Feature Archive - February 2008
Leal Students and Parents Learn Reading and Math Skills Together
[featured 2/28/08 - 3/3/08]
Leal Elementary School parents of first and second grade students got a close-up look at what their children have learned this year, thanks to the "Make it, Take it" night, held on Wednesday, at the school. Parents and students had a pizza supper and then played math and reading games. Each student also took home a goodie bag that included a book and school supplies.
"The games are matched with the skills they are working on in their classrooms," says Deborah Smith, Literacy Improvement Teacher at Leal Elementary. "The classroom teachers chose the games to supplement what they are doing in their classrooms and so it (the games) gives students and parents the chance to play together…and when they go home they can play the games again at home." Smith says hopefully the games played at school will help parents become more involved in their child's education. "The last one we had in November, the parents were really excited about it (and) really enjoyed it," Smith adds.
The students and parents had 30 minutes to play a math or reading game, and then they switched stations. The math games featured playing cards so kids could learn sums and products of two numbers. The reading games featured two sentences that are almost identical but had a slightly different word—so students learned site words. There was also a reading game that divided words into syllables. The games for the first and second grade students Wednesday night were more advanced than the games they played during the fall "Make it, Take it," so parents could see the progression of their child over the school year. "The games are all in Spanish and English. That's another goal…is to get all the population of the school mixed together because Spanish students can play the same game as English students and just use different cards and so we're hoping to see some interactions," Smith explains.
The Leal Elementary PTA provided babysitting and the Champaign-Urbana School Foundation provided a grant to help underwrite the cost of "Make it, Take it."
Photo one: Parents and students enjoy a pizza party at Leal's "Make it, Take it" night.
Photo two: Leal Literacy Improvement Teacher Deborah Smith registers students and parents at Leal Elementary for "Make it, Take it."
District Snow Crews Work Hard when the Flakes Fly
[featured 2/27/08 - 2/28/08]
You can't control Mother Nature, but a dedicated staff of Urbana School District #116 maintence workers toils long, hard, and odd hours to clean up after her. On days when the snow flies, a group of four district staff members work to clear the snow at Urbana schools to insure that school opens on time and safely.
"We remove snow from every school facility, Aquatic Center, Central Office, Adult Ed., facility services building, warehouse and the bus lots," says Randy Ashman, Manager, Fields and Grounds Services. "Plowing all the schools is a substantial undertaking, requiring extensive planning and coordination. Everything can change just depending on the direction of the wind and exterior temperatures," he adds.
It takes six hours to clear the snow from the main areas on district property and another three to four hours to clear the snow off playgrounds and non-essential sidewalks. Ashman says his day starts very early. "Once we have a prediction for a storm that night the planning begins. I start at midnight on days calling for snow, and I set my alarm for every 45 minutes to monitor the radar, the Weather Channel and to look outside to see what the weather is doing. We start plowing as soon as snow fall has stopped or after two inches of accumulation. Typically the start time is 1:00 or 1:30 a.m.," Ashman explains.
The District has five trucks with plows to combat the snowfall. Ashman and his team also use a sand spreader and a small truck mount ice melt spreader. The district also uses two walk-behind snow blowers, a four-foot blower on a small tractor and three walk-behind ice melt spreaders. Each school building has a snow blower; a shovel, ice melt and an ice melt spreader. Ashman says, "The custodian at each building is to remove snow from all of the entrances, steps, sidewalks, any area the principal feels is necessary or areas which are not accessible to the plow trucks. Each custodian has been trained and is aware of their areas of responsibility."
Ashman says the mission to clear snow and allow for a normal school schedule is a high-pressure responsibility. "It is our goal to remove snow and ice from parking lots as rapidly and efficiently as possible. Safety and mobility of the parents, students and staff is of the utmost importance and many times a Herculean effort is needed to reach this goal. Each storm is different and presents challenges that can be very difficult to handle. Such things as temperature, time of day, traffic conditions and the rate of snowfall are just a few factors affecting the impact of a storm," Ashman notes.
Ashman says he and his crew is relieved when the job is complete, however they have to prepare for the next snowstorm right away. "I need to assure all assignments are completed. Inspect all equipment that was utilized during the storm, take care of equipment repairs, check inventory (stockpile of ice melt and our limited supply of sand), send crews back out to push up piles of snow, haul snow away if needed, restock our custodian's ice melt supply, and refuel and check all snow blowers," Ashman explains.
