Back To School Webinar for Parents from the Illinois State Board of Education

FYI - This may be of value for parents regarding New Illinois Learning Standards and  PARCC testing.

Link is  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/185876249

Back-to-School Webinar for Parents with Illinois State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch and the Illinois PTA

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Tuesday, September 9, 2014 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT

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Webinar Registration

State Superintendent Koch invites parents to join him for a one-hour Back to School program at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 9.
  
The session Back to School program for parents will cover:

    •  Putting in place the new Illinois Learning Standards – A  discussion of how and why the standards drive new instructional approaches and lesson plans.

    • PARCC 2015 – Third-through-eighth-graders, as well as high school students, will take online state assessments for the first time this school year. Dr. Koch will tell you more about these new tests and the information they will generate about your child’s progress toward college and career readiness.

    • Parental Engagement – If you’re registering for this webinar, you’re probably already an engaged and involved parent.  We will discuss some state initiatives to promote the vital partnership between parents and the school community to achieve student success.

    • Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions.

We suggest listeners log in a few minutes early to establish connections, especially if this is your first time attending a live “Go to Webinar” from your computer or mobile device. We will begin transmitting a title screen at least 15-20 minutes prior to the scheduled 7 p.m. start so that participants can determine that they are properly connected.

* First Name:

* Last Name:

* Email Address: 

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* Your child or children's school district name.:

* Your child or children's grade level(s).:

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Early Dismissal Thursday and Friday

Due to the forecast and lack of climate controlled classrooms, we will dismiss at 2:00 and 2:10 this Thursday and Friday. Additionally, Friday is forecast to have a Heat Index of over 102 degrees. Friday's dismissal time could change by mid-morning.

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Tentative Budget for 2014-2015 School year

This year's budget will be on public display at the District Office for the next 30 days. Community members interested in studying the budget are welcome to visit between 7AM and 4PM Monday - Friday.

P. T. A. Meeting Date and Time

Great First Day

Monday went great at V.I.T. The students and staff were engaged in back to school activities. The weather was tolerable, unlike the forecast for the end of this week. I am glad that staff and students are back. Summer is a quiet time to work on many tasks, but the building is so much more alive when we have students and staff. I am looking forward to a great year.

Almost Time for School to Start

  Another school year is almost here. We are looking forward to the return of our students on August 18^th. We will have a full day of school with 2:00 and 2:10 dismissals in the JSHS and Elementary School.  I am looking forward to a second year and continued change.  Our district may be small is size but in 2014-2015, I am making decisions based on the idea that V.I.T. is a place where Education is a BIG Deal. We have continued to add to the quality of the educational environment. With new key staff members, increased technology opportunities, and the implementation of Study Island for 2014-2015, this year will build on the idea that every student’s education is a BIG deal.  

    We have several new staff members for the 2014-2015 school year.  Our new Junior High-High School Principal, Ms. Tracey Korsmeyer, has been an outstanding educator in this district for many years.  Her classroom leadership will carry-over to how she leads her staff and students through the coming year. We are excited to have a veteran member of our staff takeover the leadership role after the retirement of longtime principal, Mr. Phil Snowden. We also have a new dean of students at the Elementary School. Mr. Matt Klaska earned his Masters' in Educational Administration and has been given an opportunity to gain experience working with the administrative team for this school year. Mrs. Melinda Treadway is our new math teacher for the HS. Ms. Kylee Palmer is our new HS English teacher. Mr. Joel Wade is our new HS science teacher. Mr. David Mueller is our new part-time JH/HS math teacher. Mrs. Kristy Boggs is teaching one hour of HS horticulture. Mr. Dave Wilson is teaching JH/HS P.E. Ms. Courtney Richardson is our new Pre-K through 6^th grade Speech teacher. Mr. Aaron Bucher is our new Technology Director and is teaching one computer class at the HS.  Ms. Gina Tilton is our new assistant cook at the Elementary School. Mrs. Kris Lascelles is our newest bus driver.

   In addition to staff additions, we have added more laptops for students, we have increased our WIFI areas for staff, students, and community members, Study Island has been implemented for the next three years, Fiber-optic internet has been installed by Mid-Century for the upcoming school year, and we have a new webpage for the district. Our new webpage is www.vit2.org. 

   Our custodial staff has both buildings ready for our students to return.  The first day of school is always my favorite day of the year. As always, we are open to visits from students, parents, and community members regarding our schools. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call or stop-in to discuss them.  

Have a Great Day,

Mr. Mike Curry

Fiber Install

Outside my window this morning! Usually a piece of equipment like this backhoe is not what one likes to see out of the office window. Today, it is a welcomed sight. Mid-Century is installing Fiber to the district. This install will greatly increase our internet capabilities. Mid-Century has been an outstanding partner in this project. The crew here today has worked fast this morning to trench and bore before the rain hits. As we get closer to turning on our Fiber access, I will share more information.
Have a Great Day!