District Dialogue

Community Partner Steve Hildebrand presented to the School Board about the work he and other sponsors have done to support students through the Promising Futures Fund. Promising Futures gathers donors to support academic initiatives and field trip experiences. The Fund’s book-a-month program puts a book into the hands of every student in 240 classrooms across 13 elementary schools. This program allows more than 5,200 students in the district to own 9 books by the end of the school year – nearly 47,000 books in all. In addition to this work, before students left for the summer this past May, each of the 2400 students in 1st. 2nd, and 3rd grades received 6 more books to keep them reading and doing math over the summer.

Since 2019, Promising Futures has quietly gone about supporting students and schools by taking requests from principals at schools with high levels of poverty. Hildebrand and his unnamed volunteers have met countless school needs without fanfare. Promising Futures also supports programs Bikes for Kids, Neighborhood Parks, summer camps, and much more. SFSD thanks Promising Futures Fund for the significant contributions to support students.

The safety and security of students, staff, and the community continues to be a top area of focus for the Sioux Falls School District (SFSD). One of the five priority areas identified in the District Priorities plan is Well-Being. A significant element of this priority area is safety. The District has developed seven pillars of success for a safe and secure environment.

1. Policies, Practices, and Procedures
   
2. Technology
3. Facility Design
4. School Resource Officers
5. See Something Say Something
6. Vigilance and Commitment
   
7. Culture and Climate

SFSD believes all students and staff must feel a sense of belonging and have the supports needed to be successful both academically and socially, which includes feeling like they are in a safe, inclusive, and nurturing learning environment.

See the full report below to learn more about the seven pillars.

The unprecedented labor shortage has had a global effect on PreK-12 busing services since the start of the 2021-2022 school year. As a result, the Sioux Falls School District and the busing company we contract with, School Bus Inc. (SBI), have been working together for the past several months to find new ways to maintain busing services to all neighborhoods served last year. Collaboratively, SFSD and SBI revised three main areas, including the recruitment and retention of bus personnel, route adjustments, and implementation of new busing software.

See the full report below to learn more.

Due to the changes recently released by the CDC, the District has made slight changes to its current C2L Plan to reflect the CDC changes.

General changes include:

• Removed the quarantine language for close contacts.
  
• Removed the spacing expectation between students.
• Removed the statements that children under 5 are not eligible for vaccinations.
  
• Removed the positive case building notification requirement.
  
• Face coverings will be available for all students, staff, and visitors and the wearing of face coverings will be a personal or family decision.
  
• PPE Guidance was updated throughout the document.
  
• Infographics were removed from pages 12, 32, and 33, and the updated daily screening checklist will be utilized.
• Changes were made to correspond with the CDC guidance on positive cases, the isolation of ill students, and the process of working with students needing daily medical assistance.

The District will continue to update the plan to reflect the latest COVID-19 prevention guidance provided to us by local, state, and national entities. The next scheduled updated is December 2022.

The second and final t-shirt pick-up day is tomorrow, August 23. Starting at 9 am, a drive-through line will be set up on the east side of IPC between the IPC parking lot and Robert Frost Elementary lot until 1 pm. A detailed map of the two-lane system is attached.

If you are not able to make it between 9 am and 1 pm tomorrow, all sizes will be available in the lobby of IPC immediately following the drive-through event. Please feel free to stop at your earliest convenience to pick up your size.

You are invited to Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation Night at the Birdcage THIS Saturday, August 27th! This is a fundraiser for the Foundation, so by purchasing a ticket, up to $5 per ticket goes back to the Foundation for our public schools. Game time is 6:05 pm.

Enjoy this special discounted ticket at $17.

More information about the parent/guardian app called Stopfinder has been released! The app will allow parents and guardians to accurately track their children’s school bus in real-time. The easy-to-use app is secured so only authorized users will have access to school bus information.

