Please note all ROE #21 offices will be CLOSED

Monday, January 15, 2024

Who is Eligible by Law?

All children and youth who don't have a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, such as those living:

In an emergency or transitional shelter, with friends or relatives due to loss of housing or economic hardship (also known as doubled up)
In a motel, hotel, campground, car, bus or train station or other public place, an abandoned building
In inadequate accommodations, such as no utilities or running water, no working kitchen, infestations/mold/vermin, number of bodies vs. beds
As an Unaccompanied Youth, including youth who are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian

Thank you to all who participated in the ROE #21 Bell Ringing Challenge. Our goal was to achieve 25 hours of Bell Ringing, and we successfully accomplished our goal! A special shoutout goes to Herrin Community Unit School District No 4 for once again winning the Bell Ringing Challenge for Williamson County!

Additionally, congratulations to Herrin Elementary School for raising $1,100 in the "Your Change Can Make a Difference" campaign! These generous donations will benefit the Salvation Army of Southern Illinois, an organization that provides invaluable support to families in need.

Pictured below: Cassie Burgess, Assistant Superintendent/Curriculum Coordinator, Brooke Hastings, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent and Clerk of the School Board, and Rachel Wright, School Business Official for Herrin Unit 4.

Learn More about the McKinney-Vento Program

38th Annual Conference on Teaching Mathematics

Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) — Southern Section

Thursday, February 15, 2024

8:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

John A. Logan College, Carterville, IL

Keynote Address

Dr. Bob Mann, Professor, Western Illinois University; Past President, Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics

“Tasks and Talk; and Tips”

There is an abundance of amazing math resources online as well as a plethora of guidelines, frameworks, and standards for your math classrooms. These are all valuable but can also be overwhelming. This presentation will try to link and summarize those messages in one, easy to remember, all-encompassing goal: Tasks and Talk. Together we

will explore a variety of engaging tasks as examples of this goal and discuss a few practical tips for you and your students. Experience math activities and discourse that are both enlightening and entertaining while focusing on Tasks and Talk; Work and Words; and Growth and Grins!

More Speakers

Craig Cullen, ICTM President, will lead sessions on “Making Sense of Fractions” (3–5) and “Comparing Radians and Degrees” (9–12).

Adam Poetzel, ICTM Past-President, will speak on “Visualizing Math with Polypad Free Virtual Manipulatives” (3–5).

Kelly Wamser Remijan will present “STEM & Our Military: Connections to Teach Math Concepts) (6–12).

Maura Brueggeman will speak about “Fact Fluency Frenzy” (K–5). Jo C Summers will lead a session titled “Who's Doing the Math?” (6–12).

Bobbi Webster will give a talk called “Gamifying Math Practice in

Your Elementary Classroom” (K–5).

Erin Sagaskie will host a session on “Maximizing the Benefits of using AI for

Teaching and Learning: Saving Time and Earning Joy” (9–12).

Also, leading sessions at the conference are David Forbes, William W. McNeary III, Greg Gierhart, Michelle Murphy, Tanjanika Foster, Keenan Clark, and many others that cover elementary, middle, and high school mathematics education.

The full program will be published in the near future.

More Info

Where: Hancock Conference Center at John A. Logan College, Carterville, IL

When: Thursday, February 15, 2024

Time: 8:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. (Registration and continental breakfast from 8 A.M. – 9 A.M., followed by three presentation sessions from 9 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. and the hot lunch and keynote address from 12:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.)

Registration: $100 ($90 Early bird discount before January 5, 2024); Registration includes all sessions, breakfast, snacks/beverages during breaks, hot lunch, conference folder, and other materials

CPDUs: 4.5 Illinois Professional Development Hours

We are delighted to share this learning opportunity with you once again. Our goal is to craft a conference that features diverse, relevant sessions which cover a wide variety of topics and grade levels in PK–12+

mathematics education. We want our participants to experience a professional development event that is unique to our area, highlighting the extraordinary work being done in local classrooms, where math

teachers from Southern Illinois and beyond can connect with and learn from each other.

