El Noticiero

Sonia Sotomayor Elementary is always looking for caring and dedicated substitute teachers to help support our classrooms. We especially need Spanish-speaking substitutes to help our diverse community of learners.

Substitute teaching is a rewarding way to stay involved in our school, make a difference in students’ lives, and get a firsthand look at the joy and energy of our classrooms.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a substitute teacher, please visit our district website or email mary.boen@k12.sd.us for questions.

Help us keep our classrooms running smoothly—join our substitute team today!

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!

Families, we cannot stress this enough—school starts at 7:55 a.m. sharp. Students must be in their seats, ready to learn, at that time. Any student arriving at 7:55 or later must go through the office.

This isn’t just a small inconvenience. When a child arrives late, our clerical staff must stop what they are doing to write a tardy slip, change the student’s attendance in Infinite Campus, and adjust lunch counts. Multiply that by hundreds of students, and you can see how the ripple effect grows. In the first six weeks of school alone, we have had over 900 tardies. That is 900 tardy slips written, 900 attendance changes, and 900 classroom disruptions. The impact is far greater than many realize.

Beyond the logistics, being late is hard on kids. Every classroom begins the day with a Morning Meeting—an important time to build community, reinforce routines, support social-emotional learning, and set students up for a positive day. When students miss this, they not only feel anxious and disconnected, but they also disrupt the focus of their classmates who are already engaged in learning.

We need your partnership to change this pattern. Please plan ahead for traffic, long car lines, or busy mornings so your child can arrive on time. Our start time of 7:55 a.m. is not new—but the number of tardies this year is concerning.

Supervision on the playground begins at 7:40 a.m., so arriving a few minutes early ensures your child has time to settle in before class. Reminder: Winter weather can make mornings trickier, so starting the habit of punctuality now will make those cold, snowy mornings much easier.

Let’s work together to help every child begin their day prepared, confident, and connected. Thank you for making punctuality a priority for your family and for supporting our entire school community.

🌟 Our Biggest Event of the Year!
The Great Gathering is PASI’s largest annual fundraiser, held each fall. The evening features a 🎉 silent auction, 🎟️ raffles, and the chance to sign up for one-of-a-kind ✨ "Gatherings" hosted by our community.

🤝 What’s a Gathering?
A Gathering is a fun activity or event generously hosted by PASI families and friends. The hosts cover the costs, and the registration fees go directly to support PASI’s intern program. It’s a wonderful way to build connections while giving back! You can host your own gathering to help support PASI; submitt your gathering here.

💙 Thank You for a Wonderful 2024 Event!
Last year’s Great Gathering was truly unforgettable—full of joy, fun, and lasting memories. We’re grateful to everyone who attended, donated, and helped make the night a success. Your support ensures the continued growth of PASI’s programs.

👏 Special Thanks to Our Board Members
A heartfelt thank-you to the PASI Board for their leadership and dedication.

📅 Save the Date: October 24, 2025
Join us for the Great Gathering, PASI’s largest annual fundraiser, on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 7:00 PM at The Country Club of Sioux Falls (3400 W 22nd St, Sioux Falls, SD).

🌟 Event Highlights:

• Silent Auction & Raffles: Bid on exclusive items and experiences.

• Gatherings: Purchase access to unique community-hosted events throughout the year.

• Community Connection: Enjoy an evening of celebration and support for the Spanish Immersion program.

🎯 Fundraising Goal:
Help us reach our goal of $85,000 to support PASI’s mission and programs.

🙏 Thank You for Your Support:

We remain committed to achieving our goals and advancing our mission, and we recognize that none of this would be possible without your generous support and dedication. Thank you for being an essential part of this incredible journey!

🎟️ Tickets & More Info:
Stay tuned for ticket information and more details on auction items and Gatherings. For updates, visit the Great Gathering page.

A reminder to families: our policy on electronic devices is included in the Parent Handbook and Student Handbook. Bringing devices to school is discouraged, as they may be lost, damaged, borrowed, or stolen. Sonia Sotomayor staff cannot be responsible for lost or damaged items.

If a student must bring a cell phone, smartwatch, or Gizmo watch for safety or communication purposes, it must remain powered down in their backpack during the school day and may only be used on the way to and from school.

We also ask that any communication between students and parents happen through the school office. This helps minimize distractions and ensures that classroom learning stays on track. Thank you for supporting a focused and safe learning environment!

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! 🐺

301 - Natalie Reichelt; 302 - Maya Kagone; 303 - Elodie Paulson; 304 - Samson Bren; 401 - Leo Bordewyk; 402 - Clara Hill; 403 - Silas Van Arkel; 404 - Olivia Jones; 501 - Gabe Hoffman; 502 - Brinkley Bell; 503 - Rosalind Loane; 504 - Marie Wynstra

K01 - Charlotte Warnhoff; K02 - Zoe Lemcke; K03 - Bodhi Lopez; K04 - Alexa Callejas Gonzalez; 101 - Mary Patch; 102 - Esther Brown; 103 - Arizona Gonzalez De La Puente; 104 - Pierce Kurtenbach; 105 - Sophie Guse; 201 - Scotlynn Marchand; 202 - Quentin Bordewyk; 203 - Katherine Terpstra; 204 - Macy Peterson; 205 - Louisa Morgan

Way to go, Lobos! 🐺 We are so proud to celebrate all of our students who had Perfect Attendance in September! 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 themonth—even if it was just for part of the day. Being here means learning more, growing with friends, and making our school community stronger. 💪📚

🌟 Congratulations to our Perfect Attendance students—you are setting a great example for everyone! Keep it up, and let’s see how many more Lobos can join the celebration next month! 🎊

Abi competed this past weekend, September 13th and 14th, in the Cornicupia tournament held in Mitchell. Over the course of two days, she and her team, the Flash, played a total of three games and proudly brought home the gold medal. Abi made a key contribution to her team’s success—she scored two crucial goals in a comeback victory and provided an assist in another game, helping secure their overall win.

