SVE

Our teachers and staff work hard each day to support and care for our Cossacks — let’s show them how much they’re appreciated! One way to do that is by completing our SVE Family Appreciation Form.

Your kind words and positive messages mean so much to our staff and help remind them of the difference they make every day.

👉 Click here to complete the Appreciation Form

Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your appreciation and help spread positivity across Sioux Valley Elementary! 💙🤍

In the coming days (before Thanksgiving break), you will receive a letter from your child’s teacher regarding our Response to Intervention (RTI) process. This letter will outline the level of support your child is currently receiving: Tier 2 or Tier 3 as well as the specific reading intervention being used to help your child continue to grow as a reader.

Our goal is to ensure every student receives the instruction and support they need to close any gaps and stay on track with their reading progress. The RTI letter will help you understand how we’re supporting your child and how we work together to help them succeed.

If you have any questions after reviewing the letter, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher. We are always here to partner with you in your child’s learning journey.

Thank you for your continued support!

SVE Families, welcome to the beautiful month of November! 🍁

As the leaves turn and we embrace the crisp fall air, November brings a focus on an important life skill: conflict resolution. Teaching our students how to resolve conflicts positively helps them build stronger relationships, work effectively in teams, and create a more supportive and respectful school community. By encouraging healthy communication and problem-solving from a young age, we are setting our students up for success not only in school but throughout life!

October was packed with excitement, learning, and student involvement at Sioux Valley Elementary. Here’s a quick recap of some highlights:

• Fire Prevention Month: Our local volunteer firefighters visited to teach students about fire safety. If your home needs a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector, please contact the local fire department.

• Teacher Assistance Team (TAT) Meetings: Held every Tuesday, these collaborative sessions support students’ academic and behavioral growth.

• Family Engagement: From Mystery Readers in 2nd grade to 4th & 5th grade parents helping with Halloween parties, we love seeing families actively involved in school life. Join us for breakfast, lunch, or even recess!

• School Board Meeting & Retreat: Our 2024-2025 Report Card was shared, sparking discussions on strengths, areas for growth, and goals for this school year.

• Halloween Safety Talk: Officer Jeremy Kriese shared tips to ensure a safe and fun Halloween.

• Pep Rally for State Competitions: We celebrated our athletes heading to state in cross country and cheer, showing off our Cossack pride!

• 2nd Grade Citizenship Assembly: Our 2nd graders presented an interactive assembly on what it means to be a good citizen.

• Red Ribbon Week & Halloween Festivities: Students and staff showed off their spirit with dress-up days, parties, and our Halloween parade.

We look forward to an exciting November filled with learning, growth, and community connection. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our Sioux Valley Elementary family!

Warm regards,

Heather Hiltunen

Principal, Sioux Valley Elementary

(Photo: Left to right-Crystal Niemann (Administrative Assistant), Heather Hiltunen (SVE Principal), and Tiffany Thompson (Medical Office Assistant).

SVE School Report Card Highlights 📊

We are proud to share the exciting results from the newly released 2024–2025 South Dakota Department of Education School Report Card! Sioux Valley Elementary continues to perform above the state average in all areas, showing the incredible dedication of our students, staff, and families.

This year, our overall score increased from 61 to 67, reflecting steady academic growth and focused instruction. Here’s a closer look at our progress:

• English Language Arts: Improved from 54% to 60%

• Mathematics: Jumped from 57% to 67%

• Science: Grew from 36% to 51%

We also continue to celebrate an outstanding attendance rate of 98%, showing how committed our students are to learning every day.

While our student performance is strong, our student progress remains an area of focus. Because of this, Sioux Valley Elementary is currently identified for Targeted Support, which means we are taking intentional steps to ensure all students stay on track and make measurable growth toward their learning goals. Through our MTSS (RTI-Response to Intervention and PBIS-Positive Behavior Intervention Supports) framework, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and the use of Standards-Based Report Cards, our teachers are working collaboratively to provide targeted interventions, monitor progress, and celebrate growth at every level.

