Superintendent Update: 9/23/22

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

As we move further into the school year, we are excited to focus our efforts on teaching and learning, innovative and creative curriculum approaches and learning renewal and recovery. The Illinois State Board of Education tasks the District with teaching all Illinois Instructional Mandates. School code also requires us to teach the history of the United States and the role and contributions of many in shaping that history. Public schools and educational institutions are required to teach within U.S. History curriculum units on Black History, the Holocaust, the contributions of Women in History, and the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of our country and state. Administrators in each school monitor how these topics are taught through assemblies, books, pamphlets, projects, literature, etc. As our Urbana-Champaign communities prepare to celebrate Pride Fest 2022 on Saturday, October 2, many schools and teachers will plan lessons and activities to highlight the roles and contributions of our LGBTQ+ community. USD116 fully supports and extends these instructional mandates by providing an inclusive and affirming educational environment for all students, staff, families, and community members. U have the right to be who U are. USD116 has the responsibility to respect and support who U are.

We are excited to welcome all families to attend the District’s first Family Forum of the school year on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. via zoom. This first meeting will focus on a District Overview, District Goals, and the upcoming Equity Audit. We have created a survey to collect your questions in advance to make sure that we can address all of them during the Forum. English Family Forum Survey; Spanish Family Forum Survey; French Family Forum Survey

As part of the Equity Audit, we also need parents and guardians to join one of five focus groups during the week of October 17th-21st. Please email Dr. Caffey, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, at bcaffey@usd116.org if you are interested in joining a focus group to share your voice as part of the Equity Audit process.

Mark your calendars now! The District, our administrators, and the family engagement teams are looking forward to hosting a new family event on October 3rd, Bring Your Family to School Day. Principals, teachers, and schools will share more details as we get closer to October 3rd.

I want to close with a warning to families about the One Chip Challenge started by chip company Paqui which is now trending on social media, including TikTok. Since the start of the school year, several students have been sent home sick across the district from elementary through high school. The challenge dares people to record themselves eating an entire Paqui chip, which is Carolina Reaper and scorpion pepper flavored. Participants then must wait as long as they can before eating or drinking anything. Doing this could cause someone to experience difficulty breathing, damage to airways, allergic reactions, extreme mouth pain, and gastrointestinal pain that can lead to vomiting and/or diarrhea for up to 24 hours. Please do not allow your students to bring Paqui chips to school!

We look forward to seeing you at all of our upcoming events!

All my best,

Dr. Ivory-Tatum

The Urbana High School Drama Club presents MuthVash this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in Cobb Auditorium. The drama department’s musical theatre variety show features 20 acts. Tickets are available at the door.

Support the UHS Football Team at its game on Monday, September 26

• 4-6 p.m.

• UHS Football Field/Athletics Area

• Kona Ice will be there. A portion of sales benefit Football Boosters

Join us September 27 for a virtual Family Forum from 6-7:30 p.m.

Topics include:

• Welcome Back and Year Overview

• District Goals

• Equity Audit

Zoom Link: https://usd116org.zoom.us/j/92586421834

Meeting ID: 925 8642 1834

CONGRATULATIONS to the Tiger Marching Band on winning 1st place in Class 4A, Best Music in Class 4A and Best Percussion in Class 4A at the Sage City Marching Band Invitational! Go Tigers! #ProudofU116 🧡🖤

Urbana High School Students Alistair Forsyth and Adina Gerstenecker have been named semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. These high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for more than 7,000 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

Congrats to Brandon McFarland on being named a CI Business Magazine Forty under 40 Award Winner. Brandon is a Student Engagement Advocate & baseball coach at UMS.

Brandon will be recognized at a luncheon on Oct. 27 and featured in the October/November issue of the Central Illinois Business Magazine.

The awardees were chosen based on achievement, experience, innovation, leadership and community involvement.

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.

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.

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.

• Drive-thru testing for students and staff is 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.

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

• Sept. 23 & 24: UHS Theatre - Muthvash

• Sept. 27: Family Forum - Virtual

• Sept. 26-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