October Good Citizens Award Winners

Parent/Teacher Conferences This Week

This Wednesday and Thursday are early dismissal days (2:00 and 2:10 in the different buildings) due to Parent/Teacher Conferences. Conferences are an important part in the educational process and the overall academic and social success of your student(s) at school. I hope to see you on this Wednesday or Thursday. Times are 4:00pm to 7:00pm on Wednesday and Thursday. The teachers are flexible and can meet before 4:00 or on another date, if necessary. If you haven't scheduled your Pre-K through 6th conference yet, call 309-758-5138. Remember, there is no school on Friday.

As always - Have a great day!

Great End of The Regular Season

Play-off Bound! The Rebels won their sixth and final football game of the regular season. The 6th win propelled them into the play-offs for the first time in several seasons. Congratulations to our coaching staff and players. The Rebels will travel to Arcola on Saturday for a 1:30 kick-off. Hope to see you there.

Red Ribbon Skit for Elementary Students

Right now the VIT HS SWAT Club is giving a great anti-bullying and anti-drug skit to open Red Ribbon Week. We will have a great prevention-themed week next week as well.

Principal Appreciation Week 2014

October 19^th-25^th is Principal Appreciation Month in Illinois.  Principal Appreciation Day is Friday, October 24^th. According to Illinois Principal Association Executive Director, Mr. Jason Leahy, "Principals and educational leaders impact student lives in a significant way…..courageous leadership is essential to effectively educate students and work to provide the resources and support they need to be successful in the 21^st century."  At V.I.T. , Ms. Tracey Korsmeyer is in her first year as principal of the junior-senior high school. Ms. Korsmeyer has made an immediate positive impact on her staff, the school climate, and educational setting.  Her history as a highly effective math teacher in the district has transferred to her leadership of the junior-senior high school.  At the elementary school, Mr. Matt Klaska is serving has the Pre-K through sixth grade Dean of Students.  Technically, I also serve as elementary principal. Serving in both roles is possible; serving them both equally is difficult. Without the day-to-day leadership that Mr. Klaska is providing in the elementary building, the teachers would be without immediate access for educational and behavior assistance.  Mr. Klaska is doing work that could easily be classified as principal duties and he still teaches an hour of health and provides math interventions on top off his leadership role.  Overall, I am very proud of the work that these new educational leaders are undertaking each day. I believe that their presence will continue to positively impact our students, staff, and schools in the long term.  I hope that if you see either Ms. Korsmeyer or Mr. Klaska this week (or anytime) you will let them know that their efforts are appreciated. 

A great time to show our principals your appreciation would be at Senior Night on Friday the 24^th.  We have a very important game with play-off implications on the line. A great crowd would be a huge benefit to the home team.  It would also show our seniors the appreciation they deserve for four years of dedicated play on the field.

As always, have a great day

Mike Curry

Superintendent of Schools

VIT CUSD#2 – Where Education is a BIG Deal

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.

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Webinar organizers are prohibited from soliciting confidential personal information (credit card information, social security numbers, etc.) in the registration form. This questionnaire is not intended to handle sensitive data.

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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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