Please meet one of the wonderful ESP, Christelle Van Heerden. "I am originally from South Africa and moved to the United States in March. I have three years of experience working in a school and love spending time with children and helping them learn and grow. I enjoy seeing their little victories and helping them feel confident in themselves. I’m so excited to be part of the Hawthorne family and look forward to making a difference in the students’ lives!"
Christelle Ubuntu!🌈
Christelle Ubuntu!🌈
Ms. Pedersen’s second grade class had a great time doing their weekly flashlight reading today! During independent reading practice, students practice learning to love reading all by themselves.
Students in 201, Ms. Pedersen's class had a chance to use the art room cameras during our first ever Ubuntu Photo Club. Take a look at some of the photos, all taken by second grade students, and see what recess looks like from our eyes. Great work on your photography skills 201!
📸 Ready to say “CHEESE!”? 🧀
Picture Day is Wednesday, October 7, 2026! 🎉
Please make sure students come ready to smile and have their picture taken! 😊
Haven’t had a chance to order pictures yet? No worries! Simply scan the QR code to place your order whenever you can.
We can’t wait to see those smiles! 📸✨
Picture Day is Wednesday, October 7, 2026! 🎉
Please make sure students come ready to smile and have their picture taken! 😊
Haven’t had a chance to order pictures yet? No worries! Simply scan the QR code to place your order whenever you can.
We can’t wait to see those smiles! 📸✨
Hawthorne 5th graders served up some smiles at their first Ubuntu Cafe of the year. Thanks to Ms. Hansen and our 5th graders for all their hard work with the cafe so our students can have meaningful experiences that support our Hawthorne community!
Happy National Principal Appreciation Month! 🍎💙
We are so incredibly grateful for Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Greenfield, the two wonderful women who work tirelessly to support everyone at Hawthorne! They truly care about each and every student and staff member in our building, and their dedication, kindness, and compassion shine through in everything they do.
Their bright smiles, encouraging words, and constant support make Hawthorne a happier, stronger, and better place each and every day. They lead with heart, celebrate our successes, support us through our challenges, and always put our school community first.
Thank you, Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Greenfield, for all that you do for Hawthorne! We are so lucky to have you both leading and supporting our school. You are appreciated more than you know! 💙🍎✨
We are so incredibly grateful for Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Greenfield, the two wonderful women who work tirelessly to support everyone at Hawthorne! They truly care about each and every student and staff member in our building, and their dedication, kindness, and compassion shine through in everything they do.
Their bright smiles, encouraging words, and constant support make Hawthorne a happier, stronger, and better place each and every day. They lead with heart, celebrate our successes, support us through our challenges, and always put our school community first.
Thank you, Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Greenfield, for all that you do for Hawthorne! We are so lucky to have you both leading and supporting our school. You are appreciated more than you know! 💙🍎✨
Pete, from Siouxland Libraries, came to talk to Hawthorne Huskies about Library Card Sign Up Month! Every student heard a story, sang a song, and got a cool library tattoo! Signing up for a public library card is FREE to all who live in Sioux Falls and have a valid ID. Stop by the Downtown Branch today to sign up for a library card! Emery approves this message. 📚👍🏻
Here is a link to sign up for a library card! https://www.siouxlandlib.org/services/cards-accounts
Here is a link to sign up for a library card! https://www.siouxlandlib.org/services/cards-accounts
⚽️ Saturdays are for soccer, smiles, and making memories! 🌟
A big shout-out to the O’Gorman Boys Soccer Team for helping out! 👏⚽️
A big shout-out to the O’Gorman Boys Soccer Team for helping out! 👏⚽️
Picture day is coming up! Picture packets will be sent home on Monday September 21st. Please return packets to classroom teachers!
Thank you to the Sioux Falls Public Library for coming to Hawthorne today. Pete was able to share with kindergarten through fifth grade students about getting their library card and know what all happens at the Downtown Public Library!
Information for CLC (Community Learning Center)
A heartfelt thank you to Falls Community Health for the generous donation of school supplies! Your support helps our students start the school year prepared and ready to learn. We truly appreciate your kindness and commitment to our community!
Office of Indian Education Open House
Classroom preparations are underway for the 26-27 school year. Families need to update information, even if nothing has changed from previous years. Taking care of this now helps us ensure a smooth start to the school year for your child. This information allows us to get students assigned teachers, create schedules, and take care of simple things like having enough desks in each classroom!
https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/school-registration
Login to your Parent Portal to complete your child’s school registration as soon as possible.
If you need assistance, please contact the Student Records and Registration Office at 605-367-7952.
Thank you for helping us prepare for your student!
https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/school-registration
Login to your Parent Portal to complete your child’s school registration as soon as possible.
