Illini Central CUSD 189

Parents and Guardians: Illini Central is exploring photography options for next year. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey: https://forms.gle/Vs6mG9e1cXP2cMve9

The HS/MS Announcements today mentioned that The Cougar Center would be open at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon for an open house. That was incorrect. We apologize for the confusion if you read or watched those Announcements. The doors for tonight's ICMS Boys' Basketball game open at 5 p.m. not 4:30. The 7th grade game will tip at 6:00 p.m. Admission is FREE tonight as we open up the new gym. #WeAreIC

As the snow is falling, make sure to give yourself plenty of time on the roads! Go slow and stay alert!

We changed our drop-off and pick-up procedures when we returned from winter break. All bus riders are dropped off and picked up outside the Middle and High School Entrance. All car riders should be dropped off and picked up outside the NEW Grade School Entrance. The OLD Grade School entrance is no longer used for students before or after school. We strongly encourage parents to use the procedures we have set in place. By using the back parking lot to pick up students, we significantly reduce the number of students walking across North West Avenue and Chestnut, reducing the chance of an accident. Using the procedures we have set, we also know that students are getting to where they need to be, not taking a stray path and walking to a vehicle parked down the block. With the construction of the old APR in progress, there is a lot more traffic around that portion of the school, and we do not want a student to accidentally be hit by someone who is not expecting a student to walk through cars. As with the start of every school year, new procedures take practice. While the first day was a little slow, I can attest that by 3:11 today, all students were picked up from the back parking lot. As the semester progresses, this will likely continue to get faster. If you are picking your children up after school, please inform them that you will pick them up back with the other car riders. Thank you for helping us ensure students are safe before and after school.

Parents, when your students come home today and tell you that the APR disappeared, they're right! Over break, the construction crew began work on creating more classroom and professional development space!

All three sections of The Cougar Center in use on day one... Poms, MS boys basketball, and MS volleyball. Meanwhile, 6th grade volleyball is in the cafeteria and HS girls basketball in the Cougar Den. We are excited to have the space to spread out!

We are excited to have students back in the building tomorrow! Starting tomorrow, we will be following our new student drop-off and pick-up procedures. For more information, follow this link: https://www.illinicentral.org/article/1928059

Happy 2025! Due to the snow accumulation and the prediction of more overnight, tomorrow's teacher in-service will be a "late start," beginning at 10:00. Staff will meet in the Cougar Center Gym at 10:00 to begin district meetings. Students who were scheduled to take make-up exams will NOT take them tomorrow. Make-up exams will take place on Tuesday, January 7th. At this time, students will return from break on Tuesday, January 7th. Because we moved into the new building over break, the staff need the in-service day to adjust to new procedures and prepare for students to return. If the weather does not improve overnight, we will revisit the situation in the morning and inform you of any changes.

Just a reminder... The Class of 2027 will be having a Nelson's Catering Fundraiser in January. Here are the details: When: Friday - January 24th What: Grilled Chicken Dinner w/ Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and a Roll Time: Pickup @ IC Cafeteria 5:00pm - 7:00pm Cost: $14.00 per meal (money due at time of order) Ordering online can be done at the following link until January 17th: https://nelsonscatering.com/illini-central All orders through the students in the Class of 2027 must be done by January 15th. Thank you in advance for supporting our Sophomores!

Illini Central CUSD189 has the following property listed for public purchase. If you are interested in any of these items, please contact Beth Myers in the district office (217-482-5180) to arrange purchase and pick-up. All items must be picked up by January 15, 2025. The list of items can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cMOkwoxUC7uR_yZsqKDqn_n8eqC35uqMySZ3qN-23o4/edit?usp=sharing

As a reminder, Illini Central Schools will dismiss at 2:00 pm on Thursday, December 19th and Friday, December 20th.

On Thursday, December 19th, we will say Farewell to the Easton Gym. The Easton Gym holds a special place in the hearts of many from the community, and we are looking forward to closing out this special place with a small ceremony. The ICMS Boys' Basketball team plays that evening against Olympia starting at 6 p.m. We are planning to have a short presentation that will take place prior to the tip of the 7th grade game. We would love to see a huge crowd, and rock the Easton Gym one final time.

Please follow the link for information on the Procedures for Delayed Start: https://5il.co/331qy This is for informational purposes only. Illini Central Schools will run at the scheduled time tomorrow.

It might be snowing outside, but the grass is green inside The Cougar Center! The turf is being installed today!

On Wednesday, December 11th, Illini Central Schools will dismiss at 2:00 pm for staff professional development.

Unfortunately, we need to flip the menu for the 11th and 13th of next week.. The lunch menu on Dec 11th will now be the Fiestada Pizza and on the 13th we will be serving the Turkey & Noodles/ Grilled Chicken.

Illini Central Announces November Student of the Month Alliance Community Bank of Mason City and Illini Central High School are pleased to present Macy McLaughlin with the November Student of the Month Award. Macy receives an Amazon gift card from Alliance Community Bank and an Amazon gift card from the Illini Central High School faculty for demonstrating outstanding character. Macy is the daughter of Justin and April McLaughlin. Her classes this year include transitional math, “The Class,” graphic design, food science, resource management, dual credit psychology, dual credit English, government and civics, and beginning constructions. Macy will work as an office aide during her final semester at Illini Central. Macy keeps busy as the FFA President, National Honor Society Reporter, Mu Alpha Theta Representative, Poms Captain, and Fellowship of Christian Athlete Student Leader. She is also a member of the Cougar Crazies and homecoming committee. Macy is very involved in community service. She serves as a board member on the Reimagine Mason City Student Board, reporter for Peaceful Valley 4-H, Mason County 4-H Federation Media coordinator, KID and media department at Mason City Christian Church, and leads worship for Salt n’ Light Youth Group. Macy plans to attend a four-year university with a major in broadcast journalism or multimedia communications with an emphasis on sports media and photography.

As ICHS Principal Mrs. Annie Baugher rapidly reaches her due date, Illini Central thought we would introduce our district to the gentleman who will be our interim principal during her maternity leave. We are glad to welcome Mr. Darren Hartry to our district for the last part of December and the 2nd semester of the 2024-2025 school year. Here is a link to a bio of Mr. Hartry's time in education & information about his personal life: https://5il.co/322ks Illini Central is thankful to have Mr. Hartry join our family this Winter.

The Class of 2027 will be having a Nelson's Catering Fundraiser in January. Here are the details: When: Friday - January 24th What: Grilled Chicken Dinner w/ Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and a Roll Time: Pickup @ IC Cafeteria 5:00pm - 7:00pm Cost: $14.00 per meal (money due at time of order) Ordering online can be done at the following link until January 17th: https://nelsonscatering.com/illini-central All orders through the students in the Class of 2027 must be done by January 15th. Thank you in advance for supporting our Sophomores!

Parents of the class of 2025. Mark your calendar, the school counselors will be holding a FAFSA Parent Completion Workshop before the basketball game on Friday, December 6th, from 5:00-6:30 pm. Both parents and students will need to be present to complete the application. For more details contact the school counselors.