Cossack Connection

As we step into February, we are entering a season of important conversations. Both Parent-Teacher Conferences and registration planning for next year's high school classes help us look ahead and support each student’s next steps. These opportunities matter, and we encourage families and students to take part, ask questions, and partner with us as we plan for the remainder of this year and beyond.

At the same time, this has been a heavy season for our school community. Many of our staff and students are grieving personally, while also showing up each day to support one another. The care shown to one another is a reminder of what makes Sioux Valley a special place. Staff walking alongside students, students caring for one another, and our community stepping in and reaching out to help in tangible ways. Area counselors have taken time away from their own schools and practices to support us, and local pastors, youth pastors, and chaplains have been present to minister to both students and staff. The generosity shown by BankStar, our High School Student Council, and individual teachers such as Mrs. Janssen was especially thoughtful and uplifting.

While none of this removes the pain, it does bring comfort in knowing that care, support, and connection were present and that we are not alone.

Thank you for your continued trust, partnership, and compassion as we move forward together.

With Cossack Pride,
Tyler Bolstad

February 2-6 - School Counseling Week

February 3 - Conferences Sign Up Links Sent Out @ 9:00 AM

February 4 - 11th Grade ASVAB Testing

February 5 - Career Fair @ 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM; 3rd Quarter Midterm

February 9 - School Board Meeting @ 6:30 PM

February 12 - HS Registration Information Night / Parent-Teacher Conferences - 4:00 - 8:00 PM

February 13 - No School; Comp Day

February 16 - Presidents Day - NO SCHOOL

February 18 - HS February Fun Day

February 21-28 - National FFA Week

March 5 - 8th Grade Science Fair

March 11 - End of the 3rd Quarter

March 24 - Sioux Valley ACT Date for 11th Graders

Explore. Plan. Prepare for What’s Next.

Thursday, February 12th

4:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Join us for our High School Registration Information Night, held alongside Parent–Teacher Conferences. This is an informal, come-and-go event designed for both students and parents/guardians.

Families will have the opportunity to:

• Explore classrooms, labs, and the commons

• Meet Sioux Valley High School staff

• Learn about courses, programs, and academic opportunities available to students

Please be aware of the following informational sessions scheduled throughout the evening:

• Mrs. Jorgenson – 4-Year Course Planning - 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

• Mr. Ruesink – Freshmen 101 - 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM

• Mr. Bolstad & Mrs. Jaquet – Senior Capstone 101 - 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM

• Mrs. Ostrem – Dual Credit 101 - 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

• Dr. Kevin Smith – Navigating the Digital Storm: Insights from The Anxious Generation - 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Link to sign up for a conference: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1omgIMpJ5U7ipSMTeSaYyPIpQyl65s9Z9lMgPVcaV5M4/edit?usp=sharing

The rise of smartphones and social media has reshaped the lives of young people, creating unprecedented challenges for their mental health and relationships. Drawing from Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation and personal stories from my own experiences as an educator and parent of three children, this session explores the impact of mobile devices and social media on ourselves and our students. Participants will leave with practical strategies to support healthier technology habits, reduce anxiety, and foster meaningful connections in a digital world.

Congratulations to Josie F. and Landon H. for being selected to represent Sioux Valley at the summer 2026 HOBY Leadership Seminar on the campus of Dakota State University!

Information for Students and Families

(Planning Ahead for 2026–2027 and Beyond)

Sioux Valley continues to review graduation requirements and course scheduling to ensure our students remain well prepared for college, careers, and state scholarship opportunities. The updates below reflect alignment with recent statewide College & Career Readiness (CCR) changes and guidance from the South Dakota Department of Education.

In light of these changes from the SD DOE, Sioux Valley plans to offer the following required courses in an 12-week format for future senior classes:

• Personal Finance

• Health

• Senior Capstone

Each course will include a required assessment or project to demonstrate mastery of standards.

