Dear Parents and Guardians,
I am so excited to share that our students at North Elementary are learning how to tie their shoes!
Tying shoes is an important life skill that builds independence, confidence, and responsibility. While it can take time and practice, I know our students are capable — and I can’t wait to celebrate their success.
I would truly appreciate your support at home. Please take a few minutes to watch the short video below with your child and practice together. A little encouragement and repetition go a long way!
Watch/click here: : Shoe Tying Video
When your child can independently tie their shoes and show me their new skill, they will:
• Become a member of our Shoe Tying Club
• Sign the “Shoe Tying Club” wall
• Receive a special prize
Thank you for partnering with me to help your child grow in confidence — one loop, swoop, and pull at a time!
With excitement,
Mrs. Hickey 💜🌪️
📣 North School Families!
We’d love your voice! Please take a moment to check out the attached letter from Mr. Cunningham and click the link to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. Your feedback truly helps guide our school decisions. Thank you for partnering with us!
https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/
We’d love your voice! Please take a moment to check out the attached letter from Mr. Cunningham and click the link to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. Your feedback truly helps guide our school decisions. Thank you for partnering with us!
https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/
5 Essentails Survey is now open. Please see the information below and provide valuable feedback about the district and your child's school.
Follow this link to a PDF version of the attached images:
https://aptg.co/LFqKkS
You can find a direct link to the survey here:
https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois/5e/2025/
Last Friday, Taylorville High School held its annual Scholarship Awareness Day for seniors! Thank you to all scholarship committees for taking time out of your day for our students and helping invest in their futures! 🎓✏️📚
⭐ January Star Student Spotlight! ⭐
Our January Star Student is rocking the new year with a positive attitude, strong effort, and a big smile! We love seeing you shine and set a great example for others. Way to go! 🌟
Our January Star Student is rocking the new year with a positive attitude, strong effort, and a big smile! We love seeing you shine and set a great example for others. Way to go! 🌟
Wednesday, March 25, 2026 - THS Career Exploration and Community Service Day!
Taylorville Schools will have an E-Learning day on Monday, January 26, 2026. Please follow the e-learning plan for your child's school.
Class of 2030, we cannot wait to meet you!
8th graders, SAVE THE DATE for your Freshman Orientation at Taylorville High School in the caferteria! This is your chance to get to know the high school, extracurricular offerings, and turn in your course selection pick sheet. Please plan to atten with at least one parent or guardian!
8th graders, SAVE THE DATE for your Freshman Orientation at Taylorville High School in the caferteria! This is your chance to get to know the high school, extracurricular offerings, and turn in your course selection pick sheet. Please plan to atten with at least one parent or guardian!
Congratulations to Maxx Grieme as he signs his letter of intent to continue his education and play baseball for the Hawks of Heartland Community College. Congratulations Maxx!
On Wednesday, January 28th and Wednesday, February 25th, all freshman, sophomore, and juniors will take the practice PreACT and ACT test! Seniors will participate in two different presentations in the cafeteria.
Please see attached flyer for more information!
8th Grade Students Explore Cybersecurity Careers and Online Safety
Our 8th grade students recently had the opportunity to learn about cybersecurity and online safety from Ms. Courtney Fuerstenau, a cybersecurity engineer. Mrs. Reindl arranged for Ms. Fuerstenau to create an engaging video for students that focused on staying safe online, what a cybersecurity engineer does, the wide range of careers available in cybersecurity, and the steps students can take to pursue a future in the field.
The video was shared with all 8th grade science classes, where students viewed and discussed the content. Following the video, students developed thoughtful questions for Ms. Fuerstenau. These questions were then used during a live-streamed question and answer session that included all 8th grade students.
Ms. Fuerstenau did an excellent job explaining the importance of online safety and encouraging students to consider careers in cybersecurity and computer science. The experience gave students valuable real-world insight into a growing career field and practical strategies for staying safe in the digital world.
Our 8th grade students recently had the opportunity to learn about cybersecurity and online safety from Ms. Courtney Fuerstenau, a cybersecurity engineer. Mrs. Reindl arranged for Ms. Fuerstenau to create an engaging video for students that focused on staying safe online, what a cybersecurity engineer does, the wide range of careers available in cybersecurity, and the steps students can take to pursue a future in the field.
The video was shared with all 8th grade science classes, where students viewed and discussed the content. Following the video, students developed thoughtful questions for Ms. Fuerstenau. These questions were then used during a live-streamed question and answer session that included all 8th grade students.
Ms. Fuerstenau did an excellent job explaining the importance of online safety and encouraging students to consider careers in cybersecurity and computer science. The experience gave students valuable real-world insight into a growing career field and practical strategies for staying safe in the digital world.
Congratulations to the 2025-2026 THS Senior Bowlers.
Miles Haines
Zach Dye
Kierstyn Diehl
Abby Parry
Selena Johnson
Hannah Mumbower
Miles Haines
Zach Dye
Kierstyn Diehl
Abby Parry
Selena Johnson
Hannah Mumbower
Class of 2030, we cannot wait to meet you!
8th graders, SAVE THE DATE for your Freshman Orientationat Taylorville High School in the caferteria! This is your chance to get to know the high school, extracurricular offerings, and turn in your course selection pick sheet. Please plan to atten with at least one parent or guardian!
8th graders, SAVE THE DATE for your Freshman Orientationat Taylorville High School in the caferteria! This is your chance to get to know the high school, extracurricular offerings, and turn in your course selection pick sheet. Please plan to atten with at least one parent or guardian!
University of Illinois Illinette, Sophie Marsaglia, visited Memorial Elementary today to talk with some of the dance girls and present us with a poster. Thank you so much for your visit, and good luck with the rest of your season.
