Noticias de la Manada

I am sharing our drop-off reminders once again in hopes of reaching more of our Sonia families. We need everyone's help to make sure morning drop-offs are safe, courteous, and timely for all!

A few important reminders:

• Crosswalks: Students dropped off along Covell Street must use the designated crosswalks at 25th Street or 22nd Street. The former crosswalk directly behind the school is no longer available as per City of Sioux Falls.

• Quick Drop-Offs: Our cut-in lanes are for quick drop-offs ONLY. Drivers must remain in their vehicles. If your child needs extra help, has items to unload, or needs a few extra minutes to say goodbye, please find a parking spot.

• Pull Forward: Please pull all the way to the FIRST available spot in the drop-off lane, have your child exit quickly and safely, and keep the line moving. Remember, it's a pit stop, not a parking spot!

• Be Good Neighbors: Please do not block driveways, and always be courteous to our neighbors and one another.

One especially important reminder: Please be mindful of our staff members serving on crosswalk duty. We have experienced some close calls lately, and their job is to help our students cross safely. Please slow down, watch carefully, follow their directions, and give them the courtesy and respect they deserve. We want everyone going home safely at the end of the day!

Our school day begins at 7:55 a.m., and we want all of our Lobos in their seats and ready to learn.

Thank you for your patience, partnership, and cooperation. A little planning, a little courtesy, and a little teamwork go a long way. Let's keep those lines moving, Lobos!

Stay connected and up to date by downloading the Infinite Campus Parent Portal app on your mobile device. The app provides quick and easy access to your child’s grades, attendance, and important school information—all in one place. This app will give you real time updates on your student and quick access to attendance records and progress reports/grades.

If you do not yet have an active Parent Portal account or need help accessing an existing account, we are happy to assist! Please email the school office and we will send you initial set-up information or help reset your password.

Links to Download Parent Portal App

Apple App Store Link - Google App Store Link

As we wrap up the first quarter, it’s a great time to celebrate all the learning and growth our Lobos have made so far this school year!

First-quarter grades are now available! We do not send home paper report cards, so be sure to check your student’s progress through Parent Portal.

This is a great opportunity to sit down with your student, celebrate their successes, and talk about how things are going in the classroom. Thank you for being such an important part of your Lobo’s learning journey! 🐺

As we begin the school year, please remember that smartwatches and cell phones must be turned off and kept in backpacks from 7:55 a.m.–2:45 p.m. This is a District-wide expectation that our staff will be reinforcing.

Thank you for partnering with us to help students stay focused and ready to learn! When families and staff work together, our students benefit. 💙

If your student will be absent for a school day, there are several easy ways to let us know:

📱 Parent Portal
You can submit a full-day absence notification through the Parent Portal. The office will process the notification, and your student’s teacher will be able to see it as well.

Please note: The Parent Portal absence option is only for full-day absences. If your student will be arriving late or leaving early, please do not use this option.

📧 Email
You can email your student’s teacher, Mary (mary.boen@k12.sd.us), AND Andrea (andrea.fowler@k12.sd.us). Please include everyone on the email so we receive the notification even if someone is out of the office that day.

📞 Call the Office
You can also call us at 605-367-4655. The office will make sure your student’s teacher is notified.

⏰ The Sooner, the Better!

Whichever method you choose, the sooner you let us know about an absence, the better! This helps us keep attendance records accurate and makes sure everyone who needs to know is informed.

Thank you for helping us keep our attendance communication running smoothly! 💙🐺

We know attendance letters can sometimes be confusing, so here’s a quick explanation of how they work.

Each absence is rounded to either a half day or full day if a student is gone for more than 60 minutes. For example, if your child arrives more than an hour late or leaves for an appointment and returns later, it will be counted as a half-day absence.

Attendance letters are automatically sent at 5 days, 8 days, 10 days, 17 days, and 25 days of absences.

• The 5-day and 8-day letters are simply to inform parents and guardians of where their student stands with attendance. These include all types of absences, whether excused or unexcused.

• The 10-day, 17-day, and 25-day letters include only qualifying absences that count toward truancy. These may include:

  • Parent/Guardian Requests

  • Skipping School

  • Unnotified Absences

  • Illnesses without a medical note

  • Appointments without a medical note

To help ensure your child’s attendance record is accurate, we recommend bringing a doctor’s note for any appointment or illness. If you have a note for sickness or an appointment, the missed time will not count towards truancy.

