From the Desk of the Superintendent | | |
ROE 4 Leaders Featured in Summit Academy Video for National Project | |
If you've ever wondered how the ROE 4 leaders explain exactly how we "do" alternative education in Boone and Winnebago Counties, well wonder no more! The 3D Institute visited our area recently to interview those in charge at the Regional Office and Summit Academy, one of the state's largest public alternative learning programs. The interest comes from work the ROE has done with 3D Institute over the past few years, as well as from the tremendous growth and success the academy has achieved in a very short time.
Both ROE 4 Superintendent of Schools Scott Bloomquist and Summit Executive Director Nicole Corbett contributed to the information included in the video. They both shared their observations and mindset about the school, from immediately post Covid to its current status - running with systems, procedures, and protocols securely in place. Summit has made a positive name for itself, both for the work they are doing as well as for its incredible outcomes. Due to this, there is a large growth opportunity currently knocking firmly at the school's main entrance doors.
The video will tug at your heartstrings, allow you to step directly into their thought processes as they encountered each obstable, and educate you about what a successful alternative middle school and high school education program can look like. From the initial "dreamers" phase to the current state achieved via pure tenacity, you'll want to watch the entire video. It's definitely worth your time.
Thank you to 3D Institute for their creativity and insight into the treasure trove of educational knowledge housed right here in our region.
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2024 Summit High School Graduation | |
The 2024 Summit Academy High School Graduation took place on May 29th in the Machesney Park Campus Gymnasium with 13 graduates earning their diplomas. The graduates were also surprised with a special cheering section, as the front row of the bleachers was filled by the eight staff members who also graduated with degrees in the Class of 2024.
Hundreds of friends, family, staff, administrators, and community members filled the stands as the graduates entered the venue clad in caps and gowns, welcomed by thunderous applause.
Following the executive director's presentation of Staff of the Year awards to Counselor Jen Garcia and Teacher Wes Wong, Superintendent of Schools Scott Bloomquist gave a short address which focused on important decisions and reflections. Next, Jaiden Lovelace and Dontrinique Ingram-Love gave student addresses. Both of these determined graduates are attending college in the fall.
Summit Executive Director Nicole Corbett awarded each graduate a high school diploma, Assistant Director Faith McNamee presented the graduates to all in attendance as Class of 2024, and a fun picture-taking celebration and time for community followed in the school's cafe.
We are SO incredibly proud of these students, this school, and the amazIng staff who engage every single school day. What more can we say? Not a dry eye in the house.
Congratulations, Summit Class of 2024!
Be sure to click the video below - Thanks to Nick Brady of Moments Recorded for capturing these students so well. #GradLife2024
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WCCMHB Funds Summit Student Transition Program | |
Summit staff members recently attended the Building Bridges to Recovery event held at Embassy Suites in downtown Rockford. Featuring a keynote by Brandon Novak, the successful evening provided Summit the opportunity to highlight their Student Transition Program, which has been generously funded by the Winnebago County 1/2-cent Sales Tax through Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board (WCCMHB).
At the NAMI of Northern Illinois and WCCMHB event, the Summit group was able to share that FY24 was the first year of the Student Transition Program at the school, a program made possible by WCCMHB and led by Student Transition Counselor Meg Parker. Expanding on her role as an educator, Ms. Parker reviews student referrals, examines their education history and student record, and speaks with their sending school - all prior to arranging for an onboarding collaborative meeting with each student. These meetings include the student and their families or guardians, Ms. Parker, Summit administrators, and representatives from the referring district. This meeting is crucial in supporting each student's mental health as they transition to a new school, often without much notice, almost always with questions, fears, and anxieties.
Ms. Parker transitioned over 250 students during her first school year as Student Transition Counselor for FY24. Throughout that same period of time, Summit interacted in some way with over 500 middle school and high school students. That means Ms. Parker engages with 100% of entering students and follows up with approximately 50% of the school's student enrollment during any given year.
Understanding capacity, Ms. Parker notes the evolution of the Transition Program and dreams of making the process even more efficient and streamlined. She envisions this mental health support being so ingrained into the transition process for each student that she will eventually have the opportunity to spend more time networking in the community. She hopes to build relationships with local citizens and agencies by sharing the powerful impact this program has on our students, from prior to onboarding all the way through their exit from Summit...and beyond.
Summit Academy and the Regional Office of Education would like to thank the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board and the 1/2-cent Sales Tax for making this vital program possible in our area.
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Walker Elected to Board of Directors for Illinois Association | |
Congratulations to Zoe Walker, Summit Academy School Resource Officer, who recently attended the Illinois School Resource Officers Association Conference.
During her time at the conference, Walker (pictured far right) was elected as a new board director. Officer Walker has added an entirely new level of security and quick resets to the Summit campus.
She is THE best at what she does, and we are so proud of Officer Walker. Well done, Zoe!