Why this matters for students:

• Ensures all students have the opportunity to earn the Advanced Career Endorsement on their transcript

• Provides meaningful real-world experiences and connections through internships, entrepreneurship, service learning, or a senior experience

• Allows students to apply their learning in authentic settings that are highly applicable to life after high school

• Serves as a strong slingshot toward post-secondary goals, whether students are entering the workforce, technical training, military, or college

Beginning with the Class of 2027

As part of updated state College & Career Readiness expectations, students are required to complete a standalone Senior Capstone course.

The Senior Capstone may include experiences such as:

• Youth internship

• Entrepreneurship experience

• Service learning

• Senior experience or project

This course is designed to help students apply their learning in real-world settings and better prepare for life after high school.

Timeline for Families & Students

• February 9, 2026: The School Board will take formal action on the Senior Capstone requirement

• February 12, 2026: Information will be shared with families during Registration Information Night to prepare rising seniors for the capstone pathway they wish to pursue

Course Coding Updates (No Instructional Changes)

Several courses will be re-coded starting in 2026-2027 to align with updated South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship requirements. These are backend transcript changes only and do not change what is taught in classrooms.

Government / Civics

• Government will now appear as two half-credit courses:

  • 0.5 Government

  • 0.5 Civics

• Content remains the same

• This ensures scholarship eligibility for students

English Courses

To better reflect course content:

• English 3 will include American Literature

• English 4 will include British Literature

Instruction, pacing, and expectations remain unchanged. The benefit is clearer transcripts for colleges and scholarship review.

Agriculture Course Enhancement

Beginning next year, juniors will have access to a 0.5-credit Ag Systems Technology course.

This course will:

• Build foundational technical and safety skills

• Better prepare students for upper-level Ag courses, including the senior level Building Trades course

• Strengthen pathways for students interested in building trades and applied agriculture

In Summary

These updates are designed to:

• Keep students eligible for the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship

• Improve transcript clarity for colleges and employers

• Increase scheduling flexibility

• Strengthen career and technical pathways

• Maintain instructional quality with no disruption to classroom learning

If you have questions, please contact the counseling office or school administration. More details will be shared during registration planning.

As you look ahead to your senior year, we want to share an opportunity that puts your class in control of earning a full year of senior privileges.

🎯 The Goal

Your junior class can earn full senior privileges for the entire 2026–2027 school year by meeting the following benchmark:

• Class average ACT score of 20 or higher (Science included)

• 100% participation in ACT testing across all offered test dates
  (Every junior must take the test on one of the available days)

For reference, the national ACT average is 19.4—this goal is both attainable and competitive.

💡 Why This Matters

• ACT scores are returned quickly and allow us to compare our performance to national data.

• Full participation matters. This is a team effort, and every student plays a role.

• Strong ACT performance opens doors for scholarships, college readiness, and future opportunities—while also unlocking meaningful senior privileges.

🏆 The Reward

If your class meets the goal:

• You earn a full year of senior privileges next year.

• Note: You remain eligible based on meeting criteria with attendance, grades, and positive behavior. More details to come!

Lake Area Technical College is offering a Sensory Adventures Camp for students with disabilities. This camp provides a fun, supportive, sensory-friendly experience that many students may not otherwise have access to.

Families interested can find more information and registration details here:
👉 https://www.lakeareatech.edu/academics/on-campus-programs/occupational-therapy-assistant/sensory-adventures-camp/

The South Dakota Math and English Language Arts (ELA) assessments are administered to students in grades 3–8. South Dakota Science Assessment is administered to grades 3, 8 and 11 only. The testing window for these assessments is March 30 through May 8, 2026.

Beginning in spring 2026, 11th-grade students will take the national ACT to measure mastery of state standards. All juniors are registered to take the Sioux Valley ACT, which will be administered at 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. As this assessment is mandated by the South Dakota Department of Education, it is essential that 11th-grade students arrive on time. Because the ACT is a nationally normed assessment, late entry into the testing rooms will not be permitted.

