El Noticiero

March: Everybody Reads Community Reading Initiative!

March 11: Host Family Information Meeting in the SSE Library at 6:30 PM

March 13: Community Conversations at SSE from 7:00-8:00 PM

March 14: No Class - Compensatory Day

March 17: 3rd Grade field trip to Young People's Concert

March 19: End of Quarter 3

March 20: Band and Orchestra Concert at 6:00 PM

March 24: Dapper Day at Sonia!

March 24: 3rd-5th Grade Starts SD Assessments Testing

March 24-26: Book Battle Competition

March 28: Book Battle Championship (All Grade Levels)

April 3: 5th Grade Area Orchestra Festival at Edison Middle School at 6:00 PM

April 11: EMS Jazz/Inventions/Brio coming to play for students at 9:00 AM

April 18-21: No Class - Spring Break

April 24: 2nd Grade Concert at 7:00 PM in the Gymnasium

April 25: Tienda de los Lobos

May 1: SSE Talent Show - 3rd through 5th grade performance

Greetings, Sonia Sotomayor Parents and Guardians!

Spring is certainly keeping us on our toes with its unpredictable weather! One day, students are in shorts and Crocs, and the next, they need their winter coats. Please remind your children to dress in layers so they’re prepared for whatever surprises South Dakota’s weather may bring.

As a safety precaution, students will not be allowed to wear shorts at recess if the temperature drops below 30 degrees—no matter how much they insist they’re warm! Thank you for your support in keeping our students safe and comfortable.

I also want to remind everyone to follow parking signs, speed limits, and crosswalk rules around our school. Unfortunately, we’ve seen an increase in unsafe drop-offs, including stopping in the middle of the street to let children out of the car. This not only causes traffic backups but also creates a serious safety hazard.

Please do not block or park on crosswalks, as these are essential safe zones for students, parents, and staff. It’s important that we all remain courteous—to each other, to our neighbors, and to our dedicated staff. If a staff member reminds you of a parking or drop-off rule, please treat them with respect. They are simply doing their job to ensure the safety of all our students and to keep drop-off and pick-up running smoothly.

Thank you for working with our school team to create a safe and welcoming environment for our students. We appreciate your support!

Proud to be your principal,
Dr. Tracy Vik

Click the button below to view the newsletter from Dr. Jane Stavem, our district Superintendent. It has some great information about the future of Public Schools in South Dakota and our district's positions on the current Legislative Bills.

You are able to Register your new Kindergartener into the Sioux Falls School District. Early Childhood students who are moving to Kindergarten will need to complete a NEW student Online Registation.

• Existing families (with currently enrolled students in the District) - should register their NEW kindergarteners and/or other NEW students through their Parent Portal. This will save valuable time!
• New families (no other students enrolled in the District OR families that have left and are now returning) - Go to the SFSD website registration page starting February 3, 2025 to register for the 25-26 school year.

Make sure 25-26 school year is selected before starting registration.

It is recommended to not utilize a cell phone as the Online Registration is NOT mobile friendly. Please use a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. Chromebooks are available at SSE to use in the office if needed.

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 February! 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!

Our 4th Graders had the opprotunity to go to the Kirby Science Center at the Washington Pavilion. They were able to explore different exhibits.

Our school had the opprotunity to send our Kindergarteners and 1st Graders to the 123 Andrés Concert. The students were so excited to go and had a great time! 123 Andrés is a muiscal group who sing catch songs that get everyone danceing and learning in Spanish and English! Their music is on YouTube and Music streaming platforms if you want to check it out! https://123andres.com

A few of our students were able to go on stage during the concert and participate in a song!

We have several events coming up that will showcase our students! Make sure to mark your calendars for the following events:

• March 20th is the Band and Orchestra Concert at SSE starting at 6:15
• April 24th at 7:00 PM, 2nd Grade will be performing their concert based on the children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. The story will be narrated by students in both Spanish and English and all students will be singing songs that help to express the meaning of the story line. Each of the classes will be doing some special part involving either creative movement/dance, playing instruments, or dramatization. Make sure to make your calendars early for this exciting event!

• May 1st will be the Annual SSE Talent Show! There will be a matinee at school for the students and an evening performance as well! We are always blown away by the students and their skills!

The Sioux Falls School District is partnering with Siouxland Libraries for the Everybody Reads Initiative for March 1-31st. If you’ve been meaning to pick up that book that’s been sitting on your shelf, now is the perfect time. Every page turned and every story shared brings us closer to our goal of 350,000 books read while reinforcing the joy of reading and the vital importance of literacy in our community.

And there’s more! Thanks to the generosity of our donors, once we reach our goal, we’ll be making a donation to REACH Literacy, an incredible organization dedicated to improving literacy in the Sioux Falls community. That means that by simply enjoying a good book, you’re also helping others gain access to valuable literacy resources!

This year’s theme is "Reading is Sweet", so why not indulge? Whether it's a novel, a memoir, or a favorite childhood classic, treat yourself to a great read this March and be a part of this meaningful movement.

Happy reading, and let’s turn those pages together!

There are so many FREE library resources available through the district and our public library. Check them out below!

• Siouxland Library Resources
• Sioux Falls Distric Resources

SD Behavioral Health partners with schools and families to offer support and resources. In March kids can start to feel antsy about being cooped up with months to go until summer, staying connected is key.

Tips for Talking about Mental Wellbeing

Know Your Student: Check in early and often with your child. Encourage open conversations and ask them about what they’re experiencing. Car rides can be good times to talk because they’re private and controlled. You can start the conversation with questions like these:

• “What were three good things that happened today?”

• “What happened today that was hard or tough?”

• “What helps you feel better when you’re sad or mad?”

• “I’m here to listen if you ever want to talk.”

Know The Signs

Mental health is part of overall wellness.

As children navigate new relationships and phases of their growth, some emotional changes may happen. But if you see a prolonged change in behavior or these warning signs, it may mean your child needs help.

• Crying or hyperventilating

• Continued disinterest in food or not wanting to eat

• Constant worry or anxiety

• Persistent sadness, outbursts, or extreme irritability

• Frequent absences

• Sleeping in class

• Changes to a child’s home life or support system

• Talking about death, suicide, or self-harm

Need Help? Call, text or chat 988 for you or your child. Local experts can provide support for mental health concerns, emotional distress or just to talk. For more information, visit SDBehavioralHealth.gov

Lunch Menu - Free and Reduced Meal Application

My School Bucks - Daily Grade Level Lunch Schedule

Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to help during lunch! We really appreciate it. If you are unable to committ to helping every week, you are still welcome to volunteer. Please email mary.boen@k12.sd.us and andrea.fowler@k12.sd.us or call the office at 605-367-4655 in advance.

If you would like to eat lunch with your student, you can do that in the office or our vestibule. Due to number of students and the assigned seating at lunch, we are unable to have parents sit and eat with studetns in the cafeteria. You are also welcome to come and take your student out for lunch as well.

Just a couple of friendly reminders to keep our students and school healthy as we dive into fall:

• A student with a temperature of 100.4 or higher should stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of medications. This means if your child is sent home from school for a fever, they cannot come back the next day until 24 hours have passed AND they have been fever free without medications.
• Vomiting/Diarrhea: Students should be free from vomiting and diarrhea for at least 12 hours before returning to school. If they cannot practice independent hygiene, they will be sent home.
• Along with cold and flu season, it is allergy season. If your students need cough drops to soothe sore throats, please fill out the medication form allowing them to have cough drops at school. You can fill it out in the school office.

If you have any questions please reach out to Nurse Mariana 605-367-4655. Please save this flier for more information.

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.

There is a large quantity of lost or overdue library books this year. Please have your student look for their books and bring them back to school. If you cannot find them, please let Mrs. Egstad know so we can replace the book. There will be an incentive coming up during Library Specials for the students who have returned their books and show our Lobos Value of Responsibility! They will all hear about it this week during their library special.

The Sioux Falls School District offers free developmental screenings for children ages birth to age five. We assess your child's motor, language, concept, self-help, and social skills development.

During the screening, we’ll also discuss free opportunities available for your child within the District.

Call today to schedule an appointment!

📞 605-367-8488

Only water in a bottle with a lid is allowed in the classroom for students. We have seen an increased amount of other beverages including energy drinks being brought to school in the morning. Our classrooms have carpet and beverages other than water are harder to clean. Any student bringing any other beverage for use in the classroom will be asked to dispose of it when entering the building.

Please remind your students to only bring water to school for use in the classroom. Drinking water helps students perform better cognitively and physically. We do encourage water intake and the presence of water bottles in the classroom.

For more information about nutrition in our school, visit our Nutrition Services webpage.

Please check the weather daily 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.

Also, please send extra clothes with your student to school. They can keep them in their backpack or in the classroom. Accidents and spills happen everyday. It is better to be prepared than have to bring clothes to school for your student.

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.

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/