Curriculum & Technology News

Welcome back to the Technology and Curriculum Department newsletter!

We're excited to kick off another great season of updates, innovations, and collaborations. Stay tuned for exciting projects, helpful tips, and ways we're working together to enhance learning through technology. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead! 🙌🏼

We would like to provide an update regarding the current individuals responsible for technology within the school district.

Christian Kotab - District Network Administrator

James Boelter - District Systems Administrator

Tina Brengle - Admin Asst to Technology & Curriculum

Gabe Zerbst - Comp Tech for SWMS/ STEL/WW/Rural

Jodie Taylor - Comp Tech for SBHS

August Bowman -Comp Tech for Stagebarn/PVE/Rural

Office hours (M-F) 7:00am to 3:30pm

Note: Every Friday, your tech team will attend a weekly technology meeting from approximately

7:00-8:00 a.m at our Tech Building. Following the meeting, they will be available to report to their respective buildings.

*Please note: Beth Johnson is no longer managing the Technology team. For any inquiries, kindly contact Christian or James. If you require assistance with troubleshooting or device repairs, please continue to utilize our One-to-One ticket system.

All Student & Staff electronic devices now feature Single Sign-On capabilities, allowing students to access multiple educational tools and resources with a single set of login credentials. This streamlines the user experience, reduces password management challenges, and enhances security by minimizing the need for multiple passwords. Students will simply hit the SSO button to login.

Parent Portals remain the same login info as before.

Please take a moment to browse our helpful tech resources before school begins.

ELA Curriculum Pilot Update - Over the past six months, we’ve made significant progress toward adopting a new ELA curriculum.

· K–5 will pilot Amplify CKLA and Savvas myView this fall. Although the timeline is tight, teachers have agreed that if they're not fully confident in the materials, they will delay the final decision. Both programs will be evaluated using the Reading League’s Science of Reading (SoR) rubric and the district’s adoption rubric.

· K–2 teams are also exploring standalone foundational reading programs to supplement if needed.

· 6–12 will pilot Amplify, McGraw Hill StudySync, and Savvas 2025 myPerspectives, with CommonLit 360 under consideration at the high school level. Since we currently use myPerspectives, access to both the 2017 and 2025 versions has been provided. The pilot team will use the 2025 edition, while others may continue with the older version.

The goal is to make final recommendations by January for Board approval, with training planned for spring and fall of 2026.

K–4 Curriculum Decision

In fall 2025, 93% of K–4 teachers voted to continue using Mystery Science. This early decision allowed the district to move the ELA adoption up by one year. While the program was retained, teachers identified class kits as a barrier. In response, a Science Kit Crew was created to assemble and distribute materials for the first time this fall.

K–4 Science Kits

K–4 teachers met to assemble Mystery Science kits last week and will hopefully finish up this week. A delay in ordering materials caused a late start, but the goal is to have kits ready by the third week of school.

Teachers will receive completed kits. Teachers will still need to round out some of their kits with class copies. Please reference your appropriate grade level below to access the materials lists where the pdf copies are linked.

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Some of the kits will come in containers while others will come in a clear plastic bags with labels telling you which unit of instruction can be found inside. We ran out of containers, but plan to address the shortage after the dust of back to school has settled.

Grades 5–8 Curriculum Pilots

Teachers piloted Twig Science in spring 2025 and appreciated the hands-on learning, but noted a lack of resources for absent students. This was especially problematic during track season. As a result, they will pilot Amplify Science in fall 2025 in addition to Science Techbook.

High School Curriculum

· Physical Science with Earth & Space adopted McGraw Hill Inspire after the previous curriculum was discontinued.

· Anatomy will continue using Holes’ Anatomy (2025 edition).

· Biology is currently piloting Cengage, Savvas, and McGraw Hill.

Adoptions & Curriculum

· K–5: Studies Weekly - Teachers have access to both the Studies Weekly virtual training and the state-developed A–Z training via the DOE’s professional learning portal. Even if previously completed, retaking the course is strongly encouraged due to summer content updates.

· Read-Aloud & Novel Sets - In addition to Studies Weekly, the state provided classroom sets of read-aloud and novels. Titles delivered to classrooms include notes about available full sets. Due to limited classroom storage, full novel sets are housed at the curriculum office. To request a set, contact the curriculum office.

· Grade 5: TCI + Studies Weekly - The committee determined that Studies Weekly alone wouldn’t cover the full instructional minutes for 5th grade. As a result, TCI was adopted as the core curriculum, with Studies Weekly supporting world history topics. Curriculum maps and pacing guides are available to support integration of both programs.

· Grades 6–12: McGraw Hill - The 6–12 team adopted McGraw Hill’s latest program and began training last spring. A refresher training is scheduled for the August kickoff.

Pacing Guides & Late Start Work

This summer, the Social Studies District Review Committee developed curriculum maps and pacing guides aligned to essential standards and common assessments, using the Understanding by Design framework. These guides will serve as the foundation for late start collaboration, where teams will evaluate and refine instructional materials and assessments.

We’re grateful for the team’s work in narrowing the focus and grounding our efforts.

Curriculum Adoption - Meade adopted Savvas enVision Math in 2018, with the current contract ending in June 2026. At the same time, the state is revising math standards, with new standards expected by April 2026.

To prepare, Meade will form a District Review Committee to begin the selection process. Additionally, the department will begin aligning essential standards to ensure a guaranteed and viable curriculum. This work, along with identifying common formative assessments, will guide collaboration during late start days.

• Beth Johnson Director of Curriculum
• Christian Kotab - District Network Administrator
• James Boelter - District Systems Administrator
• Email: meade.help@k12.sd.us
• Location: 1610 Fulton Street, Sturgis, SD, USA
• Phone: (605) 347-4454