We are incredibly proud of our students’ efforts and the commitment of our staff to continuous improvement. Together, we are building confident, capable learners who are prepared for success, both inside and outside the classroom! 💙🤍

Beginning-of-Year DIBELS Results 📚

Our Beginning-of-Year (BOY) DIBELS results are in, giving us a strong starting point for the 2025–2026 school year! Across grades K–5, 64% of students are currently at or above benchmark, with grade-level results ranging from 50% in kindergarten to over 70% in 3rd and 4th grade. About 17% of students fall into the strategic range, and *19% are identified for intensive support. These results help us tailor reading interventions and small-group instruction to meet individual student needs.

Our schoolwide goal is to have 80–90% of students at benchmark, 5–10% in the strategic range, and 1–5% in the intensive range by the end of the year. Our team is committed to ensuring that every student grows as a confident, capable reader.

Growing Cossack Readers at Home

We often hear families asking, “What can we do at home to help our children become stronger readers?” The good news is there are practical, fun ways to reinforce reading skills while enjoying books and quality time together! My attached infographic shares easy tips for building phonemic awareness, practicing phonics, exploring high-frequency words, strengthening reading fluency, and growing comprehension.

Celebrate Your Child’s Growth!
Notice and celebrate your child’s effort and progress. Praise persistence, problem-solving, and curiosity. Every small step helps your Cossack reader grow stronger.

Thank You for Supporting Our Scholastic Book Fair!
A big thank you to everyone who participated! Thanks to your support:

• Every teacher received a new book for their classroom.

• Our Cossack Library received funds to expand resources for students.

• We now have money to put toward our 2027 One School, One Book program (we’re already excited for 2026!).

Together, we’re helping our Cossacks grow as confident, curious readers—one book at a time!

Growing Cossack Readers: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zQPumJrFU_Y2GiafK3DNhaCw5l3CWIzL/view?usp=sharing

Welcome to the third edition of the Reading and Behavior Tips Newsletter from the South Dakota Department of Education created for families and caregivers of elementary students. Each month you will find activities, tools, and strategies gathered from educators and leaders in their fields that you can do at home with your child. Enjoy and have fun!

Our 2nd graders did an outstanding job leading the October SVE Assembly! 🌟 They shared what it means to be a good citizen and demonstrated how to live The Cossack Way by being respectful, responsible, and kind. Their skits and examples reminded us all how small acts of kindness and good choices make a big difference in our school and community. 💙💛 Thank you to the 2nd grade teachers: Mrs. Cotton, Mrs. Intermill, and Mrs. Christopherson.

At Sioux Valley Elementary, our homework expectations are simple but important! We ask families to set aside 10-30 minutes each night to read with your child or encourage your child to read independently. Your child can even take Accelerated Reading (AR) quizzes at home too. In addition, please help your child practice math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, depending on their level) each school night.

Math practice can include using flashcards, math games, online resources like XtraMath or Prodigy, or simply quizzing your child verbally while driving or cooking dinner. You can also make it fun by having them solve problems during everyday routines like adding up prices while shopping or figuring out how many minutes until bedtime.

We value your involvement and support! Working together at home and school helps ensure that every SVE student builds strong reading and math foundations.

October Highlights: Kindness & Red Ribbon Week ❤️

October was a busy and meaningful month at Sioux Valley Elementary! Our character focus for the month was kindness, and students explored all the different ways they can show kindness at school, at home, and in their community. Grades K–2 wrapped up the unit by reading “The Kindness Quilt” by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace and creating their own classroom kindness quilts! Each student filled two quilt squares with drawings of kind acts—like helping a friend who’s hurt, doing chores at home, or giving someone a hug. These beautiful quilts are now bright reminders of how even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

We also celebrated Red Ribbon Week, focusing on making safe and healthy choices. Students enjoyed dress-up days and Power-Up lessons about staying healthy, especially with Halloween at the end of the week! While we weren’t able to participate in the global Red Ribbon contest this year, classes held their own coloring contests using the Red Ribbon Week coloring sheet. Each class voted for their favorites—congratulations to our current winners listed below!