If you have any questions, please contact the office — we’re happy to help!

Looking for school info? Start here!
Our Parent One-Stop-Shop has everything in one place—calendar, lunch menu, staff info, tutoring info, lost & found photos, and more.

👉 Click here to access it

📱 Want easy access from your phone?
Save it to your home screen:

• On iPhone (Safari):
  Tap the Share icon → scroll down → tap Add to Home Screen.

• On Android (Chrome):
  Tap the three dots in the top-right → select Add to Home screen.

Now you’ll have one-tap access anytime!

This November, we are proud to honor and celebrate our veterans—those who have courageously served and continue to serve our country. Our Wall of Thanks gives students and families the opportunity to recognize these heroes by creating personalized cards, which will be displayed throughout the month as a tribute to their service. We are so happy to be able to host our Veterans and their families at our Veteran's Day Celebration, where we will show our deep gratitude and pride for their dedication, sacrifice, and commitment. While space is limited, we will record the assembly so the entire school community can celebrate and honor our veterans together.

📋 Please Register Your Veteran! If you have a veteran in your family who would like to attend, please register them using the link below.

👉CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR VETERAN

Mark your calendars, Lobo families! 🐺 Our 5th graders are getting ready to take the stage for their 5th Grade Vocal Music Concert on Thursday, December 3, at 7:00 p.m. in the Sonia Sotomayor Gymnasium!

This year’s program, “Civility: Learning from Aesop’s Fables,” brings timeless tales and meaningful lessons to life through bilingual storytelling and dramatic performances in both Spanish and English, paired with thematic musical numbers.

Our talented 5th graders will also showcase their skills in a variety of special roles, including drama, choreography, instrumental performance, and vocal ensembles. It’s sure to be a wonderful evening celebrating our students’ creativity, collaboration, and musical talents!

We hope to see you there to cheer on our amazing 5th grade Lobos! 💙💚

📅 When: Thursday, December 3, 2026
🕖 Time: 7:00 p.m.
📍 Where: Sonia Sotomayor Gymnasium
👥 Who: All Sonia Sotomayor 5th grade students

Our SSE staff put together a beautiful, vibrant ofrenda to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and provide our Lobos with a meaningful cultural immersion experience. Filled with photos, candles, marigolds, and colorful papel picado, the altar offered students an opportunity to learn about Mexican culture, traditions, and the beautiful meaning behind this special celebration. ❤️💐

At SSE, we believe in celebrating the cultures that make our community so special. Experiences like this help us learn from one another, honor family traditions, build connections, and create a sense of belonging for everyone. Día de los Muertos is a beautiful reminder of the love and memories that keep us connected to those we hold dear.

Help our Lobos celebrate the many cultures that make our world special! We’re looking for family and community volunteers to share traditions, music, stories, food, and more on November 24 and December 22. Know someone who would be a great fit? Feel free to forward them the form!

Cultural Day Presenter Sign Up 💙💚

At Sonia Sotomayor Elementary, two of our core values are to be Kind and Responsible—and those values don't stop at the school doors! With nearly 700 Lobos arriving and leaving each day, we need everyone's help to keep traffic moving, students safe, and our neighbors happy. A little patience, planning, and courtesy can make a BIG difference. Let's work together to make arrival and dismissal safe and efficient for everyone!

🚗 MORNING DROP-OFF

• Breakfast students: May enter through the front doors by the office beginning at 7:30 AM. Breakfast service ends at 7:45 AM, so students must arrive before then to eat. Only students eating breakfast should use these doors.

• Students not eating breakfast: Should enter through the playground doors on the south side of the building. These doors open at 7:50 AM. Staff supervision on the playground begins at 7:40 AM.

• School starts at 7:55 AM. Students should be in the building and ready to learn when the bell rings!

Using the Drop-Off Lanes: Think Pit Stop, Not Parking Spot!

Our cut-in lanes on the east and west sides of the school are designed for QUICK drop-offs ONLY. To keep traffic moving:

1. Pull all the way forward to the VERY FIRST available spot. There is plenty of room at the front of the line! Please don't stop directly in front of the school if there is open space ahead.

