District Dialogue

Lincoln High School's Student Council is hosting its first-ever Winter Carnival this Saturday, December 14, from 1-3 PM, and you're invited!

This free event is designed for elementary-aged students to enjoy holiday-themed activities, games, and crafts. Families are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to help spread some Christmas cheer to other students in need.

📍 Lincoln High School
🗓️ Saturday, December 14th | 1–3 PM

We can't wait to see you there! 🎁✨

Tonight the school board members got to hear an update on the progress of the Community Learning Centers from program administrators, Rebecca Wimmer and Paul Keizer. The CLC initiative continues to support students’ growth through extended academic learning, enrichment activities, life-skill development, college and career readiness, and family engagement.

Now in its second year, the program serves approximately 1,800 elementary students across 22 sites with consistent before and after-school care and summer enrichment. Since July 2024, more than $1.3 million in scholarships have been allocated to support families. Planning is underway to expand services, including the addition of a new Boys & Girls Clubs program at Marcella LeBeau Elementary for the 2025-2026 school year.

Middle school programming is also preparing to grow, with a dedicated facility at George McGovern Middle School slated to open in Fall 2025. High school efforts have focused on college and career readiness, with plans to introduce new initiatives in the coming years.

Family and community engagement remains a key focus. Recent events, like Health & Wellness Fairs and Housing Education sessions, highlight how the District and its partners are connecting families with valuable resources.

The CLC initiative reflects the District’s commitment to student success and continues to evolve to meet the needs of our community.

Read the full report by clicking below!

At tonight's meeting, the Sioux Falls School Board voted and approved Tuesday, May 13, 2025, as the date for the 2025 School Board Election. Two seats will be open as the terms of Carly Reiter and Nan Kelly conclude in July.

As part of the Board's transition plan to establish four-year terms for all members by 2028, these upcoming vacancies will have three-year terms. SFSD is working with Minnehaha Country to coordiante the election.

Mark your calendars for May 13, and stay tuned for more details!

Read the full report by clicking below!

Please join us in congratulating our newest All Star, Lissa Murawski! Lissa serves as a Connection Coordinator at John Harris Elementary, where she helps bridge the school day and after-school programs, ensuring consistency and support for students.

Lissa plays an essential role in creating a supportive, collaborative environment for students, families, and staff. Her dedication to helping students thrive, academically, behaviorally, and personally, shines in everything she does!

John Harris first-grade teacher Kristine Dykstra, who nominated Lissa, shared:

“Lissa builds strong relationships with students, parents, and staff, ensuring that everyone feels valued and supported. She’s calm, consistent, and caring—and students know they can count on her. Lissa celebrates their victories, big and small, and works tirelessly to make sure they know they matter.”

Lissa's impact goes far beyond the classroom. From texting parents to encourage conference attendance to celebrating milestones like new haircuts, her genuine passion for fostering connection and teamwork makes a lasting difference.

Congratulations, Lissa! Thank you for all your hardwork and dedication!

Project Warm-Up's goal this year is to make at least 3000 blankets to fulfill the requests in our community.

Help make this goal a reality! See you Saturday!

Last week you should have received an email from SFSD with a link to a staff survey. If you haven't yet completed this survey, please try to do so soon. Hearing from staff is invaluably important, and this is the perfect opportunity to let SFSD know how you feel. The survey is totally anonymous, so please be completely honest and transparent in your completion.

Please complete the survey by Friday, December 20th..

We look forward to hearing from you!

We are giving the Sioux Falls School District website a refreshed look to better serve our staff, students and families!

Here’s what you can expect:

• Fresh Design: A modern update to the homepage for the District and all schools.

• Streamlined Navigation: Not to worry! The menu will stay the same and your bookmarks will still work!

• Current Information, FAST!: The Live Feed and News sections are combining for quick access to the latest updates.

• Spotlight on What Matters: The About Us section will feature key information for each school and the District.

The new design will go live on December 13th during the day!

We are excited to share these improvements and enhance your experience. Stay tuned!

Just a reminder the wellness program will need to be completed by March 1st, 2025, to qualify for the wellness discount. Below is the link to the wellness program and the physician form to bring to your wellness visit.

https://sfsdwellness.com

Preventative Care Form

Questions? Contact the Benefits Office at (605) 367-7662

SandCreek, our Employee Assistance Program, is free, confidential, and available to ALL Sioux Falls School District employees and their family members. As a part of their extensive list of offerings, SandCreek offers FREE monthly webinars that cover a variety of topics. Below are a couple upcoming ones!

Unable to attend the webinar live? SandCreek has recorded versions of all past webinars available in their Webinar Library. Visithttps://allonehealth.com/webinars/ to view the library!

To register for a SandCreek account, visit www.SandCreekEAP.com and click the “Sign Up” link just below the Log In button. Enter siouxfalls as your company code and complete the signup process! A confirmation email will be sent to complete the registration.

The Connection Between Exercise and Mental Health

Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 | 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Register Online!

As of January 2025, SandCreek will be using the WebEx Platform for their webinars. Multi Language closed captioning will be available at that time!

Taking Control of Your Finances

Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 | 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Register Online!

PrudentRx Your employer has chosen to utilize PrudentRx for copayment assistance for specialty medications. PrudentRx will assist you by helping you enroll in drug manufacturer copay assistance programs. If you are taking a medication included on the PrudentRx drug list, PrudentRx will contact you directly to enroll.

If you enroll with PrudentRx to get copayment assistance for your eligible specialty medication, you will have $0 out-of-pocket responsibility for prescriptions covered under the PrudentRx drug list.

If you do not enroll in the PrudentRx program, by expressly refusing to enroll, or by not responding to PrudentRx’s attempts to contact you, you may be responsible for the full coinsurance related to specialty medications, but said coinsurance may not count toward your out-of-pocket maximum.

The PrudentRx drug list can be found at Wellmark.com/member/prescriptiondrugs.

PrudentRx drug list

Your mental health and well-being matter to us, and we are proud to offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides mental health counseling and a range of whole health support services for you and your family.

Our EAP partner, SandCreek, recently announced that effective January 1, 2025 will be changing its name to AllOne Health. While the name is changing, you can rest assured that your access to all the benefits will continue seamlessly through the transition.

Curious about what’s included in your EAP? Click HERE to check out their flier and explore the resources available to you.