Superintendent Update: 8/26/22

To view past superintendent updates, please visit District Updates on our website.

It has been a whirlwind start to the new school year, but fantastic thus far. The excitement and positive energy from teachers, staff, students, and families have been a joy to experience. I have enjoyed visiting families and friends and sharing their enthusiasm for the new year. Last night, UMS welcomed families for their Open House; last week, our early childhood and elementary schools welcomed back students and families to meet their teachers. Our teachers and staff have worked hard to return classrooms to instructional spaces that are more creative and innovative to enhance student learning!

The first week of school always brings extra cars, more traffic, and congestion to our neighborhoods and school campuses. We have schools that have improved or re-routed their pick-up and drop-off procedures, while other schools are reteaching their arrival and dismissal expectations. Please be patient with our school administrators and staff working in these spaces. We realize everyone is busy, but we ask for your patience as we work hard to keep everyone safe while improving traffic flow procedures at several schools.

We are thrilled to have welcomed many new and innovative teachers to positions across the District. Our new teachers have joined the Urbana family with high energy and enthusiasm. Please welcome new staff members and help them feel at home in whatever capacity they may be serving. I want to highlight four new teachers who have traveled the farthest in distance and learning. We are privileged to once again participate in the ISBE Visiting International Teacher exchange program with Spain. We are delighted that these new teachers are joining our Spanish Dual Language program! Help me show our appreciation for our new cultural exchange teachers from Spain: Alba Fernández Sánchez (UECS), Antonio Rodríguez Mateos (UMS), Maria Serrano San Martín (UHS), and Christina Montañola Hernandez (UHS). They are learning as much as their students as they acclimate to teaching in the US. ¡Bienvenidos!

I am so excited about the coming year as I know this will be a year like no other.

Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much. ~ Helen Keller

In Anticipation,

Dr. Ivory-Tatum,

Superintendent

We encourage all USD116 families to please save/bookmark our District Calendar. It has many important dates and also shows you our events calendar.

USD116 Calendar: https://usd116.org/calendar/

You may also pick up a calendar magnet at your school office.

Urbana School District 116 is proactively participating in a districtwide Equity Audit, and we need your feedback as part of the process.

Equity is about fairness and inclusion and removing barriers to leverage access and opportunity for all.

The purpose of the Equity Audit is to identify those areas of strength and areas for needed improvement when it comes to our efforts to advance educational equity.

Thus, parents, guardians, and caregivers, we need your voice! Five focus groups will be conducted during the third week of October (October 17-21, 2022) by an external company for families to participate in.

Please click on the letter below in your preferred language to learn more about how you can participate in a focus group.

USD116 & Cunningham Township Supervisor’s Office have expanded our partnership to offer more support to our #USD116 families/students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

If you or a USD Family you know are struggling with housing, please contact your school social worker to be connected with assistance.

UHS students were given the opportunity to sign the Anti-Violence Pledge on Friday. In exchange, they received bead necklaces which symbolizes our individual and collective efforts to end all forms of violence.

The #avbeadgang is the UHS school-wide pledge towards Anti-Violence.

See the Anti-Violence Pledge below:

By wearing the #AVBEADGANG necklaces, I pledge to maintain an anti-violent lifestyle by doing the following:

• Do not participate in verbal conflicts and physical confrontation with others. When conflict does occur, use non-violent means to work it out (conferencing, seeking adult assistance, measures of avoidance, etc...).

• Stay away and out of issues that do not concern myself or my crew.

• Not engage in any weapon related activity and seek assistance when approached with these activities (inform a trusted adult).

• Promote positive energy in all areas of my life.

UHS is playing a JV Team this season. The following are the only games scheduled at this time:

• August 29 | 4:30 p.m. | away vs. Centennial H.S.

• September 5 | 4:30 p.m. | away vs. Peoria Notre Dame

• September 12 | 4 p.m. | away vs. Peoria H.S.

• September 19 | 4:30 p.m. | home vs. Normal West H.S.

• September 26 | 4:30 p.m. | home vs. Champaign Central H.S.

• October 3 | 5 p.m. | away vs. Illinois Valley Central H.S.

• October 10 | 5 p.m. | away from Normal Community H.S.

• October 17 | 4:30 p.m. | home vs. Manual H.S.

• October 20 | 4:30 p.m. | home vs. Danville H.S.

There is the possibility of adding some freshman games, but that has not been finalized. If that happens, those games would be on Thursdays.

Congrats to the UMS Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams! Each team placed second at this week's Danville Meet.

Urbana School District #116 is offering the following COVID testing opportunities for students and staff during the 2022-23 school year:

• Binax testing will be available for symptomatic students and staff at school.

• Starting Aug. 8, drive-thru testing for students and staff will be available on:
• Mondays from 7-8 a.m. at Urbana Middle School in front of door #6 on Michigan St.
• Tuesdays/Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at Yankee Ridge Elementary.

• The District will evaluate the need for additional testing for indoor sports, extracurricular activities, returns from breaks, or in the event of an outbreak.

In continued partnership with our transportation provider First Student, USD116 is

launch the FirstView App this school year. FirstView is a bus tracking and parent communications app for your smartphone or desktop. Set up the app to track your student’s bus in real-time and receive alerts prior to arrival.

We successfully piloted the FirstView app at UMS and Thomas Paine last spring and are excited to expand it districtwide..

Once bus assignments have been finalized, you will receive information from your school on how to set up the app, including the District code.

Congrats to the UMS PTSA. The National PTA has recognized Urbana Middle School Parent, Teacher, Student Association as a 2021-2023 School of Excellence for their accomplishments in building a strong, effective family-school partnership that is enriching the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.

They are one of 5 PTAs in Illinois to receive this designation. We are thankful for their commitment and support. #UrbanaBetterTogether

Read more: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NHOGb_lYxklRiKdCgbNhcRRa_lpkWkzJ/view?usp=sharing

Attention Urbana High School Juniors and Seniors:

The League of Women Voters of Champaign County is looking for students 16 and older to serve as ambassadors to their high schools.

Student Ambassadors will be trained on how to empower and provide opportunities to members of your school or community to participate in the voting process.

The Deadline for consideration for the fall semester is Sept. 2. The time commitment is 4-8 hours a month and the hours would count toward the #USD116 Mayoral Recognition Program at the high school.

More info: https://www.lwvchampaigncounty.org/student-ambassadors-program.html

• Sept. 2: The Tiger Marching Band will play at the start of and at half time of the Varsity Soccer Game.

• Sept. 5: Labor Day | No School/Buildings Closed | The Tiger Marching Band will be in the Champaign County Labor Day Parade in downtown Champaign

• Sept. 13: District Parent Teacher Advisory Committee

• Sept. 15: First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month

• Sept. 22-24: UHS Theatre - Muthvash

• Sept. 23: Staff Development Day | No School Grades EC-5; Early Dismissal: UMS @ 1:15; UHS @ 12:26

• Sept. 27: Family Forum - Virtual

• Sept. 27-Oct. 1: Homecoming Week

Email: contactus@usd116.org
Website: usd116.org
Location: 1101 East University Avenue, Suite B, Urbana, IL, USA
Phone: 2173843600
Facebook: facebook.com/usd116
Twitter: @urbana116