. These often end up with waiting lists for registration at this time of year as they fill up quickly in May and June.

As she closes her tenure in her leadership role in the PL Department at ROE 4, Casey has packed in planning for the June 15th SEL Symposium, which already boasts over 150 registrants with almost two weeks still remaining for individuals to sign up. She also is preparing for a yet-to-be-released virtual offering coming up this fall.

Upcoming Workshops:

Interested in earning professional development or administrator academy credit in-person or online with ROE 4 before the June 30 professional educator license deadline? Then, check out the upcoming training opportunities below and visit the ROE 4 event catalog for classes and courses with impactful content that fit your schedule and bank account. Boone-Winnebago ROE 4 Professional Learning also offers self-paced, online workshops with their Anytime Learning Library. There are currently 23 credit-earning opportunities during the month of June with new workshops being added all the time.

EmpowerED Educator Book Club: Summer Edition 2023

Culture Carriers

Workshop for Education ProfessionalsA

Presented by Dr. Julie Sperry of CharacterPlus

June 14

Visit This Link to Catch Up on the May PL Periodical!

LAST DAY

to Submit

RSAC 2023 Presenter Proposals

#RSAC2023 Presenter Proposal Form

Learning Technology Center of Illinois Monthly ROE 4 #TechTip

FIVE end-of-year tech activities brought to you by Matt Jacobson of Learning Technology Center of Illinois. Enjoy your May Tech Tip with LTC and Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education 4!

At-Risk Student Services

Success Story: Meet Student S

I have worked for many years as an attendance interventionist in a county supported by ROE 4. I am always happy to share success stories as community members are not always aware of the dire situations some students face on a daily basis. I've called this youngster “Student S” to protect the identify of his family.

Student S is a first grade student who became homeless during this school year. He has moved from hotel to hotel over the past four months. His family was identified as McKinney-Vento'd and has been receiving support services. These services include bus transportation, assistance with food insecurity, school supplies, clothing needs, etc.

Student S has responded to support services at school with regular check-in’s and connections with many caring adults. While some days are easier than others, Student S has found comfort in his regular school routine and the concerted attempts to best meet his basic needs.

Consequently, school attendance for Student S has been consistent and regular. It's encouraging to note that he continues to make gains both academically and socially. We will continue to support Student S's family in any way we can.

Summit Academy

Congratulations, Summit Academy

Class of 2023!

It was a happy day at Summit Academy on May 23, 2023. Nicole Corbett, Executive Director, handed high school diplomas to 24 seniors who overcame sometimes extraordinary challenges to finish their high school education.

Well over 200 staff, family, friends, and supporters packed the Summit Gymnasium at their Machesney Park Campus to support this group of graduates. The seniors donned cap and gown and marched in with wide smiles to the traditional "Pomp and Circumstance".

Guests and staff were welcomed and thanked by Executive Director Nicole Corbett, who stressed the importance of their presence in the gym and in the lives of each graduate.

The seniors' emotions were on display as they laughed at times during the ceremony, shed tears, hugged staff who had an impact on their education, and showed vulnerability with Regional Superintendent of Schools Scott Bloomquist, who gave the keynote address.

Following the granting of diplomas, the student address, and the presentation of the Class of 2023, cheers from the crowd erupted as the new graduates moved their tassel from right to left, symbolizing their educational success.

Pictures tell a better story than any additional words ever could, so please enjoy the excitement of graduation day captured by camera: