Garretson Blue Dragon Tales
October 2024
Superintendent News by Mr. Guy Johnson
Garretson Student Count Is Up!
In South Dakota, the number of students in a school drives the budget. The number of students registered on the last Friday in September determines funding levels for the remainder of the the school year. In Garretson, the total student count is up by 33 students this year, with a total K-12 enrollment of 477 students. This is good news for the district.
In our state, we have a funding formula for public schools. The current formula was adopted in 2016, with some minor adjustments between then and the present. The formula is still driven by the number of students in a district. The state funds school based on the “total need” for funds to educate the number of students. In order to determine that total need, the state takes the total number of students and divides by the student to teacher ratio mandated by the formula. This determines the number of teachers that the state will pay a school district to employ. That number is then multiplied by the target teacher salary, which is set by the state. The formula then goes on to include a multiplier for “overhead,” to round out the “total need” for funding. If you’re interested in a more detailed explanation of how the funding formula works, the Department of Education has put together an “Issue brief” that you can read if you’re interested. While the formula is now driven by the “costs per teacher,” it still is based on a per-student funding model. After running the formula, in our district our “need” is at a level of just over $7,900 to educate each student.
The increase in the number of students is a positive sign for our district. Currently, we have an opt out in place and also plan to use Capital Outlay funds to supplement the General fund. As the number of students increases, we will need to rely less on both of those alternative revenue sources in order to pay for our overall educational program.
MS/HS Principal News by Mr. Chris McGregor
Attendance Still Matters!
Greetings to all Blue Dragons! We are just a few weeks into the new school year and things are moving quickly. Homecoming is already in our rear view mirror and we have completed the first round of MAP testing. Time seems to fly once we really get into our routines and we start having full weeks of school. With the passage of time, we also see student absences start to add up. It probably seems like I talk about this a lot and some of you may have even received an attendance letter or two from me. While we understand that sickness and appointments happen, we want your kids in school as much as possible so they can get the most out of their education. Maybe you’ve even seen the statistic that missing only 10% of classes (that’s one day every two weeks) can have a significant impact on a student’s academic success. That might not sound like a lot, and for some students, it’s no big deal overall. However, when students miss two, three, four, and even five days in a row, that can have a serious effect on their grades and understanding of class material. When you add some of these longer absences to a sick day here and there, it can add up very quickly and before you know it your student is behind. Below are some facts and tips about school attendance from AttendanceWorks.Org that might be useful. We want all kids in school every day. We know it doesn’t always happen, but we can always strive to do better and bring our attendance rate up. Thanks for your help in making school a priority with your child and for your support of our school.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
• Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with schoolwork, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
• Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic success.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
• Make school attendance a priority
• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.
• Help your children maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
• Try not to schedule dental and non-urgent related medical appointments during the school day.
• Keep your student healthy. If you are concerned about a contagious illness, call your school or health care provider.
• If your children must stay home because they are sick, make sure they have asked teachers for resources and materials to make up for the missed learning time in the classroom.
Source: https://www.attendanceworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Middle_High_Handout_042924.pdf
Garretson Live Events by Mr. Matt Schrank, Technology Administrator
In the initial Newsletter I wrote about our new Hudl cameras and streaming service. I will again clarify why we are excited to use this product, and the decision to do so. In the past 5 years we have tried multiple products/workflows to bring viewership to our families and friends that can’t make it to watch our events. Of course a lot of this was amplified during the pandemic. We started with NFHS and Pixellot which was a hosting service and a camera software that would allow us to not only stream our home games, but a camera system that would follow the action for us so we wouldn’t have to find someone to run a camera, and setup would be easy. We had numerous issues with the camera being offline, or not running, so after a year we scrapped that plan and moved to YouTube. YouTube was a great option and allowed us to have more control in our broadcast. The issues we had here were setup was extremely complex, and with this option, we needed more bodies in order to get the end result that we wanted. If plays were missed, or wrong buttons were clicked, our viewers weren’t exactly ecstatic. So, we started asking around and seeing what other schools had luck with. We were able to purchase two Hudl Focus cameras, one for the gym, and one for the athletic complex. These cameras follow the action, similar to the Pixellot cameras, so we don’t have to have a person running a camera. It has a built in lens that focuses on the scoreboard, so we don’t need extra hardware/software to be able to see the score, and it helps our coaching staff so they don’t have to have an extra team member film their games. The only setback we currently have with the new system is that it doesn’t allow us to stream through our local Alliance channel. As inconvenient as that might be to some in the community, we are glad we can still give our community, distant relatives, and friends from afar a FREE option to catch our events via online stream.
There are a few different ways to find the stream:
1.) Go to the Garretson School Website, www.garretson.k12.sd.us, click on Event Livestream in the center of the page.
2.) Go to fan.hudl.com, search for Garretson.
3.) Download the Hudl Fan App on your device in the App Store.
What's Going Around?
Nurse's Corner ~ October 2024 Garretson School District
Hand, Foot, and Mouth:
Resource: Center for Disease Control, May 2024
What is it? A common illness caused by a virus that usually causes fever, sore throat, mouth sores, and skin rash – spreads very quickly especially in school settings and daycare centers – often lasts 7 to 10 days – complications are rare.
Who can get it? Most common in children younger than 5 years of age, but it can affect ANYONE, adults included.
How does it spread? Droplets from others’ sneezes, coughing, or talking – touching surfaces that had the virus particles on them – touching fluid from the rash blisters
How do I prevent the spread? Wash hands often – keep the blistered rash clean – avoid touching rash areas – clean and disinfect surfaces frequently – avoid close contact with infected person during the transmission period
How do I treat this? Symptom management- fever and pain relief medications, prevent dehydration (drink, drink, drink)
When can I go back to school? Fever free for 24 hours, feeling well enough to participate in classroom activities, sores have started to crust over (not oozing)
Did you know:
-There is no vaccine children can receive to protect against this virus.
-Children should never receive aspirin!
-Mouth sores make it painful to swallow; try other means to get fluids in such as popsicles and freezies!
-If an outbreak in our area occurs, the local health department may require children to stay home for the entirety of the illness – HELP DO YOUR PART TO PREVENT THE SPREAD!!
Little Blue Dragon Corner by Mrs. Katie Hoekman, Elem. Principal
We are off to a great start in the elementary this year! We have been excited to put into place the SOAR initiative! Students and staff have appreciated the common language and expectations for students throughout the school building. Attached you will find the parent flyer that includes this month's focus area for SOAR! We gathered students together to take a few group SOAR pictures as well! We again want to thank Alliance Communications for the grant that allowed us to purchase our SOAR shirts for the school year!
KG ~ 5th Grade SOAR
A.M. Preschool SOAR
P.M. Preschool SOAR
Conferences will be held on two days this year: October 16 from 2:00 PM-6:00 PM AND October 23 from 4:00 PM-6:00 PM. Each teacher will have their own online sign-up where you can select from available times for each of your student's teachers again this year. I will be sharing these links with you through ThrillShare at the beginning of October so please be watching for it and in your child’s teacher's newsletters. I hope that all of you can visit with your child’s teacher to discuss their progress and goals for this year!
I look forward to continuing to grow and working together in your child’s educational career!
Children with Disabilities by Kayli Coburn, SPED Director
From the Desk of Activities Director Kevin Steckler
My name is Kevin Steckler and my journey began at St. Lukes Hospital in Aberdeen, SD. My first three years were spent in Ellendale, ND, and one year in Ipswich, SD, before moving to Leola, SD where I spent my K-12 years…graduating from high school in 1980. I was a sports fanatic, if a ball was involved, I played the sport…baseball was, and still is my favorite sport.
My mother Nicki and late father Norbert are the parents of seven boys which I’m the oldest… Keenan, Kyle, Toby, Jon, Aaron, and Mitchell fall in line respectively. I have four sisters in law, and eleven nieces and nephews. My brothers and their families are scattered around South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. My mother resides in Aberdeen, SD where she stays busy with a variety of activities. To this day she is still learning stories of the shenanigans of her seven sons while growing up in Leola and during our college years. Bless her heart!!!!!!!!
After graduating from high school, I attended Dakota State University in Madison, SD where I graduated in 1985 with degrees in Social Science and Physical Education, most importantly though it was at DSU where I met my wife, Shelley.
I have been at Garretson High School since the fall of 1985. I spent 38 years in the classroom before stepping down from my teaching responsibilities two years ago. Classes I taught included Psychology, Sociology, Economics, World History, American History, and Government. My favorite class to teach was Government because I’m fascinated with politics. I enjoyed visiting with my students about the many different aspects of government, and how we play a role in government every day even though we may not realize it. I also coached Football, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, and Track at the High School and Junior High levels for 31 years. I'm presently the Athletic/Activities Director…a position I’ve held since 2016-2017. My responsibility is overseeing the Athletic and Fine Arts Programs we offer at GHS.
My family includes Shelley my wife of 38 years, our daughter Amber, son-in-law Jered, and their three sons Sutton, Weston and Layton. Son Dustin, daughter-in-law Kelly, and baby Steckler due to join the family in November.
During my free time I enjoy following the careers of my daughter Amber at Garretson & son Dustin at Dell Rapids and being a fan and supporter of my three grandsons's many activities. I’m an avid reader and enjoy anything involved with the water (my happy place as daughter Amber puts it) whether it’s at the swimming pool with my Grandsons, or swimming, tubing, jet skiing, boating or pontooning with family/friends at a lake, river, gulf, bay or ocean! I also enjoy attending music concerts. I’m still a sports fanatic and enjoy following my favorite Teams…Garretson Blue Dragons, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and all College Sports in general, along with the Minnesota Twins & Vikings. One of my top bucket list items is traveling to all fifty states, presently I’m at twenty-five.
Title 1 by Mrs. Kim Macziewski
Title 1 classes are in full swing for the 24-25 school year. Mrs. Williamson and Mrs. Mac spent the first three weeks of the school year individually assessing students and administering the MAP Growth Assessments to small groups of students. After analyzing all the data and meeting with classroom teachers we have formed our groups and are working toward our goals.
Title 1 reading and math groups focus on skills that will help students be independent and successful in the classroom. Groups are pulled during non-instructional time, so students are not missing important classroom instruction. We usually see 2-6 students in our groups, so that students have many opportunities to practice and share their knowledge. Students are seen 2-5 times a week depending on the goals we set for them and groups meet for 15 – 30 minutes. We also focus on building confidence and having an “I Can” attitude.
Each time the MAP Growth Assessments are given we officially look at groups and revamp as needed, but we can also adjust groups as needed anytime during the year. Students may be in a Title 1 group for a semester or a couple of years depending on their individual needs. Our goal is to get students to the point where they can work independently and be successful in the classroom.
If you have any questions about our program, please contact me at: kim.macziewski@k12.sd.us
Click on the Calendar for October Events
Garretson Administration and School Board
Administration
Mr. Guy Johnson, Superintendent
Mr. Chris McGregor, MS/HS Principal
Mrs. Katie Hoekman, Elem. Principal
Mr. Jacob Schweitzer, Business Manager
Mr. Matt Schrank, Technology Administrator
Mrs. Kayli Coburn, SPED Director
Mr. Kevin Steckler, Activities Director
School Board Members
Mrs. Natasha Mendoza, President
Mrs. Tana Clark, Vice President
Mr. Wyatt Compton
Mr. Shannon Nordstrom
Mr. Justin Van De Berg
The Board of Education meets the second Monday of every month in the Library. All regular meetings begin @ 6:00 p.m. Agendas are available in the Superintendent's office on the Friday before any meeting. The Garretson Gazette publishes the minutes of each meeting.
The Garretson School District 49-4 resolves not to discriminate against anyone because of race, sex, creed, color, national origin or disability. Persons seeking information or having complaints may contact Supt. Guy Johnson, Garretson Schools, 505 2nd Street, Garretson, SD 57030, phone 605-594-3451, or contact Regional Director, Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, 10220 North Executive Hills Boulevard, 8th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64153-1367