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CHS students and teachers are joining together this month in celebration of Black History Month. We recognize the contributions of Black Americans to our nation not only this month, but all year long. Some examples can be found in Mr. and Mrs. Drone's classrooms.
Mrs. Drone's English 3 class studied the poetry, music, and art of the Harlem Renaissance as well as the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. They are currently reading Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun, which follows the challenges, experiences, and discrimination faced by an African American family in Chicago during the Civil Rights Movement, who refused to abandon their dreams in the midst of adversity.
During this unit, Mrs. Drone collaborated to align curriculum with Mr. Drone's American History classes. Mr. Drone's classes studied Reconstruction, focusing on experiences of freed African Americans after the Civil War. They discussed the right to vote and the policies that were put in place to deter African Americans from being able to vote in and around the South as well as the discrimination across the country, which eventually spurred the Civil Rights Movement.
Our district values the input of our school community, and we encourage all of our parents and guardians to make their voices heard by taking the 5Essentials survey. Parents can access the survey from our district’s website today through April 2, 2021 or you can follow the link to take the survey: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/
Thank you for helping to make a difference at Charleston CUSD #1.
Since the Charleston Rec. Dept. will not be offering their annual Daddy Daughter Dance or Mother Son Date Night this year, they are offering several "You & Me" art kits for families to sign up for instead: https://5il.co/otly
Have you purchased your tickets for the January 29 Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Night? It’s virtual this year and there’s a raffle for prizes ($1,200 grand prize!) Tickets can be purchased at www.charlestonchamber.com and ANYONE is welcome to attend the event and eligible to win amazing prizes!
District employees and those who serve our students AND are over the age of 65: if you signed up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on our district survey, you can either wait to be vaccinated with the rest of the district or go ahead and call to schedule your appointment. If you are under the age of 65, we will send more information about the vaccination timeline when it becomes available to us. Thank you!
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Classes have been restored in Empower. Thank you for your patience!
At this time several classes are missing from the Empower dashboard. We are working with the company to resolve the issue and will post when we learn more. Thank you for your patience.
Charleston High School students created DNA models for a project in Mrs. Swim's Biology classes.
EIU has partnered with the Illinois Department of Public Health to offer free COVID testing next Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. For more information, please visit their website:
https://www.eiu.edu/covid/testing.php
Students may experience issues connecting to WiFi on their school devices. Please follow these instructions to disable Global Protect: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/902793/Global_Protect_and_Content_Keeper_Issues.pdf.
Contact the E-Learning Help Line if you need further assistance: 217-639-1035
An important message to our School Community from Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Vilardo: https://5il.co/nv34
Dear Charleston CUSD #1 School Community,
As a child, I was intrigued by the cornucopia’s association with Thanksgiving. I recall my mother telling me that the “horn of plenty” was a reminder of the harvest time and for people to be thankful for being provided with food. I later learned that the large, horn-shaped wicker basket overflowing with produce is a symbol of abundance. Aside from its mythological origins, the cornucopia serves today as a reminder to be thankful – in abundance. Recognizing the broad cast of the COVID-19 shadow, I want to pause and shed some light on the good we have in our lives as we approach our Thanksgiving holiday break.
To our teachers and support staff, thank you for adapting to new instructional practices and new school routines, thank you for your courage, creativity and collaboration, and thank you for caring for kids, regardless of the circumstances.
To our parents, thank you for learning new technologies with us, for your perseverance and sacrifices made to support your children, and for putting your trust in our staff, regardless of where children learn.
To our School Board members and administrators, thank you for listening with empathy to our community, for deliberating diligently and for keeping a focus on student learning and safety for all.
To our students, thank you for showing patience, grace and grit through challenging times for which you never asked.
I am thankful for everyone who is striving to do their best under incredibly difficult circumstances. None of this has been easy, and none of it has been or will go perfectly, but we have learned much together over the past several months that will make us stronger for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year and beyond.
I hope you’ll likewise acknowledge the people and things you find most fulfilling and find ways to express your gratitude. Please be safe and stay healthy over our Thanksgiving break, and we will return to learn on Monday, November 30.
With abundant gratitude,
Todd J. Vilardo
Superintendent of Schools
At the board meeting this week, two students were recognized for their recent achievements in FFA. Emma Metzger received her American Degree during the 93rd FFA convention and Ashley Updegraff received her State Degree during the Virtual 92nd Illinois FFA Convention. (Pictured with FFA Sponsor Ben Oakley and CHS Principal Aaron Lock.)
American Red Cross Blood Drive
Monday, December 7, 2020 2:30-6:30pm
Call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule an appointment
CUSD #1 Families,
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the school district will not be hosting the Gifts 4 Kids program at Carl Sandburg and Jefferson for this year. The school staff is working closely with the Charleston Police Department to support the Shop with a Cop program. Applications for this program have been sent home with students. If you have questions or interest in applying, please reach out to the school counselor.
Families in need of support for the holiday may look at the community resource, One Stop Community Christmas in Mattoon. The deadline to apply is November 20th. Please follow the link below for more information.
http://onestopcommunitychristmas.com/index.php
Although this was a difficult decision to make, we are still committed to supporting our students and families. We have enjoyed hosting this program in years past and we look forward to hosting again next year. Please reach out to the school with questions or concerns!
Free Charleston Community Thanksgiving Dinner Delivery
A message from our CUSD#1 Health Professionals:
https://youtu.be/8n4PSNeiKAQ
First 150 kids, ages 17 and under, will receive a FREE Gingerbread House & Paint Kit courtesy of Christmas in the Heart of Charleston Sponsors & the Coles County Arts Council. You must sign up for this event through the Charleston Rec. Department by Friday, Nov 13th @ noon. Kit pick-up will be Saturday, Nov 14th 10am - 12pm at City Hall. Completed art work will need to be dropped back off at City Hall between Nov 16th and Dec 2nd. Art work will be on display around the Square starting Dec 5th and will continue throughout the month. To register for this event, click the link below: https://apm.activecommunities.com/charlestonrecdept/Activity_Search/christmas-in-the-heart-winter-art-kit/8188