CHAMPAIGN UNIT 4
 
CHAMPAIGN UNIT 4 SCHOOLS


Welcome to Champaign Unit #4 Schools
Arthur Culver, Superintendent

Champaign Unit 4 School District believes in Excellence for All.  I invite you to visit our campuses and observe this mission being demonstrated in every classroom through quality teaching  and learning.  Each campus reflects the rich diversity of the students and families we serve.  From the moment you enter the door of a Champaign Unit 4 campus or office, you will be treated with “courtesy, dignity, respect, and professionalism.”  These principles guide all interactions between and among staff, students, parents, and the community.

Teachers, support staff, parents, and the community work hand in hand as we educate tomorrow’s leaders.  We must  embrace every student who comes through our doors to ensure he or she achieves educational success.  All of us are dedicated to providing the children of our district with a high quality education in a safe environment. Join us in our efforts to develop successful students and citizens of character.  Whether you are a parent, a student, a community member, prospective employee or volunteer, you are needed and welcome in the Champaign schools.  Visit our schools, ask questions, and gather information to see first hand why Champaign Unit 4 Schools continue to be schools of choice.

  Arthur R. Culver              
Superintendent                                   
 

District Calendar and News

Champaign Unit #4 schools is initiating a long range planning process.  Great Schools, Together is a community driven initiative to develop content and alternatives to establish Champaign's schools as the region premier public school system.  Click on this link to find out more and become involved! May Forum Flyer

The next community forums are as follows:

Tuesday, May 13th
Working Group Meeting, 7:00 - 9:00, Location TBA

Sunday, May 18th
Afternoon Community Forum—2 to 4 p.m., Barkstall Elementary
Buildings - What Does Your School Need? This is your time to come out with your wish list!

WILL is supporting the community and the Great Schools, Together Initiative by creating a video library of how our community feels about our schools.  WILL’s website is up and running.  To add your voice to the voices of the community captured by WILL come early or stay late at one of the Forums and sign up to be videotaped by WILL.  You can also contact Kimberlie at WILL.      

Report from Demographers

Per the Board, the District contracted with Jerry McKibben and Matt Cropper from McKibben Demographics/Cropper GIS to perform a ten year demographic study of Unit 4.  View the executive summary and the  full results of the study. (PDF) 

Introducing the
Champaign Unit 4 Gold Card Club

Seniors age 55+, living in the Unit 4 District, are invited to participate:

  • Learn more about your public schools

  • Receive your Gold Card, entitling you to attend local school sporting events, concerts, and plays for free

  • Hear more about volunteer opportunities in the schools.

For more information, please contact Lauren Smith, 351-3722

Champaign Schools Home to 2 Golden Apple Award Winners. Golden Apple Central Illinois – a new program of the Golden Apple Foundation, the organization that hands out the awards in the Chicago area – announced 10 winners in the 18-county region it covers. More than 600 teachers in the region were nominated. Congratulations to:

  • Shameem Rakha, sixth-through-eighth-grade reading teacher, Franklin Middle School

  • Hillary Sawyer, fifth-grade reading teacher, Washington Elementary School

Next School Board Meetings
May 12th, 2008 at 7:00 PM  Agenda 
This meeting is at Mellon Administrative Center
 

Upcoming District Calendar:
May 7 (all students) and May 16 (regular calendar only) - Early Dismissal, School Improvement Day
End of Year School Schedule

Unit 4 schools have earned nine 2007 Illinois State Board of Education Honor Roll Awards.  All Spotlight Schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), have at least...Read More

Read more from the Superintendent's Report on ISAT Scores from To The Point Newsletter, as he begins: "There is much to celebrate in Unit 4 Schools, and there continue to be enough challenges to inspire passionate educators and community members."

2008-2009 Registration
Champaign Early Childhood Center
Preschool Screening – August 4-6, 2008
Registration:
August 11, 2008 ~ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
August 12, 2008 ~ 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

 Middle School Registration
August 6, 2008 ~ 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Late Registration:
August 11, 2008 ~ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Columbia Center Registration
 Fall Registration:
August 4-6, 2008 ~ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm & 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm

2008-2009 Registration
Elementary School Registration
Barkstall/Kenwood (Balanced Calendar)
May 7, 2008 ~ 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
All Other Elementary Schools (Traditional Calendar)
August 6, 2008 ~ 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

High School Registration
Freshmen:
August 4, 2008 ~ 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
All Grades:
August 5 & 6, 2008 ~ 8:00 am – 2:00 pm

 Late Registration:
August 11 & 12, 2008 ~ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 

District and School Report Cards are available for viewing.  Both English and Spanish versions are available from the 2006-2007 school year.  