Thank you to Pepsi Refreshment Services for their donation to Taylorville High School. Representatives from Pepsi attended a THS Football game this past fall to promote Pepsi's partnership and support of the Taylorville Tornadoes! (Pictured are Mr. Matthew Hutchison, Principal at THS and Mr. Kevin Flynn, Pepsi Sales Manager).
Memorial Elementary December Students of the Month
Front row: Harley Smith, Jasper Chronister, Kelby Martin, Madalyn Siempelkamp, Zadie Muncy, and Ryley Jones
Back row: Bentley Randall, Quincy Pelichoff, Maycee Walsh, Tesley Neville, Leah Navarrete Cabrera, Leigha Mollet
Thank you to First National Bank for your continued sponsorship
Just before Christmas break, North School had a very special visitor! 🎄💚 The Grinch stopped by to surprise students and staff and make the last days before break extra memorable. Better late than never. These photos were worth the wait.
Looks like someone’s heart grew three sizes at North School! 💚🎄 The Grinch made a surprise visit just before Christmas break, spreading laughs, smiles, and a little mischief. We are finally getting these photos shared, and they were too fun not to post.
On Oct. 29, 2025 Taylorville High School hosted a Career Fair where about 40 professionals came and spoke to our students about their careers. We were so thankful to the following people for taking time out of their day to come and speak with our students.
Cameron Adam, Cams Luxury Detailing
Taylorville Fire Department
Joann Archibald, Occupational Therapist, Hillsboro Health
Tommy Barry, Neal Tire and Auto
Paris Bell, The Hair Lounge Salon & Spa
Becky Butler, Countryside Vet
Christian County Sheriff's Office
Nate Clason, Calvary Baptist Church
Blake Davis, Edward Jones
Taylor Durhan, Illinois Department of Corrections
Kathy Fergin, Taylorville Memorial Hospital
Elizabeth Fines-Workman, Lincoln Land Community College
Darcy Graham, HISF Healthcare
Beth Guhlstrof, Speech/Language Pathologist TJHS
Chris Harris, MTI
Kristen Harrison, Springfield Clinic
Kyra Havera, Taylorville Memorial Hospital
Mike Havera, Illinois Appellate Prosecutor's Office
Brett Jackson, Systemax
Mike Jameson, Simplex
Chris Kuntzman, Twotrees Tech
Derek Lahey, ADM
Jeff Large, CMT
Kara Lewis, St. John's Hospital
Daniel Nolen, Nolen Servies
Elyse O'Brien, Springfield Clinic
O'Shea Builders
Will Peabody, Ameren
Howard Purdue, Illinois State Police
Curt Robinson, Lincoln Land Community College
Cayde Schmulbach, Horace Mann
Tim Thome, Fehring Metalworks
Lauren Tyler, Taylorville Junior High School
Amy Winans, Dunn's
Eric Winans, Brandt
Elliot Hogge, Army National Guard
Blake Beckley, NASA Engineer
Thank you again to all of the presenters!
Cameron Adam, Cams Luxury Detailing
Taylorville Fire Department
Joann Archibald, Occupational Therapist, Hillsboro Health
Tommy Barry, Neal Tire and Auto
Paris Bell, The Hair Lounge Salon & Spa
Becky Butler, Countryside Vet
Christian County Sheriff's Office
Nate Clason, Calvary Baptist Church
Blake Davis, Edward Jones
Taylor Durhan, Illinois Department of Corrections
Kathy Fergin, Taylorville Memorial Hospital
Elizabeth Fines-Workman, Lincoln Land Community College
Darcy Graham, HISF Healthcare
Beth Guhlstrof, Speech/Language Pathologist TJHS
Chris Harris, MTI
Kristen Harrison, Springfield Clinic
Kyra Havera, Taylorville Memorial Hospital
Mike Havera, Illinois Appellate Prosecutor's Office
Brett Jackson, Systemax
Mike Jameson, Simplex
Chris Kuntzman, Twotrees Tech
Derek Lahey, ADM
Jeff Large, CMT
Kara Lewis, St. John's Hospital
Daniel Nolen, Nolen Servies
Elyse O'Brien, Springfield Clinic
O'Shea Builders
Will Peabody, Ameren
Howard Purdue, Illinois State Police
Curt Robinson, Lincoln Land Community College
Cayde Schmulbach, Horace Mann
Tim Thome, Fehring Metalworks
Lauren Tyler, Taylorville Junior High School
Amy Winans, Dunn's
Eric Winans, Brandt
Elliot Hogge, Army National Guard
Blake Beckley, NASA Engineer
Thank you again to all of the presenters!
⭐ December Star Students ⭐
Mr. Cunningham recognized our December Star Students with help from Melissa Nation of Country Financial. These students continue to lead by example through kindness, effort, and responsibility. Congratulations—we are so proud of you!
Paityn Fogle
Reed Casey
Lilly Minix
Faye Bland
Braden Ebert
Blakely Fisher
Jameson Zeitler
Catarina Biondolino
Natalie Abbott
Taylor Smith
Alison Turner
Kylan Warren
Mattie Motley
Aleana Ziros
Huxley Crowder
Addelyn Toberman
Lainie Skinner
Mr. Cunningham recognized our December Star Students with help from Melissa Nation of Country Financial. These students continue to lead by example through kindness, effort, and responsibility. Congratulations—we are so proud of you!
Paityn Fogle
Reed Casey
Lilly Minix
Faye Bland
Braden Ebert
Blakely Fisher
Jameson Zeitler
Catarina Biondolino
Natalie Abbott
Taylor Smith
Alison Turner
Kylan Warren
Mattie Motley
Aleana Ziros
Huxley Crowder
Addelyn Toberman
Lainie Skinner
