District Dialogue

Several SFSD school libraries were recently awarded the 21st Century School Library Award from the South Dakota State Library, which is a division of the SD Department of Education. They were recognized at an event in Aberdeen earlier this fall, and their recognition will last for three years. The SFSD school libraries to receive this year's recognitions were:

• Laura Wilder Elementary
• Terry Redlin Elementary
• Lincoln High School
• Roosevelt High School
• Washington High School

SFSD has always been proud to be home to amazing school libraries, and many students consider them to be some of their favorite rooms in their buildings. Thank you to our amazing library staff for curating spaces for our students that cultivate a desire to explore, learn, and create.

This year's academic report reflects positive results. On-time graduation rates outpaced the State by 2% and are the highest in the past nine years. SFSD continues to outpace both the State and National averages in average composite ACT Exam scores. The combined College Career and Readiness indicator increased by 1%. Students learning English as a second language are steady in their achievements, with 31% either exiting the EL program or determined to be on track to exit. Please follow the attachment below to view the full board report.

While enrollment declined slightly over the previous year - down 111 students - the annual snapshot of schools shows an impressive 24,210 students in Kindergarten through 12th grades. Additionally, nearly 1,000 students, ages 3 through 5, receive preschool services to prepare them for the rigors of Kindergarten. Diversity among students continues its trend of moving 1-2% each year with 44.6%

of students reporting a diverse background. More than 3600 staff members “show up” daily to support student success and more than half - 1932 - are serving as classroom teachers.

For a full breakdown of the most recent District demographics, please see the attachment below.

School year 2024-25 final fall enrollment for the Sioux Falls School District is 24, 201 FTE, which is 120 less than the final count for the 23-24 school year.

• KG enrollment is down 139
• Grades 1-12 enrollment is up 19
• Open enrollment into the SFSD is up 5 students, for a total of 1,029

The count is based upon active enrollments as of the last Friday in September (September 27, 2024) of school.

In pursuit of greater operational efficiency, ITS has introduced several process and

system changes aimed at optimizing resource use to better support our students and staff.

During the 2023–2024 school year, several ITS initiatives were implemented to enhance

both the operational efficiency of the department and the user experience for students

and staff. The focus has been on eliminating redundancies, automating systems to

minimize manual data entry, and streamlining processes related to logistics, management,

and security. Read the full report below.

The Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation is currently accepting Public School Proud Grant proposals. Applications are due Monday, December 2nd at 12 p.m. Any teacher in the Sioux Falls School District can apply for up to $10,000 to purchase materials that will give students hands-on, immersive opportunities. We awarded $120,000 in funding in 2024, and we expect to award a record number of grants in 2025. In the past, the Education Foundation has funded grants for 3D printers, programmable robots, art supplies, social emotional learning materials, aero gardens, specialized PE and music materials for students with limited mobility, task boxes, musical instruments, STEM kits, podcasting equipment, math manipulatives, cybersecurity software, automotive technology tools, flight simulators, cardio drumming equipment, job skills training materials, literacy kits, health science simulation mannequins, and more.

To submit your application, please download the attachment below and complete. Send the completed form as a Word document to Allison.Struck@k12.sd.us

An initiative starting this fall at Terry Redlin will test the idea of bringing tenant and homeowner education into neighborhood schools in an attempt to overcome the accessibility barriers of transportation and childcare. This is a FREE seven-class series that will happen over the following dates:

November 11-14 & 18-20 from 5:00-6:30 PM at Terry Redlin

This event is being hosted by the Community Learning Centers, and the goal is to establish a no-cost or low-cost community-wide system for providing basic tenant education in a neighborhood-based model. This program would support individuals and families in their understanding of their rights, responsibilities, and potential as tenants and possible future homeowners.

Please pass on this information to any families you feel may benefit from the education. Click below for more information.