2. Have your student gather their belongings and be ready to exit before you reach the unloading area.

3. Students should exit from the curb side of the vehicle ONLY, never the street side.

4. Once your student is out, pull away so the next family can unload.

5. Drivers must remain in their vehicles while using the drop-off lanes.

If your student needs help getting out of the car, gathering belongings from the trunk, or getting organized for the day, please find a parking spot instead. The same goes for those extra-long goodbyes (one more hug, and then one more!) or mornings when you need to have a discussion about why a coat is necessary. And yes, even checking your texts or reading the school newsletter can wait!

A quick drop-off keeps everyone moving. We have recently seen traffic backed up for blocks, leaving families frustrated and students arriving late despite leaving home on time. We can do better when everyone follows the same procedures!

🚶 COVELL STREET & CROSSWALK UPDATE

Important Change: The City of Sioux Falls has informed us that we can no longer use the former crosswalk directly behind the school. Students dropped off along Covell Street must now cross at the designated crosswalks on 25th Street or 22nd Street. There will not be staff or student crossing guards posted at this former crosswalk.

• Do not drop students off in the middle of the street.

• Students must use designated crosswalks when crossing the street.

• Do not block driveways or park in areas marked No Parking.

We understand that this may add a little extra walking, but no amount of time saved is worth putting a child's safety at risk. Please plan accordingly and help your student make safe choices.

🚌 BUS LANE: BUSES ONLY!

The bus lane in front of the school on Lake Avenue is reserved for buses during arrival and dismissal.

• No family drop-off or pick-up in the bus lane.

• No parking in the bus lane at any time.

• Please use the designated east and west drop-off and pick-up lanes or park in an appropriate nearby location.

These restrictions are in place to keep our students safe and ensure buses can load and unload without interference.

🚙 AFTERNOON PICK-UP

School dismisses at 2:45 PM, and students should be picked up no later than 3:00 PM.

Families may:

• Park and meet their student(s) on the playground.

• Use the designated pick-up lanes on the east and west sides of the school.

As with morning drop-off, drivers must remain in their vehicles while using the pick-up lanes. Students should be ready to load quickly so traffic can continue moving.

A reminder: Only students supervised by an adult may remain and play on the playground after 3:00 PM.

💙 BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR & SHOW KINDNESS

Our neighbors are part of our community, too! Please be mindful of the residents who live around SSE.

• Do not block driveways or park where prohibited.

• Respect No Parking signs. They are there to protect students and maintain visibility.

• If a neighbor asks you to move your vehicle, please respond with kindness and courtesy.

• Extend that same kindness to our staff members outside helping manage traffic.

Our staff are working hard to get nearly 700 students safely into the building and ready to learn. A friendly wave, a little patience, and a respectful attitude go a long way!

Please share these expectations with any family members, friends, or caregivers who may be dropping off or picking up your student. Everyone transporting our Lobos needs to know the procedures.

Thank you for being our partners in keeping our students safe, respecting our neighbors, and making arrival and dismissal manageable for everyone. Modeling kindness and responsibility in these everyday moments makes a lasting impression on our students.

Let's keep those lines moving, Lobos! Go Los Lobos! 🐺

In 2006, Project Warm‑Up began with just 20 Lincoln High School students. Since then, thanks to an amazing community, it has grown tremendously—blanket makers now come from across the region and beyond! Over the years, more than 43,000 new fleece blankets have been distributed to children and families in need throughout the Sioux Empire.

These blankets bring warmth and comfort to those facing financial stress, homelessness, illness, loss, foster care transitions, and more. Recipients include every SFSD school and organizations such as Child’s Voice, Ronald McDonald Houses, Avera Children’s Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, St. Francis House, and many others.

Project Warm‑Up relies entirely on the generosity of our community. People donate funds, fleece, and time. With smart shopping, a child-sized blanket can be made for just $12. A donation of $100 wraps eight children in warmth and comfort—and imagine what a larger donation could achieve! This year, the goal is to make at least 3,000 blankets. The need is great, but our community is ready to meet the challenge! All donations are tax-deductible.

You can help:

• Donate funds or fleece to help make blankets.

• Volunteer your time at blanket-making events.

• Host a blanket party! Gather friends, family, or classmates to make blankets together—fun and meaningful ways to give back.