A full program and conference website are currently being developed, and we will share those with you as soon as they are complete.

Participant Registration

Student Teacher Registration

Coats for Kids Program

Each year ROE #21 hosts The Coats for Kids Golf Scramble in partnership with Egyptian Building Trades. The fundraiser supports schools in our region to provide students in need with winter clothing items. This year we had two shopping days in both Marion and Benton. So far this year, 170 students were able to receive winter clothing items. Since the inception of the Coats for Kids program, 12,095 students have been able to receive winter clothing items.

The Illinois Youth Survey (IYS) is right around the corner!

The new year has arrived and in even years, that means the IYS will soon follow. This is an important event for a variety of reasons, but one that stands out the most is that it empowers students to provide an objective snapshot about their experience in a way that can bring in funding and contribute to positive change.

The IYS Goals are:

1. To enhance the ability of schools, districts, and communities to effectively address local issues through access to data.

2. To provide a statewide benchmark for health and social indicators affecting the lives and academic success of Illinois youth (random sample that is collected to create a state norm).

Schools and agencies around the state utilize this data to apply for funding and help support their communities. Please note, because the combined data reports are public, we do not always know which communities and/or agencies will be using the data. If your school is participating, then you have a seat at the table and your students' voices will be heard. If your school is on the fence about participating, please consider that your participation may have significant effects that are county or even state-wide.

Community Prevention Resources (CPR) is pleased to announce that Franklin County sample schools have signed up for the Illinois Youth Survey! This means that southern Illinois will be well represented in the weighted state report.

If there are any schools with 8th, 10th, and 12th graders that need assistance with the IYS, please reach out to CPR at ROE#21.

Tips to help get your child to school on time, every day.

Set attendance goals with your child and track your child's attendance on a calendar. Try offering small rewards for not missing any school, such as a later bedtime on weekends.
Help your child get a good night's sleep. A lack of sleep is associated with lower school achievement starting in middle school, as well as higher numbers of missed school and tardiness. Most younger children need 10-12 hours per night and adolescents (13-18 years of age) need 8-10 hours per night.
Prep the night before to streamline your morning. Have your child lay out their clothes. Have backpacks and lunches packed. Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up like a missed bus or an early meeting. Have a family member, a neighbor, or another trusted adult on standby to take your child to school should you ever need help.
Try to schedule dental or medical appointments before or after school hours. If children must miss school for medical appointments, have them return immediately afterward so they do not miss the entire day.
Schedule extended trips during school breaks. This helps your child stay caught up in school learning and sets the expectation for your child to be in school during the school year. Even in elementary school, missing a week of classes can set your child behind on learning.
Don't have your child stay home unless they are truly sick. Reasons to keep your child home from school include a temperature greater than 101 degrees, vomiting, or diarrhea. Keep in mind, complaints of frequent stomachaches or headaches can be a sign of anxiety and may not be a reason to stay home.
Talk with your child about the reasons why they do not want to go to school. School-related anxiety can lead to school avoidance. Talk to your child about their physical and emotional symptoms. Try to get them to talk about any emotional struggles they may have with issues like bullying, fear of failure or actual physical harm. If you are concerned about your child's mental health, talk with your pediatrician, your child's teacher, or school counselor.
Follow the rules. Be sure you know what your school's requirements are for when your child is absent or late. If you are supposed to call, email, or provide a doctor's note after a certain number of days out, then do it. If we want our children to follow rules, we must lead by example.
Keep track of your child's attendance so you know when the days missed start to add up. Look into why your child is absent. Think about your child's mood. Have they been spending time by themselves lately? Is their chronic condition starting to be more problematic? Is this school refusal? You know your child best.

Ms.Caitlin Spiller's and Mrs. Deanna Hamilton's STARQuest Academy students had a fierce competition with gingerbread house building before break! Great teamwork, patience, and friendly competitiveness displayed by all!!