Rosa Parks Elementary

Kiersta Machacek, Principal, kiersta.machacek@k12.sd.us

Mandi Sonnenfeld, Admin Intern, mandi.sonnenfeld@k12.sd.us

SCHOOL HOURS: 7:45a - 2:30p

Office Hours: 7:15a - 3:45p

Phone: 605-371-4170

Location: 5701 E Red Oak Dr. Sioux Falls, SD, 57110

Website: Rosa Parks Elementary School

October 12:

• No School - Native American Day

October 13:

• No School - Inservice

October 13:

• Conferences 12p - 7p

October 15:

• Conferences 3:30p - 7p

October 29:

• End of Quarter 1

Fall Parent Teacher Conferences:

These will be help on Tuesday October 13 and Thursday October 15. Your student will bring home information from their classroom teacher regarding the date/time your scheduled. Once you receive this information, if you have questions, please reach out to the classroom teacher directly.

Looking Ahead - November 2026:

November 11:

• No School - Veterans Day

November 25:

• No School - Comp Day

November 26 & 27:

• No School - Thanksgiving Break

Thank you to all the families and friends who were able to join us at our FIFTH annual Block Part on Friday Sept. 18th! We are thankful the weather help out just long enough to enjoy our time together. It's so fun to see new families and seeing older students return is awesome too!

Conferences are coming up next! All students will soon bring home a red paper that will have your scheduled date/time to meet with you students teacher. If you have multiple students at Rosa Parks, each student will bring home their own form. We look forward to seeing you on one of the two scheduled conference days; Tuesday October 14 between 12p - 7p or Thursday October 16 between 3:30p - 7p.

Reminder, if you have a child who does not meet the cutoff or turning 5 years old on or before September 1st to start Kindergarten (required by the Sioux Falls School District) you may consider district preschool options. More information regarding what is available can be found on the SFSD Website under the Students & Families section, clicking on School Registration. You can also call 605-367-8488 to speak with someone to discuss options and get answers to any questions you may have.

Recurring School Time Reminders:

- Students can arrive as early as 7:15am to eat breakfast, if needed.

- Supervision on the playground begins at 7:25am.

- First Bell rings at 7:40am. Students will line up with their class and come inside with their teachers.

- Our school day starts at 7:45am each morning - a second bell will ring at this time.

- All doors will lock and any student arriving Tardy, after 7:45am will need to enter through the office.

- Our school day ends at 2:30pm each day.

- Supervision after school is only available till 2:45pm. All students need to be picked up by this time.

* Please do your best to plan ahead with any construction and/or weather to ensure your student is getting to school and picked up from school on time each day. If you need a list of after-school care options, please reach out to the school office.

The Sioux Falls School District offers free developmental screenings for children from birth to age five who reside within the district’ boundaries. We will check your child’s development in the areas of motor skills, concepts, and language. We also complete a free vision and hearing check. Screenings are done throughout the year from 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday. We can also get your child registered for Head Start if you meet eligibility requirements. For information or to schedule a free appointment, call the Early Childhood screening office at 605-367-8488. The Early Childhood Screening office is located at 2205 N. Career Avenue.

Visitors are welcomed into the SFSD buildings. With this, we will follow District Visitor Policy - there are NO exceptions.

The Sioux Falls School District is using a NEW visitor management system that requires all visitors to produce a government issued ID prior to entry during school hours the first time you are checking in. After that, the check-in process is much quicker and your ID will not be needed each time. A sticker ID badge will continue to be generated which MUST be worn in a visible location while you are in the building. All parents and visitors will need to check in at the front office if coming to school during the student day. The student day is defined as 7:15am to 3:00pm at Rosa Parks Elementary.

We begin serving breakfast at 7:15am each morning. Students that do not utilize district busing or before/after school care can be dropped off beginning at 7:15am with supervision starting at 7:25am. Students not eating breakfast will remain outside until the first bell at 7:40am unless there is inclement weather or the temperature with wind chill is below 0*F. Under these conditions, the front office doors will be open at 7:25am with supervision in the hallways.

School dismisses at 2:30pm each day. There is supervision outside till 2:45pm. It's important that students are picked up by 2:45pm, unless participating in an after-school activity or program. If you need information regarding child care options, please reach out to the school office.

If your student will be late to school and they need a HOT Lunch ordered, please call the office to let us know PRIOR to 8:15am. Our hot lunch order is sent to the central kitchen following attendance at 8:15am and we DO NOT order extra lunches for absent students. If we are not aware a hot lunch is needed, your student will need to bring a cold lunch from home that day.

If your student is being picked up early, please call the office and we will do our best to have your child ready when you arrive. If you are needing an emergency contact person to pickup your child, please be sure to let us know the name of the person we should expect to see and advise that person to bring proper identification with them.

All outside visitors will need to come to the school office to pick up and check students out. Please ring the intercom/doorbell outside the front office door so we can let you in.

