Superintendent Update

from USD116 Superintendent Dr. Ivory-Tatum

Superintendent Update from USD116 Superintendent Dr. Ivory-Tatum

January 17, 2025 Superintendent Update

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

Dear Urbana Family and Friends,

As our community prepares to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the words written in his book "Strength to Love” (1963) decades ago remain profoundly relevant and remind us of the importance of love, justice, and leadership. "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." Dr. King urges leaders to guide and shape collective understanding rather than simply follow popular opinion. Dr. King remained committed to moral courage and visionary action. It reminds us that we can all be a “molder of consensus” to help lead or find a role to play to help guide our community toward unity and progress.


This weekend, we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy of equity, service, and hope. I invite all of you to honor his dream by participating in acts of service or reflection. Our community will come together on Sunday evening, January 19th, for the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Countywide Celebration at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at 5:00 p.m. We will recognize this year’s “Living the Dream” scholarship recipients from Urbana High School:

  • Grace Coady, President Claude Shelby Award for Outstanding Achievement

  • Kierra Moten, Willie T. Summerville Memorial Award for Excellence in the Arts

  • Franklina Kabu, Living the Dream Scholar


These young leaders are examples of our community’s potential and living examples of Dr. King’s vision of leading rather than following. They are “molders of consensus.” Their remarkable achievements fill us with pride and inspire others who follow in their footsteps to strive for excellence.


January is National Mentoring Month, and we continue to celebrate the impact of mentorship in our schools. Our C-U One-to-One Mentoring Program offers a chance for community members to guide and inspire our students. I encourage anyone with an hour a week to join this meaningful initiative. Mentoring is a simple yet powerful way to strengthen our community and create lasting connections. This week, our Mentor Coordinators recruited mentors at the City of Urbana building. If you have an hour to spend with an Urbana youth each week, please contact one of our schools, and our coordinators will be ready to pair you with a student mentor.


Finally, a cold weather system may impact our area next week. I urge you to ensure your contact information is updated in Skyward Family Access to stay informed about school updates or weather closures. We encourage families to include text messaging as another mode of communication. Click here for step-by-step directions. We also use our website and social media to announce school closings. These alerts are posted after our initial phone/email/text communication is sent out:


Hopefully, another interruption to student learning will not be necessary.


Enjoy your weekend of service, and stay warm! Remember, our collective efforts make our community stronger and more united. Let's all do our part to honor Dr. King's legacy and make a difference in the lives of our youth.


Dr. Ivory-Tatum

JANUARY/FEBRUARY IMPORTANT DATES

  • January 20: No School | Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • January 21: Board of Education Meeting | 6 p.m.
  • February 12: Special Education Family and Staff Advisory Council at 6 p.m. at UECS
  • February 14: Staff Development Day (No School for early childhood or grades 1 through 5. UMS and UHS have early dismissal.
  • February 17: No School | President's Day

Top Highlights

KNOW

Monday, February 10 is National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID). Several schools are planning assemblies and other family activities. Schools will be sharing more information.

DO

Check in with your student about how their transition back from winter break has been.

SHARE

Sign up to take the Cool Schools Plunge. If cold water isn't your thing, you can support a UHS student plunger as they raise money for the Illinois Special Olympics. More information below.

Support UHS Cool Schools Polar Plunge

Urbana High School is bringing the polar club to campus. UHS will be the first school in the region to have a Cool Schools Polar Plunge. In previous years, UHS has participated in the polar plunge at the Lake of The Woods in Mahomet.


On Fri., Feb. 28 Urbana High School students, staff and families are invited to take the plunge between 12 and 2 p.m. on the UHS football field. If you want to take the plunge, you can sign up (as a team or an individual) and fundraise a minimum of $100. All donations benefit Illinois Special Olympic athletes.


