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Spelling Bee Finalists 2020
The Spelling Bee is one of our nation's oldest and most iconic competitions that has been promoting literacy since 1925. On March 10th, nine Kane County Students will be competing to be crowned the champion of Kane County. 

Sponsored by the the  Kane Excellence in Education Partnership , the winner and a parent/chaperone will be flown to Washington D.C. to compete in the National Spelling Bee on May 24 - May 29. The nine students competing are:

Northern Kane County Winners:
Claire O’Brien-Dull, 8th grade, Einstein Academy, Elgin
Tejas Katira, 6th grade Glenbrook Elementary, Streamwood
Amaan Siddiqui, 6th grade, Hilltop Elementary, Elgin, IL
Katie Butterworth, 8th grade, Immanuel Lutheran, East Dundee

Southern Kane County Winners:
Mia Kensek, 7th grade, Holy Cross Catholic, Batavia
Sarah Beggs, 7th grade, Holy Angels, Aurora
Carter Nguyen, 5th grade, Hoover Wood Elementary, Batavia
Julianna Horsfall, 7th grade, St. Peter School, Geneva
James Kennedy, 8th grade, St. Patrick Elem. School, St. Charles

The Spelling Bee will be held at the ROE on Tuesday, March 10th at 6:00 p.m.
Cynthia Latimer Collaboration
On Tuesday, February 25, we welcomed Illinois State Board of Education member Cynthia Latimer to participate in our monthly cabinet meeting for February.

Each member of cabinet shared their involvement in the Kane County Regional Office of Education and invited Ms. Latimer the opportunity to share her thoughts on what could help better our office.

We are thrilled to have Ms. Latimer be a part of our meeting and welcome her back any time!
Institute Day 2020 Wrap Up
Institute Day 2020 was a great success! The conference-style format allowed for a diverse offering of breakout sessions at each location. A big thank you to all of the sites that hosted events during the day and to all the educators that led one of the many breakout sessions. We hope all educators that attended found the day informative and worthwhile to their professional learning as they lead, assist, and inspire in their schools.

If you have any additional feedback regarding Institute Day, please do not hesitate to contact Katie Algrim ( kalgrim@kaneroe.org ).
Kane County Regional Office of Education Job Openings
The Kane County Regional Office of Education is hiring for several positions. Each position is listed below with a link to the application. If you or anyone you know is interested, please share the appropriate link shared below:

Administrative Assistant to Director of Innovative Professional Learning:
This position will work directly with the Director of Innovative Professional Learning to assist in Illinois Online Academy, Institute Day, and more. For a full listing and link to the application, please click here.

Professional Learning Coordinator:
Ability to present, lead, schedule, create and facilitate a variety of professional learning activities both online and in person, along with other various tasks within the PD department. For a full listing and link to the application, please click here.

JJC Language Arts Teacher: apply here.
This position will mostly reside at the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center for a year round position. For a full listing and link to the application, please click here.
The Progress Report: It Takes a Village
This week's post in  The Progress Report , Katie reflects on Institute Day 2020 and how much of a team effort goes into the planning and execution of Institute Day!

The Progress Report is a collaborative discussion space for professional learning. If there are any topics that you would like to see a post on or guest write yourself,  please contact Katie Algrim.

Administrator Academy #1231
This course presents a cooperative and comprehensive approach to school safety and security.

It focuses on five areas of school security:
• Management (polices and procedures)
• Building Security
• Staff Training
• Violence Prevention
• Intervention and Crisis Management.

Participants will learn how to personally implement specific strategies, identify and involve stakeholders and access helpful security resources. There will be 3 hours of pre/post work. This course is 100% online and will award 6 hours of IAA Credit or 5.5 hours of PD credit.

Administrator Academy #1859
Participants will:
  • Identify and analyze the multiple roles an instructional coach can play within an instructional framework
  • Evaluate the need and impact of an instructional coaching program
  • Analyze and evaluate the district’s instructional needs for integration and supportive planning for instructional coaching
  • Assess and analyze the style of leadership in a school where coaching is part of the culture


Coronavirus Prevention
As Coronavirus spreads, we have a few basic hygiene tips to better protect yourself.

Wash your hands frequently
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.

IDPH along with the Illinois Poison Center set up a hotline for residents across the state to call if they have questions about the coronavirus. Residents in Illinois can call the hotline at 800-889-3931 or email  DPH.SICK@illinois.gov

If you have any questions, you can reach out to the Kane County Health Department.
Congressional Art Competition 2020
The competition is open to high school students. Members may choose whether to include 7th and 8th grade students in the art competition if schools located in their districts house 7th through 12th grades on one campus. Teachers and/or students should verify their eligibility with the office of the Member of Congress. Artwork must be the creation a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry.

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive in Washington, DC, framed. Even when framed, it must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions. No framed piece should weigh more than 15 pounds. Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are as follows:

  • Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
  • Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
  • Collages: must be two dimensional
  • Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints
  • Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
  • Computer-generated art
  • Photographs

Upcoming & Ongoing Workshops
AA#1815 – Meeting Tips, Tools and Techniques to Achieve Results
Dates: 100% Online
PD Credits: 6
Cost: $100
Illinois Online Academy:
Growth Mindset
Dates: 100% Online
PD Credits: 5
Cost: $40
Illinois Online Academy:
Social Emotional Learning
Dates: 100% Online
PD Credits: 2
Cost: $40