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District Dialogue

Keeping you informed the week of May 22-26, 2023

District Dialogue Keeping you informed the week of May 22-26, 2023

Welcome to the last week of the school year! Welcome to the last week of the school year!

The last week of the school year is upon us! The class of 2023 graduates have their diplomas in hand, and elementary school students are having their end-of-year celebrations. Thank you to everybody who helped make 2022-23 another amazing year in the Sioux Falls School District! More photos from the graduation ceremony can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAEAYF

School Board Meeting (5/22) Recap School Board Meeting (5/22) Recap

Good News Report Good News Report

National Merit Finalists

17 students from all four high schools were recognized at tonight's School Board Meeting for their outstanding academic achievement of being National Merit Finalists. This is a major accomplishment and it qualifies them for a whole host of opportunities and scholarships. Congratulations to all on your hard work and commitment to excellence!


From Roosevelt High School:

  • Ava Steffen
  • Quentin Dorale


From Washington High School:

  • Noah Spain


From Jefferson High School:

  • Ethan Buermann
  • Samantha G. Anderson


From Lincoln High School:

  • Reem Barakat
  • Quentin Boyt
  • Makea Buchanan
  • Maxwell Danielson
  • Emma Forster
  • Cassidy Jennings
  • Eva Knudtson
  • Rikhav Thakkar
  • Jing Yan
  • Lauren Yu
  • Alina Zatrika

Presidential Scholar Recognition

A big congratulations goes out to Andrew Nguyen from Jefferson High School on being a 2023 Presidential Scholar! This is one of the nation's highest honors for high school students. Thank you for representing the Sioux Falls School District!

National History Day Video

Sara Newitt, 8th grader at Memorial MS, recently made a short documentary-style video to submit for National History Day. The mission of National History Day is, "Studying the past to inform the present and shape the future." Sara shared a portion of her video with the Board at tonight's meeting. She will attend National History Day in DC in June. You can watch her video about Ruby Bridges and her role in history here: https://youtu.be/syiAfzksHw0

Reports of the Superintendent Reports of the Superintendent

Information and Technology Services Update

The Sioux Falls School District is committed to ensuring that its technological initiatives align with the District’s goals and are geared toward the success of students and staff alike.

Cybersecurity is an ever-present issue that requires attention, and through the Sioux Falls School District’s implementation of security tools, the tech team is working toward achieving District security goals.


View the full report below.

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Inspire Education Conference Registration Open Inspire Education Conference Registration Open

Registration is open for the 2023 Inspire Education Conference, August 2nd-3rd at Jefferson HS! Register soon as spots are quickly filling up!


Here is another amazing speaker in the lineup for the 2023 Inspire Conference.


This conference is open to all SFSD employees free of charge! Topics include MTSS, PBIS, mental health, restorative practices, PLC+, literacy, strengthening core instruction and many more!


Click here to view the full conference schedule and session descriptions.


Click here to view sessions by topic.


Click here to register!

Imagine Solutions Conference Imagine Solutions Conference

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.
Register here!

Summer Food Service Program

The Sioux Falls School District Summer Food Service program will be available during the months of June and July 2023. FREE breakfast and hot lunches will be available for kids ages 0-18. No paperwork necessary.


As the end of the school year is just a few days away, please make sure to get the word out to anybody who may benefit from the program!

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SF Canaries host "School's Out" Night

The Canaries will be hosting a "School's Out" night on Friday, June 2nd geared towards celebrating teachers! General Admission is only $7 and they will have some give-aways to honor teachers. It's the perfect way to round out your year!

Public School Proud Grants Public School Proud Grants

Technology updates, classroom manipulatives, STEM resources, yoga gear; these are just a few of the ways this week's Public School Proud grants are being used. Eleven grants were given out this past week. Congratulations to all recipients! Thank you for going the extra mile to benefit your students! (Be sure to follow the link below for a full list of recipients!)

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Scott Sorenson

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Brittany Prinsen

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Kristine Smith

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Jill Hansen

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Lara Altenburg & Justice Beaver

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Julia Blashack

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Claire Brothers

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Rick Thomas

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Michelle Clayberg & Sarah Fink

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Sonia Sotomayor Group

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Lexi Handley & Valentina Contreras

See The Full List Of Grant Recipients Here!

