Unit 5-» [District Information]
Unit 5 -» District
|
|||||||||
| No events listed for Unit 5 District Today. | |
| No events listed for Unit 5 District Tomorrow. | |
| District Calendar 2009-2010 | |
Unit 5 News and Special EventsNovember 9, 2009PEPPER RIDGE DESIGNATED A ‘PROMISE PLACE’ BY AMERICA’S PROMISE ALLIANCE Pepper Ridge Elementary School today announced that it has been designated a Promise Place by America’s Promise Alliance. A Promise Place provides youth with the Alliance’s Five Promises – caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others – under one roof. It is only the second location in Illinois to receive this designation. The Pepper Ridge Promise Council began in early 2009, with the motto – A Promise to Help Schools Help Kids. With a focus on improved academic performance, the council is based on two key beliefs: teachers are in the best position to understand specific student need; and people in our community care about children and want to help.  To commemorate the event Alliance Chair Alma Powell recognized Pepper Ridge administrators, staff and students at a breakfast sponsored by the Economic Development Council and attended by hundreds of local business leaders. “This is a great honor for Pepper Ridge Elementary,” Principal Sarah Edwards said. “ I am extremely humbled at the dedication of our volunteers and their commitment to our students.” The research brief, Every Child, Every Promise, found that children receiving four of the Five Promises are far more likely to be successful, twice as likely to get A’s, twice as likely to avoid violence and 40 percent more likely to volunteer. Moreover, the research showed that receiving four out of five of these basic resources has the potential to level the playing field for youth across racial and economic lines. “If we are going to truly change outcomes for our young people then we have got to start approaching their development in a holistic sense. This success model is embodied in Promise Places like Pepper Ridge Elementary School, said Marguerite W. Kondracke, president and CEO, America’s Promise Alliance. “By offering young people all of the services they need — under one roof — we are exponentially increasing the chances that they’ll receive the support they need, and succeed.” The Pepper Ridge Promise Council works to connect potential resources within the community to specific needs communicated by teachers. The group is currently working to identify adults who might serve as mentors for individual students. America’s Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. Through the collective power of our partner network, we raise awareness, support communities and engage in nonpartisan advocacy to ensure that young people receive more of the fundamental resources they need to graduate high school prepared for college, work and life. Building on the legacy of our Founding Chairman General Colin Powell, the Alliance believes the success of our young people is grounded in the Five Promises—caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others. For more information about America’s Promise Alliance, visit www.americaspromise.org. September 14, 2009Dr. Niehaus's letter to parents regarding the H1N1 virusLetter to Parents (PDF) August 21, 2009Unit 5 is now on TwitterWhat is Twitter? Twitter is a one-way communication tool using short messages that allows information to be shared between people. You can access Twitter from a computer or a range of mobile devices including mobile phones, pdas and ipods(a great way to keep up with school information). To follow Unit 5 news on Twitter, you can find us at www.twitter.com/McLeanCountyU5. If you are not using Twitter yet, sign up, and follow us. We will be posting "Tweets" regularly to keep our parents and community even better informed. July 21, 2009Unit 5 Names New Associate Principal at
Parkside Junior High School June 1, 2009Oakdale Elementary School
Announces New
Principal May 28, 2009Unit 5 Names New Principal at Towanda Elementary School NORMAL, IL . . . May 27, 2009 . . . McLean County Unit District No. 5 has named Karrah Jensen as the principal of Towanda Elementary School for the 2009-2010 school year. The position will be effective July 1. Jensen replaces Sarah Edwards, who is transferring to Pepper Ridge Elementary School. Jensen has been a teacher in Unit 5 for nine years, and is currently a fourth grade teacher at Northpoint Elementary School. She is also a district science curriculum chair for grades third through fifth. Jensen previously spent eight years as a teacher at Colene Hoose Elementary School in second and fourth grades. Last summer she was the director of Unit 5’s elementary school programming, a position she will hold again this summer. The board will officially approve Jensen’s appointment at its May 27 board meeting. “Mrs. Jensen will be a valuable addition to Towanda Elementary School,” Superintendent Gary Niehaus said. “Her duties as a summer school director have given her the skill set to run her first elementary school.” A graduate of Illinois State University, Jensen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and a Master of Science degree in Educational Administrations and Foundations. Jensen is married and has a 3-year-old daughter. In her free time she enjoys camping and spending time with her family. “Taking on this new role, as Principal, at Towanda Elementary School allows me to continue working with students, staff, and parents in a new and exciting way,” Jensen said. “I look forward to building new relationships and continuing the Towanda pride that has long been established.” May 14, 2009New Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources to join Unit 5 NORMAL, IL . . . May 13, 2009 . . .