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Summit Celebrations Award Final End-of-Year Prizes | |
The Summit Academy Celebration Committee was hard at work once again, preparing to offer one lucky high school student another great grand prize! In March, the committee was proud to raffle off a PlayStation 5, and this time around (as with the PS5 in March), Summit high schoolers received one entry for each course they completed in the allotted time. The committee sent out a survey and gave students the opportunity to vote for what they would like as an end-of-year prize, and they opted for a pair of shoes of their choice!
On Friday, May 15th, Pecatonica’s Caleb K's name was drawn as the lucky winner! Caleb was a very successful student at Summit and quickly flew up to the school’s Eagle level, serving as a student ambassador while in Mr. Schor’s class. When asked for a comment, Mr. Schor said, “He (Caleb) persevered, and rumor has it that the last course he completed won him the prize.” It was confirmed with Mr. Schor that this was indeed the case. Without finishing his final course before the deadline, the prize would have gone to another student. More proof that tenacity can lead to success, and it is crucial to do your best right to the very end! As the winner, Caleb chose a pair of stylish Nike Jordan 1 Mid SE shoes in the White/Sail/Industrial Blue color scheme.
The Celebration Committee also scheduled a surprise visit from local ice cream truck J&C Old Fashioned Ice Cream, Inc. Summit students and staff beat the heat and enjoyed two scoops of homemade vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or cookies and cream ice cream.
The final student celebration focused exclusively on Summit’s middle school students. Oliver T was one of many MS students nominated by their teachers for good attendance, behavior, and academics. Oliver was happy to learn he was the winner of a pair of AirPods!
The Celebration Committee is proud of all that they've accomplished during FY24. The encouraging team will be back and ready for more Summit celebrations in FY25.
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Summit Academy recently enjoyed a visit from Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd during the month of May. Chief Redd shared that her mother was a teacher, so she is always interested in new developments in education in the Rockford area.
She was given a full Student Ambassador tour of the campus, listened and shared during the staff huddle, and spent time with the executive director in order to learn all the exciting things happening at the school.
Thank you for spending time with us, Chief Redd!
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When the Area 2 SEL Hub and ROE 4 SEL Team promoted the 2024 SEL Symposium as our largest event of the year, they weren't kidding! Two keynote speakers, dozens of presenters, 30 volunteers, 13 vendors, countless hours of preparation, and 450 attendees adds up to...well over 500 individuals joining together in one place, eager to gain as much knowledge as possible about social emotional learning.
Dubbed "Toolkit for the Heart and Mind," this year's symposium stressed educator well-being and sharing of tools or resources for all who attended. Each registrant who checked in received a commemorative event tote filled with goodies. The tote enabled guests to collect additional tools provided by presenters or the Area 2 SEL Hub. They also received an entry into a random raffle for SIX gift baskets and a FREE book published by one of the keynotes.
Held at the beautiful Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront, all were treated to a continental breakfast, Dairyhaus homemade ice cream, and a lunch. At midday, provided lunches were brought to breakout rooms for 30-minute "lunch and learns" or taken out along the Rock River to enjoy the amazing June weather.
Jason Kotecki keynoted the afternoon sessions, presenting on "adultitis", and Gerry Brooks joined everyone to take pictures and sign books for an hour prior to his much-anticipated keynote focusing on his experience in education as both a teacher and an administrator.
Participants also had time to snag some raffle items and giveaways from our awesome vendor hall or snap some fun selfies or create a boomerang or GIF at the selfie station provided by Moments Recorded by Nick Brady.
Thanks to all who attended and our most sincere appreciation for the wonderful feedback provided following the day. We can't wait for Summer Symposium 2025!
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The Social Emotional Leadership foundations third cohort has successfully completed their months-long intensive leadership training program and recently received their certificates of committment and were pinned at a Circle-bration at ROE 4.
Thirty-four school staff members were invited to attend the immersive SEL program through ROE 4 and the Area 2 SEL Hub. These leaders spent a final morning diving deep into coming full circle with what they had learned as a group followed by a micro-lab session to highlight their impact projects for each other and invited guests and mentors.
A final circle was followed by their pinning ceremony and a time for community in the afternoon. Thank you to Michael Barolak and Dr. Julie Sperry of CharacterPlus for leading this incredibly invested cohort!
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Bawinkel Retires Following 35-year Tenure in Area Schools | |
How do you include all the incredible stories, awards, accolades, and well wishes about a 35-year career in service? Well, you can't. That is just one reason Mary Bawinkel will be so missed in the years to come. Mary is retiring from the Regional Office following 35 years as an attendance interventionist. She notes that spending more time with her family is tops on her "to-do" list.
Mary has been recognized with an array of shout-outs, including the Illinois Coalition for Educating At-Risk Youth (ICEARY) State Excellence in Education Award and the first Blue Bow Champion for Children Award for Winnebago County. She has also been recognized by the Belvidere Board of Education for her work impacting children in their schools.
Student Services Director Meghan Hawkinson described Mary best when she said, "In her over 30 years of experience, Mary has created a sense of emotional safety, connection, and belonging for countless at-risk youth and their families. She has worked closely with families and her teammates to identify the barriers, set tangible goals, and provide the support needed. She continues to create a nurturing environment with clear expectations while fostering accountability. Mary understands and believes that truancy is a symptom and that we are teaching children not subjects."