Let’s work together to ensure that every child and family in need can feel the warmth of a new blanket this year. Your contribution—whether time, materials, or funds—makes a real difference in someone’s life.

For more information on donating or hosting a blanket party, visit Project Warm-Up.

Donate by bringing a check to the Sonia Sotomayor Elementary Office or through PayPal or Venmo (@GotFleece).

October Reading Logs can now be turned in to classroom teachers. A new reading log will come home at the beginning of each month. You can also use the link below to print one if needed.

🌟 Every Minute Counts!

Whether it’s a favorite picture book, a chapter book, a comic, a magazine, or another book your child enjoys, every minute of English reading counts!

Our goal is 20 minutes of English reading each day—but most importantly, we want children to discover that reading can be enjoyable and something they can share with their families.

Read. Talk. Wonder. Predict. Connect. Laugh.

Thank you for helping us grow confident, bilingual readers! 🐺📚💙💚

Every kid runs into tricky moments, like a disagreement at recess, a task that feels too hard, or not knowing what to do when a friend asks them to do something they’re unsure about. At school, we’ve been talking with our younger students about big problems (the kind that need an adult) and small ones (the kind they can handle themselves), and with our older students about the three zones: 🔴 High Red, 🟢 OK Green, and 🔵 Low Blue. We think best in the OK Green zone, so getting calm comes first. Here are a couple of ways to support that at home.

🌿 Start with calm. Give your child a minute to take a few deep breaths, get a drink of water, or just sit together before jumping into the problem. Then ask questions instead of giving the answer:

💬 “What happened?”
💬 “What have you thought about doing?”
💬 “What might happen if you tried that?”

This part can be hard, because none of us like watching our kids struggle. Resist the urge to be the fixer. A little struggle is how those thinking muscles grow. 💪

🧠 Let them hear you think out loud about a problem you’re facing, too. Saying “I’m not sure how to handle this, so I’m going to think about my options” shows kids that grown-ups work through tricky things.

✨ Small moments like these add up.

Every great team has a great coach. Now, trained parent coaches are on your side 24/7/365! Sioux Falls School District and ParentGuidance.org are coming alongside you to address anxiety, screen time, and many other timely topics. Click the green button on the upper right corner of sf.k12.sd.us.

Your questions, answered on your time, in your way.

Flu and illness season is upon us! One of the best ways we can protect our students, staff, and families is by staying home when sick and taking simple steps to help prevent the spread of illness.

🏠 Please keep sick students home. We know it can be tough to miss school, but keeping sick students home helps prevent illness from spreading to classmates, teachers, and staff. If a student comes to school sick, our health office may need to send them home.

🌡️ Fever: Students with a temperature of 100.4°F or higher should stay home until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. Even if your child feels better after taking medicine, they still need to remain home until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication.

🤢 Vomiting/Diarrhea: Students should be free from vomiting and diarrhea for at least 12 hours before returning to school. Students who are unable to manage independent hygiene may be sent home.

🧼 Do your part to stop the spread: Frequent handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when you are sick are some of the best ways to help keep germs from spreading.

🍬 Cough Drops: If your child needs cough drops to soothe a sore throat while at school, please complete a medication form, available in the school office.

Thank you for helping us take care of one another and keep our Lobo Pack healthy, happy, and ready to learn! 🐺💙💚

If you have any questions please reach out to Nurse Mariana at 605-367-4655.

The Sioux Falls School District is collecting feedback on a $105M bond proposal that would replace Whittier Middle School, build another elementary in western Sioux Falls; make substantial updates at Edison and Patrick Henry Middle Schools, and provide security updates at schools across the city.

The $105M bond would be coupled with $35M in available Capital Outlay to complete the Top 10 projects identified by a 30-person task force. The proposal would increase taxes $13/$100,000 valuation.

Your input is valuable to inform the school board’s next steps prior to a May 2027 community vote on the bond proposal. Please consider completing this 10-minute survey. The survey closes Friday, November 6, 2026

https://www.dgsurveys.com/r/SFSDCommSurvey2026

We appreciate your consideration and thank you in advance for your valuable feedback!

