Ms. Simmons' Secondary Scoop

It's been such a blast this fall cheering on our students in their numerous activities. Research shows that if students are involved in at least one school activity, the likelihood of graduating increases. From athletics and fine arts to clubs and volunteer groups, there's something for every student to get involved. Student involvement in school activities also presents ongoing opportunities for character development. Skills such as working together, setting goals, managing conflict, pushing through setbacks, communicating with group members, prioritizing time, and celebrating success are just a few that come to mind, but there are many more. Thank you, parents and guardians, for the continuous support you provide your student(s) in both academics and activities!

The Student Flu Shot Clinic will be held Tue, Nov 15, starting at 9 AM. Please follow the directions related to insurance cards (if you have them) and the Nov 7 deadline for submission of forms. Please call the school or email Nurse Lori at lori.brown@k12.sd.us with any questions. Click this link to access the documents needed to register your student(s).

A few events are happening on this day that I want to highlight:

• Picture Retake Day during school hours
• Financial aid meeting at 6:30 PM in the computer lab. Come get more information and assistance in completing the FAFSA and the answers to your questions for post-secondary planning
• Students' flu shot registration due today

Our annual Veteran’s Day program is currently scheduled for Fri, 11/11 at 10 AM in the north gym. If we end up going to the dome for the championship football game that day, we’ll shift the program to Mon, 11/14 at 10 AM. All parents, guardians, and community members are invited to attend.

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