Sioux Falls School District - Educate and prepare each student to succeed in a changing world

All Stars videos are back for 23-24! She's the glue that holds together the Learning Lab, the EC office, a new preschool & more. She's the phone & in-person ambassador for the parents of our youngest learners, & Crystal excels at all of it. Meet her: https://youtu.be/CpI2Pz1A2Kk

Mark your calendar for Tuesday at 6pm! SFSD and experts from Avera are teaming up for the second year of the Family Forum Series. It's 30-minutes of online learning that includes practical advice to strengthen families. September 19 Topic :Benefits of Setting Limits.

The Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation is celebrating their 15th anniversary TODAY! For 15 years they have been providing funds to help support teachers, schools, and students. They are asking YOU to donate $15 today (9/15) to help them continue their important work for the next 15 years. View an informative video here: https://youtu.be/SUiuXBpP00o And donate here! https://sfpsef.kindful.com/?campaign=1259096

This week's episode of Teacher Talk, presented by South Dakota Public Broadcasting, focuses on the role rewards play in the classroom. This fascinating conversation zeros in on the changing ways some teachers measure student growth. Listen here! https://bit.ly/3Zm01Sm

Congratulations to George Hawkins (Jefferson HS History/Government Teacher) on being a Region 2 South Dakota Teacher of the Year Finalist! He was the recipient of the SFSD TotY award this past spring, and will now be an excellent representative of our District at a statewide level. Selection is Sept. 28th in Mitchell, SD. Keep up the amazing work, Mr. Hawkins! View more information on George Hawkins here: https://doe.sd.gov/teachsd/emails/091323/Region2.html

It's moving day at the CTE Academy! The 2nd of 2 completed houses, built from the ground up last school year, is being moved to its new location today... that means new space available to build two new houses in 2023-2024! https://youtu.be/80uyqRNCvKk

It's that time of year again: Pumpkin Spice Rockets! CTE Academy Aviation students build, launch and relaunch rockets as one of their first big projects of the year. Check out these spaceship superstars: https://youtu.be/Q4HWd4PGbE8

How cool is this?! Yesterday, students from Whittier Middle School got to visit with local artist Walter Portz as he works on a monumental mural in downtown Sioux Falls. They even got to help put paint on the wall! Now, whenever these students pass by this mural, they can take pride in knowing that they played a part in its completion, and they know the artist! Thanks Walter! Just one more reason to #supportSDpublicschools

New photos up from an amazing Presidents Bowl 2023! Check them all out: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAUdrV

The largest fundraiser of the year for all four high schools and all activities is underway! Presidents Bowl features football, cheer, dance, marching band and much more!

We have a special feature on our podcast today! The fine folks at South Dakota Public Broadcasting have graciously allowed us to air their new mini-series "Teacher Talk" on our podcast. "Teacher Talk" features a conversation with educators about the state of public education in a variety of contexts. The mainstay guests are Dr. Jackie Wilber with the University of South Dakota, and Gina Benz, a high school english teacher at Roosevelt, right here in the Sioux Falls School District. Talks are hosted by Lori Walsh with SDPB, and can be heard on "In The Moment" through SDPB. A big THANK YOU to SDPB for letting us air these conversations on our podcast. These conversations are very important and the more we can get them out to the public, the better. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sfschools/episodes/SDPB-Presents-Teacher-Talk-e293ct8

The United States Marine Band is coming to Sioux Falls! They're bringing a patriotic salute to the armed forces to the Lincoln High School Gymnasium on Oct. 5th, 2023, and tickets are FREE! Just register and get your ticket beforehand at this link: www.marineband.marines.mil/Tour

Students are back in the classroom after Labor Day break and ready to learn! Could your student benefit from some extra help outside of class? Dakota Dreams offers free online tutoring programs for all students. For more information and registration go to ourdakotadreams.com/online-tutoring

Just a reminder that there is no school tomorrow or next Monday. We hope you have an enjoyable long Labor Day weekend! We hope you get to spend time with loved ones as we transition into fall!

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing two or more days of school per month. And it has doubled in South Dakota since 2019. In July, SFSD was awarded a grant from the SD Department of Education to help combat chronic absenteeism. Through this grant we have hired six Attendance Liaisons who will develop relationships with students and work to identify/eliminate barriers preventing school attendance. The first step towards a student's success is simply showing up!

It's time for the first SFSD All Star of the 2023-24 school year! Xavier Tatum! Xavier has gone above and beyond the call of duty as an O.S Mechanic. He worked with Ben Schumacher recently to create some much-needed, overdue, and very helpful training videos. When asked, Xavier never hesitated to put himself in a unknown and never-done-before situation. These videos have been a great reminder and a helpful tool for all the custodial staff. Much of our equipment is used seasonally and these videos are a great refresher for staff who use this equipment. Xavier is always on-time and has a great attitude about getting any task asked of him done... even if it is not a pleasant one! Congratulations Xavier - you are an All Star!

The theme for the 2023-24 school year is...Cultivate! We maximize growth by planting the seeds for success. Being in South Dakota, this is an especially relevant concept. SFSD is committed to fostering nurturing environments of growth from early childhood up through graduation. Fresh ideas, innovation, and creativity are just a few tools we use to prepare each student for success in a changing world.

The SFSD leadership team is just as happy today as they were as Kindergarten students! This group has been "in school" a total of 150 years! Show us your "First Day" photos! #SFSDFirstDay

It's the first day of school 2023-2024! Lincoln High School was buzzing this morning!

School attendance is crucial. Providing free busing helps ensure students get to school daily. Information about bus routes, the free Stop Finder app, rules & expectations on the bus, maps & more info here: https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/busing-boundary-information