Human Resources is looking for Cross Categorical Teachers and Certified Substitutes.  Contact the District at 351-3800 for more information.

Campus News and Events

Champaign Unit 4 schools have earned nine 2007 Illinois State Board of Education Honor Roll Awards.  Carrie Busey, Dr. Howard, Garden Hills, Kenwood, Stratton, Washington, Westview, and Franklin Middle School have earned the prestigious Spotlight School Award.  All Spotlight Schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), have at least half of their students from low-income families, and have at least 60 percent of all students passing state achievement tests in reading and math.  Stratton has earned an Honor Roll award since the beginning of the program.  Carrie Busey and Kenwood are earning their fourth consecutive Spotlight Awards.  Dr. Howard, Garden Hills, Washington and Westview are repeat winners from last year.  Franklin is one of only 37 middle schools in the state to earn Spotlight Awards. In addition, Franklin has earned an Academic Improvement Award, which is an honor for schools that have made substantial gains in performance. 

Jefferson's Scholastic Bowl won their sectional tournament Monday night by beating 3 teams who were all regional champions. They are now one of the top 16 teams in the state out of the 348 schools that participated in regional and sectional tournaments. The 18-1 Jaguars are coached by Jen White and Cara Gutzmer, and are now headed to their first state tournament in the school's history. The Jaguars are led by 8th graders Samuel Hall and Chris Olson, as well as 7th grader Max Sigalov.  Other participants include 8th graders Cassie Phelps, Audrey White, and Bret Quigley, 7th graders Kami Lafoon, Tara Ibrahim, Rebecca Salo, Vivian Bui, Rebecca Ferrer Shalini Smith, Chris Gillespie, and Sanjana Anil, and 6th graders Evan McDermott, Courtney Davis, and Daniel Lian. The Scholastic Bowl team competes on a 5 person team answering trivia questions in the areas of Science, Math, Language Arts, Health and Fitness, Pop Culture, Fine Arts, and Social Science. The team started practicing in December and participated in matches from February through April. 

IESA Scholastic Bowl

Dr. Howard Elementary School Receives $1,000 grant from Wal-Mart
 

Wendy Starwalt, Physical Education teacher at Dr. Howard was presented with a $1,000 check on April 14th from Champaign Wal-Mart Supercenter.  The funds will be used for Health and Wellness programming throughout the school.

Wal-Mart Supercenter manager Jim Pearson, who made the presentation said, “Our associates were excited to make this donation to such a worthwhile cause.  The money will be utilized for programs in the local community that we are glad to support.  This is just a small part of WalMart’s ongoing commitment to the communities in which we operate.”  

Central High School Jazz Band has been invited to attend the 13th Annual Essentially Ellington Competiton and Festival at the Lincoln Center in New York.  Central's Jazz Band is only one of 15 finalists selected to participate.  Congratulations on the achievement. 

Bottenfield raises money for Relay for Life in honor of Deb Woodworth

Bottenfield students, staff, and families are raising money for The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in honor of our late custodian, Deb Woodworth. We have several efforts underway, including a Silent Auction, a Coins for Cancer drive, and a group of teams for the Relay for Life at the Centennial High School Track on May 17, 2008 from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.  Read more...

Edison Middle School Technology and Best Buy $10,000 Award.  The Edison Middle School students in the computer lab after school are making "sprites," images they'll use to play a computer game. They'll learn how to program the images to move them around in a virtual room they build.

It's not homework. The members of an after-school computer club are learning to use Game Maker software because it's fun. But it also builds their computer skills and knowledge, says Laurie Jacob, the instructional technology specialist at Edison.  Read more from News Gazette article...

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Edison Bands Going to Superstate...Congratulations to the 7th and 8th Grade Concert Band as we have just been informed that they have been accepted to perform at the University of Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival—one of the most prestigious festivals in the Midwest.  62 schools sent in audition CDs and Edison was one of seven middle schools accepted across the state.  This is Edison’s second year in a row getting invited!

Andrew Newman, on behalf of the Central High School Bleacher Bums and Babes, presented a check for $200 to Patty Cisneros, the Head Coach of the University of Illinois' Women's' Wheelchair Basketball Team, to help support Coaches vs. Cancer.

The bums and babes are a group of Central students organized to support the boys' basketball team.  The group raised the money through t-shirt sales and selected Coaches vs. Cancer as the group they wanted to support in light of two recent losses our Central family has endured in the recent years.


Last updated Friday, May 09, 2008

 

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Champaign Community Unit School District #4 * Mellon Administrative Center
703 South New Street * Champaign, IL 61820 * 217.351.3800