So the next time there is a snowfall, and school opens on time, you can thank the dedicated snow removal teams of District 116 that help keep school open and give you a clear, safe building to go to.
Urbana School District #116 Students Prepare for Achievement Tests
[featured 2/25/08 - 2/27/08]
As spring approaches, students, faculty, and staff of Urbana School District #116 are preparing for state-mandated tests to measure student achievement. The Illinois State Board of Education created the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) for grades 3 – 8, and the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE) for grade 11. Urbana School District students have taken achievement tests to measure academic progress for several years, but now the tests are reported to the state and federal government as part of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The ISAT begins March 3, and the PSAE is April 23 and 24.
"One of the things that No Child Left Behind does is it asks us to look at achievement gaps and set goals of closing the achievement gap between racial and ethnic groups, between socioeconomic groups, and those are important goals and the good part of the No Child Left Behind Act," says Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Don Owen. However Owen cautions, "It is a single test on a single day and we have to keep that in mind when we're talking about measuring student achievement, but it is an indicator, and it is one more data point we use (in determining student achievement)."
The school district has been implementing plans to prepare students for the achievement tests. Those plans vary from building to building and grade level to grade level depending on student needs. Owen doesn't want any undue stress on District 116 students and faculty, however the reality of NCLB means the tests are high stakes and need to be treated as such. "This is the measure that the state has decided on to determine whether or not schools are progressing toward their NCLB targets of every student meeting or exceeding standards by 2014," Owen says. Owen goes on to report that Urbana Public Schools have made great strides across the board in academic achievement and the school district is taking extra measures to help struggling students achieve.
As the testing time approaches, Owen says students and parents can do much at home to make sure each child does his or her best while taking the tests. Owen encourages parents to talk to their child saying, "We don't want the test to be a huge stressor in kids lives, but we do want them to take (the tests) seriously. Parents can make sure kids get a good night's sleep in the days before the test, and make sure they have a good breakfast at home or at school on the morning of the test so students feel like they are ready to learn for the day."
For more tips about preparing for student achievement tests, please see http://www.usd116.org/home/isat.html.
Wiley Elementary Fourth-Graders Bridge the Generation Gap
Monthly Trip to Champaign County Nursing Home Benefits Residents and Students
[featured 2/21/08 - 2/25/08]
For 15 years Wiley teacher Debra Heffernan has taken her students to the Champaign County Nursing Home. Her classes work with the residents of the Nursing Home on art projects. The students visit the nursing home residents each month.
Heffernan says the students and the residents both enjoy the visit. "The point (of the visit) is to bridge the generation gap. They learn a lot of things from the residents and the residents stay young because they hear about all the things the kids are doing," Heffernan says.
The visit to the nursing home is a chance for the students to learn about other people. Heffernan explains, "A lot of the kids these days don't live in the same town as their grandmother or their grandfather and so this gives them a chance to learn about what it was like long ago." When a holiday is approaching, Heffernan encourages the students to ask the residents about traditions they had as young people. She also tells the fourth-graders to ask about the resident’s lives and jobs. "It sort of broadens their (the students') horizons," Heffernan says.
Heffernan has had her class try plays and sing-alongs with the residents over the years, but she says doing art projects is the most productive.
Heffernan is grateful for the Exchange Club of Urbana for helping get the students to the nursing home. The Exchange Club donates the bus for the students each month.
And, judging by the smiles of both the students and the residents, it is a very valuable monthly trip.
Urbana School District Teaches Students at Cunningham Children’s School
[featured 2/20/08 - 2/21/08]
You may not know that Urbana School District #116 has a presence at Cunningham Children's Home. Gerber School is charged with educating the children who are residents there.
"Gerber School is technically a part of USD116 because it is located in Urbana. It is the school for all of the residents at Cunningham Children's Home who cannot manage public school due to the severity of their behaviors. Since these students live at Cunningham Children's Home, they are considered Urbana residents and thus residents of the school district as well. All Gerber students have a special education label ... for almost all of them this means they have the the Emotional/Behavioral disability (E/BD) label as their primary disability," says Gerber School first-year Principal Shawna Scherer. She continues, "Most of the residents at Cunningham are placed there by DCFS and are wards of the state. We currently have students in grades 3-12. However, this could change. The ages we serve are completely based upon the referrals we receive."
