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Yankee Ridge Multilingual Elementary School

Stronger Together. Leading for the Future.

Parent Connection September 7 - September 11

Posted Date: 09/06/26 (06:19 PM)
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Illustration for Yankee Ridge Multilingual Parent Connection featuring a group of friendly wolves and educational symbols.

September 7 - September 11

A colorful school calendar for the week of September 7-11 at YRM, featuring Labor Day on Monday and a wolf mascot on Wednesday.
 

Yankee Ridge Multilingual Families!


Thank you to everyone who joined us for Yankee Ridge Multilingual Curriculum Night and our 1st YRM Black Families Affinity Parent  Group last week! It was wonderful to see so many families in our school community. If you were not able to attend Curriculum Night , please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher for more information about what was shared.

🗓️ No School Monday, September 7
A reminder that there will be no school on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. We hope everyone enjoys the long weekend!

🍕 YRM PTA First Meeting — September 9
We are excited to welcome families to the first Yankee Ridge Multilingual (YRM) PTA meeting of the school year!

Wednesday, September 9, 2026
6:00–7:30 PM
📍 Yankee Ridge
Join us for a free pizza dinner at 6:00 PM, followed by the PTA meeting from 6:30–7:30 PM.
To help make this event accessible to all of our families, childcare and French and Spanish translation will be provided.
We hope you can join us and be part of our PTA community!

🌎 Celebrating Our Unique Identities
This week at Yankee Ridge, we have been celebrating our unique appearances, identities, and the many things that make each of us special.
Students read El color de tu piel (The Color of Your Skin) and created little figures of themselves using Crayola Colors of the World crayons, which represent a wide range of skin tones. These special self-portraits will be displayed in the hallway outside the gym, surrounding a large world map.
Some classes have also read Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o to explore the importance of appreciating and celebrating our own value and beauty—both inside and out.
It has been wonderful to see students thinking about what makes them unique and learning to appreciate the beauty and diversity within our Yankee Ridge community. ❤️

📅 Upcoming Events
I look forward to seeing you and your families at our upcoming events listed below. Thank you for being such an important part of the Yankee Ridge community!
Warmly,
Patricia Valente
Principal
Yankee Ridge Multilingual Elementary School 
 

Yankee Ridge Focus on Kindness

At Yankee Ridge, our school will continue to focus on kindness—using kind words and showing kind actions toward one another every day. We are encouraging our students to be compassionate, caring, and supportive of their peers and adults, both in the classroom and throughout our school community.

Please remind your child that when they feel frustrated, they can use assertive words instead of negative words that tear others down. At Yankee Ridge, racial or homophobic slurs are not tolerated. 

They can also use assertive words rather than pushing or hitting. Encourage your child to talk to their classroom teacher or another trusted adult when they are having big feelings that could lead to aggressive behavior.

 Together, we can help our students develop empathy, positive relationships, and strong self-regulation skills.
A three-step instructional guide featuring English, Spanish, and French text advising children to stop, walk away, and talk to an adult if bothered.
 

Latine Heritage Month Celebrations

🌎 September 15–October 15 – Latine Heritage Celebration Month

🌎 September 15–October 15 – Latine Heritage Celebration Month
We will be celebrating and learning about Latine cultures, histories, traditions, and contributions throughout the month. Each classroom will also be participating in a door decorating contest! If you have any interest in volunteering your time to help decorate, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher! 

YRM Desfile/Parade to Celebrate Latine Heritage

🎉 Thursday, September 17 – Latine Heritage DESFILE/Parade
9:00–10:00 AM
We invite families to join us as we celebrate our annual Latine Heritage Parade!
We are excited to celebrate the many amazing contributions that Latine people have made to the United States and to honor the rich cultures, traditions, and histories represented in our school community.
Where to Meet:
Families will meet outside in the lower blacktop area. Students will bring the parade through the school and then outside, where families can cheer them on and celebrate together!
How Students Can Participate:
Students are encouraged to celebrate and share their family heritage by:
  • Wearing traditional clothing from their family’s country of origin.
  • Bringing a flag representing their family’s country of origin.
  • Wearing a shirt that displays the name or flag of their family’s country of origin.
We look forward to celebrating the diversity, culture, history, and contributions of our Latine community together!
¡Celebramos juntos! 🎊

🏘️ Tuesday, September 22 – Urbana Family Neighborhood Night goes here

🏘️ Tuesday, September 22 – Urbana Family Neighborhood Night
5:30–7:30 PM
📍 Ivanhoe Estates
Come out for an evening of family fun and community connection! 