• Circle Drive is not a race track. Slow down and drive with caution!
• Note there are two lanes along the sidewalk of Circle Drive. The inside lane closest to the building should only be used for drop-off/pick-up only. The outside lane is a drive-through lane - Please DO NOT stop and allow students to exit your vehicle when in this lane.
• When using Circle Drive, please DO NOT leave your vehicle unattended. You must stay in your vehicle. This helps keep traffic moving.
• Students should exit your vehicle on the passenger (sidewalk side) so they are exiting safely and not getting in/out of your vehicle in traffic. This will help other vehicles move more efficiently.
• If you would like to walk your child to the playground/building before school or meeting them after school, please be sure you find a parking space, in the parking lot (DO NOT parking illegally, behind others, or along the grass areas) and use the monitored crosswalks.
• Only vehicles with handicap parking permits should park in the assigned handicap spaces.
• The south lot is for School Bus and Daycare ONLY. This is not a parent pickup zone.

Please check back in October for an updated message. Going forward, we will have messages available again in January/February during the legislative session, and then finally in March/April as we finalize the budget and wrap up the school year.

Get your child a flu shot!

Common symptoms of influenza are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea. Complications resulting from influenza include pneumonia, ear or sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions.

The flu vaccine is the best way to protect against complications of influenza. The Centers for Disease Control recommends all Americans over the age of 6 months receive a flu vaccine. Flu vaccination can reduce flu illness, doctor visits, and missed school, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations.

In addition to seasonal flu vaccinations, the District is asking parents/guardians to remind their children about basic prevention efforts. We can reduce the spread of all illnesses by practicing proper hygiene, such as:

• Covering the nose and mouth with tissue when coughing or sneezing;

• Washing hands frequently with soap and warm water, or

• Using hand sanitizer, if soap and water are not available.

** Current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control advise that students who exhibit flu-like symptoms - including a fever of 100 degrees or more, with a cough or sore throat - should stay home from school for at least 24 hours after they are fever free, without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Thank you for partnering with the Sioux Falls Public Schools to keep our classrooms healthy!

- Nurse Angie Doohen

Greetings, parents! We are so excited to announce our 5th Grade Concert, "Big Dreams," will be happening on November 19th at 6:30pm in the Rosa Parks gym. We look forward to seeing you there!

Ms. Fink, Music

Ashley.Fink@k12.sd.us

Hello orchestra families - Here is what we will be working on in orchestra this month!

4th grade: Open string notes, playing posture, bow hold, pizzicato

5th grade: D string notes, A string notes, sight reading, new rhythms

For families/students using a school instrument: If you have not already done so, please make sure you get the instrument checkout contract turned in. If you are using an instrument for the maintenance fee, the fee must also be paid before students can take an instrument home.

Students should be practicing at home during the week to ensure their continued improvement on their instrument. A great goal is to practice 100 minutes per week. You can divide it up however works best for your family.

Please make note of our concert dates and save to your calendar:

December 15, 2026 and April 5, 2027

4th Grade Rehearsal Schedule:

401: Mondays (starting October 5th) and Fridays

402: Thursdays and Fridays (starting October 9th)

403: Wednesdays and Fridays (starting October 9th)

404: Mondays and Wednesdays (starting October 7th)

405: Mondays (starting October 5th) and Wednesdays

5th Grade groups are by instrument:

Cellos and Basses: Mondays and Fridays

Violins: Wednesdays and Fridays

Viola: Thursdays and Fridays

Mrs. Drouin, Orchestra

Andrea.Drouin@k12.sd.us

5th Grade Band has gotten off to a fantastic start! Students have learned how to hold their instrument and play their first couple of notes. Please encourage your student to practice at home and remind them to bring their instruments to school on Mondays (Everyone), Tuesdays (Woodwinds only), and Thursdays (Brass/Percussion Only). Please reach out if you have any questions!

Ms. Klocke, Band

Anna.Klocke@k12.sd.us

HOW BLOOMIN’ BUCKS WORKS:

It’s so easy... Just go online to www.bloominbucks.com for your color landscaping needs! All you need to do is choose to support our organization, Rosa Parks Elementary School, then you will be taken to the Brent and Becky's website where you can select from their huge selection of bulbs, plants, perennials, supplements, books, tools, home accessories, and more! Practically anything you will want or need! In any quantity you need! In any color you want! They will take your order and ship directly to your front door! And, 25% of your product total comes back to us! There really isn’t an easier way to help support us than to simply beautify your landscape!

Your Support is a Beautiful thing - BLOOMIN’ BUCKS MAKES IT THAT WAY!

No matter the economy, people are always caring for their home and family. But they are also being asked for their support more often than ever! With Bloomin’ Bucks, we‘re not asking for your money! We’re just asking people to do what they would normally do... beautify their home's landscape! Gardening is STILL one of the most cost effective ways to improve the value of a home! For generations, the bulbs from Brent and Becky's have been of the highest quality and have been adding color to landscapes all over the country. Asking you to beautify your home landscape through Bloomin’ Bucks helps us to raise much needed funds!