El Noticiero

January 9: End of Quarter 2

January 9: SD Symphondy Quartet concert for 3rd and 4th grade at SSE from 9:00-9:45 AM

January 9: PTO School Skate Night at Skate City from 6:00-8:00 PM

January 10: No Class - Teacher Work Day

January 13: 2nd Semester Bussing Starts

January 14: Deadline to complete the Spanish Immersion Kindergarten Application

January 20: No Class - Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance

January 27: PASI Meeting at 6:30 PM

January 31: Tienda de los Lobos

January 31: SSE Movie Night at 6:00 PM - The Wild Robot

February 3: No Class - Inservice and Spring Conferences

February 4: 100th Day of School

February 6: Spring Conferences 3:00-7:00 PM

February 17-18: No Class - Winter Break

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! It is hard to believe we are already halfway through the school year. As we step into the second semester, we are filled with excitement for the opportunities and growth ahead. Thank you for your continued support in making Sonia Sotomayor Elementary a wonderful place for learning and community.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

We will be holding Parent-Teacher Conferences, February 3rd and 6th. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss their strengths, progress, and any concerns you may have. To make the most of this time, we encourage you to:

• Prepare a list of specific questions or topics you’d like to discuss.
• Reflect on your child’s accomplishments and areas where they may need additional support.
• Collaborate with the teacher to set goals for the remainder of the school year.

Be on the lookout for communication from your child’s teacher regarding conference scheduling. We look forward to seeing you there!

Reminders

• Winter weather is here! Please make sure your child comes to school dressed appropriately with warm coats, hats, and gloves.
• Attendance is key to your child’s success. Let’s work together to ensure every student has a strong start to 2025.

Thank you for being such an integral part of our school community. Together, we can make this semester even better than the last. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.

Your principal,

Dr. Tracy Vik

Congradulations to the following students who completed at least 8 Dreambox lessons over the holiday break! That is at least one lesson for each weekday we were on break.

Calum Snyder, Catherine Foster, Coale Devish, Cruz Chairez, Dvora Brazeal, Elenora Gustafson, Elin Johnson, Emery Devish, Finnegan Fitzler, Harper Wilson, Jaxson Christians, Levi Meyer, Lilian Koppen, Lucas Arriolacolmenares, Marcus Pass, Mateo Charez, McKenzie Reynolds, Owen Jacobs, Ringan Foster, Samantha Tucker, Simon Turneau, Sophie Guse, Sydney Schager, Wilson Moeding, and Xander Breitling!

Our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) team has started a celebration where Classroom Teachers are able to nominate one student who demonstrates our 4 core values: Leader, Aware, Responsible, and Kind. We recently had morning recongition program for these students and their entire families! What we see in the classroom is a testimate to how everyone (family members, students, and staff) is part of the pack and helps instill these values in our students! We are so proud of everyone nomiated in December!

Click the picture to see the list of perfect attendance winners for the month of December! To earn perfect attendance, students have to be present at school for part of each day school is in session. They then earn a green ticket (worth 5 blue tickets) to use in our Tienda de Los Lobos!

Lunch Menu - Free and Reduced Meal Application

My School Bucks - Daily Grade Level Lunch Schedule

2nd Semester starts January 13! With that, we are sending out a new sign up for volunteering for lunch! As you have heard, we no longer have Miss NaTascha heading up the lunch room. Her commanding presence is definitely missed! We ask that volunteers commit to volunteering every week for the spot you select. If interested, please complete this sign up.

37th Annual Dr. John W. Harris Teacher of the Year nominations are now open! The Sioux Falls School District is proud to partner with Vern Eide Motorcars to present this prestigious annual award. Thanks to Vern Eide's generous support, the Teacher of the Year will receive a $4,000 prize! Please help us recognize and honor the tremendous contributions of outstanding classroom teachers by submitting a nomination!

You can learn more about this program and submitt a nomination by visiting the website here: https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/teacher-of-the-year-program.

