Superintendent Update April 9, 2021
from USD116 Superintendent Dr. Ivory-Tatum
To view past superintendent updates, please click here. To view weekly updates online, please visit our District Updates archive on our website.
Greetings USD116 Families and Friends,
In the weeks to come, we will be sharing information about various PreK-12 Extended Learning Opportunities for June and July and Jump Start programs in August. Camp Invention will also be offered at Leal Elementary. Camp Invention is a district-wide program open to all elementary students. All families interested in any of these offerings should expect more information in the form of flyers, sign-up links, and applications from their home schools. During the BOE discussion on Tuesday, April 6, we shared a Summer Learning Opportunity one-page document linked here for families to reference.
During the April 6th meeting, we also shared early operational scenarios for the 21-22 academic school year. The full slideshow presentation is linked here for those interested in reading the entire presentation or following the Board’s discussion linked to the meeting’s YouTube video. Our desired goal and current plans are to start the school year with all students, teachers, and staff in school five days a week for a full day of teaching and learning. Our current public health and CDC guidance support this plan. Please make sure your contact information is correct in the weeks to come, and over the summer months in the event we need to share information regarding a change in our plans for the start of the school year. Included is a simplified version of the beginning of the year plans for your ongoing reference. We welcome your input on our plans for in-person learning and our 21-22 operational scenarios. We will be sharing more detailed plans soon. If you would like to share a comment directly, please email us in the following ways: at publiccomment@usd116.org, email the entire Board directly at Board@usd116.org, email your board member representative directly, or as always, email me directly.
During the Board meeting, we provided a preliminary timeline and deadlines for you to add to your calendar. If you are interested in viewing the full April 6th Board meeting, click here. As always, we look forward to bringing you continued up-to-date information and communication. If you have questions or concerns, you can reach out to your building administrator or my office.
Be safe and stay well,
Dr. Ivory-Tatum,
Superintendent
LATEST NEWS
Find your Golden Ticket!
USD families do not miss your chance to win a Golden Ticket to claim special prizes during April. Where do you get a Golden Ticket? All you have to do is drive-thru one of our meal distribution sites, pick up your grab-and-go lunch bag, then look inside to see if you are a lucky winner. For the following two Wednesdays, starting next week, April 14th, and on April 21, pick up your bag for a chance to win Amazon gift cards, movie coupons, store gift cards, and much more! If you find a ticket to collect your prize, please bring your Golden Ticket to the next scheduled meal pick-up. Starting next Wednesday, drive-thru any of our elementary schools or Urbana Middle School in search of your Golden Ticket!
Congratulations to the Class of 2021 - UHS Graduation Ceremony
We are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting an in-person graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 29th, at 11:00 a.m. on McKinley Field at Urbana High School. Ticket information and additional information will be shared with graduating seniors and families. All attendees and participants will be expected to wear a mask during the event and while present at the athletic complex. All guests will participate in a temperature check and symptom screening before entering the field. We also ask families to physically distance themselves from people who do not live with them. We will be implementing all safety guidelines and protocols, but we need our families and guests to help us ensure we celebrate our graduates safely.
UHS Class of 2021 Honors Night
We are so proud of our graduating Seniors and their accomplishments. We are looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate with them during an in-person Honors Night. Honors Night will be held in person on Wednesday, May 19th at 7:00 p.m. in Urbana High School. UHS will share more detailed information with the Seniors about the number of tickets and requirements for this in-person event. We will follow all of our everyday in-person safety and health guidance for students, staff, and visitors in our buildings.
MTD Virtual Learn to Ride Event for 5th-grade Families
MTD has scheduled a Virtual Learn-To-Ride session for Thursday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. Through our ongoing partnership between MTD and USD116, MTD has traditionally presented these sessions in person to our 5th graders transitioning to middle school. Due to COVID, these opportunities are currently not available.
MTD will be presenting the same content covered during the in-person presentation, including how fares work, how to ride safely, expectations for behavior, and how to get more information about specific trips. They will present this during a live Zoom webinar so that parents and students can ask questions in real-time. We’re hoping that this will be an informative program for new passengers, returning students who want a refresher, and parents who are just curious about how their children can use the transit system. This presentation would also be relevant for 8th graders transitioning to high school if they will be a new MTD rider next year. I’ve included several links below. The most critical link is the Facebook event link to view the presentation.
Facebook link for the program presentation - MTD's Virtual Learn-To-Ride Session
Sharing MTD’s Pulse article - MTD Pulse - Virtual Learn-To-Ride Session for District 116 Families
Sharing WAND’s news article - MTD offering virtual Learn-To-Ride presentation for students
Additional information for students and parents is available at ride.mtd.org/schools. MTD staff are available to answer questions by phone at 217.384.8188, day or night, whenever our buses are in service.
It is National AP Appreciation Week!
We are so thankful for our Assistant and Associate Principals across our District. Please take a few moments to show or share your appreciation for all of their hard work, effort, and dedication to Urbana School District’s students, staff, and families. We appreciate everything they do to help make their schools, our District, and the Urbana Community a better place. We are #UrbanaBetterTogether!
Congrats to Coach Zimmerman!
Amberg Excellence in Teaching Award Nominations
Dr. Gene Amberg began his career in public education in 1972 as an elementary school teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. He served as superintendent of Urbana School District #116 from 1992 until his retirement in 2007. In 2003, the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation (CUSF) Gene Amberg Excellence in Teaching Endowed Chair was established to honor Dr. Amberg’s leadership and dedication to children and educators throughout his career. Every three years, an Urbana School District #116 teacher is chosen to receive the Gene Amberg Excellence in Teaching Endowed Chair. This recognition comes with a monetary award from the Endowment held by the CUSF.
Nominations may be submitted by: 1) self 2) peer 3) student 4) former student 5) parent 6) supervisor 7) administrator.
There are many deserving USD teachers who could be nominated. The nominations require a letter of support from an administrator, and I hope you will have time between now and the end of April to make a nomination. The deadline is Friday, April 30, 2021, 4:00 pm. Please see the attached information linked here for more details.
Urbana School District #116
Email: contactus@usd116.org
Website: usd116.org
Location: 205 North Race Street, Urbana, IL, USA
Phone: 2173843600
Facebook: facebook.com/usd116
Twitter: @urbana116