District Dialogue

Monday afternoon members of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, Sioux Falls School Board and Mayor Paul TenHaken officially broke ground on the new elementary school soon to be constructed on the northwest side of Sioux Falls.

This school is a long time in the making, and is the last part of the $190 million capital improvement bond passed by voters in 2018. It will be home to about 680 students and is scheduled to be open in the fall of 2025.

We look forward to following the process of this exciting project in the District!

Technology is a day-to-day part of every member of the District's life. Everybody from the youngest students, teachers, administrators, and parents use our tech tools everyday, and it wouldn't be the well-oiled machine it is without our helpful IT professionals! In the past year alone they have made maintenance and improvement a top priority, and they are consistently looking to streamline and improve upon their work.

Make sure to say extend a heartfelt thank you to our IT staff who keep SFSD a technology-forward District!

The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation wants to help bring your innovative ideas for classroom projects to life through our Excellence in Education grant making initiative. Classroom teachers from all grade levels in Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, and Turner counties are eligible to apply for classroom grants.

Now in its 32nd year, the Excellence in Education initiative offers grants to teachers who have creative and innovative ideas for classroom projects. Since the program began, hundreds of programs and activities designed by teachers throughout the Sioux Falls area have received grant funding, enriching educational experiences for students.

Proposals must be received by midnight on Saturday, September 30th, 2023.

The lead clerical at the Learning Lab has additional duties this year with a brand new preschool at the facility - and she's met them all with enthusiasm and joy. Find out why Crystal is simultaneously the "mom" AND the "glue" of this site and how she's going above and beyond every day for staff, students, and parents.

Do you work with somebody who is consistently going above and beyond? Somebody you're proud to work with everyday? An unsung hero who leaves a lasting impression without fanfare?

Follow the link below to nominate them!

The Sioux Falls School District applied for, and received, a multi-million dollar grant to help address the problem of chronic absenteeism in Sioux Falls. The first priority was additional people who can build relationships with families at select schools and with particular subgroups. Assistant Superintendent Dr. James Nold talks about the grant and the liaisons, and you get to meet one of our new, highly-trained full-time staff members working on this important issue.

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!

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, Biodiversity, Arts, 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 in late May of 2023.

This is a small way that we can show our appreciation for all you do for our students.

• All registered teachers will be provided a link to the conference videos from the Sioux Falls School District in late May until October 15.


• Each video is approximately 19-25 minutes in length and can be viewed 24/7.


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

What first comes to mind when you read that headline? Do you ever have days when you wished you HAD a box? Constant change can make us hunker down and do things the way we’ve always done them, and/or, resort to what I call Killer Phrases, words designed to quickly solve a problem, but not necessarily in the best interest of the customer.

One of the worst Killer Phrases is this:

"That’s our policy."

No one wants to hear that, and it brings out the worst in some of us.

Most policies were created for a good reason. That good reason can actually be a benefit to the customer:

• Safety
• Inclusivity
• Quality
• Retention
• Higher graduation rates

One example:

A parent wants to keep their child home longer than district policy allows. Instead of simply citing your policy, you inform the parent you do this to ensure the success of students and help them graduate from high school.

When you share the REASON for the policy,

(an actual BENEFIT to the customer), you have a chance to

de-escalate situations and help solve problems.

Schools can be very complicated to parents, as well as other customers, and knowing "why" can help them better understand.

Find the reason for the policies you cite to customers and share it when you have to cite it for a customer. Most customers will appreciate knowing “why” instead of just being told.

Earlier this year, Summer DeCosse, teacher at Eugene Field A+ Elementary, earned her Early Childhood-Generalist National Board Certification. Please join us in congratulating Summer in this great achievement and the hard work that went into it. Congratulations Summer!

• Click the link below to register for Sand Creek EAP’s live webinars

  • Wednesday, October 11th - 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Empowering Your Influence
  • Wednesday, November 8th - 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Competent Leadership
  • Wednesday, December 13th - 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Personal Fitness for Life

Wellness Program Guides will be mailed out to employees in the next few weeks for those who had medical insurance as of July 1st, 2023.

Employees who had their insurance start after July 1st, 2023 will receive their Wellness Program Guide in the next couple of months.

How Do I Get Started?

1. Go to https://hmchwwellness.com/SFSD
2. Click the “Sign Up” icon
3. The Participant Sign Up window will appear, and you will need to enter:
• Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Last four digits of your SSN

IMPORTANT: Please sign up using your own last name, date of birth, and social security number, even if you are not the primary on the health plan.

2023-2024 Preventative Care Form

Questions about the Wellness Program? Email benefits.sfsd@k12.sd.us.