Superintendent Update: 9/17/2021
from USD116 Superintendent Dr. Ivory-Tatum
To view past superintendent updates, please click here. To view weekly updates online, please visit our District Updates archive on our website.
Greetings Urbana Family and Friends,
Starting this week, Urbana School District joins the community and the nation to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The month-long observance from September 15 to October 15 allows us to celebrate the rich experiences, cultures, and contributions of Latinos whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. This is an opportunity for our District and school community to recognize the efforts of Hispanic/Latinx citizens right here in our community. Students will have opportunities to learn more about the incredible diversity, brilliance, and creativity within Hispanic and American history during the next few weeks. For more information about what might be happening at your building specifically, please reach out to the main office of your school(s). We also invite you to join the District Celebration on Sunday, September 19, held at Urbana Middle School from 3-5 p.m.
As you know, the Governor’s most recent Executive Order goes into effect on Monday, September 19, 2021. We continue to comply with this as our staff, mentors, volunteers, and contractors provide their vaccination information or agree to be tested for COVID-19 regularly. We are thankful that, as of today, 92% of our licensed, certified staff and 89.5% of District employees have been fully vaccinated. The remaining small percentage of unvaccinated staff are getting tested.
I am also happy to report that we continue to test more people during surveillance testing every week. As a result, we have been able to isolate positive cases when found and mitigate situations quickly as they happen. The ultimate goal, and the reason we have taken on the extensive workload involved in this level of testing, is to keep our students learning in person. I encourage you to continue to visit the COVID-19 Data Dashboard for more information.
I would like to let our middle school and high school staff and families know that we continue to work with SHIELD Illinois to implement the updated SHIELD testing systems in the District. This is a different SHIELD test than last year and has some different requirements for implementation. Since the SHIELD testing was made available to all District’s across the state, there is a much higher demand, and some of the SHIELD implementation staff have been working to balance the implementation of district surveillance testing with response to urgent statewide issues. We have our process in place and plan to transition to SHIELD testing for UMS and UHS beginning next week. During the implementation phase, we have still been providing surveillance testing at the regularly scheduled times. When SHIELD has not been available, we have still tested at both UMS and UHS using our rapid testing instead.
Please continue to read on for the full update for other District news regarding Fall Spirit Week, the Fall Dance, and Walk to School Day.
Be safe and stay well,
Dr. Ivory-Tatum,
Superintendent
UHS Homecoming 2021
We are happy to announce UHS will host its traditional Spirit Week this year!
Monday: Sprit Week
- wear your sports/club uniform/jersey/tshirt or just orange and black
Tuesday: Twin Day
- dress like your best friend
Wednesday: Croc Day
- show off your comfy crocs
Thursday: 80s Day
- think neon, side ponytails, etc
Friday: Class Color Day
- freshmen: green; sophomores: yellow; juniors: red; seniors: blue
COVID TESTING FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF
ELEMENTARY COVID TESTING VIDEO
Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of Latinos whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and was expanded in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.
The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively.
DISTRICT EVENT
Join USD #116 and the Urbana Park District Sunday, Sept. 19 for a celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Enjoy music, dancing, games, crafts and a photo booth!
- Where: Urbana Middle School
- When: Sept. 19
- Time: 3-5 p.m.
MAP Testing
2021-22 Map Testing Window
- Sept. 7-24
- Jan. 10-28
- May 2-20
The MAP assessment is given three times during the school year to equip our teachers with data they will use to identify their students' current understanding as well as opportunities for support and extension. This assessment serves as a benchmark–a point in time from which to measure academic growth through the academic year. MAP tests are unique in that they are adaptive tests your child took on a computer. That means that the test becomes more difficult the more questions your child answers correctly. When your child incorrectly answered a question, the test became easier. Therefore, your child took a test specifically created for his or her learning level. Your child’s MAP results are reported in RIT scores. This is a different type of score than a typical test that provides a percentage correct. It is also different from many tests that provide results based on your child’s score compared to others in his or her grade. Instead, the RIT score is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, that is independent of grade level. As a result, we can easily measure growth in learning. This type of score increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to recognize where to focus attention for your child’s learning.
For more information on the NWEA MAP assessment, please click on the link below:
For more information about MAP growth and understanding the MAP report, please call or email Kim Norton, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning 217-384-3600, knorton@usd116.org.
Walk 'n Roll to School Day
Walk to School Day is October 6th. Thousands of students walk and roll to school that morning from all over the country. Locally, we call this "Walk ‘n Roll to School Day" to include both walkers, bike riders, and students who use assistive devices.
Urbana elementary schools have participated in this event since 2004! The goal of the event is to promote physical activity and to teach pedestrian safety skills.
Families who are interested in walking/biking to school should check with their building for specific routes.
Congrats to the UMS Softball Team!
Urbana in the News
Urbana School District #116
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