Couple things from Unit 4

Stephanie Stuart has posted a few things in the past few days.

Choice Forums

Because the first two forums got smothered by weather, Unit 4 has opted to hold “Choice Chats”, where you drop by the Family Information Center “and speak with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Susan Zola about the process and receive further information.”

• Wednesday, March 5, 2014 – 8-9 a.m. & 12-1 p.m.
• Thursday, March 6, 2014 – 5-6 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 11, 2014 – 8-9 a.m. & 12-1 p.m.

Stratton’s new focus: the Arts

The magnet program at Stratton (MicroSociety) seems to be evolving. It is not clear to me exactly how this will look or what the new focus will bring to the school, but it certainly has a prestigious sounding name: Stratton Academy of the Arts. Even comes with a new mission statement: “Stratton Elementary is dedicated to empowering students to become lifelong learners in pursuit of their dreams.” Now I know some are going to have strong opinions (one way or the other), but before you cast your stones I only ask that you do some homework. I for one would like to talk to Principal Stephanie Eckels and learn where this came from and where they are going with it.

Twitter #AskUnit4 tomorrow

In the past, Carly McCrory of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation (CHCEDC) and Stephanie Stuart have co-hosted a couple twitter chats, allowing the online community to tweet questions and receive answers from Unit 4 officials. I see that the NG is even promoting this event, most likely because of the “new high school” topic. The advertised time is from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm on Tuesday, Feb 11th.

That’s about it for now. I have not yet watched the board meeting, but I saw that it was about 1 hour and 43 minutes; I hope to watch it soon.

quick updates

I have been offline a bit lately and several things have been happening. I do not expect to cover all of them, but here are some highlights that have hit my mailbox:

Two twitter chats, today and tomorrow

The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation (@CHCEDC) and Champaign Unit #4 Schools (@Unit4Schools) will kick off a new series of Twitter chats during the first week of August that cover various topics relevant to the District and Champaign County. The first two chats—scheduled for Tuesday, August 6 from 4-5 p.m. and Wednesday, August 7 from 10-11 a.m.—will focus on all things back-to-school and answer questions on topics such as enrollment, bus schedules, physical exams/forms, food service, the new District website, and anything else participants would like to ask. Use hashtag #AskUnit4.

 

Part 2 of the Board Retreat (concluding the first one in June)

The Board and the Administration completed rolling out the 6 goals for the Superintendent this year:

1. The Superintendent will foster high academic achievement, wellness, and well-being among all learners in a safe, supportive environment.
2. The Superintendent will align the District’s priorities and resources through a community-involved planning process implemented through focused action plans with regular progress reports.
3. The Superintendent will retain, hire, and support highly qualified faculty and staff that will best serve the District’s diverse student population.
4. The Superintendent will effectively and efficiently engage parents and other community stakeholders resulting in strong partnerships.
5. The Superintendent will leverage the strength of the District’s diverse population to create a rich academic and social environment in each of the District’s schools.
6. The Superintendent will revitalize, build, and maintain facilities that are safe, sustainable and allow equitable access to programming services across the District.

SUMMARY

The goals we have set are ambitious, but I am confident that we have the talent and dedication to rise to the challenges that lie ahead. Below you will find each goal and a description of how we will work to achieve it. As your Superintendent, I will work with each of you to ensure our collective success.

 

CSUF received a $100k gift for CUScholars

https://cuschoolsfoundation.org/the-cu-schools-foundation-receives-100000-00-commitment-for-its-cuscholars-program/

 

eToys and entrepreneurship

Kerris Lee was officially sworn to the board last night; he brings a bit of experience with the eToys program at Kenwood via the MTSE (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education) office at the University. He has a passion to instill entrepreneur skills in students of all ages, and I am excited to learn more about his involvements at the University, Parkland and Unit 4.