It's been another great week in Urbana, and a lot is happening across our schools and community. From a free community celebration of books and reading this weekend to our upcoming Neighborhood Night, Homecoming, and conferences, there are plenty of opportunities to learn, celebrate, and connect.

Looking for something fun and FREE to do with the family this weekend? The University of Illinois Youth Literature Festival culminates with its Community Day Celebration this Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m-4 p.m. at the I-Hotel & Conference Center.

Hosted by the U of I College of Education and the University Library, Community Day is a free, family-friendly celebration of reading, storytelling, and creativity for all ages. Families can enjoy author and illustrator presentations, hands-on crafts, live performances, book sales and signings, and much more. 

If you have a young reader or a student who loves books, this is a wonderful opportunity to spend some time together while celebrating books, creativity, and learning. Learn more about the UIUC Youth Literature Festival

One of the highlights of this week was this year’s first Neighborhood Night at Ivanhoe Estates, and what a great evening it was! We had a wonderful turnout of students, families, staff, and community members for an evening filled with fun, fellowship, and connection.

Our Neighborhood Nights are another way for us to bring Urbana Schools directly into the communities we serve. Thank you to everyone who came out to spend time with us, and to our staff and partners who helped make our first event such a success!

Our next Neighborhood Night will be held at King Park on Lincoln Ave. on October 1, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. We hope families from across the District will stop by, spend some time with us, and enjoy another evening of family fun.

Get ready to show your Tiger Pride!

The UHS Homecoming Parade is October 2, at 3:30 p.m. 

Homecoming is always a special time to celebrate our students, schools, alumni, and community. We hope to see plenty of orange and black along the parade route as we come together to cheer on our Tigers and celebrate Urbana! 

Family Conferences are October 8 and 9.  

Conferences are an important opportunity for families and teachers to connect, celebrate student progress, discuss areas for continued growth, and work together to support student success. Families, please watch for information from your child's school about how to sign up.

Strong partnerships between home and school make a difference for our students, and we appreciate our families taking the time to connect with teachers and staff.

As we close out September and head into October we have so many opportunities to come together as a school community.  I hope to see many of you along the way!

Thank you for continuing  to support our students, our staff, and Urbana School District.

All my best,

Dr. Ivory-Tatum

The UHS Homecoming Parade is Friday, October 2 at 3:30 p.m. 

We had a great turnout for our first Neighborhood Night of the school year. The next neighborhood night is 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏 𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟓:𝟑𝟎-𝟕:𝟑𝟎 𝐩.𝐦. (Rain location is King School.) 

All Urbana families are welcome to join us for food, activities and connection. We hope to see U there!

The Youth Literature Festival is a free, family-friendly celebration of reading, storytelling, and creativity hosted by the University of Illinois College of Education. 

The Festival brings nationally recognized authors and illustrators together for a day of author presentations, hands-on crafts and activities, book sales and signings, and live performances, all designed to inspire a love of reading and connect young people with literature in meaningful ways. 

As part of this event, USD116 scheduled several author visits to our schools. School visits provide opportunities for students of all ages to interact with authors and ask questions about their books and about the writing process.

Yankee Ridge Multilingual School celebrated Latine Heritage Month with their annual parade celebrating the cultures, histories and traditions of our Latin American community. It’s a joyful tradition that brings students, staff and families together in celebration.

AVID Students at Urbana High School celebrated National AVID Day with a World Cafe. A World Cafe is an AVID strategy that encourages critical thinking, communication, connecting ideas, and working as a team.

We’re proud of the goals they’re setting and the futures they’re building!

This week, students celebrated the unveiling of the Life and Agricultural Science Mural at Urbana High School. 

Close to 60 students worked on this mural for the last several months, alongside staff members Joan Jach and Jack Schools. Be sure to check it out in the science hallway next time you are at UHS.