Scherer began her teaching career 11 years ago at Gerber School, and she feels called to work with students with special needs. "I am passionate about students with special needs ... in particular those with emotional/behavioral disabilities. While the prospect of applying for an administrative position in a general education school also provided some exciting new challenges, it would have been difficult to leave the students I have so enjoyed working with over the years. As cliché as it may sound, I truly believe these are the students I am called to work with," Scherer explains.
Scherer says a small group of teachers work at Cunningham Children's Home and report to her. "Our school has 7 classroom teachers and an art and PE teacher. So, we have one elementary teacher who keeps her students all day. Our two middle school teachers team and keep their students self-contained for most of the day, but have them go to the other teacher for 1 1/2 hours each morning. The rest of the day, the students are w/ their own teacher. Our HS is departmentalized, so the four teachers each teach one of the following subjects: science, reading/language arts, social sciences, and math. The HS students change classes each period. We have at least 2 teaching assistants in each classroom. We also have a Dean and two behavior specialists that assist when students are struggling," Scherer says.
Children can also expect a quality academic education while at Cunningham Children's Home. Scherer comments, "At Gerber, this means that we need to be diligent about the curriculum and methods we are using to educate our students. NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act) requires that all schools use research based curriculum. Although Gerber does not count independently for NCLB purposes, our students deserve the same diligence in this area (quality of instruction) that general education students receive. While we must focus on improving our students' behavioral and social skills, we must also ensure that they are exposed to the very best curriculum and methods. Our students deserve this."
For more information about Gerber School, please see http://www.cunninghamhome.org/programs/schools.htm.
Urbana Alumni Association Stages Successful Cash Bash
Annual Fundraiser Enjoyed by All
[featured 2/19/08 - 2/20/08]
The Urbana Alumni Association's (UAA) annual Cash Bash drew 240 people to the Laborer's Hall in Urbana this past weekend, and the fundraiser brought in money that will be eventually donated back to Urbana School District #116.
Guests to the Cash Bash enjoyed a buffet dinner, silent auction, and participated in 50/50 drawings. The grand prize was a $5,000 cash prize raffled off to one of the ticket-buyers. During the evening the UAA also raffled off 20 cash prizes of $150 each. The athletic coaches also participated in a highly competitive "musical chairs" match that raised money for their athletic booster programs.
"UAA has been around since 1995, and we've contributed over $600,000 to the schools," says Cash Bash Coordinator Angie Armstrong. The contributions run the gamut from sports, the arts, music, academic clubs, school libraries, and individual classrooms. The UAA recently donated over $3,000 to promote literacy in the classroom. Armstrong says most of the donations go to the middle school and the high school so all District 116 kids benefit from the donations. Teachers apply to the UAA for a grant, and the Alumni Association board screens the applications.
The Cash Bash is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Urbana Alumni Association. Armstrong says the UAA enjoys giving back to the Urbana School District so the kids can have an enhanced educational experience. "It's an honor for us," Armstrong explains.
If you want to donate to the Urbana Alumni Association, you can mail checks to the UAA to 205 North Race Street, Urbana, IL, 61801.
Photo one: UHS Assistant Principal Greg Hall mans the Cash Bash drawing.
Photo two: USD athletic coaches participate in a "musical chairs" game to raise funds for their booster clubs.
Urbana Middle School Class Celebrates Chinese New Year
Chinese Class Demonstrates What They Have Learned
[featured 2/14/08 - 2/19/08]
The students in Junli Wei's Chinese language class at Urbana Middle School celebrated the Chinese New Year on Wednesday by showing what they have learned. Students have the option of taking nine weeks of Chinese at Urbana Middle School as part of an elective foreign language study.
Wei's classes, consisting of students in grades 6, 7, and 8, researched Chinese New Year traditions, art, and songs. "They did a good job on the Chinese New Year research," Wei says. The students all participated in the program, singing songs, reciting poems, showing art, and explaining traditions.
This is Wei's first year teaching Chinese at Urbana Middle School, and she says there is an interest in language of the world’s most populous nation. "The students are interested in (the Chinese) culture and language. They want to open another door for themselves," Wei explains. Wei also says more students should learn Chinese, and learn about this emerging country. "When studying our (Chinese) language, you learn the language itself, but (students) learn another culture and another country," Wei adds.
