Superintendent Update: Jan. 8, 2021

To view past superintendent updates, please click here. To view weekly updates online, please visit our District Updates archive on our website.

I hope you enjoyed your winter break, and everyone has transitioned easily back into remote learning this week. I trust you, your family and your friends are having a safe, healthy, and productive start to 2021.

Before the events that occurred yesterday at the U.S. Capitol, I had planned to focus this week’s update on reminders related to in-person learning. However, these last two days, many of us have been glued to our televisions, social media, and news radio for updates on the tragic events gripping our nation. I am sure many of our students, your children, have been watching these events play out as well. If children ask questions, I encourage you to help them process the images or the conversations they are hearing. Have an open dialogue with them, listen to their fears and anxieties. We want our students and children to learn about these difficult topics from us and not from other sources. Parents, caregivers, and teachers should be their most trusted sources for information.

We are looking forward to our students returning to school in person on Tuesday, January 19th. Below are summaries of the 3rd quarter plans by level. Please refer to my previous Superintendent Weekly Updates archived on our website if you would like to revisit previously shared plans. At all levels, students learning from home will continue to connect remotely with their teachers and staff.

Early Childhood: There are two in-person options for families who have elected to return. Some students will attend four days a week (M, T, Th, and F). Other students will follow an A/B schedule and attend two days a week, with the A group attending Monday/Tuesday and the B group attending Thursday/Friday. If you are unsure of what you have signed up for, please contact UECS at 384-3616.

Elementary: Elementary students will return the week of January 19th via a staggered schedule. This staggered return will allow schools ample time to transition students safely into their classroom routines with minimal disruptions to the learning environment.

Elementary students will return as follows:

• Tuesday, January 19th: Kindergarten (K) and Fifth grades (5th) return

• Wednesday, January 20th: remote only for all students K-5

• Thursday, January 21st: First (1st) and Fourth (4th) grades return

• Kindergarten and 5th are also in attendance

• Friday, January 22nd: Second (2nd) and Third (3rd) grades return

• K, 1st, 4th, and 5th are also in attendance

Middle and High School: Students and families in grades 6-12 attending in-person should follow your specific plans and schedules as outlined by your school’s return to learn plans linked below.

• UMS 3rd Quarter Family Message
• UHS 2nd Semester Family info

As always, the safety of our students and staff remains a top priority. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District has approved our plans (C-UPHD). Our protocols also meet all guidelines set forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). We continue to monitor Champaign County metrics for community transmission, and we are doing our part to address health and safety in our schools. More details will be shared next week regarding our rapid antigen testing plans for symptomatic students and staff.

As staff return to their classrooms next week, I also want to remind you to complete your daily self-certification. All USD116 employees are required to self-certify that they have conducted a daily symptom screening to determine if they have any COVID-like symptoms before entering the building. Remember, if you feel sick, stay at home!

As part of our return to school and in-person learning, we are unveiling a new campaign: #StrongerTogether116. Please join me in doing your part to be Stronger. Safer. Smarter. when we return. Enjoy this video, which demonstrates our guidelines and expectations for in-person learning. We are excited to welcome the USD116 family back to school. Please continue to do your part to prevent the transmission and spread of the virus in our community. We will work together successfully and safely because we are UrbanaBetterTogether.

Be safe and be well,

Dr. Ivory-Tatum,

Superintendent

Congratulations to our 34 students who were honored by ILMEA (Illinois Music

Education Association) over the winter break! The Urbana District #116 Music Department participated in the ILMEA District III Virtual Auditions this fall. Participants were volunteers from UMS and UHS who auditioned via recorded video and we selected to be honored. For the full list of students honored, click here! #ProudofU116

January 5 Staff Development Day for EC-5th grade students. There will be no synchronous or asynchronous activities shared with EC-5 students on that day. UMS and UHS students still need to log on for their synchronous activities at their regular times.

Starting Wednesday, January 20, there will be a change in meal distribution: Meals will be available for all children 18 and under on Wednesdays! Any family with children 18 and under can attend a meal distribution at any USD116 elementary building or UMS on Wednesdays from 1130- 12:30 to receive free meals. Families can pick up a total of 7 days worth of meals and breakfasts. To contact food service for information, call 217-384-3501. To view the full flyer, click here.

Email: contactus@usd116.org
Website: usd116.org
Location: 205 North Race Street, Urbana, IL, USA
Phone: 2173843600
Facebook: facebook.com/usd116
Twitter: @urbana116