Happy Valentine’s Day! February may be the shortest month of the year, but it has been very busy in USD116. We started this month by focusing on teaching about our kindness and compassion character traits. Many of our students have learned about Random Acts of Kindness Week, kindness, and compassion. Compassion is understanding others' feelings, caring about others, and wanting to help. If you are looking for more activities about compassion or kindness, please refer to the SEL newsletter shared by Mrs. Webster, Director of Family Engagement. While viewing the newsletter, be sure to nominate a USD116 staff member as one of our monthly SEL Superstars.

I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the many families who actively participated in our annual National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) events. Your presence and involvement made a significant difference, whether attending assemblies, joining a breakfast or lunch meeting, or spending the day at school or in your child’s classroom. Your engagement and presence are important to us, and we deeply appreciate them.

There are several district-wide engagement opportunities that I would like to bring to your attention. The Portrait of a Graduate Design Team has started its pre-work for Strategic Planning. This team is crucial in determining the durable skills, competencies, and attributes USD116 students need for success in this rapidly changing world. The Portrait they create will serve as one of the guiding lights in the Strategic Plan 2025-2030. We recently released our first strategic plan survey for engagement. Your participation in this survey is not just important; it's vital. Your input will help us set clear strategic planning priorities for PreK through 12th grade and beyond. Please tune in to the upcoming March 4 Board Meeting to hear an update on the current state of our facilities/school buildings. Our goal as part of Strategic Planning 2025-2030 is to prioritize the completion of a future Master Facilities Plan. If you have not completed the survey, we would appreciate your thoughts on the facilities questions in the survey for future planning. The survey closes on Friday, February 28.

Current fifth-grade families with rising sixth-graders, there is an upcoming family engagement designed just for you. Please join the new Urbana Sixth Grade Center administrators and team members at a family orientation on Thursday, March 6, from 6:00 to 7:00 at Urbana Middle School. You will have the opportunity to meet your administrators, learn more about the daily schedule and electives, and find out what AVID school-wide is all about.

Thank you for your trust and partnership. We are committed to providing safe, academically rigorous learning environments where every student can reach their full potential. Your continued support and collaboration are invaluable in this journey.

In collaboration,

Dr. Ivory-Tatum