Ms. Simmons' Secondary Scoop

Students have been working to complete their second round of IXL diagnostic testing (also called a snapshot) in math and ELA. While we use IXL weekly, these snapshots are comprehensive checkpoints to evaluate progress towards proficiency in SD standards. It's been so much fun to hear and see both staff and students' excitement as they track their growth and evaluate the skills identified as needing more practice. I encourage you to ask your student(s) to show you their progress in IXL using their laptop.

This week I visited both 8th grade science classrooms to share an upcoming opportunity specifically for our 8th grade girls.

Women in Science - Sioux Falls was founded in 2004 with the goal of increasing awareness and encouraging young women to pursue the many exciting career opportunities available to them in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). They provide an annual conference for area 8th grade girls to expose them to careers in these fields. Over 600 girls from area schools attend every year. In my previous school district, I took 8th grade girls to this event annually, so I know first-hand what an awesome experience this day holds. There are tons of hands-on activities, career booths, post-secondary education booths, and breakout sessions hosted by women professionals in STEM-related fields. In the breakout sessions, students learn about the types of education necessary for career paths, as well as the activities, salary, and other related expectations. The girls will also see and experience technology and equipment used in many different fields. This event is free for 8th grade girls to attend and also includes a free lunch.

Women in Science is scheduled for Monday, March 6, 2023 at Southeast Technical Institute and is an all-day event. We would leave in the morning and return at the end of the school day. Students would need to complete any work missed in their classes that day. In order for your 8th grade girl to attend, I need a completed parent permission form returned. Registration opens at the end of the month and I want to ensure we get registered before it is full. Students may pick up a paper copy of the permission form in their science class if needed.

Please view the Women in Science website with more information: https://wissiouxfalls.com/ and let me know if you have any questions by contacting me at my email address below.

Just a friendly reminder that there is no school on Friday, October 21. Enjoy the three-day weekend!

I'd like to extend a very warm thank you to all parents and guardians that attended fall parent-teacher conferences. Conferences promote meaningful face-to-face communication and an opportunity to share your student(s) progress. I am conducting a short survey to gain parent/guardian feedback on how conferences are held. Please take a couple of minutes and share your thoughts with me: https://forms.gle/4cH1yhYdSipuZrr87

South Dakota students and families can access a new, online tutoring program, staffed by college students who are preparing to become teachers. The Dakota Dreams Online Tutoring Program offers FREE online tutoring to K-12 students across the state. One-on-one tutoring sessions can help students with their homework, tackle specific trouble areas, and address broader educational concepts.

Please note: In order to access the service, parents or guardians must register their students, not the school.

PROGRAM BASICS

· The program is staffed by university students accepted into their Schools of Education at Black Hills State University and Northern State University.

· It utilizes a simple and secure online platform, where students and tutors connect for virtual sessions. The platform is a one-stop shop for scheduling and conducting sessions.

· Subject areas include: English/language arts, math, science, social studies.

· Tutors will be available Monday through Sunday afternoons and evenings. The service will not be available on holidays and during Christmas and spring breaks.

· In order to access this free service, parents first need to register their students to use the platform. Once registered, sessions can either be pre-scheduled or on-demand, depending on tutor availability. Please click here to register.

· The program is a joint effort of the South Dakota Board of Regents and Department of Education – administered by BOR and funded with federal dollars available to DOE through the American Rescue Plan.

Questions about this program should be directed to onlinetutoring@sdbor.edu.

Lunches and breakfasts are not free this year. There is a cost associated with both of these services. We encourage all parents to fill out paperwork for free and reduced lunch and breakfast. You can access those forms here: English and Spanish. There will be office staff available on conference night to take lunch money and help with completing free and reduced forms.

A Parent Portal account is needed to access your lunch balances. This is the same platform utilized to check your student's grades and attendance, and now you can pay to add money to lunch accounts. Please contact Karla Denison (Karla.denison@k12.sd.us) or Bonnie Yackley (Bonnie.Yackley@k12.sd.us) to receive the directions on how to access an account. Please click here for more information on how to access your Parent Portal account. Please make this a priority as many families have negative balances at this time.

• JH/HS student handbook

• JH/HS online lesson plans. Click the link below each email address for the staff member/course you’d like to see.

• Link to all school activities

As always, please let me know if there's anything I can do to serve you and our secondary students.

Sincerely in Education,

Website: https://www.elkton.k12.sd.us/
Phone: (605) 542-2541
Facebook: facebook.com/ElktonSchool53
Twitter: @ElktonSchool