Cossack Connection

It’s been a fantastic start to the school year! I’ve been encouraged by the positive energy in our classrooms and hallways. Teachers are diving into content with purpose, and students are showing up ready to learn, grow, and support one another.

I’m especially proud of the way we’re supporting all learners during our Student Responsibility Period. Between students seeking out extra help themselves as needed and other students being provided with the additional support and structure they need as part of their daily schedule, this time at the end of each day is a great way for students to get caught up, seek help, and take ownership of their learning. As a reminder, students are expected to remain available through the end of the academic day at 3:30 PM and are expected to verify any scheduled appointments on Securly Pass before leaving the building before 3:30 PM.

As we look ahead, September promises to be a month filled with excitement — capped off by Homecoming Week at the end of the month! I’m looking forward to celebrating all the things that make Sioux Valley so special.

With Cossack Pride,

Mr. Bolstad

SV Secondary Principal

September 1 - No School; Labor Day Weekend

September 19 - Midterm

September 22-26 - Homecoming Week

September 22 - Coronation

September 26 - Homecoming Pep Rally, Parade, and Football Game

September 30 - Start of 2nd Rotation of MS Exploratory Classes

October 2 - Picture Retake Day

October 8-9 - Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 10 - No School; Parent-Teacher Conferences Comp Day

October 13 - No School; Native American Day

October 22 - End of the 1st Quarter

Due to ongoing road construction in Volga, our Homecoming parade route has been adjusted.

Parade Lineup:
Floats will begin lining up near the Middle School/High School parking lot and will continue lining up along 4th Street, beginning at the intersection of 4th Street and Hansina Avenue, stretching east from that point.

Parade Route:

• The parade will officially begin at the intersection of Hansina Avenue and 4th Street.

• It will travel west down 4th Street to Kasan Avenue,

• Then turn north on Kasan to 2nd Street,

• From there, it will head east on 2nd Street to Hansina,

• And finally go south on Hansina to 3rd Street, which will mark the end of the parade route.

We appreciate everyone’s flexibility as we work around construction to keep this tradition safe and fun for our students and community!

• All students not in SRP need to either leave campus or remain in the commons. Places not appropriate to go include the playground, elementary wing, and locker rooms.

• Students are responsible for checking Securly Pass prior to leaving during SRP. Students with an assigned appointment that fail to attend will earn attendance points.

As we welcome Angie, our new MS/HS Administrative Assistant, we wanted to share some helpful reminders and clarification on how student absences are categorized in Infinite Campus. This is a common question Angie has received, and we want to ensure we're all aligned in how we record and talk about attendance.

✅ Exempt Absences

Do NOT count against a student’s attendance record.
These include:

• School-sponsored activities (e.g., sports, FFA, band trips)

• Medical/dental appointments verified with a doctor’s note (only for the duration of the appointment + travel)

• Funerals or religious observations

• Court appointments (with short travel time)

• College visits for seniors, with pre-approval via the yellow form from Mrs. Jorgenson

📘 Excused Absences

DO count against a student’s attendance record.
These include:

• Parent-requested absences pre-approved by administration

• Personal illness

• Weather-related issues

• Medical/dental appointments that could not be scheduled outside of school hours

• Other situations approved by administration

⚠️ Unexcused Absences

DO count against a student’s attendance record and may lead to interventions.
These include:

• Absences without parent or school permission

• Accumulating 10+ total absences (excused or unexcused) in a school year

• Examples typically not excused unless there are extenuating circumstances:

  • Oversleeping

  • Skipping class for homework or test prep

  • Student-organized activities not school approved

  • Leaving school without checking out in the office

  • Shopping trips, hair appointments, massages, etc.

  • Any absence not communicated with or approved by school administration

Reminder: Any portion over fifteen minutes in the period counts as an absence for that period.

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!

As our staff has been engaging with The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, we’re committed to looking and thinking critically at our school’s cell phone procedures in light of growing concerns about mental health, distraction, and social development in youth. Haidt and other experts emphasize that smartphones in schools can impair attention, reduce meaningful interaction, and contribute to anxiety and social isolation. He advocates for phone-free schools to support healthier childhood experiences.

Who We’re Inviting

We'd like to invite student leaders from Student Council, NHS, FCCLA, FFA, and Junior Honor Society, as well as interested parents, to serve on our Operations & Logistics Team. Together, we’ll review our current phone practices and explore how our school can best support focus, engagement, and wellbeing for every student.

How to Get Involved

If you’re passionate about helping shape these procedures, we want to hear from you! Please reach out to Mr. Bolstad at tyler.bolstad@k12.sd.us to express interest or ask questions.

Thank you for helping us ensure that Sioux Valley continues to be a place where students can learn, grow, and connect—without unnecessary distractions.

Are you a parent or guardian looking for meaningful ways to contribute to our school community? If so, we’d love you to join our Climate Team, a group dedicated to lifting up students and staff through recognition, morale boosters, and positive experiences.

What the Climate Team Currently Does:

• Recognizes Students of the Month across grade levels

• Hosts the Activity Fair, connecting students with clubs and extracurriculars

• Designs incentive activities like milkshakes for the grade with the best attendance

• Providing meals and snacks for staff, such as supper during conferences or the SOUP-er Bowl

• Creates opportunities to celebrate staff and students when their efforts shine

Because we no longer have a booster club or a PTO at the secondary level, our school team often covers these celebrations from personal resources. We’re raising funds to ensure these small‑win moments continue—and your involvement can make a big difference!

How You Can Help:

• Whether you can attend meetings, volunteer at events, or offer financial support, you can make a real difference. We meet about once a month on Wednesdays between 2:00–4:00 PM for roughly one hour.

• Please complete our quick Climate Team Interest Survey to let us know how you'd like to get involved:

Family engagement is essential in making our school climate a positive and inviting place for everyone. Together, we can amplify student success, foster belonging, and celebrate the quiet but important achievements that often go unseen.

If you’re ready to help—or simply want more details—please email me at tyler.bolstad@k12.sd.us.

70% of kids quit sports & activities before high school. How we talk to our kids about activities is how we keep our kids in activities.

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 Karen Steege 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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