Families are encouraged to schedule appointments, vacations, and other commitments outside of the March 24 testing date.

If an absence is unavoidable, the ACT make-up day will be Friday, March 27, 2026. Please note that students do not have regular classes on March 27; however, students taking the make-up ACT are required to report to school by 8:20 a.m.

Information regarding all assessments can be located on the South Dakota Department of Education site at www.doe.sd.gov.

Test Preparation Resources:

• ACT Test Prep: www.act.org
• Methodize ACT Prep: www.sdMyLife.com
• On to College ACT Prep: www.ontocollege.com
• March2Success: www.march2success.com
• Method Learning: www.methodlearning.com
• YouTube: Numerous videos offering testing tips and strategies

As we wrapped up the first semester, we want to share some encouraging academic trends across both Sioux Valley Middle School and High School.

Despite higher overall enrollment this year compared to last year, we saw a notable decrease in the number of students finishing the semester with failing or deficient grades—a strong indicator that our systems of support are making a difference.

Here’s what the data shows:

• Students with at least one failing grade had a 28.6% reduction.

• Students with at least one deficient grade (D or F) had a 14.0% reduction.

• At the high school level, the improvement was especially significant:

  • Students with at least one failing grade had a 63.6% decrease.

These gains are not accidental. A key contributor has been our Student Responsibility Period (SRP)—a dedicated intervention time designed to provide targeted academic support, increased accountability, and timely help before small struggles become bigger setbacks.

We are encouraged by this positive momentum and will continue refining our supports so that more students are not only passing their courses, but building confidence, habits, and skills that lead to long-term success.

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for partnering with us in this important work.

In the 2025–26 school year, Sioux Valley has seen a significant increase in student interest in online learning opportunities. A total of 44 students are enrolled in 16 different online high school courses.

Additionally, the dual credit program, which is sponsored by the South Dakota Board of Regents, allows students to earn both high school and college credit. This year, 64 Sioux Valley High School students have registered for a total of 146 dual credit courses through various colleges across the state.

I wanted to pass along a valuable opportunity offered through SDSU: Common Sense Parenting classes beginning in January. These classes provide practical strategies for building strong communication, setting healthy expectations, and navigating parenting challenges with confidence.

The next series runs January 8th – February 12th, and the flyer is attached for those who may be interested. There are already eight parents enrolled, and because of the high demand, additional sessions will be offered:

• February 17th – March 24th

• March 19th – April 30th (final series of the school year)

Parents who have participated in the past have shared that the sessions left them feeling supported, encouraged, and more confident in their parenting toolkit.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the class coordinator, Jan, using the information on the flyer.

Attention Senior Families: We’ve gathered everything in one place to help guide you through this important year. Our Senior Information Hub includes key details on:

• ✅ Graduation Requirements

• 🧠 ACT & Testing Resources

• 🎓 Post-Secondary Planning & College Visits

• 💰 Scholarship Opportunities

• 📅 Important Dates (Senior pictures, caps & gowns, etc.)

• 🔗 Helpful Resources and Links

Please encourage your senior to review the information and reach out to the school counseling office with any questions. Let's make senior year a success!

Methodize is a simple, yet effective online learning platform that empowers students to learn new skills and reach their potential. It offers a self-paced ACT preparation course that provides students in grades 9 to 12 with a comprehensive overview of the most effective strategies and the most relevant content for raising their ACT scores. Students who have used Methodize to study for the ACT have seen an average increase of 3 points!

Methodize is available at no cost to all South Dakota students in grades 9-12. This resource is provided by the South Dakota Department of Education and can be accessed through SDMyLife powered by Xello. Students and educators can simply log into their accounts and access Methodize at any time.