Kindergarten:
Hedlund – Kai Henning | Verhelst – McKinley Boldt | Lucas – Ariah Hanson

1st Grade:
Van Liere – Ryken Docter | Hesby – Weston Meyer | Klein – Maverick Hestermann

2nd Grade:
Christopherson – Piper Fischer | Cotton – Tayvin | Intermill – TBD

3rd Grade:
Hansen – Gabby Svartoien | Schneider – June Holen | Kilburn – TBD

4th Grade:
Fischer – Thea Holen | Dentlinger – Taliyah Harris | Burggraff – Marin

5th Grade:
Winter – Emerie Orton | Schreurs– Andi | Wudtke – TBD

Way to go, Cossacks! Your kindness, creativity, and positive choices made October one to remember. 💙🤍

At Sioux Valley Elementary, we care deeply about the whole child—academically, socially, and emotionally. Did you know that our school partners with outside counseling providers who come directly to SVE to meet with students during the school day?

What does this mean? If your child could benefit from outside counseling services, we can help connect you with licensed mental health professionals who provide one-on-one support right here at school. This partnership allows students to receive the help they need in a familiar and convenient setting—without families having to worry about transportation or scheduling challenges.

It’s important to note the difference between a school counselor and an outside counselor. Our school counselor focuses on academic, social, and emotional support within the school environment, while outside counselors offer clinical therapy and mental health services that go beyond the scope of school counseling.

This month, we’re highlighting Kelsey Borchard, one of our wonderful outside counselors who works with students at SVE. We are grateful for her partnership and for all the professionals who help support the well-being of our Cossack students! 🌟Added another school-based service provider, Jaici Schultz on November 17, 2025.

Please email Amanda Hillesheim at amanda.hillesheim@k12.sd.us if you would like help in setting up this service or please feel free to contact the counselor on your own. Numbers are provided. Parents are responsible for payment of these outside services. The school provides the space.

Take time as a family to ask questions and to listen to each other's answers.

Click the title above to explore "Kid Whisperer Nation Tips for Parents" from Scott Ervin on building strong relationships with students, sharing control, and promoting positive behaviors. Most Sioux Valley staff have been trained in-person by Mr. Ervin, which is why we’ve introduced classroom names, Delayed Learning Opportunities (DLOs), explicit teaching strategies, "Nows & Laters," greetings at the door, and more! These techniques help create a supportive and positive learning environment for all students. You might also find these techniques helpful at home—our hope is that your children will carry over what they are learning at school into everyday life. THIS MONTH'S TIPS: THE “NICEST” ANSWER IS USUALLY THE WRONG ONE, ALLOW YOUR KIDS TO GET HURT, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WE LIVE IN A RIDICULOUS CULTURE IS THE FIRST STEP TO IGNORING IT, and LET IT GO.

We’re proud to share that Sioux Valley Elementary is showing great improvement in behavior data this year! As of October 31, SVE is down 109 referrals from the same time last year; a strong reflection of our students’ positive choices and our staff’s consistent implementation of PBIS expectations.

• 78% of students have zero referrals

• 89% have zero or one referral, and

• 94% have zero, one, or two referrals

Our most frequent behaviors include disruption (22%), disrespect (14%), physical contact (13%), and defiance (12%), most often occurring in the classroom and on the playground. The most active times for referrals tend to be between 1:00–1:30 p.m. and 2:30–2:45 p.m., right after lunch and during afternoon transitions.

Behavior referrals by month show continued improvement as well:

• August: 7 referrals (same as last year)

• September: 89 (down from 90)

• October: 81 (down from 189!)