Stopfinder, which is tied to the district’s bus routing software, is free to parents and guardians and allows users to customize when they receive alerts about their child’s bus location. SFSD transportation leaders can target communications to specific locations in the city to communicate information that may only be relevant for that area. For example, if a road is closed and a bus will be late, only parents/guardians of students affected by that closure will be contacted.

When a student “swipes” the Stopfinder card (the student ID cards that are new for everyone this year) with its unique 7-digit number as they enter and exit the bus, information such as date, time, and location is transmitted to a secure database available for immediate access by parents, school, and transportation leaders.

Architecture Incorporated established an annual grant program to award multiple worthy K-12 educators with a total of $4,500 in funding to help their students thrive and succeed. We are seeking out-of-the-box ideas of all sizes to address teachers' challenges and encourage ingenuity in education.

Grant applications can be for any amount up to $4,500, but the money should be used for this school year. Grant materials can be used in a classroom, across a grade level, throughout a building, or district-wide, but cannot be for food.

In an effort to remove any bias, the applicant's name and school district will be excluded prior to judging. The grant applications will be judged on the following criteria:

• Clearly and concisely written
• Enhances curriculum or teaching standards
• The need/rationale is explained
• There are clearly defined outcomes/benefits
• The requested grant funds are specified and supported
• It will have a positive impact on the community
• Are there other funding avenues available?

The application deadline has been extended to Friday, September 2, 2022, and winners will be announced in mid to late September 2022.

As we gear up to kick off the 2022-2023 school year, be sure to take a second to complete these items:

• Check Your License Renewal Date - Be sure to take a second to review the renewal date for your teaching/administrator license. Also be sure to review any requirements needed to renew to help you stay on top of it!
• Teacher Renewal: https://doe.sd.gov/certification/teachers.aspx
• Administrator Renewal: https://doe.sd.gov/certification/administrators.aspx

• Review the South Dakota Code of Ethics for Professional Educators - Each time a Teacher or Administrator renews their license, they receive a link to the South Dakota Code of Ethics for Professional Educators. If you are unfamiliar with them, they are linked below:
• Teachers - https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/14062
• Administrators - https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/14156

At times, all of us face personal or work-related struggles in our lives. The District is pleased to offer the Sand Creek Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help employees and their families find support and the necessary resources when difficult situations arise. Additionally, the EAP is an excellent option for webinars, articles, and other resources to help support our well-being. Our EAP through Sand Creek is free, professional, and confidential. Read on for more information about our Sand Creek Employee Assistance Program.

“It takes a village to bring the excitement of back-to-school season to students. From lesson planning to preparing the classroom, GM wants to celebrate the season's return with school, college and university employees.”

All Sioux Falls School District employees are eligible for this opportunity. Visit https://m.delivery.generalmotors.com/nl/jsp/m.jsp?c=%400uytLZBy6THfqCOPJ9w%2FyJzIW8z8XUdcPMG91v45RdU%3D to learn more!

Wellness Program Guides have been mailed out by HMC HealthWorks for employees who had medical insurance as of July 1st, 2022.

Employees who had their insurance start after July 1st, 2022 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.

Questions about the Wellness Program? Email benefits.sfsd@k12.sd.us.

August is National Eye Exam Month. Getting regular eye exams is important, even if you think your vision is fine. Eye exams allow an eye care professional to monitor your eyes for common vision problems and signs of disease. By identifying diseases early, you have the best chance of preserving good vision with the best treatment options.

Simple actions can go a long way to protect your eye health, including not smoking, eating a healthy diet (especially dark, leafy greens like spinach or kale), and maintaining a healthy weight. Also, be aware of your family’s eye health problems, as certain diseases can run in families. Make sure to wear sunglasses to block harmful rays and protective eyewear for activities like sports and home improvement projects.

You can utilize our new Employee Assistance Program to locate an eye doctor near you! Call Sand Creek’s 24/7 Toll-Free Support at 888-243-5744 or login to your Sand Creek EAP account and click on the “Chat and Video” icon. You can ask for a listing of eye doctors in your area, or any other services you may be interested in through Sand Creek’s concierge service.

Adapted from All One Health