Over the past six weeks, our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) team challenged students to earn 20,000 Una Manada (One Pack) cards by December 18th. These cards are awarded by staff when students demonstrate our core values: being a leader, being aware, being responsible, and being kind.

The challenge came with an exciting incentive: if the students met their goal, they would get to duct tape the principals to the wall! We are proud to announce that not only did the students meet the goal, but they exceeded it, earning an incredible 21,000 Una Manada cards!

This achievement represents 21,000 positive interactions between adults and students in our school, reinforcing and celebrating the behaviors that create a strong, supportive, and inclusive community.

To celebrate their success, every student present on Friday, December 20, had the opportunity to adhere a piece of tape to one or both of the principals, making it a fun and memorable event for all! Please click HERE to see photos.

We would like to remind families that we do not allow classroom treats for birthdays or other celebrations due to food allergies. Please consider sharing non-edible treats or participating in the Library Birthday Book program as an alternative.

The Spanish Immersion Kindergarten Application deadline is fast approaching and we don't want you to miss it!

The application deadline is Tuesday, January 14th at 5:00pm and you can access the application here: August 2025 Kindergarten Spanish Immersion Application

If you know any other families who may be interested in attending one of the three SFSD Spanish Immersion elementary schools (Sonia Sotomayor, Hayward, or Rosa Parks) for kindergarten during the 2025-26 school year, please pass this information on to them as well.

*Incoming kindergarten students with siblings in the program do receive priority, however, an application is still mandatory.

*Only children that will be five years old on or before September 1, 2025 are eligible to attend kindergarten for the 2025-26 school year.

Please contact the school office at 605-367-4655 or andrea.fowler@k12.sd.us with any questions.

We have been blessed with amazing weather to start this school year, but cold weather is here! Please check the weather and make sure your students are dressed appropriately. Kindergarten and 1st grade do have a morning recess, so please take that into consideration.

Also, please label everything including sweatshirts and individual gloves; we are already acquiring items in our lost and found and it is at capacity. Please speak with your student about our school value, Responsibility, and keeping track of their personal items. Students do have recess before lunch, so they need to know how to keep track of their warm weather gear during lunch. If your student is missing anything, please stop by and check the lost and found! Any smaller items or items of value are kept in the office and not put out with the rest of the lost clothing.

With cold and flu season kicking off, you may want to send your student with cough drops or cold medication. As a reminder, the only medication a child can have at school to self administor are cough drops if there is a Medical Self-Administration form on file. You are more than welcome to stop in during the day to administor any other cold or pain medications.

Winter is here….for those that love sledding, skiing or building snowmen this is your season! Here are some important reminders on winter weather safety!

• Always provide supervision for children when participating in winter weather activities.

• Bundle up and monitor time spent outdoors when it is cold! Hypothermia (low body temperature) and frost bite can happen quickly in cold weather.

• Dress in layers and remember take breaks to warm back up!

• Cover up fragile areas like ear lobes, noses and fingers!

• Sledding is safest going feet first, sitting up.

• Avoid hills with obstructions like trees 

• Wear helmets when skiing, snowboarding or snowmobiling.

• Do not go off path, stay with the crowd.

Keep Your Children Healthy This Winter

Seasonal colds, flu and other respiratory illnesses are unwelcome interruptions to our lives. Encourage your child to practice the following tips to protect their health:

• Avoid close contact with those who are sick. Don’t share food and drinks with others.

• Cover coughs and sneezes. Help keep germs from circulating- cover your nose with a tissue when sneezing and dispose of the tissues properly. When coughing, cover your mouth with your arm, not your hand.

• Wash your hands periodically with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer when you’re not near a sink.

• Avoid touching your face. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.

• Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, drink plenty of fluids, manage stress and eat nutritious foods.

• Get a flu vaccine, it’s not too late!

Email: tracy.vik@k12.sd.us
Website: https://www.sses.sf.k12.sd.us/o/ssspes
Location: Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Phone: 605-367-4655
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SFSpanishImmersion/