Throughout the month of February, students across SFSD have been celebrating Black History Month. It's a time to recognize and honor the achievements, struggles, and successes of Black individuals throughout history. At Washington High School, members of the Black Student Union spoke with leaders from NAACP Sioux Falls about empowerment, how to help one another, and how to be a force for good in the community. Engaging in these meaningful conversations empowers students to work toward a future of which they can be proud. Thank you NAACP Sioux Falls 4102-B for your commitment to student engagement!
🏫 Public Schools Week is February 26th - March 1st! Public Schools Week is an annual celebration uniting schools, families, and communities to strengthen collaborations and highlight strategies for ongoing improvement. In today’s fast-paced world, public schools are enhancing both their academic and extracurricular offerings, catering to the diverse and evolving needs of students, and integrating technology and innovations to elevate the learning process. Join us in supporting our local public schools and uplifting our kids!
Everybody Reads starts this Friday, March 1st! In partnership with Siouxland Libraries, we will be adding one paper raindrop to walls across school and public libraries throughout Sioux Falls. Our goal is 300,000 books read from March 1st - March 22nd. Thanks to our sponsors, when our goal is met we can make a donation to our friends at REACH Literacy! Today we had members on KELOLAND Living to speak about our initiative. Be sure to tune in for more info! #EverybodyReads
In case you missed it, here is a link to the full ceremony for the 36th Annual Dr. John W. Harris Teacher of the Year program! This video includes the performance of the Ben Reifel Middle School Band, a segment where we get to know the finalists a bit better, and the entirety of last night's event. Make sure to watch until the end for bonus video from this morning, where the celebration continues, and Mrs. Thies shares what this acknowledgment means to her.
https://youtu.be/zRi0zERakkY
Last night's Teacher of the Year event was full of smiles, hugs, and happiness from everyone in attendance. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated and a special congrats to Katie Ellwein (One American Bank Distinguished Educator) and Susan Thies (Dr. John W. Harris 2024 Teacher of the Year)! Were you at the event? Feel free to get your photos here! https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBfGBH
Watch the 2024 Teacher of the Year event live here, starting in moments!
https://youtube.com/live/emtSKRsWZNw?feature=share
Tonight is the night! The 2024 Teacher of the Year will be announced at an event starting at 7:00 PM. Watch the Live Feed section of the SFSD website for a link to watch LIVE on our YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emtSKRsWZNw
A HUGE congratulations goes out to Susan Thies, winner of the 36th Annual Dr. John W. Harris Teacher of the Year Award! Susan teaches 5th grade at Garfield Elementary.
To paraphrase her nomination, "There are only a select few teachers I have ever come across that I would label as master teachers. Teaching is both an art and a science which requires full commitment mentally, emotionally, and physically. Teaching requires that you know your content, your students, and yourself, inside and out, completely. It is for these reasons, and many more, that I can say with complete conviction that Susan Thies is a master teacher."
Thank you, Susan, for your many years of dedicated service to education and the Sioux Falls School District. The lasting impact you've made on countless students will be felt for generations.
Congratulations to Katie Ellwein, who is the recipient of the 2024 One American Bank Distinguished Educator Award! Katie teaches 4th grade at Laura B. Anderson Elementary School.
Per her nomination, "Katie is a great leader, an optimistic leader. She shows tremendous love for all kids." "Katie exudes the LBA way. She is always trying to grow as a teacher, she is unafraid to embrace change and she builds relationships with family members."
Thank you, Katie, for everything you do for students and parents every day. SFSD is a better place because of you!
We have another LEVO Credit Union Adopt-a-Classroom Award winner! Andrea Bleil is a 4th grade teacher at Robert Frost Challenge Center and she was nominated by Abby Wheeler. Abby had this to say about Andrea, "Mrs. Bleil is my son's 4th grade teacher. She has such a positive and bright attitude and demeanor about her. Often times we focus so much on academics and forget that our students need so much more than just academics. Mrs. Bleil focuses on growth mindset and helping students navigate their feelings and emotions. She helps them to problem solve when they have a setback academically or socially and helps give them tools to build their self-confidence. These things are so important for our kids at a young age. Lessons on kindness and gratitude are focused on and she often acknowledges each individual student and things she specifically appreciates about each of them." Thank you Mrs. Bleil for being the best you can be for your students everyday!
National School Board Appreciation Week was Feb. 19-23, and we're pretty proud of ours! Our school board members work tirelessly to ensure our staff are well taken care of, our buildings are safe and up-to-date, and that our finances are used appropriately and responsibly. School board members come from many different backgrounds but they all have the same purpose, to serve students and positively represent their communities. School board meetings make up only a fraction of the work that is required to be a successful school board member. There are conferences, seminars, executive sessions, and training sessions, not to mention always staying on top of current trends in education (and going to extracurricular activities, community events, the list goes on!). So THANK YOU to all our current (and past) school board members. SFSD wouldn't have the success it does without you!
Culture Day at Roosevelt was a beautiful celebration of the amazing cultures represented at the school. Started a few years ago by the Black Student Union as a way to lift up their voices, the event has grown to include all groups of culturally diverse students. Celebrations like these empower our students, which helps create our future leaders!
70 teachers were nominated for the 36th Annual Dr. John W. Harris Teacher of the Year Award this year, and seven were named as finalists. Get to know them a little better through this video, and stay tuned as the winner is announced on Monday, February 26th! https://youtu.be/y_EwZ7H1hmM
A big THANK YOU goes out to our partners at Air Madness who hosted a wonderful day of jumping yesterday in support of Operation Hope and Caring! It was a fabulous day of fun and it all goes towards a great cause. Thank you to LEVO Credit Union and Sioux Falls Storm for making the day a success.
Last week, kindergarten students at Anne Sullivan Elementary were surprised with a donation of Strider bikes from HDR Engineering and the Strider Education Foundation. All Kids Bike is a national program that gets bikes into schools with help from businesses and organizations like HDR. Mayor Paul TenHaken even showed up to talk about the importance of biking! You can watch the exciting assembly here!
https://youtu.be/ToIO4pewUC8
This week's SFSD All-Star is Dalonda Dalin at Eugene Field A+ Elementary! She was nominated by her colleague Jamie Hofland who had this to say, "Dalonda goes above and beyond to make sure the needs of all students are met! She builds relationships with the students to better their learning environment and always steps up to whatever is asked of her. If her schedule has to change suddenly or we need her to try something new we will never hear her complain about her being placed where there is a need. When she is faced with challenges she asks for help in bettering her knowledge on the situation so she can grow with the students. Dalonda is a true role model for the students and staff at EFA+! We are so lucky to have her!" Thank you for everything you do, Dalonda!
Did you know?
Student leaders from the Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Washington High School JAG (Jobs for America's Graduates) program recently took a trip to learn about leadership in government. A big congratulations to Brody Stenger (the first-ever JAG-SD state parliamentarian) on being recognized on the house floor by Rep. Amber Arlint!
Last week students and staff at Ben Reifel Middle School hosted their first annual 🌶️ Chilli Cook Off! 🥵 It was a great way to build some community and warm away the dreary days. The competition was tight, but congrats to the Boys and Girls Club on taking home the gold !🥇
Reminder that there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, Feb. 19, or Tuesday, Feb. 20. If you're looking to have some fun on Tuesday, be sure to stop by Air Madness from 10 am - 7 pm. 100% of the net proceeds will be donated to Operation Hope and Caring, benefiting schools without a PTA/PTO.
