District Dialogue

Did you know September is National Attendance Awareness Month? School attendance is a major focus point for SFSD this year, so there will be some new tools introduced to help combat chronic absenteeism. The District recently secured a grant from the SD Dept. of Ed to use towards this goal, and a major part of that grant will go towards hiring these attendance liaisons. They will develop relationships with families and students, identify and eliminate barriers preventing school attendance, organize transportation, and connect families with community resources. They will be focused at Garfield, Hayward, Hawthorne, and Terry Redlin Elementary Schools, and George McGovern and Whittier Middle Schools.

Thank you for your commitment to ensuring the best for all students, attendance liaisons!

Pictured from left:

Jessica Walton - Hayward

Rochelle Holloway - Terry Redlin

Suzannah Reaves - Whittier

Kristal Shoffeitt - McGovern

Brandi Everette - Hawthorne

Reginald Burkette - Garfield

For more information on why attendance matters, visit the below link for some insightful resources.

https://www.attendanceworks.org/

Join the American Heart Association in partnership with OPEN as we explore today’s relevant topics to aid in the development of happy and healthy lives within your school community! The next professional learning session will be Wednesday, September 6th at 3:30 PM to tackle the topic of The Vaping Crisis and the Power of Prevention.

A bit more info on these FREE webinars:

• Each 45-minute webinar will take place on the first Wednesday of each month and there is no cost to join.
• All webinars start at 3:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM CT / 12:30 PM PT and will be recorded for those that can’t attend the live session.
• These professional learning webinars will include must-have follow-up resources and an attendee certificate.
• Chance to win a $250 US Games certificate for each webinar you attend. Receive a BONUS opportunity for an additional $250 US Games certificate when you attend all 4 webinars.

Calling all area teachers, including childcare providers — the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation wants to help bring your innovative ideas for classroom projects to life through our Excellence in Education grantmaking 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.

Please consider dropping a note to thank our sponsors for the “Cultivate” tshirts provided to reinforce this year’s theme. Architecture Incorporated has generously sponsored tshirts for staff since 2006. That’s a stellar commitment from a community partner – especially recently. As a consumer, you know prices have increased dramatically on some items. Cotton is one of them, so they enlisted the help of other contractors to divide the cost. Please don’t overlook their generosity.

Architecture Incorporated

Attn: Holly Haberman

415 S Main Ave.

Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Sayre Associates, Inc.

216 S. Duluth Ave.

Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Associated Consulting Engineering, Inc.

340 S. Phillips Ave.

Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Structural Engineering Associates, Inc.

401 E. 8th St., Suite 201
Sioux Falls, SD 57103

Please find time to thank these folks who are not obligated… but who willingly partner with SFSD because they appreciate you! The remaining tshirts will be available at IPC through the end of this week.

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.

We live in a challenging, perhaps even toxic climate, with fear and loss in headlines daily. Despite that, we do have the power to create our reality by HOW we see life: fear-based and limited, or love-based and joyful.

Great service requires positive energy to be authentic. People are overwhelmed by life and negativity, when they know it or not. When you take the High Road of Great Service, you offer a wonderful, caring alternative that says they matter, they’re important, too.

How you see it is how it is.

That’s the power you have. Know it. Own it. And enjoy making your day great with service on the High Road!

This week:

Count the times you took the High Road, rising above negativity, fear, loss. Too many to count? I thought so! Thank you for serving on the High Road. Please know this: it makes a real difference!

New Employee Workshop

SDRS staff will be presenting several ZOOM sessions over the next few months to discuss important topics relevant to new SDRS members, including a brief overview of SDRS and the SDRS-SRP, the importance of designating beneficiaries and appointing custodians for minor children, the SDRS new member packet and ID card, and how to set up online access to MySDRS.

Register for one of the 45-minute Zoom sessions with SDRS!

September 11th - 4:15pm via Zoom:Register Here!

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

  • Wednesday, September 13th - 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Cultural Myths in Media: Fact or Fiction
  • 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

• Do you have questions about your personal leave options, SEMS codes, and personal leave balances? If so, please see the attached“Personal and Wellness Day Leave Memo”for the 2023-24 school year!!
• Personal and Wellness Day Leave Memo for the 2023-24 School Year
• Do you have questions about which days in the 2023-24 school year are “restricted dates” for the use of personal leave? If so, please see the attached“No Meeting-No Personal Days Memo”for the 2023-24 school year!!
• No Meeting-No Personal Days Memo for the 2023-24 School Year
• Do you have questions about the Comp Days you will earn by working the fall and spring conferences? If so, please see the attached“Comp Days Memo”for the 2023-24 school year!!
• Comp Days Memo

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide is a major public health concern and one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Knowing the warning sides for suicide and how to get help can help save lives.

If you know someone in crisis…

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about someone’s social media updates, or dial 911 in an emergency.

Five steps you can take to help someone in emotional pain:

1. ASK – “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” It’s not an easy question, but studies show that asking at-risk individuals if they are suicidal does not increase suicides or suicidal thoughts.
2. KEEP THEM SAFE – Reducing a suicidal person’s access to highly lethal items or places is an important part of suicide prevention. While this is not always easy, asking if the at-risk person has a plan and removing or disabling the lethal means can make a difference.
3. BE THERE – Listen carefully and learn what the individual is thinking and feeling. Research suggests acknowledging and talking about suicide may in face reduce rather than increase suicidal thoughts.
4. HELP THEM CONNECT – Save the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (1-800-273-TALK) and the Crisis Text Line (741741) in your phone so they’re there if you need them. You can also help make a connection with a trusted individual like a family member, friend, spiritual advisor, or mental health professional.
5. STAY CONNECTED – Staying in touch after a crisis or after being discharged from care can make a difference. Studies have shown the number of suicide deaths goes down when someone follows up with the at-risk person.

Adapted from National Institute of Mental Health

Sioux Falls School District is inviting you to participate in Wondr, a digital health program helping people to lose weight and improve their whole health. And it’s available to you at no cost, if eligible.*

Looking for something simple to help you look and feel your best for the rest of your life? Wondr makes it easy for you. There are no strict diets, calorie counting, or exercise equipment needed. It's a straightforward, skills-based solution that provides simple, sustainable, life-long results.

Plus, the program’s available 24/7 through the mobile app and online community, WondrLink, where you can access curriculum and connect with online health coaches and participants anytime, anywhere.

Space is limited.

Learn more at https://www.wondrhealth.com/SFSD

Apply between 9/4/2023 – 9/17/2023

The program begins October 2nd!