Cossack Connection

Congratulations, Mr. Sutera! This award is so very well deserved!

As we wrap up the first two weeks of this academic year, I am filled with immense gratitude and excitement. The energy, enthusiasm, and commitment I've witnessed from our students, staff, and parents have been nothing short of inspiring.

I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the incredible experience both our middle school and high school students had at our student retreat on Thursday, August 30th. This retreat wasn't just a day away from the classroom; it was an opportunity for us to come together as a community and focus on elevating our school culture from good to great. The heart of our message centered around fostering genuine connections and nurturing a profound sense of belonging among all Cossacks.

For our high school students, the retreat also provided a platform to discuss a topic that is of utmost importance: bullying. Let me be clear: bullying and unkind actions have no place at Sioux Valley. Such behaviors are in direct contradiction to our Cossack Creed, which emphasizes being respectful, responsible, safe, and kind. We are committed to ensuring that every student feels safe, valued, and heard.

To our students, I urge you to remember the power of your voice. If you witness bullying or any unkind behavior, please come forward. Being a bystander is not an option. We follow a progressive discipline plan designed to educate and deter those who make poor behavior choices. Your courage in speaking up can make a difference, not just for one individual, but for our entire community.

In closing, I want to express my deepest thanks to each and every one of you for the fantastic start to the school year. Let's continue to work together, uphold our Cossack Creed, and ensure Sioux Valley remains a place where everyone feels they belong.

With Cossack Pride,

Mr. Bolstad

September 8 - Team Moir Fundraiser @ 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM

September 11 - School Board Meeting @ 6:30 PM

September 22 - 1st Quarter Midterm; Deficiencies will be mailed home

September 25-29 - Homecoming Week

September 28 - East Central Marching Festival @ Arlington (High School)

October 9 - Native American Day; No School

October 24 - End of the 1st Quarter

October 30 - Coffee & Conversation with Mr. Bolstad @ 8:30 AM

November 8 & 9 - Parent-Teacher Conferences

November 9th - FAFSA Information Night - Online @ 7:00 PM

November 22-24 - Thanksgiving Break; No School

December 20 - 1:45 Dismissal

December 21-January 2 - Holiday Break; No School

January 3 - Classes Resume

Dear Parents and Students,

As we embark on a new school year, we'd like to remind everyone of the importance of regular attendance. South Dakota Law mandates consistent attendance, and we rely on both students and parents to uphold this responsibility.

Key Attendance Points:

1. Reporting Absences: If your child will be absent, please inform the school before 8:30 am on the day of the absence. Our voice messaging service is available 24/7 for your convenience. If we don't hear from you, we'll reach out. Unreported absences will be marked as unexcused.

2. Extended Trips: If you're planning a longer trip, please notify the school in advance to excuse your child for the entire duration.

3. Leaving During School Hours: Students must check out at the secondary principal's office. Failure to do so will result in an unexcused absence.

4. Make-up Work: Students typically have two days to make up work for unplanned absences. For consecutive days missed, an additional day is given for each day absent. It's crucial for students to coordinate with their teachers regarding missed assignments.

5. Late Arrivals: Arriving 15 minutes or more late to class will be counted as an unexcused absence for that period.

6. Activity Attendance: Students not participating in an activity won't be excused to attend it during school hours, with exceptions for siblings supporting a participating sibling. Permission is required for state athletic events.

Absence Categories:

- Exempt Absences: These don't affect attendance records. Examples include school-sponsored activities, verified medical appointments, funerals, court appointments, and senior year college visits.

- Excused Absences: These count against attendance. Reasons can range from personal illness, weather-related absences, family emergencies, to other situations approved by the administration.

- Unexcused Absences: These also count against attendance. Examples include oversleeping, shopping trips, not checking out when leaving school, and other reasons not approved by the school.

Attendance Benchmarks:

- Acceptable Attendance: 94% or more (less than 10 days absent per year).

- At Risk: 90-93% attendance (10-14 days absent per year).

- Chronically Absent: Less than 90% attendance (more than 17 days absent per year).

Consequences for Excessive Absences:

- Notifications will be sent at 5 and 8 absences.

- At 10 absences, students may lose credit.

- Options to regain credit might be available under extenuating circumstances.

- Legal consequences, including truancy tickets, can be applied at 12, 17, and 22 days of absence.

Appeal Process: If you believe there's been an oversight or have valid reasons for the absences, you can appeal. The process involves reviews by the Principal, Superintendent, and finally, the School Board.