After-School Program Gives Kids a Big Treat
Kids Enjoy the "World's Longest Banana Split"
[featured 2/13/08 - 2/14/08]
Kids in the Urbana School District's After-School Childcare Program this past week enjoyed quite a treat that has become quite a District 116 tradition. All the elementary-aged kids in the after school program went to Leal Elementary and participated in the "World's Longest Banana Split." This annual treat for the kids has been going on for close to 20 years.
The kids had quite a bit of help from the after-school staff. "They tell the staff what items they want on their banana split - if they want all chocolate sauce, if they want chocolate and caramel - it's up to them," says After School Childcare Program Director Sandy Davin.
While the after school program does many exciting things each year Davin says this is a highlight. "Kids remember this. When they come back after they've gone out of (the after school program) they still remember banana split day," Davin explains.
The kids were very excited to eat their cool, sweet treat. The after school supervisors were busy going from station to station to take student requests, and top off the banana split with all sorts of sweet condiments. Keely is an after school participant from Leal Elementary and when asked why she likes the banana split day she took the time to express her appreciation for the after school workers. "They're nice and they do all this stuff for us," she said.
For more information about the Urbana School District #116 After School Program, please see http://www.usd116.org/home/beforeafterschool.html.
Yankee Ridge Celebrates 100 Days in School with Fun, Educational Games
[featured 2/12/08 - 2/13/08]
100 days is a major milestone in a Presidential Administration, and 100 days of class is also a major milestone at Yankee Ridge Elementary School. The Yankee Ridge family marked the occasion last week with a big, all-school carnival in the school gym.
"We have a 100-day celebration every year on the 100th day of school," says Melissa Kath, Yankee Ridge third-grade teacher and coordinator for this year's event. "It's a carnival in the gym with math and physical education-type activities and every year we choose a theme - a 100-year anniversary of an event or a product." This year Yankee Ridge students recognized the 100th anniversary of Converse shoes.
All K-2 students participated in each carnival station, while the older kids monitored the stations and helped the younger ones. Each student received a sticker for each station they completed. Students got to bowl, toss rings, solve number puzzles, and even participate in a cake-walk. All the kids were able to be active, move around, and apply math skills.
While it wasn't math or P.E., Kath says the kids at Yankee Ridge took up another special project this year to encourage a soldier overseas. "We're trying to get 100 notes to a soldier in Iraq. One of the classes has sponsored a soldier and they write to him and he writes back, so we're doing a school-wide 100 notes to (the soldier)," Kath explains. There was a special letter-writing station at the carnival for kids to write a note.
While the carnival was fun for the students, Kath says the kids actually did school work. "They do have to do a lot of work; however they don't realize it because it's so fun for them. All the centers require a little bit of work. They love going to (the carnival) when they're little and love it when they get to be older kids and be the ones helping out younger kids," Kath explains.
Kath says the entire school got involved in this project, including all support staff, and the Yankee Ridge PTA.
Leal Elementary Students Catch the Pioneer Spirit
Class Celebrates the Literature of Laura Ingalls-Wilder
[featured 2/8/08 - 2/12/08]
The students in Molly Headtke's grade 2-3 class at Leal Elementary School got a taste of pioneer life as they celebrated the birthday of Laura Ingalls-Wilder, the author of the Little House on the Prairie children's book series. Headtke's class has been reading Laura Ingalls-Wilder's books this year.
The children began the celebration with an authentic pioneer lunch that included no pre-packaged foods. Children ate butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, drank out of tin cups, and wrapped their lunches in cloth. Many children also dressed up as pioneers. Later in the day the students rotated through stations in Headtke's classroom making butter, eating food from Laura's time, making quilts, and sticking cloves in apples. Later in the day, the kids sang songs and square danced.
"I think it's amazing for them to look at the difference (between pioneer times and now) and how someone could survive without an i-Pod, a video, or a Game-Boy and (pioneer kids) were happy and content with what they had. So, I think it's a good lesson about being content with what you have," Headtke said.
Headtke reads the first two books in the Little House on the Prairie series to her class each year, and she hopes they continue on in the series after she finishes. "They love it. They want me to read to them, and I think they really enjoy the difference (between pioneer time and today) and some of the suspense in the stories," Headtke added.
Courtney dressed up as a pioneer girl and enjoyed bringing an authentic pioneer lunch to school. "I've never really had a lunch like this in my life before," she said. Courtney enjoyed the food and said she wanted to continue to read the series. Other students agreed that they also wanted to continue reading the books.
