APRIL 23, 2025

Today marks Administrative Professionals' Day, which is always a time our staff looks forward to. Like your buildings, our administrative assistants are the glue that keeps our office functioning. From connecting families or staff members with resources, keeping schedules, or simply being a kind face to visitors, we salute all administrative assistants on this well-deserved day of recognition.

Some of those same staff members are included in our list of nominees for the 49th Kane County Educator of the Year Awards! With our banquet set for next Friday, May 2, our team is in the final stages of preparation, and we are eager to shine the spotlight on 46 inspiring educational staff members that have made such an impact in the lives of students.

Be sure to follow along with #EOTY49 and find results plus the full list of nominees below.

Patricia Dal Santo, Regional Superintendent

Discussing the future of technology in education with students

Our own Phil Morris, Director of Operations and Technology, recently visited the Fox Valley Career Center in Kaneland to speak with students about technology in schools. Students were challenged to find benefits and issues with several areas, including data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI.

The Fox Valley Career Center has helped connect our office with several interns that have been working with our Operations and Technology department throughout this school year, and we appreciate the opportunity to come foster these discussions in person!

We're hiring!

Juvenile Justice Center Principal

The Kane County Juvenile Justice Center is hiring a School Program Principal to begin July 1, 2025.

The ROE manages the education program at the Juvenile Justice Center, and this position ensures that all students residing there have access to consistent, high-quality education. The role also works with other leadership staff at the center to oversee a safe and equitable learning environment.

In this academy, participants will learn how to apply the work of John Hattie's high impact strategies to improve school climate, foster relationships among all staff, increase the focus on learning, and how to create a culture of sharing the learning load among staff.

There will be opportunities to implement collective efficacy at your school, which leads to higher levels of satisfaction for both staff and students as well as higher student achievement. This academy will focus on concepts that deepen collaborative conversations among staff and bring focus on student achievement for all.

Participants will also focus on reflecting and problem-solving in school based situations from a variety of perspectives, understanding the various approaches to conservation, and building accountability among staff.

Date: May 21, 2025 l Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

It's educator licensure renewal season, and the P.L.A.Y. (Professional Learning and You) catalog from the Illinois Online Academy can help you secure any PD hours you may need.

Some of the highest-trending topics in professional development for 2025 include:

• mental health and educator self-care
• SEL integration
• AI-enhanced learning technologies
• digital citizenship and cybersecurity
• evidence-based research instruction
• ELL training and ELD strategies
• assessment and evaluation strategies

You can engage with each of these topics through microlearning activities via P.L.A.Y, with every 15 minutes you spend completing your chosen activities equaling .25 PD hours.

Take control of your professional learning by engaging with the content that matters to you, on your schedule. Click below to find resources to help you get started.

As technology advances, some devices eventually become obsolete and need to be disposed of properly.

Kane County's recycling program has two locations that accept electronics and other items year-round. In celebration of Earth Day yesterday, Phil Morris walks you through where and how you can recycle your electronics in our area!

Looking for previous tips? Click here to browse the full playlist.

Below is a sample of educator course offerings from the Illlinois Online Academy that can be completed within 60 days. 

Education Assessment

PD Credit: 30

Cost: $200

Behavior is Language

PD Credit: 45

Cost: $200

See our full list of courses and asynchronous academies here.

Looking for in-person workshops? Click here.

Check out the latest episodes of our weekly classroom strategy series, Branching Out, for quick tips from our Professional Learning team!

Problem-Solution-Result Organizer

Students can sometimes jump to the first solution that comes to mind, but how can we help them slow down their thinking and explore all options?

Elsa Glover introduces you to a versatile tool that can help them organize and visualize their thoughts so they can think critically and creatively!

Appreciate, Apology, or Aha

Fostering a strong community in your classroom is a crucial component of a positive learning environment.

Faye Licari has an inspiring teaching strategy for students to share their learning experience. This can not only strengthen their emotional intelligence, but also their bond with one another!

New episodes of Branching Out are released every Thursday across our social media platforms and our website. You can also browse our full catalog below. With over 100 episodes and counting, there's a video for every educator looking to branch out!

The 2025 Raising Student Achievement Conference is set for December 8-9 in Oak Brook, Ill., and the window to submit proposals for presentations or applications to be a featured school/district is now open!

RSAC is a two-day, immersive professional learning opportunity that drew over 900 people to attend more than 180 presentations last year. Now, we offer an opportunity for schools and districts to be featured for their success stories as well as proposals for breakout sessions.

Please click below to respond by Friday, May 30.

Have a question? Want to connect?

hello@kaneroe.org l kaneroe.org