ROE 48 February 2024 Newsletter

Peoria County

Regional Office of Education #48

February 2024

Serving Students, Educators, and the Community

Lincoln Senior Awards

The Lincoln Senior Awards were presented on Thursday, February 15, 2024, to graduating seniors in the Peoria County Office of Education #48 region who demonstrate high qualities of character, conduct, and scholarship that were associated with Abraham Lincoln.

Each high school in Peoria County selected a recipient to be honored with the award. The principal, or committee, at each high school determines the process for selection of the Lincoln Senior at the school.

Pictured left to right back row: Evan Sary from Farmington Central, Elijah Chism from Peoria Christian, Anaijis King from Manual Academy, Allana Magstadt from Limestone, Marin Ruskusky from Peoria Notre Dame, Ethan Barnewolt from Brimfield, Jonah Metzger from Dunlap, and Isabella Hauri from Richwoods.

Pictured left to right front row: Carrigan Tucker from PRLC, Tyanna Ward from PPS, Madelyn Conklin from Elmwood, Alayna Bergman from IVC, Janessa Wallace from Peoria Heights, and Chelsea Diaz Esteban from Quest Charter Academy.

Not pictured: Annabelle Fortin from Illini Bluffs and Joshua Hunt from Princeville.

We will be featuring each student on all ROE 48 social media platforms for the rest of February. Be sure to look for each post!

You can also learn more about each student at https://www.peoriaroe.org/page/lincoln-award-winners

ROE 48 Community Symposium

On Friday, February 9, ROE 48 hosted a Community Symposium at the Community Foundation of Central Illinois from 11am-2:30pm.

Over 90 school administrators, community leaders, students, and ROE 48 staff came together to establish connections within the community, hear the needs of Peoria schools and the greater community, and develop actions to grow, align, and further develop services based upon the information collected through the table top discussions. A summary of the day's conversation will be shared soon.

Behavior Threat Assessment and Management Training

We are excited to offer a foundational Behavior Threat Assessment and Management training facilitated by Dr. Gene Deisinger. The training will be on February 27th and 28th at Bradley University's Business and Engineering Convergence Center. Participants will need to attend both days.

Training: 8:30am - 4:30pm

Breakfast and Check-in: 8am

Lunch:12pm-1pm

The training, meals, drinks, and afternoon snacks are FREE.

Registration is capped at 50 participants.

Registration Form

*** There will be a behavior threat assessment train-the-trainer June 3-4, 2024, limited to 25 participants. The two-day training in February is required to attend the train-the-trainer. Email [email protected] if you would like to be added to the train-the-trainer in June.

Educator Spotlight

The ROE 48 Spotlight Educator for January is Kristy Flowers from Norwood Primary. The community member that nominated her stated that Kristy has, "unwavering positivity and outstanding dedication to her students and school."

Congratulations, Kristy!!

Adult Literacy

Immediate openings for volunteer tutors!

Please, help us out!

ROE Adult Literacy will be conducting an Adult Basic Literacy & ELL Volunteer Tutor Training at the Peoria North Branch Library, Grand Parkway, Peoria, IL 61615 on March 18, 20, and 25, 2024 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

Advanced registration is required by emailing [email protected], or text/call 309-472-2468. Please plan to attend all three sessions.

If you have questions regarding the workshop and becoming a volunteer tutor, or interested in finding out more about our program, please contact us. Materials and training are provided free. Bring a friend!!

*This program was made possible by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library (ISL), a division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds designated for literacy.

Expressive Arts Trauma Informed Therapy Project

Funded through PNC First Grant

Thank you to the PNC First Grant for the funding to purchase material for the Expressive Arts Trauma Informed Therapy Project for Peoria Regional Learning Center students.

The PNC First Grant program provides teachers the opportunity to apply for a grant up to $1,000 to assist in the implementation of innovative and creative classroom projects that otherwise would not occur due to lack of funding.

Most of the students who attend Peoria Regional Learning Center are creative in various ways - including painting, drawing, writing, textile art work, and sculpture. Through the expressive arts, students are able to explore and express themselves in new and meaningful ways and to imagine new narratives for themselves. It is a way to convey that which is often unspeakable or uncommunicative. In doing so, the Expressive Arts Therapy Project respects the individual’s preferences for self-expression, personal responsibility within participation as determined by their culture, worldviews, and values. The project is designed to convey to the student’s their right, responsibility, and safety in allowing them to control how and what they communicate, thus developing their own sense of positive attachments and prosocial relationships. As arts in all forms is an area in which many students often request, the project will meet the needs of all of the students through artistic expression.

The materials, as pictured above, provided through the PNC grant are all grounded in observable and requested materials from students and staff. This offers students the array of materials with which each student feels comfortable in participating in the art project within their given medium. Each material requested constitutes a valid form of expression through hands-on-learning and adaptation. The sessions will also connect students with Mrs. Ivory, Carle Health Counselor, as well as faculty from Bradley University Continuing Education Department and Art Department.

Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year

Since 1970, the Illinois State Board of Education has sponsored the Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year program to honor educators who have made significant contributions to our state's public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools.

Congratulations to the Awardees from Peoria County:

Mandy E. Ellis, Dunlap CUSD 323 - Administrator Award of Special Recognition
Devon Hawks, PPS 150 - Administrator Award of Meritorious Service
Maegan Skahill, PPS 150 - Administrator Award of Meritorious Service
Carlos Evans, Dunlap CUSD 323 - Student Support Personnel Award of Special Recognition
Julie LeMasters, Dunlap CUSD 323 - Teacher Award of Meritorious Service
Ryan Lambert, Farmington Central CUSD 265 - Teacher Award of Special Recognition
Megan Nugen, PPS 150 - Educational Service Personnel Award of Special Recognition
Rotary Club of Peoria North, PPS 150 - Team Award of Meritorious Service

Submit Proposal by March 31, 2024

2024 Bradley University STEM Education Conference

Call for Proposals

The Bradley University Center for STEM Education invites submissions for presentations at the annual STEM Education Conference. This conference provides preK-12 science, math, and STEM educators, educational leaders, and administrators the opportunity to share in a community of learning in support of strong STEM teaching and learning. Teachers, educational leaders and

administrators, and university faculty are all encouraged to submit proposals for presentations to share the exciting, innovative, and effective classroom activities, practices, and programs happening in their classrooms, schools, and districts.