SFSD All Stars! 💫🤩⭐ SFSD All Stars! 💫🤩⭐

Jane Eilertson

This week we have a special SFSD All Star nomination from a former SFSD student! Sarah Dinkins was a former student of Mrs. Eilertson's, and after a move across the country and many years, was compelled to say this about her former teacher:

"I am sure you already realize the size of Jane Eilerton's heart, but I want to ensure it is known to all simply how amazing she is. I am 40 years old, and when she was my teacher a long time ago at Garfield her name was Miss Martin. She then got married and became Mrs. Eilertson. She was such an amazing, loving and caring teacher back then and still is today. The passion she has, cannot be taught. It has to come from within. Her heart bursts with love for her students, and she cares so much about their well being. She takes her role as an educator very seriously to this day. Her connections to students and parents is outstanding.

I am still in touch with her ALL of these years later even after a move across the country to Texas. When we went back up to visit family, we made it a priority to see her so she could meet my kids. They loved her instantly which was no surprise! She is still impacting my life in such a positive way. She checks in on me and my family weekly, sends updates on her life, keeps me informed on her teaching, and really STILL shows me so much love. It’s quite unbelievable actually since she was my teacher in first grade. She doesn’t need to do any of this, but she chooses to.

I wish both of my kids (7 and 8 years old) could experience a teacher like Jane Eilertson. She is like a jackpot in the teaching world...a rare gem. You are beyond lucky to still have her at Garfield. She is so loyal and is literally every positive adjective you can think of for a teacher. I simply want to make sure an educator like her does not go unnoticed. She is very special in so many ways. I’d do anything to have 100 Jane Eilertsons at my own children’s elementary school. Maybe her secret is her love for M&M’s! ;) The district is lucky to have such a dedicated employee.

We agree!
Congratulations Jane - You are an All Star!

See All 2022-23 SFSD All Stars Here!

HR Radar HR Radar

HR Radar: Special Education Hiring

The Sioux Falls School District is offering attractive incentives for Teachers to transfer into Special Education vacancies. Learn more about these opportunities HERE!


Questions on the District’s hiring incentives? Check out the Q & A Form.

HR Radar: Upcoming Sand Creek Webinars

Click the link below to register for Sand Creek EAP’s live webinars.

  • Wednesday, June 14th - 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Healthy Living: Navigate Life’s Transitions
  • Wednesday, July 12th - 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Identifying and Addressing Employee Turnover
  • Wednesday, August 9th - 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Boosting Your Brain Power
  • Wednesday, September 13th - 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Cultural Myths in Media: Fact or Fiction


Can’t attend a webinar? No problem! Visit https://allonehealth.com/blog/ to view all past webinars.

Benefits Buzz: Benefits Spring Cleaning

Open Enrollment is now over, so please log into the Selerix Benefit System and do the following:

  • Verify that your benefit elections look as you think they should. (You won’t be able to change anything in Selerix. Questions? Email benefits.sfsd@k12.sd.us)
  • If you have life insurance, you must add or verify your beneficiary information. (Beneficiary designations are the only modifications allowed in Selerix at this time).


Click HERE to access the Benefit Enrollment Site. Your login is your Employee ID Number. The initial PIN/password for the system is the last four numbers of your social security number plus the last two numbers of your birth year.

Weekly Wellness: Learn to practice mindfulness with Mindfulness Coach App

Practicing mindfulness means grounding yourself in the present moment. Mindfulness has been shown to be helpful for reducing stress and coping with unpleasant thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness Coach will help you practice mindfulness meditation. Features include:

  • Education about the benefits of mindfulness
  • Mindfulness exercises to practice on your own or with guidance
  • Strategies to help overcome challenges to mindfulness practice
  • Log of mindfulness exercises to track your progress
  • Reminders to support your mindfulness practice


Free Mindfulness Coach download from:

iTunes (iOS) and Google Play (Android)


Adapted from Sand Creek EAP

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Looking for a District Dialogue newsletter from the 2021-2022 school year? All DD newsletters are archived and can be found by clicking this button.
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