This STEM opportunity will be taking place on the SDSU campus on November 7 at 5:30 PM. They will be presenting on the expansion and research goals of the underground lab, including information on its growing K-12 education components. A great opportunity for any science teachers or particularly ambitious students!

This Garfield Elementary EA goes above and beyond her assigned tasks to help make a difference in the lives of all the students she encounters daily. From bus duty, to being a personal EA to two students, to classroom assistance, to tying shoes, to teaching and accommodating lessons for students, she is a positive, calming, trustworthy and consistent presence for kids and staff alike. Thank you, Amy, for bringing your All-Star attitude to Garfield everyday!

Do you have a coworker or colleague who is constantly going above and beyond? Do you notice when somebody is going out of their way to make a student's day just a little bit brighter? Do you have a staff member who consistently brings their best, day in and day out? We want to hear about it! We know that amazing things happen every day in every building of the Sioux Falls School District, and we need your help to tell those stories. Recognize a coworker for their amazing dedication to the work of SFSD.

This week's featured deal on the SFSD Saving's Marketplace is an offer from Freedom Debt Relief. They could help you reduce credit card debt with one affordable monthly payment. They customize their program to fit each client's budget, then negotiate with creditors to reduce and resolve high interst debts faster than minimum payments. Claim this offer here:

Enrolling to the SFSD Marketplace is quick, easy and free! Just visit https://sf.savings.workingadvantage.com to start saving today!

SHINE stands for Scholarship, Honors, Innovation, Networking and Exceptionalism. We’re looking for stories we can tell about high school seniors, any-age students, staff (yes, you can and should absolutely fill out this form for yourself!), projects and programs. Have a new partnership that is benefitting the classroom? Win a grant you think the world should know about? Get nominated for or receive a state-wide, regional or national honor? Know a senior stand-out on a team, in the fine arts arena, or in the classroom? How about younger students who are leading by example, making giving to charity a priority, or are making the most of a bad situation? Should a program or portion of your school be highlighted? What about some current projects: experiments, field trips, new collaborative lessons?

Imagine Solutions Conference is a nationally known thought leader conference that brings world-class visionaries to share ideas on today's most relevant issues. The conference offers an impressive speaker lineup in topics, such as Science and Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Arts, Music and much more. We are excited to provide Sioux Falls School District teachers the opportunity to attend this year's conference virtually. Registered attendees will receive a link to the recorded videos.

During the past 14 years, the Imagine Solutions Conference (ISC) has brought together more than 550 world-class experts to learn, springboard, and leverage their capabilities to effectively address social issues. Their mantra, "a profound respect for learning" mirrors the heart and soul of teachers who "love to learn." The ISC Virtual Learning Program for the Sioux Falls School District was created out of these beliefs, allowing all teachers to participate for free.

All registered teachers qualify for 5 hours of professional development for registering and completing a brief survey after watching all of the videos.

SDRS members are often contacted by outside groups wanting to advise them on their retirement accounts, even their SDRS benefits. While many professionals provide legitimate and valuable financial advisory services, members should know that SDRS is the most reliable source for accurate and timely information about your SDRS benefits. As such, the SDRS office should be your first point of contact with questions about your SDRS benefits. SDRS has knowledgeable staff who are fully trained on the laws and rules governing SDRS to better serve you in your retirement planning. Members may contact the SDRS office directly by calling 605-773-3731 or emailing SDRSweblink@state.sd.us.

Reminders

• Generally, SDRS will never call or email to request confidential or personal information unless you have recently contacted our office or initiated a process or change. In such cases as these, SDRS may respond as necessary. Emails from SDRS staff will always have @state.sd.us in the email address. Many SDRS communications, such as newsletters and event notifications, will come from sdrs.communications@state.sd.us.
• SDRS materials will have the SDRS logo, list our website (www.sd.gov/sdrs), or include our phone number (605-773-3731). If you are unsure if an email or other communication is from SDRS, please call the SDRS office.
• SDRS will never charge a fee to speak with one of our representatives or to attend an SDRS event, such as individual retirement consultations, group workshop forums, or employer training sessions.
• Other than Nationwide Retirement Solutions (NRS), which administers the SDRS Supplemental Retirement Plan (SRP), SDRS does not work with or endorse any external businesses for financial planning services.