To learn more about utilizing Methodize as an ACT test preparation tool in your district, a free tutorial is available via Canvas, and you can register and view that here:

Methodize - Free ACT Test Prep Tutorial

https://sded.sd.gov/browse/division-of-college-career-and-student-success/office-of-student-wellness-and-supports/courses/methodize---free-act-test-prep-tutorial2025

Welcome back to the 25-26 school year! I found a resource I wanted to share with you that is now available at the South Dakota State Library.

Whether you have students prepping for exams or you yourself may need a little extra prep, you should check out Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test Prep, available at https://library.sd.gov. Go to Electronic Resources and search for Gale and choose Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test Prep. You and/or your students will need to log in or sign up to use this resource.

Browse menu to:

• Improve a Test Score in Foundational Skills, High School, College, Grad School and international tests
• Find a School – includes school and scholarship search tools, Financial Aid Quiz and a Teen’s Guide to College & Career Planning
• Explore Careers – includes career advice, online resume builder, job search and a Teen’s Guide to College & Career Planning
• Vocational Test Prep – includes prep for many of the CTE exams

Choose a category and when you click “View all”, you can add the courses to “My Resources” for quicker access.

Praxis exam prep is also available. The library will have this available for 1 year but the more it is used, the more likely they are to renew it.

If you wish to learn more, the library will have a session on Sept 3rd at 3:00pm and Sept 18 at 10:00am. Sign up is required and can be completed at https://library.sd.gov under the Training Calendar tab.

Please call the library at 605-773-3131 if you have any questions.

Thanks!

Do you know a student who loves science, asks great questions, and enjoys learning how things work? The PROMISE Scholars Program at Sanford Research is an incredible opportunity for motivated high school students interested in biomedical science.

This 10-week, hands-on summer research internship immerses students in real laboratory work alongside professional scientists. Scholars become part of a research team, learn advanced lab skills, connect with other science-minded students, and present their work at the Sanford Research Symposium.

Students selected for the program will:
• Work in a real biomedical research lab
• Learn how to design experiments, collect and analyze data, and interpret results
• Participate in Journal Club to review and discuss scholarly articles
• Explore scientific ethics, including data integrity and responsible research
• Present their research through a scientific poster and written reflection
• Attend career coaching sessions and explore post-secondary opportunities
• Earn 3 undergraduate elective credits through the University of South Dakota
• Receive a $4,000 scholarship
• Engage in outreach projects that bring science to the community

2026 Summer Program Details

• Dates: May 26 – July 31, 2026

• Time Commitment: Minimum of 35 hours/week for all 10 weeks (with up to 5 discretionary days)

• Eligibility:

  • Must be at least 16 years old by May 26

  • Must be entering senior year in Fall 2026 (home-school students also eligible)

  • Must have a strong interest in a research-related career

• Scholars will work directly with a Sanford Research mentor as part of their research team

• Finalists must attend a Science Boot Camp on Saturday, January 31 from 9:00 AM–3:00 PM

• Students are encouraged (not required) to take part in other PROMISE programs such as Research Shadowing, Teen Science Café, or Biomedical Research Investigations

How to Apply

Applications are available online, and the deadline is Friday, January 9, 2026.
Program Information & Application: https://bit.ly/PROMISEScholars

Please note: Housing is not provided, so this program is intended for regional students.

This is a remarkable opportunity for students to explore biomedical research, build college-level skills, and learn from leading scientists. We encourage interested students to apply!

Our staff regularly engages in professional learning focused on strengthening classroom practices and supporting student growth. From instructional strategies to student engagement and behavior, these readings help ensure we are aligned, reflective, and continually improving. We’re sharing a few highlights that may also be helpful for families at home.

“To do anything well, students need to practice it, ideally in the presence of a teacher who can guide them when they struggle.”

James Lang

“One day, we will look back at this period of unbridled social media use, free-for-all texting, and never-ending screen time and wonder how we could have done this to our kids.”

Robin Abcarian in The Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2025

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 Angie Andreasen in the MS/HS Office. We're here to assist you with any inquiries you may have.

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

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