OVERVIEW

Summit Academy

Students are Back to School at Summit Academy

It's that time of year, and the halls of Summit Academy are once again filled with middle and high school students. As has become an annual tradition, seasoned and newly introduced staff and administrators were excited to roll out the "Summit Blue" carpet for students attending the first day of classes on site at the Machesney Park campus.

The fanfare of signage and a smiling, all-hands-on-deck attitude was, of course, planned as a way to mark the start of the new school year. However, with this unique student body (they are all attending classes away from their home school), it was also a way for staff to demonstrate an appreciative climate for these students, that the entire school community is available and ready to support them, and that they are valued.

The fun welcome was extended to all 100+ students who were scheduled for in-person attendance on the first day. They will quickly acclimate to their new school routine and begin their journey of success in the best way - on a positive note.

Welcome Back, Eagles!

Zoe Walker Begins New School Year as

Summit Academy School Resource Officer

If you see a Winnebago County Sheriff squad car parked at Summit Academy, don't automatically think the worst. In fact, the Summit Academy Administrative Team hopes you'll actually think the very, VERY best! Because that's exactly what she is. Zoe Walker has been chosen as Summit's new SRO, and Executive Director Nicole Corbett is excited to have Officer Walker's presence on campus.

Mrs. Corbett and her staff felt issue intervention in real-time would add a layer of security and groundedness for both students and staff. They also felt positive exposure to law enforcement would be one more teaching moment for the middle and high school students who walk the halls of the Academy.

Ms. Walker shared that she is "SO excited to work on building relationships with students and foster a better understanding of police in the community." She continued, "I am hoping to bring a positive view of police and educate students on what they want to know about policing. When I was in school, I wanted to be a teacher, so being able to be a police officer in a school is a dream come true!"

Zoe has earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice through Rock Valley College and is currently working towards a Bachelor's in Psychology through Upper Iowa University. What else should we know about her? Well, she enjoys hiking, working out, fostering dogs, and hanging out with friends and family. She has a dog, Artemis, and a cat, Apollo. A few fun facts are that her favorite color is pink, she LOVES iced coffee, and she flew a plane in middle school!

It was difficult for Mrs. Corbett to contain her excitement when speaking about Zoe and having an SRO in their midst, stating, "This is great! We had been trying (to obtain an SRO) for a year. We are over the moon. And, Officer Walker studied to be a teacher and also went to Harlem!" It's probably no coincidence that Summit Academy falls in the Harlem #122 School District and is housed on what was previously the site of the Harlem 9th Grade Campus.

Welcome "home" to Summit Academy, Officer Walker!

Summit Middle School Receives Classroom Updates

Professional Learning

Social Emotional Learning

Parents! Caregivers! Community Members! School Personnel!

Here's YOUR Opportunity to be HEARD

ONLINE | Click for Additional Info | FREE

New SEL Specialist/Coach in HIGH Demand for

Back-to-School Trauma Training

With the districts served by ROE 4 requesting increased SEL support, Area 2 SEL Hub Director Allison Pierson quickly made additional SEL staff a top priority. Her first inclination was to dip into her colleagues and Social Emotional Leadership foundations (SELf) scholars for suggestions. She had worked closely with the SELf members during a recent yearlong term of intensive SEL training. She knew connecting with these highly trained individuals would guide her to the best possible fit to join "The Hub" as a specialist/coach. In the end, Jennifer Kaiser checked all the boxes of SEL skills on Mrs. Pierson's wish list.

Mrs. Kaiser accepted the position and immediately brought her resources and creative toolkit to the ROE PL/SEL Department. She went to work familiarizing herself with SEL presentation materials and manned previously scheduled training slots at many local schools.

By mid August, Jen had already delivered a two-hour Trauma 101 training to 13 certified staff members at Shirland Grade School, 26 certified staff at Stephen Mack Middle School, 45 staff members at Rockton Grade School, and 30 certified staff and administrators at Whitman Post Elementary. Whitman Post has since reached out and requested the same training for their paraprofessionals and bus drivers as well - way to support your school community, Whitman Post!

Mrs. Pierson was pleased to receive positive feedback about her newest staff member. "It's been so rewarding to watch Jennifer soak in her SEL training and then hit the ground running during her first days in this position. The fact that schools are not only responding positively to her presentations but are requesting additional time with Jen is such bonus. She is fitting in so well, and is a huge asset to the entire team," shared the Area 2 SEL Director. Well done, Mrs. Kaiser!

❤ Watch for Details of our 2024 Virtual HEART Summit! ❤

Professional Services

You Go, Young Picasso HS Art Competition

Winners Celebrated at ROE 4

Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education held its first annual art competition during the 2022-23 school year. The contest, titled "You Go, Young Picasso: Architecture That Elevates", was created by Regional Superintendent Scott Bloomquist, Assistant Superintendent Allison Pierson, and PL Facilitator Linda DeYounge. The seven winning regional high school artists were invited to a private awards ceremony for family, friends, and their art instructors in late July.