While the students enjoyed conversation during the lunch, Headtke reminded them about children's roles at dinnertime during pioneer days. The kids remembered that Laura was expected to "be seen and not heard," but Headtke relaxed that rule for the Leal celebration!
Urbana Girls Basketball Celebrates Big 12 Conference Championship
Outright Conference Crown First Ever for the Tigers
[featured 2/7/08 - 2/8/08]
For the first time in school history the Urbana Lady Tigers are outright Big 12 Conference Champions. The squad (16-5, 11-0 in the Big 12 Conference), coached by Aimee Smith, has many juniors and seniors on the roster and is in a strong position as the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Girls Basketball Tournament gets underway.
“I am very happy for the players and very proud of them. It was truly a team effort and accomplishment,” Smith says. “I think the biggest key is that we are a team. Everyone has played a role and has helped to contribute to the team's success. We have 9 seniors who provide a lot of experience and leadership, along with 2 juniors and 2 sophomores who have jumped on board as well. This team plays hard and never ever quits. They are a great group of kids.”
Smith says while the Tigers weren’t favorites to win the conference, she says the team was expected to be in the hunt for the title. “I think every year winning the conference is a goal, but I knew this group had the ability to get it done. We really just tried to focus on one game at a time and tried to create the mindset that it is important to play every game as if it is the last,” Smith says.
Urbana will play in the 3A state tournament starting with the regionals February 12 at Centennial High School. The Tigers will play at 6 p.m., with the opponent to be determined. For more information about the IHSA State Basketball Tournament, please see http://www.ihsa.org/activity/bkg/index.htm.
After a great regular season, what is Urbana’s post-season goal? Smith says, “Our goal is to make this season last as long as possible.”
First photo: The UHS Tigers have won their first outright Big 12 Conference title.
Second photo: Coach Aimee Smith prepares her team for practice as the IHSA tournament starts next week.
Urbana Middle School Minority Teachers' Association Encourages Students to Become Teachers
[featured 2/4/08 - 2/7/08]
In 1993 a group of educators at Eastern Illinois formed the Minority Teachers Education Association (MTEA) to encourage minority students in secondary grades to consider a career in teaching. Currently there is a thriving group of students at Urbana Middle School participating in a local chapter of MTEA, and the kids are learning about how they can become teachers. Middle School Dean Dionne Brown was a founding faculty sponsor of the Urbana Middle School Chapter of MTEA.
"Dr. Freddie Banks, Jr., a former professor at Eastern Illinois University/EIU, created the Minority Teacher Education Association at EIU in 1993. His purpose was to provide a support system for minority students entering the field of education. He wanted to make sure that we had the necessary support to complete the program and increase the number of minority teachers in the state of Illinois. After we established an executive board and began having meetings, we reached out to school districts in Danville, Champaign, Urbana, Centralia, and East St. Louis, to establish a connection with their minority students to encourage them to enter the field of education. During my first year teaching at Urbana Middle School, I started a chapter here to encourage minority students to enter the field of education," Brown says.
Current MTEA coordinator Alice Myers says there are currently 21 middle school students who participate in the group. "Our group takes tours to various colleges to give them a taste of the college environment. I contact MTEA representatives at various colleges to get speakers to visit UMS to talk with MTEA members to encourage them toward (a teaching career). I am in the process of getting certain schools to participate in this program and allow MTEA members to come into the classroom and work one-on-one with students to get a feel of what it is like to teach someone," Myers says.
Myers says the students who participate in MTEA are very excited about the prospects of going to college and learning to become a teacher. "The students get an understanding of the importance of their education because they are going to become adults to care for themselves and their families. When they have the interaction with staff at the colleges they are excited about what they want to be when they grow up. For, instance, during the tour at Parkland College…these MTEA members were so excited, with so many questions. In fact, if it was up to them we would have never left Parkland on time because they wanted to visit so many classes," Myers adds.
The middle school chapter of the MTEA meets every other Monday after school. Myers says, "I enjoy working with this group of students. I hope this program will help them to achieve their goal as teachers and make a difference in another student's career."
February 2008 Urbana School District #116 Monthly Online Newsletter
[featured 2/1/08 - 2/4/08]
Stay up-to-date with current events in District 116 with the "Urbana School District Monthly" online electronic newsletter.
The February 2008 issue features a message from Superintendent Dr. Preston Williams, Black History Month, the District calendar, Martin Luther King Day celebrations and other events.