If you need assistance, please contact the Student Records and Registration Office at 605-367-7952.
Thank you for helping us prepare for your student!
Elementary 1st day of school is August 27th.
Tomorrow, May 20th is our last day of school! (Kindergarten - 5th grade & extended day preschool)
Thank you to our amazing students, families, and staff for a wonderful school year filled with learning, growth, and memories. We hope everyone has a safe, fun, and relaxing summer break. See you next school year! ☀️🍎
Another great season of soccer is in the books thanks to Sioux Falls Neighborhood Soccer! ⚽️
A special thank you to all of the volunteers, coaches, and sponsors who helped make this season possible. Your time, support, and dedication made a difference for so many kids and families. We appreciate everything you do to help our community shine
A special thank you to all of the volunteers, coaches, and sponsors who helped make this season possible. Your time, support, and dedication made a difference for so many kids and families. We appreciate everything you do to help our community shine
If you have a child participating in Sioux Falls Neighborhood Soccer this year, be sure to stay up to date on schedules, locations, and important updates by visiting their Facebook page!
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Sioux Falls Neighborhood Soccer
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Sioux Falls Neighborhood Soccer
A wonderful article from Teach Kindness
A Place of Safety, Belonging, and Care
Hawthorne Elementary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, serves about 250 students. Counselor Morgan Towner says one of the school’s central commitments is making sure students and families experience school as a place they can trust.
That trust is built through steady outreach. Once a month, Towner and her team host Living in the Circle family nights, where families share a meal, do activities together, and talk with staff. Parents whose own school experiences were difficult sometimes arrive cautious, but the family nights give them a reason to come through the door. “We’re really trying to make that connection between school and home,” Towner says, “and be one cohesive team.”
The school grounds much of its culture in the Circle of Courage framework, built around belonging, generosity, mastery, and independence. Those values show up in how staff respond to students who are struggling. Towner tells the story of two students who arrived at different times during the year and seemed standoffish, never quite engaging. Rather than labeling them as difficult, staff kept investigating. Both students turned out to have undiagnosed vision problems. The school connected them with eye care and glasses. “We never would have figured that out had we not used the strategies that we teach kids all the time: take a step back, try to examine the situation,” Towner says.
That same patience showed up in how the school’s fifth graders handled the unexpected loss of a teacher midyear. In the months that followed, students practiced the skills they had been learning, naming their own grief and giving grace to the adults around them who were grieving too. One student told a teacher, “I can understand how hard that is. I wish that you wouldn’t hurt so much. I care so much about you.” Towner says that students would not have been able to say that a year ago.
Kindness also extends beyond the classroom. Through the school’s Ubuntu Leaders program, students make tie blankets for classmates and families facing homelessness, loss, or other major hardships. Towner puts her philosophy simply: “If you take nothing else away from our school, I want you to take away the skills on how to be a good person and how to show up for your community.”
https://weteachkindness.org/
A Place of Safety, Belonging, and Care
Hawthorne Elementary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, serves about 250 students. Counselor Morgan Towner says one of the school’s central commitments is making sure students and families experience school as a place they can trust.
That trust is built through steady outreach. Once a month, Towner and her team host Living in the Circle family nights, where families share a meal, do activities together, and talk with staff. Parents whose own school experiences were difficult sometimes arrive cautious, but the family nights give them a reason to come through the door. “We’re really trying to make that connection between school and home,” Towner says, “and be one cohesive team.”
The school grounds much of its culture in the Circle of Courage framework, built around belonging, generosity, mastery, and independence. Those values show up in how staff respond to students who are struggling. Towner tells the story of two students who arrived at different times during the year and seemed standoffish, never quite engaging. Rather than labeling them as difficult, staff kept investigating. Both students turned out to have undiagnosed vision problems. The school connected them with eye care and glasses. “We never would have figured that out had we not used the strategies that we teach kids all the time: take a step back, try to examine the situation,” Towner says.
That same patience showed up in how the school’s fifth graders handled the unexpected loss of a teacher midyear. In the months that followed, students practiced the skills they had been learning, naming their own grief and giving grace to the adults around them who were grieving too. One student told a teacher, “I can understand how hard that is. I wish that you wouldn’t hurt so much. I care so much about you.” Towner says that students would not have been able to say that a year ago.
Kindness also extends beyond the classroom. Through the school’s Ubuntu Leaders program, students make tie blankets for classmates and families facing homelessness, loss, or other major hardships. Towner puts her philosophy simply: “If you take nothing else away from our school, I want you to take away the skills on how to be a good person and how to show up for your community.”
https://weteachkindness.org/