FAQs and more information can be found on our website: https://usd116.org/uhsplunge25/

Kid Cheer Camp at UHS

Students in 3rd through 8th grade who are interested in cheerleading are invited to sign up for the Urbana High School Kids Cheer Camp. The group will perform at halftime of the JV basketball game on January 25.


Contact Coach Brown (Tibrown@usd116.org) or Coach Jones (Kjones@usd116.org) with questions.

YOU can be a Mentor - Upcoming Trainings

Mentor and mentee pair

We need more people to sign up as mentors so we can match every student with a mentor who would like one.

Upcoming New Mentor Recruitment Training Opportunities

  • Tuesday, January 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Urbana Middle School
  • Wednesday, February 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Mellon Building in Champaign (703 S. New St.)
  • Thursday, February 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mellon Building in Champaign (703 S. New St.)

To sign up for New Mentor training, contact Angie Armstrong: aarmstrong@usd116.org


More information: http://www.cu1to1.org/

School News

Urbana High School

The Urbana High School Winter Guard Team's routine placed 1st at last weekend's competition and the Lyrical Flag routine placed 3rd.

Danyla Nash received a Rising Star award for Outstanding Showmanship.

Dr. King Elementary

King School celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King with various activities in Dance and Drama this week, including a read-in, writing activities and games.

We Are The Schools Music Event

The Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation is hosting the "We Are The Schools" Music Fest on February 16 at City Center in Champaign. The day-long showcase of talent from local schools and community members includes several USD #116 students and staff. Proceeds benefit CUSF and Urbana and Unit 4 schools. For tickets to the event click here.


Here is the line-up as well as the teacher/student representatives from the Unit 4 and USD116 buildings.

  • 1-1:30 New Orleans Jazz Machine
  • Carlyle Johnson (retired band teacher) - Central High School
  • 1:45-2:00 Bandoneon Massacre - Tango Band
  • Tamra Gingold (strings teacher) - UHS and Urbana 5th grades
  • 2:15-2:45 Church Street Ramblers
  • Abby Heras (music teacher/district music coordinator) - Franklin Middle School
  • 3:00-3:15 Mariachi Tigres de Urbana
  • Tamra Gingold (strings teacher) - UHS and Urbana 5th grades
  • Students UMS/UHS
  • 3:30-4:00 New Souls
  • Brandon Washington (music teacher) - Dr. Howard Elementary
  • 4:15-4:30 Squirrel Movement
  • Isaak Phelps and Judah Phelps (students) - Central HS
  • 4:45-5:15 Decadents
  • Mike Carpenter (English teacher) - Jefferson MS
  • 5:30-5:45 Yung Ones
  • Seth Levey and Enrique Beuschlein (students) - Central HS
  • 6:00-6:30 Ther’Up.Y
  • Aaron Wilson (aka A Train -- Student Relations Supervisor) -- DPW Elementary
  • 6:45-7:15 Modern Drugs
  • Cara Maurizi (music teacher and fine arts coordinator) – Leal Elementary

Stay Healthy

Public Health Update: Cases of respiratory illness and norovirus has increased in Illinois.


Tips to stay healthy:

  • Wash hands
    • With soap & warm water for at least 20 seconds
    • Hand Sanitizers don't work well for killing norovirus
  • Cover coughs & sneezes
    • With tissues or in your elbow while facing away from others
  • Stay Up to To Date on Vaccinations
    • It's not too late to get a flu shot
      • Call Walgreens, your local pharmacy, or doctor to schedule a time
  • Clean frequently touched surfaces
    • Per the CDC:
      • First, clean visibly dirty surfaces with household cleaners containing soap or detergent before disinfecting with household bleach
      • Follow the directions on the bleach bottle or use 1/3 cup of bleach per gallon of room temperature water

Urbana School Health Center

The Urbana School Center will be closed January 17, 20, and 21. The Health Navigator will be available via phone (857) 389-0650. If a student needs to get in urgently, please contact Eddie Green and he will get them in at the Frances Nelson clinic.

Urbana School District #116
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