At Uni High, we strive to foster an environment where everyone, inclusive of race, color, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, political beliefs, ability, language, and religion, will feel welcome, visible, and heard.

The library is hosting a winter gathering after school on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Join us for hot chocolate (Thanks, Ms. Arnold, for lending your CrockPot), snacks, crafts, board games, and great company. 
We will also screen Barbie in the Nutcracker, beginning at 3:25 p.m. sharp. For questions, please speak to library staff. See you there! 

Please join the Heritage and Dual Language Program at Uni Gym during lunch from 11:40 a.m.  to 12:10 p.m. on both Wednesday, Dec.11 and Friday, Dec. 13. During these times we will showcase students' final project -- a talent show! Please support your friends and enjoy singing, dancing, and more. Let's celebrate Uni's multilingualism and different cultures together! Bring your lunch on over and see you there.

Our next Math League competition will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 10 during Uni period. All students in all grade levels are welcome. Please bring a charged laptop. Join us in rooms 206 (high school) and 205 (subbies).

Sprabitat Club would like to invite you to "Evening with Spring" on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 6 p.m.  The event will be held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Champaign. There will be a pasta dinner, live performances, and the opportunity to hear from Spring Initiative students who will be visiting from Clarksdale, MS.  
Spring Initiative is a transformative, holistic after-school program helping at-risk students in Clarksdale, MS. Spring will be collecting a $10 admissions fee at the door.
Please come and bring your family! Reserve your spot at go.illinois.edu/SpringRSVP.

MPAG will be hosting a discussion of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together for Uni students, families, and staff on Saturdays, Jan. 11 & 25 from 1:30 - 4 p.m. MPAG will provide snacks to munch on during our discussion. We hope you can join us!

Although the discussion is structured around the book, we encourage everyone to attend, even if they didn't read or listen to the book. Our purpose is to gather and engage in learning together.
Please see the RSVP form for more details!
Email Dr. O'Brien to request a copy of the book.

Uni's annual Poetry Out Loud recitation contest will be Wed, Jan. 22, 2025, during Uni Period. There will be an info meeting tomorrow (Tue, Dec. 10) in 303 at the start of lunch. Come to this 10-min. meeting at the top of the Unique (literary magazine) club meeting if you're interested, especially if you've never done Poetry Out Loud before. (Attending is not required to compete.)
Sign up for Poetry Out Loud here. Choose a poem to recite from the long list at http://poetryoutloud.org (in the "find poems" dropdown menu on the left). The deadline to sign up is Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Our lost and found is overflowing with jackets and sweatshirts, water bottles, lunch bags, and much more. Parents and students, if you are missing items PLEASE check the lost and found at Uni and claim your missing items. Any items unclaimed by the end of the day on Friday, December 20 will be donated.

Congrats to Boys Basketball getting their first win of the season under new head coach Sam Beesley at home over DeLand Weldon 55-42.   The team is led by its five Seniors: David Black, Ben Newman, Tim Park, Collins Rosch and Tristin Ting.   
Subbie Boys basketball is off to a great start to the season with a 6-4 record with new coaching staff of Head Coach Leon Martin and Assistant Coach Alex Roche.  The boys will next be in action at DeLand Weldon for their conference tournament Dec. 14 and 16.   

Chorus:
12/9  Chorus
12/11 Madrigals/Chorus
12/13 Chorus

Orchestra:
12/9 Orchestra
12/10 Strings/Winds&Perc.
12/12 Orchestra

Uni’s Quarter 3 lunch program sign-up is now available. Spring 2025 menus are available here. If you’d like to participate in Uni’s Quarter 3 lunch program, please sign up by NOON on Friday, Dec. 20.
We are offering a three-day plan (Mon/Wed/Fri, $185) plan or a five-day plan (Mon – Fri, $333). Families who are eligible for full or partial fee waivers can participate in the lunch program at no cost.
Checks for 3rd Quarter lunches should be made out to "University of Illinois" and dropped off in Uni's main office by Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. To pay by credit card, call 217-333-2870.

Students, please be especially considerate about your noise level in Uni's hallways as the semester comes to a close and stress levels rise. Keep your volume reasonable during class periods, if you're out in the hallway on a mid-class break or relaxing during a free period. Thank you!

Did you know that you can leave a comment on a story on Uni's school newspaper, The Gargoyle? Well, you can––as long as you're a human and not a robot. Check out Jacque B's recent story on Uni Seniors’ Life Lessons and if you have a favorite, or your own words of wisdom to share, let Gargoyle readers know!

Reminder: All classes have required attendance for Fall Finals except Study Hall, even if you do not have a final.

• Mon, Dec 16 will be an regular odd day.
• Tue, Dec 17 will be a regular even day.
• Wed, Dec 18- Fri, Dec 20 will follow the finals schedule. (This will be resent by email on Friday this week.)
• If you have a conflict, please speak to Mrs. Hughes and your teacher as soon as possible.

During Finals: 

• No breaks in the halls
• Bring something to work on/book to read if you finish early
• If at all possible, stay home until your finals are set to begin. Studying locations are limited. 

Uni has a long-standing tradition of celebrating the end of the fall semester with all students and staff at the Uni Winter Party. This year, the party is on Friday, 12/20. To feed the entire school, we need parents to help by donating money for pizza, food items, and/or your time to decorate, serve food, and/or clean up. 

Use this link to sign up to help! The page also contains all directions for contributing donations. On behalf of the PTSA, thank you in advance for your generosity and support! Questions can be sent to the PTSA Junior Representative, Alison Smith,at aliso22@gmail.com. 

Parents, students, and staff, please join Uni's Multicultural Parent Advisory Group for our December meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 18 from 6-7 p.m. We'll meet on Zoom at go.illinois.edu/mpag (Meeting ID: 850 7082 8404, Password: unimpag) to finalize plans for our Uni community discussions of The Sum of Us in January. All are welcome!

We have seen rising questions regarding absences. Absences can be documented, excused, or unexcused. See Types of Absences in our Handbook (19-20) for descriptions. 
Documented absences require a request form from Mrs. Hughes in advance. 
Report excused or mental health absences to uni-attendance@illinois.edu. If you do not notify us, you will be marked unexcused. Contact us within 48 hrs to update if you are incorrectly marked. After 48 hrs, we will require documentation to update the absence. 
Teachers are not required to allow make-up work if unexcused, including tests.