Superintendent Update

from USD116 Superintendent Dr. Ivory-Tatum

April 11, 2025 Superintendent Update

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

Greetings Urbana Family and Friends,

Board Elections were in April. Once the election results are certified, the Board will re-seat Members Jennifer Hixson (Sub-District 2) and Lola Jones (Sub-District 4). We have received one application for the Sub-District 1 open seat. However, Sub-District 6 remains open with no applicant. The Board decided to reopen applications for Sub-District 6 until April 21. The original date was April 18 but we have moved that date back due to our Spring Holiday. If you have lived in Sub-District 6 for at least a year, please consider applying to be on the Board. We are available to answer your questions about what it entails. A completed statement of interest, current resume, and a letter that includes your reasons for wanting to serve on the Urbana School District #116 Board of Education must be turned in by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 21. Thank you for considering!

Kindergarten Registration was held on Thursday, April 10. If you or someone you know has a child who will be five years old on or before September 1st, they can register for kindergarten. Please contact Kelly Allen, Family Engagement and Kindergarten Coordinator, at kallen@usd116.org to register.

As we welcome our new families and kindergarten students, we are happy to announce we are bringing back the Dual Language Tours. If you are considering the elementary dual language programs for Spanish and French, we invite you to visit Yankee Ridge Multilingual School to see the program in action. The first tour date is Tuesday, April 15 from 1-2 p.m. Your second opportunity to tour the school is Monday, April 21 from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Lastly, if you missed Broadway on Vine’s Opening Night of Moana Jr., there is still time for you to see the show on Saturday at 3 p.m at Urbana Middle School. Please come out and support our students and directors!

All my best,

Dr. Ivory-Tatum

APRIL IMPORTANT DATES

April 12: UMS Broadway on Vine Performance at 3 p.m.
April 16: Mayoral Recognition Program | UHS
April 17: Special Education Family and Staff Advisory Council | 6 p.m at UECS
April 17: UMS Concert Band, Choir & Orchestra | 7 p.m. at UMS
April 18: No School - Spring Holiday
April 29: All-City 5th Grade Band and Strings Concert | 7 p.m. at UMS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Top Highlights

KNOW

Online registration for returning students opens May 1.

DO

The 2025-26 School Calendar has been approved by the Board of Education. Please review it, as there are some changes.

2025-26 School Calendar

SHARE

The Mayoral Recognition Ceremony is April 16 from 5-7 p.m. Join us as we celebrate the volunteer efforts of our students.

Returning Student Registration

Mark your calendars. Registration for returning students opens on May 1.

We would like as many families as possible to register for the 2025-26 school year BEFORE the end of the current school year. More information will be sent to families soon. Please make sure your information (email/phone number) in Skyward is correct.

Opt In for Texts

For those who do not already receive text alerts from USD, we highly encourage you to sign up by texting “Y” to 67587. You must opt-in to receive text messages from the Urbana School District.

Thank you for helping us improve our ability to communicate with all families.

Dual Language for 2025-26

The deadline to apply for the dual language program is April 23, 2025. Applying for the program does NOT guarantee a spot. For incoming kindergarten students, in order to be included in the application lottery, we must also receive your kindergarten registration information by April 23.

Spanish DL Application
French DL Application

School Tour

If you are interested in the Dual Language Program, you can visit the school on April 15 from 1-2 p.m. or April 21 from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

What to expect:

Guided tour of the facilities
Meet the building administration
Viewing of kindergarten classrooms

If you have questions, email gricconi@usd116.org

Camp Invention |Summer Program

If you are still searching for summer programming for your student, check out Camp Invention.

Camp Invention is returning to Urbana June 23-27 at Yankee Ridge Multilingual School. The program is open to ALL USD students in grades K-6. There are scholarships available thanks to a grant from the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP).

REGISTER: https://www.invent.org/program.../camp-invention/il14/01579

Don't wait, this camp fills up every year!

What's Going On In School

Leal

During the month of March, classes at Leal competed for stickers by following the expectations: "Be Ready, Be Kind, Be Safe, Work Hard." The class from each grade level with the most stickers won a cotton candy party.