Feature Archive - June and July 2008
July 2008 Urbana School District #116 Monthly Online Newsletter
[featured 7/1/08 - 8/1/08]
Stay up-to-date with current events in District 116 with the "Urbana School District Monthly" online electronic newsletter.
The July 2008 issue features an article about dramatic improvements in discipline at Urbana High School, teacher Marcella Vancil closing her "time machine," the District's 2008-09 calendar and more.
Urbana School District Recognizes Unsung Heroes
[featured 6/19/08 - 7/1/08]
Urbana School District #116 has awarded its first-ever “Unsung Heroes” to district non-certified staff. These individuals sometimes work before and after school hours, weekends, or evenings to make the students of Urbana School District #116 feel that their education is important and that they care.
In order to receive this award, each Principal/Administrator nominated in writing two individuals from their school or work department. The following criterion was considered for the nomination:
a) Excellent Work Quality
b) Evidence of support to students and families
c) Evidence of working above and beyond the call of duty
d) Displays a high work ethic
e) No discipline issues
f) Excellent attendance record
g) Evidence of good work noted by the public (parents, etc.)
h) Must reflect work for the entire school year
Each recipient received a token of appreciation from District 116 and a gift card to a local retailer.
The following are the 2008 Unsung Heroes:
- Anita Bryant, Teaching Assistant
- Beth Anderson, E/BD Secretary
- Clark Anderson, Warehouse Coordinator
- Danny McCartney, Warehouse Coordinator
- Judi O’Connor, ASSIST Program Secretary
- Vickey Blaney, Thomas Paine Secretary
- Marcia Lerner, Teaching Assistant
- Debbie Adams, Teaching Assistant
- Randa Davis, Yankee Ridge Secretary
- Debbie Adams, Teaching Assistant
- Jenny Hawkins-Cooper, Teaching Assistant
- Tony Dezell, E/BD Teaching Assistant
- Chad Harper, ASCCP Site Coordinator
- Justin Lopez, UHS Secretary
- Vontay Marshall, UHS Student Relations Supv.
- Alberto Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Bilingual Inclusion T.A.
- Clyde Wicks, UMS Student Relations Supv.
- Gradis Upshaw, UMS Student Relations Supv.
- Cheryl Hutton, Interpreter for Hearing Impaired
- Barry Johnson, Maintenance
- Elaine Windingland, Data Processing Supv.
- Darcy Widener, Administrative Assistant
- Jill McPike, King Secretary, Breakfast/Lunch Supv.
- Sandra Carter, Parent Liaison/Mentor Coord.
- Julie Wirth, Leal Secretary
- Deb Henry, Leal Secretary
- Ann Jordan, Teaching Assistant
- Geoffrey Bant, Teaching Assistant
- David Gordon, Director of Finance and Bookkeeping
- Jacqueline Williams, Job Skills Specialist
This is Not Your Father’s Summer School
More Students Taking Summer School Courses to Get Ahead
[featured 6/12/08 - 6/19/08]
Summer School begins in a few weeks in District 116, and school officials note that an increasing number of students are taking summer courses for enrichment and to get ahead in their academics, as opposed to the traditional reasons for a student to attend summer school.
District 116 is offering summer classes for those who need to catch up in their academics; however there are many enrichment and bridge courses for students transitioning from elementary to middle school, and courses for those at the elementary and secondary levels who want an extra summer challenge.
“I think there are number of factors there,” says District 116 Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Don Owen, as he explains the increased participation in summer school. He continues, “At the secondary level, a lot of kids are taking summer school not because they’re falling behind but because they want to get ahead. They’re looking ahead at their plan through high school (and ask) ‘Which classes will benefit me the most?’ I’m really pleased at the middle school level that some kids are taking (the math enrichment course) saying, ‘How can I get ahead in math’ when it is really a gatekeeper course (for success in high school).” Owen says many children are signing up for summer school courses that are designed as a transition course between elementary and middle school, and middle school and high school. “I think word is spreading about how positive an impact that (program) has on those transitions,” Owen adds.