Coale got 1st place at the SD Governors Cup Chess tournament this weekend in the scholastic division in Sioux Falls!

We’re so excited to welcome a new group of interns to Sonia this year! These awesome future educators are jumping right into classrooms, working with students, and bringing their own energy, creativity, and fresh ideas to our school.

Our interns are here to learn and to help, and we know our students will love getting to know them just as much as we have. From reading with students, helping with projects, and supporting teachers, they’re already making a big impact!

👉 Click on the picture below to “meet” our interns and learn a little more about who they are. We can’t wait for you to see the smiling faces behind all the great work happening in our hallways!

It’s that magical time again—our Scholastic Book Fair is coming to school! Research shows that kids read more when they get to choose their own books—and a love of independent reading brings incredible benefits, from academic growth to improved well-being.

Remember the thrill of finding the perfect book at a Scholastic Book Fair? Let’s give our kids that same unforgettable experience! Join your child at our school’s Fair and create a reading memory they’ll treasure forever.

Skip the cash and make book shopping a breeze! Set up a Book Fair eWallet so your child can explore and pick their favorite books worry-free. Even better—you can share your eWallet link with friends and family so they can pitch in and make the experience even more magical! ✨

And here’s the best part: every funded eWallet gives you the chance to join Share the Fair™, our special giving program that helps students in need discover the thrill of choosing their own books. Together, we can make reading dreams come true! 📚💖

The Scholastic Book Fair is making its way to Sonia Sotomayor Elementary from October 9–16! Students will have the chance to browse and purchase books during the school day—and the Fair will also be open during Open House on October 14 and October 16. Times will be limited after school and students will need to shop with a Parent/Guardian. We will send those details later.

💻 Can’t make it in person? No worries! Shop online Oct 8–21 and 25% of every purchase will directly benefit our school.

The Sioux Falls School District offers free developmental screenings for children from birth to age five who reside within the district’ boundaries. We will check your child’s development in the areas of motor skills, concepts, and language. We also complete a free vision and hearing check. Screenings are done throughout the year from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. We can also get your child registered for Head Start if you meet eligibility requirements. For information or to schedule a free appointment, call the Early Childhood screening office at 605-367-8488. The Early Childhood Screening office is located at 2205 N. Career Avenue.

Sioux Empire Smiles is hosting a free, one-day dental clinic for children on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Children’s Dental Center (3813 S Kiwanis Circle, Sioux Falls).

This event is designed for children ages 0–18 who may not have regular access to dental care—especially those who are uninsured or under-served. It’s a great opportunity for families who need support keeping their kids’ smiles healthy.

Please note:

• Services are first-come, first-served.

• You may need to wait outside before being seen—dress for the weather!

If your child hasn't seen a dentist in a while, this is a great chance to get them the care they need—at no cost.

As a reminder, edible classroom treats are not allowed for birthdays or other celebrations due to student food allergies.
Instead, we encourage families to consider non-edible alternatives—and one meaningful option is our Library Birthday Book Program!

📚 Birthday Book Program

Celebrate your child’s birthday while growing our school library! This voluntary program offers two ways to participate:

Option 1: Donate a New Book

• 2 Weeks before your child’s birthday, families can donate a new hardcover book to the school library.

• The book may be in English or Spanish, and should be appropriate for a wide range of students.

• The donating student (or a parent) may read the book to their class, or Mrs. Egstad will share it during Library time.

• A special Birthday Book sticker will be added to the inside cover, recognizing your child’s contribution and birthday.

• The book becomes a lasting part of the Sotomayor Library collection!

Need help choosing a book? Mrs. Egstad is happy to offer suggestions. We also encourage students to help select their own donation book!

Option 2: $10 Donation

• Donate $10 to the Sotomayor Library, and your child will select from a variety of new, library-bound books.

• The book will receive a Birthday Book sticker and be shared with their class—just like in Option 1.

Thank you for helping us celebrate birthdays in a way that is safe, inclusive, and enriching for all students!

Having involved parents/guardians is a huge blessing to our school! It takes a team and thank you for being apart of it! Every school year, we do need to have a current Volunteer Registration Form on file. If you plan on Volunteering in any capacity during the school day, please fill out the Google Form below. While filling it out, you will not need to complete the background check. This is only if you will ever be with students without staff present. If it is needed in the future, we will contact you to complete it.

Volunteer Registration Google Form

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!

If your student(s) requires medication, the school requires paperwork signed by a parent and a medical doctor. We will need to have a doctors order prior to being able to administer any medication. To start the paperwork process, please call our school nurse, Mariana Mauss, at 605-367-4655.

Parents/guardians must deliver any medication in its original labeled container to the school office. Students should not bring medications to school.

Parents now have a time-saving option to report student absences within the Parent Portal. To report an absence you can either call or email the school office or use the Absence Request option within your Parent Portal account. You are only able to use the Absence Request Processor for Full Day requests. For all other requests, please email (mary.boen@k12.sd.us and andrea.fowler@k12.sd.us) or call the office (605)367-4655.

To submit an absence, simply log in to your Parent Portal account, select 'More' and then 'Absence Requests.' From here you will be able to submit either a full day for any of the students in your household.

• Before School Care - at (8) elementary locations

• After School Care - at all elementary locations, except for Horace Mann

• Extended Care Days - On most No School days, the CLC offers care from 6:30am-6:00pm at (10) elementary locations

• Students do NOT have to be enrolled into the before and after school to participate in Extended Care Days. However, they must pre-enroll into the CLC to be able to register for these days.

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/