These numbers highlight the positive impact of our proactive behavior supports, clear expectations, and staff consistency. Thank you to our teachers, support staff, and families for working together to help our students grow in responsibility, respect, and self-control! 💙🤍

Eleven staff members — Mr. Vincent, Mrs. Pingleton, Mrs. Kahler, Mrs. Monroe, Ms. Crystal, Ms. Tiffany, Mrs. Bezdichek, Ms. Hillesheim, Mr. Trigg, Mrs. Glawe, and Mrs. Hiltunen submitted votes for all K-5 classrooms. The classroom with the highest average score from these responses and earning the honor of hosting Ivan the Awesome for OCTOBER/NOVEMBER was Mrs. Hedlund's Kindergarten class.

Looking for a safe, fun, and engaging place for your child before or after school? Our BASE program has openings available and there’s no enrollment limit!
🕖 Drop-off: Begins at 7:15 a.m.
🕕 Pick-up: By 6:00 p.m.
🎒 Grades: K–4
Students enjoy hands-on activities, homework help, and plenty of fun with friends in a positive environment.
You can enroll your child anytime during the school year!
For more information or to register, please contact our BASE Director, Mrs. Mary Schneider, at 605-651-6612.

To support student well-being and academic success, students should attend school for the majority of the school day, ideally arriving by 1:00 p.m., in order to participate in school-related activities that take place after school or in the evening. As a general rule, if your child is too sick for school, they are too sick for after school sports and activities. Help us keep everyone healthy this winter.

Per the SVE Handbook: "Students with a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher will be sent home. Other reasons for exclusion may include vomiting, or a general feeling of unwell so much that the child can’t participate in class. While good attendance is important, best practice is to keep your child home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication and can participate in class.

As a reminder, please do not send pop or soda with your child to school or as part of their lunch. At SVE, we encourage healthy habits that help students stay focused and energized throughout the day.

Please consider packing milk, water, or a 100% juice option, along with a balanced meal that includes protein, fruits, and vegetables. Thank you for partnering with us to promote healthy choices and support your child’s learning and well-being! 💙

Thank you.

November 10-Title I/BASE Advisory Meeting (5:30) and School Board Meeting at 6:30.

November 11-Veterans Day Program. 9am. Cossack Gym. Open to the PUBLIC. All veterans, their families, and members of the community are invited to stay for coffee and rolls in the Commons Area following the program. Please feel free to invite Veterans to your classrooms and/or to visit us in the elementary after the program.

November 11-SDAESP NE AREA Principal Meeting (12pm)

November 12-STAAR CLUB for 3rd-5th Grade (1:45-2:30)

November 18-Grade Check for students in grades 4th & 5th

November 19-STAAR CLUB for 3rd-5th (1:45-2:30)

November 25-SVE Assembly. 2:45pm. Cossack Castle. 4th Grade.

November 26-28-NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)

December 2-Grade Check for students in grades 4th & 5th

December 5-SV 3rd Annual PTO Kids Night In Event. 6-9pm. (See Event Flyer Below)

December 11-STAAR CLUB/Homework Help for students in 3rd-5th

December 16-Grade Checks for students in grades 4th & 5th

2025 K-3 Elementary Christmas Concert Dates:

December 12th-Performing Arts Center (PAC)

K-1 Concert at 1:00-1:30pm

2nd & 3rd Concert at 2:30-3:00pm

Q: Where do I find the ELEMENTARY LEARNING HUB? See visual below.

A: On our district website, you’ll find the Elementary Learning Hub—a one-stop resource for students and families! To access it, go to the district homepage, look under the photos, and scroll down until you see “ELEMENTARY LEARNING HUB.” Here, you’ll find links and resources for every classroom, including Specials, Title I, Counselor Connections, Hiltunen Happenings, and most of our technology programs that students can use at home, such as AR, Reflex Math, IXL, Epic, Seesaw, and Prodigy.

This Hub is designed to be your go-to learning site, providing everything students and families need for learning access and support in one convenient place!