The summer school curriculum offered across the board is rigorous for all students. “The kids are really challenged with some quality materials and quality teachers. You don’t go to summer school for fun and yet you go to summer school for (academic) gains and benefits,” Owen says. “There has to be a lot of self-motivation to be there.”
Owen agrees with the idea that the typical stereotypes of summer school are falling as more students sign up for classes in order to get ahead. “We have more and more requests from parents to get in (to summer school) because they see the benefits, whether or not their kids are truly at risk. The summer programs are becoming more diverse,” Owen reports. “There are a lot of reasons to be in school in the summer, not just because (the student) didn’t have a successful school year.”
Leal Service Club Donates $400 to The Crisis Nursery
[featured 6/9/08 - 6/12/08]
The Leal Service Club worked long and hard this year to raise money for a local worthy cause. The Service Club celebrated the end of a successful year by donating proceeds from its work to the Crisis Nursery, an organization that helps care for young people in need. Over the year the Service Club raised $400, and every dime went to the Crisis Nursery.
“The whole idea of a sense of community, of everybody coming together and giving back to those who need help is just inspiring,” says Kim Gollings with The Crisis Nursery. The money will be put into The Crisis Nursery’s general operating fund.
The Leal Service Club this year consisted of fifth-graders who met on their own time with teacher sponsor Kay Bell. Bell says the goal of the Service Club is to get the English and Spanish population at Leal Elementary to work together and to teach kids about the value to service to others. The students gathered for Service Club during their free time Wednesday and Friday each week during the school year. The group made all sorts of items and hand crafts to sell. The Service Club also collected athletic shoes for recycling and collected toys for the PTA to use at the fun fair. The students brainstormed ideas about where to send the money they raised this year, and the students themselves decided to donate to the Crisis Nursery with the theme “Kids Helping Kids.”
Bell says this year has been a great success for the Service Club. She adds, “I’m really pleased. I think that our goals were met, and I’m really happy about that.”
Two Elementary Schools Mark the Last Day of School
[featured 6/5/08 - 6/9/08]
The last day of school allows staff to do some special things to mark the beginning of the summer break. At Yankee Ridge Elementary School, the PTA put on a breakfast for parents and their families as the school children finished their final hour of school. At Prairie Elementary School, Principal Yavonnda Smith bid her students farewell from the roof of the building.
Smith stood on the rooftop of Prairie Elementary as a result of a dare. In the fall, Prairie Elementary students read over 15-hundred books, shattering the school’s reading goal. As a result, Principal Smith agreed to stand on the roof for the last day of school. She and other staffers lead the school in cheers and the school song before dismissing the students to begin their summer vacation. She also encouraged all students to keep reading over the summer.
At Yankee Ridge the PTA put on a breakfast for all parents. It was a chance to thank parents for their involvement in the school this year and provided a relaxing atmosphere for families and students on the last day of school. PTA President Dorothy Gable says, “It's wonderful to see how many families get involved at our school. Some help by organizing special events or fundraisers, some volunteer in the classroom, and many help by donating classroom snacks or helping out on a field trip. Everyone helps by encouraging their children to do their best at school. The breakfast is a way to say thanks for a great year.” Yankee Ridge Principal Mary Beth Norris says, “For some parents it may be the first time they are in our building, for others it may be the one-hundredth or maybe the one-thousandth time, but we are thrilled with our parent involvement, and we want to say thanks to our parents regardless of how they are involved at Yankee Ridge.”
June 2008 Urbana School District #116 Monthly Online Newsletter
[featured 6/2/08 - 6/5/08]
Stay up-to-date with current events in District 116 with the "Urbana School District Monthly" online electronic newsletter.
The June 2008 issue features an article about the universities the UHS Class of 2007 attend, UHS Honor Night, Summer School, the Leal Reading Buddies Program and more.