🎉 Bring Your Family to School Day! 🎉

Monday, October 5
9:00–10:00 AM
Families are invited to join us for a fun morning of Whole School BINGO! Come celebrate our school community, spend time with your child, and enjoy this special opportunity to connect with other Yankee Ridge families.
Why Do We Celebrate Bring Your Family to School Day?
In 2013, the State of Illinois designated the first Monday in October as Bring Your Parents to School Day to promote family engagement and student success.
In 2015, the Urbana School District #116 Board of Education adopted this day as part of its commitment to family engagement. The day is included in Section 8:95 — Family Engagement of the Urbana School District #116 Board Policy Manual.
We are excited to welcome our families into the school for a morning of fun, connection, and BINGO!
We hope to see you there! 💙🎉
 
The text "ALL About" is displayed above the Yankee Ridge PTA logo, which features a husky mascot.

Parent Teacher Association Updates

PTA - Announcements
Greetings! This is where you will find brief updates from the PTA on events, and volunteer opportunities.

First meeting will be September 9, 2026, 6:00-7:30.  Free pizza dinner at 6PM and meeting from 6:30-7:30PM. Childcare and French and Spanish translation will be provided.

Stock the Lounge 
We love our Yankee Ridge teachers and we need your help to show them how much we appreciate their hard work. Sign up here to bring in drinks or snacks to keep them fueled during the school week. Thank you!


If you have any questions please email about the Yankee Ridge PTA : Email: yr-pta@googlegroups.com
 
Illustration of a diverse group of friendly wolves with the text 'WOLF PACK STRONG' and messages about belonging, protection, inclusion, speaking up, and kindness.

Wolf Pack Strong

In our pack, Everyone Belongs

We Protect
We Include
We Speak Up
We Show Kindness

No Lone Wolves at Our School
 

Unique Wolves, United Pack

This week at Yankee Ridge we have been celebrating our unique appearances and identities. We read El color de tu piel (The Color of Your Skin) and made little figures of ourselves using special skin color Crayola crayons. These will be hung in the hallway outside of the gym, around a large world map. Some classes have also read the book Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o to expand further on the idea of appreciating our own value and beauty, inside and out. ​
A collection of colorful, hand-drawn paper dolls arranged on a wooden table.
A large world map hangs on a white brick wall, decorated with flags and paper doll cutouts.
Four children's book covers displayed side-by-side: The Color of Your Skin, Just Ask!, There's Only One You, and Sulwe.
 

After School Opportunity

Students in grades 2-5 are invited to participate in Reading Rally, a free after-school program that provides academic support and enrichment activities.

Reading Rally begins September 8 and takes place Tuesdays through Thursdays after school until 4:30 p.m. A snack is provided each day and transportation is available. 

If you are interested in this program, please register as soon as possible: Register for Reading Rally After School Program

If you have questions about Reading Rally, please contact the coordinator at Yankee Ridge: Lane Cannon-Gjerde: lgjerde@usd116.org

Note: Reading Rally is a grant funded program through Title I grants. Once a student is registered, they may remain in the program for the school year, provided grant funding remains available
 

Contact Information: 📧 📞

Yankee Ridge Multilingual:
Main Office: (217)-384-3607
School Address: 2102 South Anderson Street
Urbana, IL 61801
 

Calendar


Aug. 24-Sep. 11 - Fall (NWEA MAP & MClass) Beginning of Year Assessment Window
Sept 9 - YRM PTA Meeting - Parent Meeting
Sept. 15-Oct.15- Latine Heritage Celebration Month
Sept 15- DOOR DECORATING for Latine Heritage Month
September 17 - DESFILE/Parade for Latine Heritage Month - 9:00-10:00am
Sept 19 - French Parent Advisory Committee Meeting - 10:30-11:30 am
Sept. 22 - Ivanhoe Estates: Urbana Family Neighborhood Night- 5:30-7:30 pm
Oct. 1 - King School Neighborhood and all Urbana Families 5:30-7:30 pm
Oct. 5 - YRM Hosts Bring Your Family to School Day - ALL SCHOOL BINGO 9:00am-10:00am
Oct. 8 - Student Led Family Conferences - 4-8pm
Oct. 9 - Student Led Family Conferences - 8-11am -  No School
Oct. 9 - Last day of 1st Quarter
Oct. 12-16 Fall Break - No School

 

Kinder Donations

Need your help!

We are seeking donations of gently used or new materials and toys to help support engaging, hands-on, play-based learning in our Kindergarten classrooms! We have a total of 6 Kindergarten Classrooms.

Items such as dollhouses and accessories, people, wooden blocks, puzzles, Magna-Tiles, cars and trains, plastic animals, dress-up clothes, puppets, pretend food, DUPLO blocks, cardboard blocks, Mr. Potato Head, whisper phones, light tables, measuring cups and spoons, measuring tapes, sound shakers, sensory tables, funnels, sifters, scoops, tweezers, and tongs would be greatly appreciated.

These materials provide children with opportunities to explore, create, problem-solve, build language, develop fine-motor skills, and learn through play.

Thank you for helping us create rich and joyful learning experiences for our youngest Wolves! 🐺💙
 

Quick Links: ⭐🔗

Yankee Ridge Website 💙🤍
Lunch Menu 🥪🍎
Chambana SchoolBoard -by Brianna
USD 116 School Calendar 📆📌