The South School Little Braves did an amazing job of supporting the community by donating food items for the PHS Food & Toy Drive. This was a great opportunity for the students to demonstrate kindness which is something we focus on frequently at South.
Congratulations to Mrs. Groom's class donating the most items and winning the class pizza party sponsored by the Little Braves Boosters! Also, congratulations to Mrs. Oitker's class on earning second prize and winning a cookie decorating party compliments of the Little Braves Boosters.
Thank you to the PHS Student Council who coordinated the Cereal Box Domino Challenge - the students loved lining the hallways and watching the boxes fall!
South Spotlight
South Spotlight #1
Tech Coach Mrs. Emily Pool presented tech tools to the Pikeland Mentoring Team this morning.
Thank you for the engaging session Mrs. Pool!
Please let me take a moment of your time time to say thank you for the support that everyone has provided me during my tenure as interim superintendent for Pikeland #10. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this capacity over the past few months. And, the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people is something for which I am very grateful and will never forget. Keep up the good work that you do for your students and school community. Hoping you all have a great Thanksgiving break with family and friends.
Jo - Out
“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”--
J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan)
Dr. Russ Tepen visited Pikeland Today!
He received a warm welcome from students, staff and administration. We look forward to having Dr. Tepen as our superintendent for the 2025-2026 School Year.
We plan to have opportunities in the future for parents and community members to meet Dr. Tepen.
Today is Board Member Appreciation Day! We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your dedication to the Pikeland School District. Your role carries immense responsibility, and you’ve taken on the role with wisdom and integrity. Thank you for your active participation in the leadership of our District. You have generously given your time to make tough decisions and act in the best interest of our students and our schools. Again, we say Thank You!
South School Spotlight - Week of November 11th
South School Spotlight - Week of November 11th
The PHS Student Council Food Drive begins this week! Any South School family who would like to donate food items can bring the items to school beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, November 12.
The class who brings in the most food items by December 5 will receive a class pizza party compliments of the Little Braves Boosters. **We do ask that no glass bottle donations be sent in as they are a safety concern.**
New this year is a Cereal Box Challenge. Students can bring in unopened boxes of cereal and on December 5, the PHS Student Council will set the cereal boxes up like dominos and the students will get to watch them fall throughout the hallways.
Donations are always welcomed, but never expected. This purpose of this project is to offer support to local families in need while teaching our Little Braves about generosity and kindness.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, November 7th at the Pikeland New Teacher Mentoring Sessions, mentors took on the leadership role as presenters to the group on the topics of student engagement and seamless procedures. Thank you to Mrs. Kayla Boren, Mrs. Jacklyn Feldpausch, Mrs. Erin Fesler & Mrs. Kate Marable for your amazing presentations and dedication to new teacher professional development.
Last night, the Pikeland Board of Education hired Dr. Russ Tepen as the new Superintendent for the 2025-2026 School Year. A lifelong Jerseyville native, who is currently in his sixth year as principal at Litchfield Middle School, and has a great deal of school leadership roles and experiences. During his tenure, he has served as a middle school educator, assistant principal, and principal, and enjoyed many years as a high school principal. His experiences include leading schools in rural districts and large urban schools where there has been a great deal of diversity represented. Described as a continuous learner, Dr. Tepen has a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, two master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and his doctorate from Maryville University. He has also completed his coursework for the Chief School Business Official certification from University of Illinois Springfield. His desire to learn and stay current in educational trends and research allows him to foster learning communities within the district. Dr. Tepen looks forward to joining the Pikeland community and the Saukee family and the Board of Education is excited to have him joining the district. His initial goal is to engage members of the community and school in order to learn as much about the culture and traditions that make this community great. He is excited to begin his time in the Pikeland School Distri
Meet Avery Heavner!
South School is starting a new theme of highlighting 1 - 2 staff members each week! The South School Spotlight will be included on the weekly newsletter as well as on the Pikeland Facebook page. This will be a great way to meet the staff members that work with our Little Braves every day! The first spotlight is on Mrs. Sarah McNulty!
Have a great weekend!
Pikeland #10 School Community,
Today, Pikeland CUSD #10 announces the Illinois State Board of Education release of the 2024 Illinois Report Card (IRC), a detailed look at student performance data from the 2023-24 school year. You can find Pikeland #10’s annual Report Card at www.illinois report card.com. I would like to commend Pikeland #10 educators and families for their extraordinary efforts to support student growth during the 2024 school year.
The 2024 Annual Summative Designation found all three of Pikeland CUSD #10’s schools (Pittsfield South Elementary School, Pikeland Community School, and Pittsfield High School) have achieved the Commendable Designation.
A tremendous amount of information and data regarding school districts are found in the IRC. It is one aspect of an array of information that districts utilize in an effort to analyze and enhance student performance. An example of this data is where CUSD #10 saw advancement in graduation rates, reduction in chronic absenteeism, and a decrease in student discipline incidents over the previous school year. In the area of Early Learning, our percent of kindergarteners rated on their readiness continued above state levels. We hope these examples are indicators that students are continuing to achieve, thanks to the dedication and commitment of Pikeland #10’s outstanding teachers, families, and community partners.
The annual summative designation is one component of the IRC. Illinois is required by federal accountability law to assign each school a descriptor of how well it is meeting the needs of its students. This designation is based on several indicators of academic performance. One such indicator, in Academic Progress, is the Cohort Growth Percentile/Baseline Growth Percentile in English Language Arts and Mathematics. These Growth Percentiles are taken from the Illinois Assessment for Readiness and indicate student progress when compared to their peers, those who had similar scores in the preceding year.
In addition to its achievements in the past year, Pikeland #10 is committed to continuous school improvement. In the upcoming school year, our educators and administrators look forward to focusing on the 2024 Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Program. Pikeland #10 will continue to engage parents, families, and community partners in its ongoing efforts to improve student outcomes across the district.
The IRC provides the school community with an opportunity to reflect on last year’s strengths and discuss areas for continuous improvement. CUSD #10 believes every single student can meet high expectations and that parents/caregivers and community members are a critical partner in each child’s education. Please contact us or reach out to your school administrator with any questions you may have.
Jo R. Campbell, Ph.D. - Interim Superintendent
jcampbell@pikeland.org
(217)285-2147
Dear South School Families,
Keeping our Little Braves safe is of utmost importance at South School. Because of this a caution sign has been put up by the south end of the bus lane. The purpose is to pause families from crossing the bus lane before the buses have left each afternoon. It is difficult for the bus drivers to see people on the left hand side of the buses and this new policy could help ensure safety for all. Thank you for working in collaboration with the South School staff to create the safest environment possible for all of our Little Braves.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Allen
Pikeland Safety Information
"PRINCIPAL APPRECIATION WEEK, OCTOBER 21-25"
"Your leadership inspires us every day"
Thank you for making decisions with our students as your top priority. Your hard work is the foundation for their achievement. You handle your jobs with grace and enthusiasm. We can't wait to see what else you have in store for our school, thanks again!”
#ThankAPrincipal/Administrator
