District Dialogue

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) is predicting major shifts in occupational groups and that by 2031 most jobs will require some level of postsecondary education. The District will continue to monitor postsecondary enrollment data and provide relevant courses to support students who are entering all careers, especially the fastest-growing fields of healthcare support, computer and math professions, personal care, and service providing industries.

View the full report below.

Canvas continues to be rolled out District wide as the chosen Learning Management System to communicate with students and parents. At Monday evening's meeting Dr. Teresa Boysen brought this report to inform the School Board on how we got to this point, some of the key features of Canvas, and how it will continue to be implemented.

View the full report below.

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.

This weeks SFSD All Star is Heidi Schneider! Heidi is Building Technology Specialist at Memorial Middle School. She was nominated by her co-worker Jera Potter, who had this to say, "Heidi has a servant's heart and is always willing to help when technology trouble arises. She does her best to meet student and staff technology needs quickly. Heidi's willingness to help others is to be admired. Because she shares her time and talent, the students and staff at Memorial are able to access technology effortlessly in order to enhance learning."

Do you have a co-worker who is always going above and beyond? Fill out the nomination form below!

Is she one of the top setters in the nation? Is she fully bilingual? Is she a strong academic achiever with clear goals for the future? Yes, yes, YES! We're proud to feature Macie Malchow as our first Senior Who Shines for 2023-2024. She's not just a humble servant leader in the classroom, on the court, and in the hallways, she's someone who staff believe make THEM better. Every. Single. Day. Meet her.

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!

A big THANK YOU to Showplace Cabinetry for your generous donation to The Angel Fund. These funds will play a significant role in making sure every student has access to the meals they need to learn at their best.

The United States has designated September 15 through October 15, 2022 as Hispanic Heritage Month. Starting in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month was initially observed as Hispanic Heritage Week and has since extended to a full month starting in 1988. During this time we recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community.

September is Suicide Prevention Month — a time to raise awareness and discuss this highly stigmatized topic. In addition to shifting public perception, this month is also used to spread hope and vital information to people affected by suicide. The goal is ensuring that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help. SFSD counselors at all schools have many resources to ensure that students get connected with the help they need. Thank you for the work you do everyday!

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.

Happy Autumn! Are you ready for the season of great colors and cooler temps? At our August program, you indicated that one of your customer service challenges is listening, because sometimes, it's hard, and you're busy, and well, life is complicated, right?

Here are six tips to make listening easier for you:

1. Make eye contact, about 65% of the time so you don’t overwhelm.

But be culturally sensitive. Some people do not make eye contact.

2. Ask questions. Learn more by asking, “So what happened then?” “How did that feel?” “What did you learn from that experience?”

3. Don’t interrupt someone who is speaking. Take a deep breath, and honor them by paying close attention. It will save you time to “get it” the first time!

4.Try really hard NOT to change the subject. Even if it’s challenging. Hear them.

5. Try to control your emotions. Be aware of your feelings, but don’t let them control you and your words, or you may have regrets later.

6. Respond! Feed back what you hear, in YOUR words. Don’t be the parrot and repeat word for word….unless you have language barriers. Same language, use your words. That shows a great attempt to understand, and even if you didn’t get it, your attempt lets them patiently tell you again, instead of thinking you didn’t care.

Practice being a very good listener! It takes a bit of effort, but it usually saves time when you understand the customer the first time they tell you their concerns.

EmBe recently announced their nominees for the 50th annual Tribute to Women Awards, and we want to congratulate 2 of our Sioux Falls School District staff that were nominated. Kari Papke, principal at Washington High School, and Angelica Mercado-Ford, teacher at Washington High School, were both nominated.

Additionally, school board member Dawn Marie Johnson was nominated for her work with the South Dakota After School Network.

Congratulations Kari, Angelica, and Dawn Marie!

You can view the full list of nominees HERE.

• 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

SDRS: Early & Mid-Career Workshop

This workshop targets those members in the early and middle stages of their careers and offers a wide-ranging spectrum of money-related topics to promote personal financial awareness and increase retirement preparedness through budgeting and financial planning exercises.

What people are saying about this workshop:

• This was incredibly helpful. I wish it were required of all employees. I'm very glad I came.
• I wasn't sure what to expect...it was very informal, educational, and even kind of fun.
• Surprisingly interesting and thought-provoking.
• I really need to go to another one of these because I didn't know how much I was missing!

Date: October 30, 2023

Location: Holiday Inn City Centre

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm with check-in beginning at 5:30pm

Registration Deadline: October 30, 2023

Register Now!

Statistically speaking, women live longer, are more conservative investors, and are more apt to take time off work to care for children and elders, creating unique challenges when it comes to financial and retirement planning. The Women and Financial Planning workshop focuses on strengthening the overall financial wellness of SDRS's largest membership group.

What people are saying about this workshop:

• The focus on women was refreshing.
• Speakers were engaging and easy to follow. Topics were diverse and covered relevant topics.
• I never knew how important all of this was until this presentation.

Date: November 20, 2023

Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm

Location: Virtual Event (A link to the workshop and presentation materials will be emailed to you prior to the event.)

Registration Deadline: November 20, 2023

Register Now!

Did you know Delta Dental offers a max bonus account for those enrolled in the enhanced plan? This allows enrollees to carry over $250 of unused benefit every year. The max bonus account can grow to an amount equal to your plan’s annual maximum giving enrollees up to $4,000 in a given year ($2,000 annual max plus $2,000 MBA). This option offers new flexibility and help if more extensive and costly dental treatment is needed.

Remember: This benefit is only included on the enhanced plan.

Compare Plan: Standard vs. Enhanced plan PDF

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