The yearlong competition was developed via a brainstorming session of what to do with an expansive hallway space at the Regional Office. The empty hallway seemed to lack good mojo for employees, and it was decided to display something that represents the reason all ROE employees come to work every day - Our Students!

The winners (listed at left) each received $100, an award certificate, and a gallery reception. Their original artwork will now be displayed for an entire year at the Regional Office.

Congratulations and fabulous job to all the amazing artists, as well as a round of applause for the event creators and others who made this blank canvas come to life!

Central Office Staff

Pictured L-R: Mary Wilson, Leah Blake, Denise Rux, Logan Watts, Madelynn Glenn

Madelynn Glenn has joined the Regional Office as the new Administrative Assistant. She will attend the front desk of the Central Office and greet all walk-in customers, as well as schedule appointments. Logan Watts has transitioned into the position of GED Services Coordinator. He has learned his new role quickly and is a great asset to that position. Congratulations to both Madelynn and Logan!

ROE 4 Reminds Educators Time is Running Out to Renew

If the June Professional Educator License (PEL) renewal deadline snuck by without you noticing, you only have a few more days to renew. August 31st is the final day to log in to your ELIS account on ISBE.net and renew your PEL. As always, contact ROE 4 Licensure Director Leah Blake at lblake@roe4.org with questions or for assistance.

FREE GED Testing Offered Through September 30th

Are you interested in earning your Illinois High School Diploma via the GED exam? If so, you have perfect timing! From now through 9/30, GED testing for everyone (both online and in-person exams) is FREE!

Please check the flyer for the required testing and retake promo codes or visit www.freegedil.org for more information.

School Improvement

Local School Leaders Take Time to Attend ROE 4's

Second Annual Administrators' Breakfast

Always on the lookout for creative ways to honor the hard work of our regional education professionals, ROE 4 again treated dozens of school administrators to a fun event at the annual ROE 4 Administrators' Breakfast.

This year's breakfast was again a huge success, with local school building leaders being celebrated prior to the start of the new school year. Participants were treated, with support from keynote speaker Dr. PJ Caposey, to a copy of his book on time management, breakfast, and gift basket drawings. Dr. Caposey spoke about the importance of time with a few tips and tricks on time management thrown in for good measure.

Mr. Bloomquist also took time to welcome guests and invited each to reach out to anyone in the room they didn't know and recount a brief impactful story. That icebreaker was influential in encouraging a few in the audience to then participate by further sharing for the entire group.

Following the morning get-together, ROE 4 Directors, Summit Academy Administrators, and several leaders from South Beloit Schools met up for a round of 18 on the beautiful Aldeen Golf Course.

Attendees were appreciative of the time spent celebrating them. Many thanks to all who took the time to be with us this year!

Four: For Leaders - August Edition

Frustration leaders feel can be due to the “Cascading Effect” that decisions that are made have on an organization.

@doodleyounge (of ROE 4) demonstrates in the graphic below how the Cascading Effect can affect an organization.

Good leaders manage the flow by understanding the consequences of those decisions.

To view next month's Four: For Leaders with Chris Collins of ROE 4 in its entirety and/or to receive F4L monthly delivered to your inbox, hurry over to https://conta.cc/3pmMPyV ASAP and subscribe!

At-Risk Student Services

Emily O’Neill was recently promoted to Assistant Director of At-Risk Student Services. Emily has a Master's Degree in criminal justice and a passion for guiding youth to their fullest potential. As Assistant Director, Emily’s focus will be on working closely with the Assistant State’s Attorney, Guardian Ad Litem, and Judges in all Educational Neglect and Truancy court cases while also improving the internal processes and procedures at the ROE. There were approximately 115 court appearances scheduled for the month of August and nearly 50 in September, with cases being added daily to that schedule. Emily’s dedication to her work and drive to become ever better make her an excellent person for this position. We look forward to seeing how Emily will mold the position into what it needs to be, all while improving its encompassing processes.

Alex Zimmerman has taken on a new role as Intensive Attendance Interventionist. Alex has worked as an Attendance Interventionist at ROE 4 for two years and came to us with extensive experience and an internal drive to make a difference in the lives of our youth. The Intensive Attendance Interventionists work closely with the Summit Academy staff and the students and families in their Second Chance Program (a classroom designed to address the increase in students refusing to attend school due to mental health barriers), as well as all students in the 12 school districts we serve. Their focus is on students who are struggling with school avoidance and/or refusal. This will be the second year this position has been in existence, created as the ARSS team saw a need they were unable to fill due to the size of their caseloads and the time required to focus on those students and families. Alex was an integral part of the planning committee for the Second Chance Program at Summit Academy. So, when the Intensive Attendance Intervention position became available, it was a natural transition for Alex to move into that role. We are excited to have Alex continue on our team and look forward to watching her growth and how she changes the lives of her students and families.

ARSS also welcomes three new attendance interventionists to the department. Michelle Hammer is assigned to Summit Academy, while Caitlyn Wingo will work with Harlem Elementary and Chris Eilders will be the presence in North Boone Elementary and Middle Schools. Be sure to watch for next month's newsletter when we will introduce these new employees.