Mrs. Hawkinson went on to add, "Her heart, passion and knowledge make her a model attendance interventionist. Any family who has Mary in their lives knows how extremely lucky they are to have someone who gives their all each day to make a difference. The world needs more people like her. To think of wholeheartedly serving at-risk youth, is to think of Mary Bawinkel."
Congratulations and Best Wishes to Mary Bawinkel! She is one of a kind, and she will truly be missed.
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Student SS Team Volunteers at Belvidere Build-a-Bike Event | |
The Boone Winnebago Roe 4 Student Support Services Team headed to Boone County on May 15th for the annual Build-a-Bike event in Belvidere.
Always on board to be able to network with students and their families for fun events, the attendance interventionist team was organized by ROE 4 McKinney-Vento and Student Services Coordinator Elmer Rice.
There was a tremendous turnout for this years BaB day, and a great time was had by all, including lots of kiddos with big smiles and bikes, bikes, BIKES!
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Alexia LETRS for Administrators Available NOW | |
Educational Equity Symposium Hosted at ROE 4 | |
June 13th brought the first Educational Equity Symposium to the offices of ROE 4. Dr Kierra Pickens and Devon LaRosa are the ROE go-to team when it comes to expanding our knowledge base in equity work, so they led the way for this important day of training. We always appreciate the new levels of perspective and strategies they bring to training on this vital subject.
A small but mighty crowd of leaders spent the day engaging in inspiring conversations and gaining powerful insights. Networking was also in overdrive, driving learning going forward. The entire event was education focused and a innitiative to move us all towards a more inclusive future in our schools.
Thank you to presenters Dr. Kierra Pickens and Devon LaRosa for their amazing stories, training, and knowledge about all things equity!
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ROE 4 Team Attends IARSS Connecting Conference 2024 | |
In early May, approximately 80 professionals from across the state attended this year's IARSS Connecting Conference, an annual networking and learning event for ROE/ISC staff.
Regional Assistant Superintendent Allison Pierson was joined by SEL Specialist Jennifer Kaiser, PL Director Carrie Brockway, and PL Coach Leanna Keith for the conference. Attending their choice of breakouts, the team went on a divide-and-conquer mission to gain as much new information possibly, bringing those strategies back to the Regional Office.
They gave positive feedback about all the individual sessions they were able to take in, and can't wait for Connecting 2025. Great job, Team!
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⬇ New Credit Opportunities ⬇
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Turn Your Bookshelf into Professional Development | |
New Course: Earn PDHs, AA Credit, or CEUs | |
Professional Services & Central Office | |
Licensure Director Sees Spike in Appointment Requests | |
Leah Blake, Director of Licensure at ROE 4, had her work cut out for her over the last month. Educators whose Professional Educator License (PEL) cycle is up for renewal this year only have until the quickly approaching June 30th deadline to make that happen. A process with a deadline that occurs only every five years brings loads of questions, and Ms. Blake has been answering those questions non-stop.
"I just accept every call and every appointment with an open mind. We are talking about someone's profession and livelihood, so I completely understand how overwhelmed a person could become at this time," Leah shared. "Some questions are as simple as a forgotten password, but others can certainly be unique situations, both for customers and for me. I am here to support them any way I can."
To be clear, if your license needs renewal this year, you have until SUNDAY, June 30, 2024, to head to your ELIS account and get that looming task completed.
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Kolodzik, Capriola & Manalli Win Core Values Drawings | |
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Student Support Services Intensivist Kelly Kolodzik, PL Coordinator Diane Capriola, and Summit IT Specialist McKenna Manalli won the May and June ROE 4 Core Values drawings.
Employees at both ROE 4 and Summit Academy are offered the opportunity to recognize a coworker for demonstrating any of the ROE core values:
- Respect.
- Own.
- Empower.
- 4 Each Other
All nominated staff members then have their names entered into a monthly drawing for a Gift Card.
Congratulations to Diane, McKenna, and Kelly for going above and beyond to exemplify our values and for being incredible coworkers!
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ROE 4 Current Career Opportunities | |
The following is a list of OPEN CAREER OPPORTUNITIES at Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education. This list includes open positions at Summit Academy. Each position is a clickable link that will take you to the listing on Indeed.
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Bookmark Openings at ROE 4 and Summit Academy
For the most up-to-date employment opportunities and information, please contact part-time interim HR Specialist Dr. John Ulferts at julferts@roe4 or search "Boone Winnebago Regional Office of Education" on Indeed; search "ROE #04" on the Illinois Job Bank under the Job Seekers section; or visit the NEW & IMPROVED Regional Employment Opportunities page on the ROE4 website with our current CAREER OPPORTUNITIES listed at the top of the page.
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Quote of the Season:
"Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."
~ Henry James ~
American-British author
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300 Heart Boulevard, Loves Park, IL 61111 • (815) 636-3060
www.roe4.org
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