Save the Date for this MIS event! You don't want to miss it!
🏐 🩷 Save the date for "Volley for the Cure" on April 8th! Come out to watch Mokena 159 Staff take on the Mokena Fire Fighters and Police Officers! It is always a good time! 🩷🏐
Congratulations to our March Big Deal Award winners. The recipients are selected by their teachers for following all of our Rocket Expectations. The students are leaders in the classroom and always set a positive example for their classmates.
5th grade mathematicians recently created board games as a way to review and apply learned math concepts!
This goal encompassess yearly school improvement planning, trimesterly benchmark data reviews, and unit assessment analysis. Accomplishments within this goal include:
-Data analysis at the district and school level to develop yearly School Improvement Plans at each of our three schools (This process has been presented at multiple state and national conferences by our very own Mokena staff members this year!)
-Updated district wide processes and systems for the review of Tier 1, 2, and 3 data sets through the work of the district’s MTSS Committee
-Grade Level Data Analysis meetings held each trimester in which benchmark data is reviewed to identify students as risk for not meeting standards and to plan for interventions needed
-Common summative unit assessments in core content classes that are analyzed by classroom teachers to identify strengths and areas for growth and instruction adjusted accordingly
Come out to the Frankfort Culvers tonight to support the MES Student Council. MES teachers and staff will be serving you!
This goal focuses on how funds are budgeted based on student, school, and district needs as well as a focus on financial stewardship. Ongoing activities and accomplishment within this goal include:
-District continues to receive a “Financial Recognition" profile score from the Illinois State Board of Education for sound, responsible fiscal stewardship (the highest score one can receive)
-Annual budget development with district department leaders and school administrators focused on allocations of funds related to school and district improvement goals and needs
-5 year financial projections within Board of Education approved parameters of between 33% and 65% of fund balance to expenses
-Cash flow is monitored and projected to enable the district invest and accrue the
maximum amount of interest income
-Published financial highlights on a monthly basis in BoardBook
-District financial reports posted on the district website’s Transparency Page
Please take a few minutes to complete the 5Essentials Parent Survey before it closes on Friday. Visit: https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ .
We are currently at a 9% parent response rate and need at least 20% to receive a parent report. Thank you in advance for your feedback!
❤️ Our community is AMAZING! MES and MIS students raised a grant total of $60,844 for the American Heart Association's Kids Heart Challenge! Thank you to our "Heart Heroes" for their generosity in this record breaking year! ❤️
Save the Date! Informational Meetings will take place on April 29th to share updates to our programming for Advanced Learners for the 2025-2026 school year.
Thank you to Mrs. Spasojevic and Mrs. Stojak for coordinating our MIS Book Fair. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to get some great books, not to mention the funds that come back to the school from Scholastic.
Our Book Fair will be open all week.
This goal area aims to provide students with more opportunities to extend learning through exploratories curriculum areas. Accomplishments include:
-Addition of an Orchestra program at MIS and MJHS that started in 2022 with 28 students and now has 86 students!
-Project Lead the Way program adopted within the STEM exploratory at the junior high that includes the following classes: Design and Modeling, App Creators, Green Architecture, and Computer Science
☘️ Issue 2 of "Mokena Moments" has been published! You can view the new issue in your email inbox or by visiting our website at: https://www.mokena159.org/page/district-newsletter . ☘️
On Friday, our Administrative Assistant for Payroll, Diana Lopez-Cosme, our Transportation Coordinator, Ervin Walker and our Chief School Business Official, Dr. Teri Shaw presented at the state Bookkeepers Conference on "Payroll: Start to Finish for Transportation
'.
They were part of a roundtable discussion with four different school districts discussing their procedures for processing payroll for the transportation department.
We are very proud to have representation from Mokena 159 at the Illinois Association of School Business Officials Annual Bookkeepers Conference to share their collective wisdom!
Utilizing additional avenues for communication with our families and community is an ongoing goal. Our work thus far includes:
-Increased social media postings to highlight events, happenings, celebrations, and student learning throughout the district
-Creation of district app that allows families to have a mobile version of the website
-Use of a new communications platform, Apptegy, that has allowed administrators easier and more efficient access to communicate within multiple platforms at the same time
-Increased development of news stories that are published on the website and/or other news outlets
As we approach warmer temperatures, The Matthew Kocher Foundation wanted to educate our students on water safety. Our students will learn or learned preventable measures to take near the water by learning the meaning of the flags at the beach, how to keep little siblings safe at home, and survival techniques if caught in a rip current. Ask your child to explain FLIP, FLOAT, and FOLLOW and be sure to share this information with family and friends.
A big thank you to Dave Benjamin from The Great Lakes Surf and Rescue Project for dedicating his life to educate others, as he himself is a survivor of drowning.
MIS and MJHS had their presentations last week. MES will have their presentation April 18th.
The nominations form for the Galaxy Award opens today! Check your email for more information.
🏐 Come out tonight to cheer on the 8th grade girls volleyball team as they compete in the Regionals Championship Game! The game is at 4:30 at Summit Hill Junior High. 🏐
Join the MIS Beginning Band, Cadet Band, and Orchestra for an evening concert tomorrow night! The event starts at 6:30 at Mokena Junior High.
Continual work in this goal has been a major focus of the district and will continue to be throughout the life of the Strategic Plan. Some highlights of the ongoing and completed work in this goal include:
-English Language Learner (ELL) program review conducted by ELL teachers and Administrative Team which included the strengthening of our programming models and processes for monitoring exited students
-Multilingual Guidebook created by above committee that outlines district wide programming models, procedures, and expectations
-Interventionists reviewed current instructional materials and resources for reading and math intervention classes and have added materials for both content areas based on the needs of students
-Addition of teachers within our Interventions, Special Education, and ELL departments based on student needs
-Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) staff committee created district wide processes and procedures for interventions which includes the development and publication of a staff MTSS Guidebook to ensure consistent practices from school to school
-Creation of three year school-based MTSS improvement plans based on above guidebook
-Strengthening of differentiated practices for all students in reading and math through professional development
-Special Education programming review conducted with recommendations for furthering the department’s work
-Special Education Steering Committee formed to utilize recommendations and currently planning for next steps in improvement
