Clay City CUSD #10

Weekly Announcements • March 2-7

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Beginning February 3, 2026, students and teachers across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the eleventh annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent/guardian, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:

• Effective Leaders
• Collaborative Teachers
• Involved Families
• Supportive Environments
• Ambitious Instruction

Prior research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.

All teachers and fourth through 12th-grade students will be responding to this survey. 5Essentials Reports will be generated for schools if their teachers and/or students meet the response rate threshold of 50 percent. These reports will be sent to schools and districts in May and will also be included in the State School Report Card.

Additionally, your district has chosen to provide the optional supplement parent survey. If at least 20 percent of Clay City CUSD #10 parents/guardians complete this survey, a parent report will also be generated. The parent data will not be included on the State Report Card.

Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for students and teachers will be conducted from February 3, 2026, to March 13, 2026. The Parent Survey Supplement will be conducted during that same period. To take the survey, please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ Reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Survey Support at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.

Sincerely,
John Neubaum
 

We are celebrating Read Across America Week at Clay City Elementary. Today principal Mr. Wattles was our guest reader during kindergarten library time. He read the Dr. Seuss book "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut". The students were surprised to see Mr. Wattles leading the read-aloud. Thank you Mr. Wattles for stopping in and reading to the students!

Students in Ms. Harris' third hour design class accomplished a Pringles Circle! It takes a good base and sturdy walls to achieve this feat. Great job Molly W., Alyssa G., and C. Barfield!

Congratulations again to Sterling and Shyanne for earning this exciting prize!

TOMORROW:
On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, Miles of Smiles, Ltd. will be at Clay City Schools. This is a great program that comes at no cost to families. Students in all grades are encouraged to take advantage of this program. This exam will also satisfy the dental requirement mandated by the State of Illinois for school children (kindergarten, 2nd, 6th, and 9th grades). Consent forms can be returned to school nurse Ms. Withrow or you may register your student online by scanning the QR code on the forms linked below. Remember, this is at no cost to families so take advantage of this event. Please contact Ms. Withrow at swithrow@claycityschools.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Clay City students exceeded their goal of $1,500 and raised $1,921 for the American Heart Association! Sterling T. and Shyanne W. were our top two students who earned the most with donations totaling $400+ each. Great work done by all the students who participated!

NEXT WEEK: CCHS Student Council is holding a blood drive on Monday, March 9 from 1:00pm-5:00pm. CCHS is only 14 units away from a scholarship for one of its senior Student Council members. Please consider donating to help save lives and one of our seniors! Click the link below to schedule your appointment!
https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=ClayCityHS

Over the next few days students 3rd - 8th grade will be sent home with the attached flyer. We will be meeting with parents of 3rd - 8th grade students on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 PM in the commons area at Clay City Schools about the upcoming IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) test. As an added bonus, pizza and salad will be provided. Students are welcome to attend, but are not required. Please RSVP by March 9 via the QR code, paper handout, or click on the link: https://forms.gle/615ykspGU4ygLwqq6

Thank you to the Clay City Banking Company for coming to read to Mrs. Ahlfield's class for Read Across America Week!
The kids enjoyed the first chapter of the book "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" and will enjoy reading the rest. The kids also learned a lot about the bank and what a checking and savings account are for.

With warmer temperatures on the horizon, it's important to remember the school's dress code policy. Please discuss expectations with your student. Click the link below for more information about the policy.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gaTNZ4MWEAUWDdIUaEL0QUfZhwRQCz1Y/view?usp=sharing

Attendance is a vital role in a student's academic success. Here is some quick information on who to contact concerning absences.

There will be no school on Friday, March 6 due to a Teacher Institute Day. The district calendar reflected a 12:02pm dismissal but has been corrected. Again, there will be NO STUDENT ATTENDANCE on Friday, March 6.

The FFA petting zoo has been a popular destination this week! Here Mrs. Klein's second graders smile big and enjoy their time seeing the animals.

Mrs. Worrell's pre-k students had an interesting science lesson recently. Pre-k had chicks hatch! A huge shoutout goes to ag teacher and FFA advisor Mr. Hosselton for his help with the lesson.

Mrs. Worrell's pre-k classes made sure to visit the tractors and petting zoo this week during the FFA celebrations!

MONDAY kicks off Read Across America Week! To celebrate, elementary students will have dress-up days each day! Additionally, they will be able to participate in a read-a-thon, hear guest readers, have coloring sheets, and get to enjoy story walks. Start planning your dress-up days now!

Ms. Walker's 8th grade science class recently completed a unit on forces and motion. They finalized the unit with the annual Newton Scooters project. Each vehicle was designed and built by the student and is powered by Newton’s third law of motion. Landynn Creehorne’s project travelled the greatest distance, 12.89 meters, in a straight line.

On February 26th, Mr. Brummer's junior and senior science classes took a trip to Effingham to see Dr. Reed Timmer, America's most famous storm chaser, at the Effingham Performance Center. Students were able to hear Dr. Timmer tell stories about his experiences chasing tornadoes and hurricanes, followed by a Q & A where students could ask him questions. After the show they were treated to lunch at Niemerg's Steakhouse and made a stop for ice cream at Old Mac's in Dieterich. Tickets to the show and lunch were paid for by a generous donor who happens to be an alumnus of Clay City High School Class of 1963.

We've got more students on our AR point board! Keep up the good work and keep up the reading!