Nathaniel Cunningham, a school administrator from
Ball-Chatham School District 5, has been named the new
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources at McLean
County Unit District 5. The Unit 5 Board of Education voted on Cunningham’s hiring at its May 13, meeting. He will assume the position July 1. During the next school year, Cunningham will work side-by-side with Assistant Superintendent John Pye, who is planning to retire in June 2010. “Mr. Cunningham will be a valuable addition to the Unit 5 administrative team,” Superintendent Gary Niehaus said. “His experience in human resources and his background as a school leader makes him a good fit for the district and will help Unit 5 continue to hire high quality faculty and staff members.” Cunningham is currently the principal at Glenwood High School in Chatham, a position he has held since 2003. Prior to that, he was an Associate Principal at Rantoul Township High School for three years. Cunningham also taught eighth-grade science for many years, as well as coached basketball and football. Before becoming an educator, he served in the United States Air Force for more than 10 years. "I'm excited to have this opportunity. Any time you are starting with a new organization, there's a high level of excitement,” Cunningham said. “I see Unit 5 as having a great deal of community pride and support. There are great people in the district that are working hard to get things done for students, staff and the community.” May 15, 2009Unit 5 Hires Literacy Director NORMAL, IL . . . May 13, 2009 . . . The Unit 5 Board of Education Wednesday night hired Carol Frericks to be the district’s Director Literacy and RTI (Response to Intervention). Frericks has been an educator for 28 years. She will begin her new position July 1. “I am delighted to be coming to Unit 5,” Frericks said. “My goal is to implement effective Response to Intervention opportunities for all students.” Her responsibilities will include training teachers for reading intervention at the elementary level and organizing intervention groups. The district hired a literacy director to best prepare teachers to work with students on reading skills and strategies. Frericks is currently the Literacy Coordinator for Quincy Public Schools. In that role she also serves as the district’s literacy coach for Pre-k through 12th grade. She received her bachelor’s degree at Quincy University in elementary and special education and her master’s degree in educational administration at Illinois State University. “I welcome Ms. Frericks as a valuable addition to Unit 5,” Superintendent Gary Niehaus said. “Her experience working with struggling readers will allow Unit 5 to best meet the challenge of providing quality services for all of our students.” April 21,2009Unit 5 Names New Principal at Benjamin Elementary School McLean County Unit District 5 has named Marlys Bennington as the principal of Benjamin Elementary School, which will open in fall 2010. The position will be effective July 1. Bennington, who has been with Unit 5 for 19 years, is currently the principal at Oakdale Elementary School. She has served in that position since 2004. Prior to that, Bennington spent three years as a principal at Parkside Elementary School, and two years as an administrative intern at Prairieland Elementary School. Before becoming an administrator, Bennington was a special education teacher at Pepper Ridge Elementary and Colene Hoose Elementary schools. The board will officially approve Bennington’s appointment at its April 22 board meeting. “Mrs. Bennington brings a tremendous skill set to the Benjamin Elementary School principal position,” Superintendent Gary Niehaus said. “She has done a wonderful job helping the students at Oakdale achieve academic excellence, and I know she will continue those efforts as she leads a new school team.” Bennington graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science in special education and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration. In her free time, Bennington enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is married and has a daughter and son attending Unit 5 schools. "I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the opening of Benjamin Elementary School,” Bennington said. “I look forward to meeting and getting to know the future Benjamin families, as we begin this new journey together." April 13,2009Unit 5 Names New Principal at Pepper Ridge Elementary School McLean County Unit District 5 has named Sarah Edwards as the principal of Pepper Ridge Elementary School for the 2009-2010 school year. The position will be effective July 1. She will take the place of retiring principal Diana Coombs. Edwards, who has been with Unit 5 for 13 years, is currently the principal at Towanda Elementary School. She has served in that position since 2006. Prior to that, Edwards served as the Learning and Behavioral Disorder Coordinator for the district. She also taught at Brigham and Prairieland elementary schools. The board will officially approve Edwards’ appointment at the April 22 board meeting. “Sarah comes to Pepper Ridge with great experience,” Superintendent Gary Niehaus said. “She has all the credentials necessary to help the students at Pepper Ridge achieve academic excellence.” Edwards graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science in special education. She is married and has one son attending Unit 5 schools. “I am extremely excited and proud to have this opportunity. I will always treasure the time I had at Towanda Elementary,” Edwards said. “I look forward to meeting the staff, students and families at Pepper Ridge, and continuing to work together to further ensure an excellent educational experience for everyone.” Unit 5 Schools Honored for Consistently High AchievementSPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Board of Education and Northern Illinois University today recognized five schools in McLean County Unit District 5 for academic excellence. Colene Hoose Elementary, Grove Elementary and Prairieland Elementary, all in Normal, as well as Fox Creek Elementary and Northpoint Elementary, both in Bloomington, were each named Academic Excellence Schools. They were among only 388 schools statewide to receive this honor. Unit 5 was among the top 2 percent of districts in the state with five Academic Excellence Schools. Schools winning the Academic Excellence Award have sustained very high performance levels on state assessment tests for at least three years. In these elementary schools, at least 90 percent of students met or exceeded state standards both in reading and in mathematics for at least 3 consecutive years. “Unit 5 provides an outstanding education at each of its schools, and we are always happy when they are recognized for excellence,” Niehaus said. “I would like to congratulate the administrators, teachers, parents and students for all their hard work.” A complete listing of the 2008 Illinois Honor Roll Schools can be found online at http://www.ilhonorroll.niu.edu/ Achievement Matters…In Bloomington-Normal.For the last two years, a group of dedicated educators and community members have worked supporting students in our Bloomington-Normal community be more successful in school.The Achievement Gap Task Force was created to locally address the national achievement disparity that exists between groups of students across racial and socioeconomic levels. With the leadership of District #87 and Unit 5, the task force has helped narrow the achievement gap and develop programs and outreach that continue to address the needs of our students. But the job is far from over. To assure all of our students are successful and have a bright future, it takes parents, community organizations, business leaders, higher education and concerned citizens working together with schools to address the challenge. With a new school year underway and the work of the task force continuing to draw support from parents and various community groups, District 87 and Unit 5 are pleased that Tom Laxton will provide full-time staff leadership to the task force and assure that the task force has the support it needs as it continues to work closely with both districts. Currently working in the Public Affairs department at State Farm®, Tom will be “loaned” to the districts for a year. In addition to coordinating the efforts of the task force, he will work to better connect the resources in this community with the needs of the districts. Visit achievementmatters.org for more on the work of the task force and for ideas on how you can support the academic achievement of students. |
|