Co-Curricular/Performance Attendance: If a student is involved in extracurricular activities, they must be in school by 1:00 p.m. to participate in any evening event. Exceptions must be cleared with the principal or activities director.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to your child's education. Regular attendance is crucial for academic success. Let's work together to ensure a productive and successful school year!

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and a time to raise awareness on this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic. In addition to shifting public perception, this monthly campaign is used to spread hope and vital information to people affected by suicide. The goal is to ensure that individuals, friends, and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help. The following are resources available:

• https://safe2say.sd.gov/
• https://988lifeline.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=onebox
• Text 4 Help: Text "icare" to 898211
• https://www.helplinecenter.org/9-8-8/
• Local Mental Health 24 hour on call: https://brookingsivycenter.org/

My name is Megan Jaquet. I am a 2003 graduate of Sioux Valley Schools and proud to be a Cossack! I am the new Family and Consumer Sciences teacher and FCCLA adviser. I’d like to tell you about some changes for FCCLA at Sioux Valley and about upcoming opportunities for students. FCCLA stands for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America. It is a student-led leadership organization with three facets: community service, leadership opportunities, and competitive events. Students choose what they want to be involved in, when they want to be involved and they choose the amount of time they put into it.

This year we are beginning a Middle School FCCLA chapter. All 7th and 8th graders are eligible to be members and run for Middle School leadership positions. The high school chapter will remain 9-12th graders. Senior chapter officers for the upcoming year are Maria Quale, Savannah Rawden, Caitlyn Cradduck, Logan Hanson and Dillyn Loban. I am excited to work with this group of leaders to grow Sioux Valley FCCLA and to provide opportunities for members. Keep your eyes peeled for new upcoming projects and programs within the Sioux Valley community.

All students have the opportunity to attend leadership trainings, the first of which is the South Dakota Fall Leadership Conference on October 1st and 2nd in Sioux Falls. This is a great opportunity for members who want to learn more about FCCLA and the opportunities available. Registration is due September 15th. Any students who want information on this event can stop in my room, classsroom 322. I would also be happy to send information to any parents who would like it. You can reach me by email at Megan.Jaquet@k12.sd.us.

Multimedia students, Denise and Hannah, doing a great job running the scoreboard for the Cossacks football game victory over EPJ on August 31st!

We warmly invite you to join us for our Coffee and Conversation Gatherings for the upcoming school year.

Dates: October 30, January 22, March 25

Time: 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Location: Sioux Valley Commons

Come enjoy some coffee and rolls as we discuss the latest developments and initiatives at Sioux Valley Middle School and Sioux Valley High School. Your input and participation are important to us, and we look forward to sharing meaningful conversations that will help us foster a thriving educational community.

I can't wait to see you there!

With Cossack Pride,

Tyler Bolstad

Principal, Sioux Valley Middle School & Sioux Valley High School

To provide real-time access to attendance and grades, we have the Parent Portal on Infinite Campus. Many parents/guardians and teachers are embracing technology tools like Parent Portal on Infinite Campus, Google Classroom, and email communication as alternatives to in-person conferences. These tools offer information most relevant to parent/guardian interests.

If you need help connecting to the Parent Portal to view your child's attendance and grades, please feel free to contact Karen Steege in the MS/HS Office. We're here to assist you with any inquiries you may have.

In an effort to streamline efficiency and safety for the use of our parking lots, we have the following procedure changes effective for the school year:

• High School Parking Lot - east side will be ENTRANCE ONLY and the west side will be EXIT ONLY.
  
• PAC Parking Lot - to be designated as the freshmen parking lot during the school day
  
• Administrative Office Entrance (A4) - students can use this entrance before school in the morning, if they choose to, but must use the commons entrance any other time of the day.
  
• West Side of School - designated for staff and parent parking. NO STUDENT PARKING
  
• Bus Loading & Unloading - to be moved along the street north of staff parking area by the elementary school. Middle and high school students should use the west middle school entrance/exit (A3) so they don't have to walk through the elementary to get to the buses.
  

We are excited to share the news that our middle school student council program is transitioning into the Sioux Valley Junior Honor Society (SVJHS). This new opportunity will empower our middle school students to strive for excellence and positively impact our school community through scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

The Sioux Valley Junior Honor Society will be a prestigious organization in likeness to our High School National Honor Society that recognizes and celebrates students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievements, exemplary leadership qualities, a heart for service, and exceptional character. It provides a platform for our young leaders to grow, contribute, and leave a lasting mark during their middle school years.

Eligible 7th and 8th-grade students will be invited to apply to launch the program for the year.

