Happy Black History Month! Several schools have planned Black History events throughout the month, and I hope you are able to participate in those events. Monday, February 13, is National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID). Many celebratory activities are happening throughout the District on Monday. NAAPID activities are open to all Urbana116 families. If you want to attend any of these activities, please view NAAPID and Black History school plans here.
We recently shared our first conversation about the possible future asbestos abatement project at Wiley during this week’s Board meeting. If this project is approved, the District will close Wiley School for the 2023-24 school year to prepare for abatement sooner than expected. Also during that meeting, students and staff from our newly formed Freedom School program visited the Board to share more about the Freedom School programming and our new options for Alternative Education. Students participated in the presentation and shared highlights of the program from a student’s perspective. If you are interested in learning more about the proposed Wiley asbestos project or Freedom School, I encourage you to watch the Board meeting via this link: Feb. 7 Board Study Session, review the slides here: Wiley Asbestos Presentation, or review a summary of the Board meeting here: Feb. 7 BOE Update.
The District looks forward to Winter Institute, our full day of professional development. There is No School next Friday, February 17, for all students while our staff enjoys a full day of professional learning. Winter Institute is always a day for our community to learn and grow together with in-district and out-of-district presenters and experts. Monday, February 20, is President’s Day, so we will welcome students back on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
Stay safe and well,
Dr. Ivory-Tatum