We love to highlight our students and their success! Take a look below at all the amazing things some of our students have accomplished this last month. If your student would like to share their achievements, please email the information and pictures to mary.boen@k12.sd.us. #UnaManada

"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"

-Rudyard Kipling

Each month, we take time to celebrate students who truly shine by living out our school values: Leader, Aware, Responsible, and Kind. One student from each classroom is nominated by their teacher for consistently showing these qualities.

This special recognition reminds us that being part of Una Manada—One Pack—means looking out for each other, making good choices, and being role models in our school community.

👏 Congratulations to this month’s honorees! We are proud of the way you lead with heart and show what it means to be a true Lobo! 🐺

K01 - Elie Kramer; K02 - Sophia Ries; K03 - Aven Nordin; K04 - Astrid Iverson

101 - Bryna Jacobs; 102 - Luca Gajardo; 103 - Flyn Houck; 104 - Davey Lemke

201 - Vivian Rahn; 202 - Zahra Tashahel DeSart ; 203 - Eli Hawk; 204 - Adriana Petrovic; 205 - Berkley Jones

301 - Sergio Miller; 302 - Natalie Klose; 303 - Louisa Morgan; 304 - Amaya Centra; 305 - Mackenzie Marler

401 - Camilla Bamberger; 402 - Lennon Jones; 403 - Hannah Stroh; 404 - Hazel Halverson

501 - Evia Reynoza, 502 - Virginia Zell; 503 - Annie Kegley; 504 - Ruby Putzke

K01 - Meadow Cramer; K02 - Carter Gotham; K03 - Malcom Gordon; K04 - Ava Kurtenbach

101 - Remi Chau; 102 - Logan Peterson; 103 -Wyatt Schull; 104 - Otto Skoglund

201 - Miroslava Ambrose; 202 - Clayton Ulrich; 203 - Remington Kittrell; 204 - Teddy Johnson; 205 - Ryker Schuster

301 - Eliga Meyer; 302 - Owen Jacobs; 303 - Marit Gilbertson; 304 - Hannah Fox; 305 -Kessler McRandall

401 - Leo Hoffman; 402 - Cooper Eason; 403 - Hosea Barret; 404 - Sydney Schager

501 - Junia Smith, 502 - Elizabeth Semmler; 503 - Ronald Brownie; 504 - Charlotte McChesney

We're bringing a little friendly competition to attendance at Sonia! Each month, the classroom with the best attendance will earn our traveling Monthly Classroom Attendance Trophy and, best of all, get to add something fun, silly, and creative to it! Think of it as a trophy that gets a little crazier and more outrageous every month! 😂

Our attendance champions for September was Class 502, Sra. Martinez! 🎉 Congratulations to the class! They got a classroom popcorn party as well!

As the months go by, the trophy will grow into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece filled with personality and creativity from across our school. By the end of the year, we're hoping to have one crazy, fun, totally unforgettable trophy!

Who will be next? We're excited to see what our October winners bring to the trophy! Keep showing up, Lobos, because every day counts! 🐺💙💚 #UnaManada

Way to go, Lobos! 🐺 We are so proud to celebrate all of our students who had Perfect Attendance in October! Showing up to school every day is one of the best ways to show our value of being Responsible. To earn this recognition, students needed to be present at school every single day in in the month—even if it was just for part of the day. Being here means learning more, growing with friends, and making our school community stronger. 💪📚

Click on the picture below to view each grade's perfect attendance winners!

To keep our classrooms clean and safe, only water in a bottle with a lid is allowed inside. Because our classrooms have carpet, drinks other than water can be difficult to clean up. Any student who brings another beverage will be asked to dispose of it upon entering the building.

Please remind your students to bring only water for use in the classroom. Staying hydrated supports both cognitive focus and physical well-being, and we strongly encourage students to have water bottles with them throughout the day.

For more information about nutrition at our school, visit our Nutrition Services webpage.

Student safety is our highest priority. To help us maintain a secure environment, all visitors and volunteers must check in at the school office with a valid government-issued photo ID—every time you enter the building.

This policy applies to all adults, including regular volunteers.
Please remember to bring your ID each time you visit.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our school safe and welcoming for all!

Email: tracy.vik@k12.sd.us
Website: https://www.sses.sf.k12.sd.us/o/ssspes
Location: Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Phone: 605-367-4655
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SFSpanishImmersion/