District Dialogue

Monday evening's Good News Report highlighted the career and accomplishments of outgoing asst. superintendent Dr. Teresa Boysen. Dr. Boysen retires at the end of this month with 31 years of service. In that time she has served as an elementary teacher, asst. principal, principal, and for the past several years as asst. superintendent. She has touched countless lives throughout her years - students, parents, fellow teachers, administrators - always putting children first and striving for educational excellence. Dr. Boysen's steady hand has guided SFSD through many transitions including new curriculum adoption, building changes, COVID protocols, and myriad other changes too countless to name. Thank you for your years of dedication, Dr. Boysen! We wish you all the best on whatever your next chapter holds!

Updates and changes are being made in the English Language (EL) program to work toward the shared goal of equipping EL students with the tools necessary to engage with curriculum and interact with their non-EL peers. In 2022, a team of SFSD staff began evaluating the success of the K-12 EL program. Based on these findings, five schools piloted a co-planning and co-teaching model for the 2023-24 school year: Anne Sullivan, Laura B. Anderson, Oscar Howe, Ben Reifel and Washington. Data from this pilot program indicates a positive trend toward growth, so next year the pilot program will expand to five more schools: Cleveland, Hayward, Rosa Parks, George McGovern, and Jefferson.

Read the full report at the attachment below.

Led by Lincoln Band Directors Dan Carlson and Drew Balta, area directors and music professionals joined together to create the first-ever Lincoln High School Summer Jazz Band Camp to fill a need in the community. The camp runs this week, and will culminate in a concert at McKennan Park at 6:30pm on Thursday night, June 27. Learn about the students involved, the schools they represent, and the directors and contributors making it happen!

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?

Send your suggestions today, and keep this in mind for the days, weeks and months ahead!

Have you wanted to incorporate Project-Based Learning into your classroom, but weren't sure where to start? Then this workshop is for you! Participants will leave with a standards-rich, collaborative project that will engage students in rigorous, relevant learning. The PBL Summer Institute is open to all teachers and administrators grades K – 12. You may take this District approved course for continuing education hours or for graduate credit through the University of South Dakota.

In Person Meeting Time: Mon, July 29 - Wed, July 31, 2024 (8:00 am - 1:00 pm)

Asynchronous Time: Mon, July 29 - Thurs, Aug 1 (3-6 hours each day)

Location: Jefferson High School (Sioux Falls, SD)

ELED 592: https://aceware.usd.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24SU-55458

SEED 592: https://aceware.usd.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24SU-55459

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.

This week's special deal on the SFSD Savings Market Place comes from The Farmers Dog. They are offering 70% off your first box of dog food, delivered for free! Get more information and claim this deal here! https://sf.savings.workingadvantage.com/offers/4JsMv7RgyJLtQou9q9EeHq?ebldr_form=2.01&source-id=email&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=email-the-farmers-dog&utm_medium=June-24-2024-the-farmers-dog&DLK=8oj8abasnkhzls2kc9libvldn

For loads of more deals from a variety of different products and services, check out the SFSD Savings Market Place at the link below. This is a free benefit available to all SFSD employees.

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!

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.

Family and Friends - Relationships

Wednesday, July 10th at 12:30pm

Establishing and maintaining a healthy relationship requires monitoring and utilizing emotional tools to keep those relationships strong. In this class, participants will take part in interactive and lively discussions on the misconceptions of relationships, the meaning of fulfillment, the importance of communication, and the real definition of happiness. This class will conclude with the key ingredients for a successful relationship and create an action plan to strengthen our relationships and recognize areas we can improve upon.

Click HERE to register!

The 5 Buckets Principle - Wednesday, August 14th at 12:30 pm

The 5 Buckets Principle is the science of work-life balance to fill the five buckets of finances, friends and family, work, health, and community. In this fun, interactive seminar, participants will learn the 5 Buckets Principle to obtain the tools to prioritize what is truly most important in life. Participants will leave this course equipped to think about the big picture of life while paying attention to the details that matter most, while learning how to manage their time to enjoy life and the people who make it special.

Register HERE!

The South Dakota Retirement System (SDRS) has created Retire Ready, a new virtual format for group presentations. The SDRS Retire Ready series will consist of four short presentations, all designed to increase your financial awareness and help you prepare for retirement. All SDRS members, at any stage of their career, will benefit from the information provided. These 45-60 minute presentations are held via ZOOM every Wednesday on a rotating-basis.

Steps to Financial Success:

June 26th, 2024 | 10:00 am

Build on your budgeting and savings skills and take charge of your finances to be more prepared for retirement.

Register via ZOOM

Our wellbeing portal provider, Navigate Wellbeing Solutions, recently activated Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for our wellbeing portal and launched a new texting MFA option. With this launch, participants now have the option to either use text message or app-based authentication!

• Text Message (SMS) Authentication: Receive a verification code via text message on your mobile phone.
• Text Message How-to-Guide
• Text Message Instructional Video
• App-based Authentication: Continue using the authentication app you currently have set up.
• If you choose to utilize the app-based authentication, we recommend using Microsoft Authenticator as your authentication app!
• App-Based How-to-Guide

Should you need any assistance, the Navigate customer service team is ready to help. Please do not hesitate to reach out for support.

Summer is the most difficult season to get a good night’s sleep during. Why? Long days, busy social schedules, and hot/humid weather. Short-term insomnia due to environmental causes is fairly common this time of year. You can adjust your environment and behavior to be more sleep-friendly, without having to rely on caffeine or accepting the loss of sleep. Follow these tips to prevent the summer from disrupting your sleep:

1. Take time to relax. Summer can be the busiest season for socializing. Don’t forget to take time to relax and wind down before bedtime to help you fall asleep. Find something good to read, or spend the time doing relaxing activities such as art, craft making, or playing a musical instrument.
2. Make your environment ideal for sleep. A dark, cool, and comfortable bedroom can be the key to getting great sleep, as opposed to a sweltering and bright sleep environment. Start by making your bedroom the right temperature for sleeping comfortably. Setting your air conditioning to 68 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for sleep, however it may increase your electric bill. Alternatively, you could set your air conditioning to a more reasonable temperature to reduce the humidity, and use fans to get a cool breeze going. Doing so can also help reduce nighttime allergies. Other options for creating a better sleep environment include installing blackout curtains, using lighter, more “breathable” bedding materials and pajamas, and considering running a loud fan or using a sound machine if you live in a noisy environment.
3. Limit your nighttime exposure to sunlight. The extended hours of summer can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, the sunlight improves your mood and decreases the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). On the other hand, those same rays of sunshine delay your body’s production of melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep. You can “trick” your body into thinking it’s time to sleep by limiting your exposure to sunlight. Draw the shades and keep a regular indoor evening routine beginning two hours before bedtime. If you have to leave your home, wear sunglasses so that you don’t get a boost in alertness from the sunlight.

Adapted from Sleep Education