![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/holidaycookies.ea645719.jpg)
Tiger Times
Harvey Dunn Elementary Newsletter
Mission Statement: Ensuring academic, social, and emotional growth for all.
Upcoming Events
December 1-21: NWEA MAP Assessments K-5th Grade
December 5: PTA - Skate City Night 6:00-8:00pm
December 21: Classroom Winter Parties
December 22-January 2: NO SCHOOL - Holiday Break (Classes resume January 3rd)
HD Facebook
HD Instagram
Principal's Corner
Greetings Harvey Dunn Families,
As we enter the month of December, we take time to reflect upon how grateful we are for our Harvey Dunn community. Thank you families for your ongoing support. During November, our 5th grade students showcased their musical talents in Annie Jr., and our 4th/5th grade band and orchestra students shared their musical instruments with us. Thank you Mrs. Rygg, Mr. Travers, and Ms. Bigge for your time and leadership in preparation for these events.
If you would like to show gratitude to a Harvey Dunn Elementary teacher, consider nominating one for the 2023 Teacher of the Year! See the information in the newsletter for more details.
Kindest regards,
Mrs. Chamberlain, Principal
Dreambox Challenge
Harvey Dunn Elementary students are working hard to reach our building-wide goal of completing five Dreambox lessons a week. Each month, we look at our progress together. Our monthly goal is to have at least 60% of students meeting the weekly goal. Check out how our classrooms our doing in reaching this goal for the month of November. As a building, we are at 90% as of today for the month of November.
Counselor Corner
Hello families! As a school, we have been working hard in our counseling lessons and through our daily Tiger Times to learn to identify our emotions and how they impact our day at school. We are building up a "toolbox" of strategies we can use to get calm and return to the "Green Zone" when we are feeling dysregulated. Like anything, the strategies we use and the habits we build are most effective when we can use them both in and out of school. Here are some ways you can help support this growth at home:
- Ask your student to teach you some of the strategies they have learned at school. Then, encourage them to use them at home!
- If your student has a difficult emotional episode, be sure to talk through it at a more neutral time. Ask what they were feeling? What could they do next time they feel that way?
- Model identifying your own emotions, and how you work through them. For example, "I was really nervous today about giving a presentation at work. But, I took deep breaths and told myself I could do it. I was proud of myself when it was done!"
- Take advantage of TV, movies, and books to talk about how different characters are feeling, how they are handling their emotions, etc.
- Work together to create a "calm corner" or spot at home where anyone can go when they feel the need to calm down. Decide what should go in the calm spot - a blanket? Headphones? Paper and crayons?
What other ideas can you and your family come up with for building emotional intelligence and coping skills? Do you have any tried and true tricks that you use at home? Feel free to reach out to Mrs. Craghead with any awesome ideas, or with any questions you might have!
SFSD Staff All Star - Dawn Reinicke
Dr. John W. Harris Teacher of the Year Award Nominations Are Now OPEN!
Dr. John Harris served as superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District from 1968-1992. Dr. Harris led the school system with compassion and integrity, touching the lives of thousands of students, teachers and employees, and guiding the system to be one of the finest in the country. He is remembered for his gentleness, humility, graciousness, professionalism, intelligence, and his sincere interest in people. He lived his philosophy that human contacts are the key element to education.
The Sioux Falls School District is proud of our staff and teachers for their commitment to our children and encompassing the same values and passions as Dr. Harris! Each year the Sioux Falls Public Schools and Vern Eide Motorcars jointly sponsor this prestigious award, so please lift up and nominate a deserving teacher by clicking the link below!
Teacher of the Year Program & Nomination/Letter of Support Forms
Report Student Absences *new feature*
Parking Lot Reminders
Please take a moment and review the before and after school reminders below. By following these expectations we can provide smooth and safe arrivals and drop-offs for students. Thank you!
- Park vehicles in the parking lot and walk students to and from the school using the crosswalks. If you are choosing to drop off students, use the circle drive or north drive.
- Only vehicles with handicap parking permits can park in the handicap spots.
- When pulling up in the circle drive or north drive before or after school remain in your vehicle and move forward as the line moves. This helps keep traffic moving.
- Students exit on the passenger side of the vehicle. In the circle drive, once you are in the student drop-off zone, students exit the vehicle. When more students are exiting the vehicles, we are able to move traffic through more efficiently.
- The north drive might be a faster alternative for morning drop-off when the circle drive is busy. Remain in your vehicle and move forward as the line moves. This helps keep traffic moving.
Breakfast & Lunch
Breakfast begins at 7:30am. Each grade level has a separate lunch time (see schedule).
Lunch money can be deposited into your child’s account by using the MySchoolBuck on-line system. MySchoolBuck App is available on the Apple Store and Google Play.
Harvey Dunn PTA
Upcoming Events:
Mon, Dec 5--Skate City Night
Sat, Jan TBA--West Mall 7 Movie Matinee
We are making some changes to our monthly meetings, including the time. They will now begin at 6 PM in hopes that more parents will be able to attend. Our next meeting will be Tues, Jan 17. Watch for more information on what you can expect when you attend a PTA meeting!
West Mall 7 Movie Matinee is in the works! A date for this free family event should be available soon!
Check out the Harvey Dunn Elementary PTA Facebook page! Click "Follow" to see the happenings throughout the school year and stay up-to-date.
Morningside Community Center
Friday, December 2nd. Kick off the month of December and your weekend with Family Fun Night at Morningside Community Center. This FREE event will run from 6:30-8:30 PM and will include carnival games, inflatables, a DJ and more. Kids must be supervised by a parent to attend.
Morningside Community Center will have special hours over the holiday break. We will be open from 12:45-5:15PM December 22-January 2. The Morningside Community Center will be closed on December 24-25 and January 1.
Your children have been amazing to have at the community center this year. We wish you all a Blessed Holiday Season.
Dakota Dreams Online Tutoring Program
Dakota Dreams Online Tutoring Program: Free, online tutoring available for K-12 students
- South Dakota students and families can access a new, online tutoring program, staffed by college students who are preparing to become teachers. The Dakota Dreams Online Tutoring Program offers FREE online tutoring to K-12 students across the state. One-on-one tutoring sessions can help students with their homework, tackle specific trouble areas, and address broader educational concepts.
PROGRAM BASICS
The program is staffed by university students accepted into their Schools of Education at Black Hills State University and Northern State University.
It utilizes a simple and secure online platform, where students and tutors connect for virtual sessions. The platform is a one-stop shop for scheduling and conducting sessions.
Subject areas include: English/language arts, math, science, social studies.
Tutors will be available Monday through Sunday afternoons and evenings. The service will not be available on holidays and during Christmas and spring breaks.
In order to access this free service, parents first need to register their students to use the platform. Once registered, sessions can either be pre-scheduled or on-demand, depending on tutor availability.
Contact Us
Principal: Mrs. Chamberlain
Email: Jennifer.Chamberlain@k12.sd.us
Dean of Students: Mrs. Muchow
Email: Stephanie.Muchow@k12.sd.us
2400 South Bahnson Ave.
Sioux Falls, SD 571203
605-371-4120