We are confident that the Sioux Valley Junior Honor Society will provide our students with a unique opportunity to shine and cultivate valuable skills that will benefit them in their academic journey and beyond.

I am enthusiastic about this transformation and the positive impact it will have on our school community. I wholeheartedly support this shift from the student council model to a merit-based, distinguished honor society. Let's work together to nurture the leaders of tomorrow!

Below, you will find a new addition to our technology handbook specific to the use of AI in school. To summarize, we want to ensure that AI is used as a tool to enhance learning rather than a way to bypass the learning. Please see Appendix C of our technology handbook for further clarification on the dos and don'ts with using AI in school.

The purpose of this section is to provide procedural guidance to students on the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in their classes. It emphasizes the importance of academic integrity, while recognizing the value of AI as a supplemental aid for learning and skill development.

• Purpose of Class and Assignments – Classes aim to develop critical thinking, communication, literacy, and creativity skills. Assignments are designed to evaluate knowledge, cultivate skills, and encouraging original thinking along with personal growth. They are opportunities for students to explore, articulate, and defend your ideas.

• Academic Integrity, in the context of AI use, means using AI tools ethically, responsibly, and as intended to support your learning. AI is not to be used as a tool to bypass learning. It involves producing work that is primarily your own and appropriately acknowledging assistance received from AI.

Guidelines for AI Use:

• Supplemental Aid - AI can be used as a tool for assistance in brainstorming ideas, understanding complex texts, or improving grammar and syntax. However, the majority of the thinking, analysis, and composition should come from your own efforts.

• Reference and Citation - If you borrow significant insights or phrases from AI, it is important to properly cite them, just as you would with a human source. Give credit to the AI tool when it contributes to your work.

• Clarification, Not Substitution - Use AI for clarifying doubts or seeking explanations, but do not rely on it as a shortcut to avoid reading, analysis, and comprehension. Engage actively with the assigned materials and demonstrate your own understanding.

• Learning, Not Completing - View AI as a tool for learning, not just for completing tasks. Your primary goal should be to understand and develop skills, rather than simply finishing an assignment. AI should support your learning journey, not replace it.

• Tutoring, Not Completing - Interact with AI as you would with your teacher. AI should serve as a resource for answering questions and providing guidance, but it should not be used to obtain direct answers or complete assignments on your behalf.

Violations of Policy:

• Unattributed Use - Copying significant portions of AI-generated content without appropriate citation is a violation of academic integrity. Always acknowledge and cite AI-generated insights or phrases that you incorporate into your work.

• Over-Reliance - Excessive reliance on AI to do most of the work, especially the critical thinking or creative aspects of assignments, is not in line with the principles of academic integrity. Ensure that your work showcases your own thinking and analysis.

• Substitution - Using AI to bypass essential steps in assignments, such as reading or analysis, undermines the learning process. Remember that the main purpose of education is to learn and grow, and AI should not be used as a shortcut to complete assignments without active engagement.

Conclusion:

• Sioux Valley students are expected to use AI responsibly and respect the principles of academic integrity. Use AI as a supplemental aid to enhance your learning, while ensuring that the bulk of your thinking, analysis, and composition is your own. By adhering to these guidelines, you will cultivate your skills and maximize the benefits of AI in a classroom.

Sometimes, a student just needs a little extra time and attention to master particular concepts or skills. Last year, the Board of Regents and Department of Education launched the Dakota Dreams Online Tutoring Program to provide that support. Students K-12 were able to access FREE after-school homework help from tutors who were students training to be teachers at Northern State University and Black Hills State University. The Online Tutoring program will be back again in school year 2023-24, with an added feature called Tutor Tracks.

Tutor Tracks

• Parents register their students for Tutor Tracks (application opens Aug. 1 on OurDakotaDreams.com)
• Students meet with their tutor 2x per week over 7 weeks
• First term includes two session options:
• Sept. 11 through Oct. 27, 2023 (reading and grammar available)
• Oct. 30 through Dec. 15, 2023 (reading, grammar and math available)
• Reading lessons will be offered to 1st-8th grade students
• Grammar lessons will be offered to 3rd-8th grade students
• Math lessons will be offered to 3rd-8th grade students

Questions? Email onlinetutoring@sdbor.edu

I'm looking forward to another great year partnering with the students, parents, and community members here at Sioux Valley. Onward Cossacks!

Email: tyler.bolstad@k12.sd.us
Phone: (605) 627-5657
Twitter: @tyler_bolstad

Website: https://www.svs.k12.sd.us/
Location: 200 Hansina Avenue, Volga, SD, USA
Phone: (605) 627-5657
Twitter: @cossackcorner