For more information, visit the SDRS website (https://www.sd.gov/sdrs).

Click HERE to view the notice.

*This notice applies to you or your covered family members who are or become eligible for Medicare prescription drug coverage. If this notice does not apply to you, you can disregard it.

Please read this notice carefully and keep it where you can find it. This notice has information about your current prescription drug coverage with Sioux Falls School District and about your options under Medicare’s prescription drug coverage. This information can help you decide whether or not you want to join a Medicare drug plan. If you are considering joining, you should compare your current coverage, including which drugs are covered at what cost, with the coverage and costs of the plans offering Medicare prescription drug coverage in your area. Information about where you can get help to make decisions about your prescription drug coverage is at the end of this notice.

Questions? Email benefits.sfsd@k12.sd.us

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. VBelow are a couple upcoming ones!

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.

Holiday Survival Guide

Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 | 12:30pm to 1:30pm

For many, the holiday season is a wonderful time for celebration, family gatherings and joyful memories. For others, it's a time of sadness and, possibly, a feeling of being overwhelmed. In this seminar, participants examine sources of holiday stress and learn strategies for coping and managing their emotions, time, relationships and finances. Participants will also share ideas for organizing holiday tasks, managing holiday demands, and explore the role of holiday traditions in our lives.

Register Online!

Treat smarts

• All treats and no tricks makes Halloween enjoyable for everyone.
• Eat only factory-wrapped treats. If you have any doubt about the safety of a treat, throw it out.
• Carrying a glow stick is one way to see and be seen as night wears on, but did you know that the luminescent liquid inside a glow stick is minimally toxic in small amounts? Do not allow children to chew on glow sticks. Symptoms of ingestion can include mouth or throat irritation and vomiting. Better yet take a flashlight.
• Children are curious and put all sorts of things in their mouths. Confusing medicine with candies can make Halloween go from spooky to scary. Practice safe medication storage. Keep all medications and vitamins, including your emergency supply, up and away and out of reach and sight of children to avoid confusion with Halloween treats.
• Halloween can be tricky for children with food allergies. Parents: always read labels (avoid treats without labels), carry an epinephrine auto-injector (if prescribed), and learn more about the Teal Pumpkin Project®, an initiative started by Food Allergy Research and Education to provide non-food treats, such as stickers, school supplies, and small toys, to kids with allergies.

Street smarts

• The frightening fact is that, on average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. As a parent or caregiver, here are a few important rules of the road to share with your costumed pedestrians before stepping out.
• Prepare your trick or treater with trick or treat safety items: a flashlight, reflective tape or strips applied to costumes and candy bags, and an emergency contact information card in case they get lost or separated from the group.
• Trick or treat as part of a large group with a responsible adult.
• Walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
• Look both ways before crossing the street at a crosswalk or intersection. Walk, don’t run between houses to avoid trips and falls.

Caution with costumes

Your little princess or goblin is itching to hit the trick-or-treat trail, but is their costume safe?

• Do NOT wear decorative contact lenses without a prescription. Decorative lenses purchased without a prescription may not fit properly, leaving the eye more susceptible to scratches on the outer layer of the eye, or getting an ulcer (an open sore) on the cornea—the clear covering over the front of the eye.
• Painting your face can be fun alternative to wearing a mask. Test novelty makeups in small area on the arm to test for an allergic reaction before applying it to your face. Remove all makeup according to the manufacturers’ instructions before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation.
• Make sure costumes fit well to avoid blocked vision and help prevent trips and falls.
• Choose costume accessories that are short, soft (i.e., made of plastic or foam) and flexible.

Adapted from the CDC - Center for Disease Control