Sioux Falls School District - Educate and prepare each student to succeed in a changing world

Nothing says summer more than a good old fashioned hydrant party! Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation will be holding hydrant parties every Thursday through July and August. It's a great way to beat the heat!

We've just turned the calendar to July, but we are off and running toward the start of the 24-25 school year! Welcome aboard, Gail!

Happy 4th of July! 🎆🇺🇸 Today we celebrate freedom, unity, and the spirit of our nation. Enjoy the fireworks, BBQs, and time with loved ones. Stay safe and have a fantastic Independence Day!

The summer youth orchestra, put on through Community Ed, is a great way for students with a love of music to continue to practice their craft during the summer months. They were busy in June and ended their time with a performance at Edison Middle School. You can enjoy that video here! Programs like this remind us why SFSD was named a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation! We are fortunate to have a host of dedicated instructors and students with drive and passion. https://youtu.be/jA-hI8GZFyA

The links between mental and physical health are numerous and well-documented. In this week's re-release of the Avera Family Forum Series, our group discusses the importance staying healthy, both physically and mentally. Tune in here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JONCKy6JVZY

Hey World! Meet Mason! Mason, a 2024 LHS graduate, has been working with SFSD for over two years to help record concerts, photograph events, and help out in all aspects of the A/V production world. During the 2023-2024 school year, SFSD created about 425 original video programs for KLRN TV, Your Sioux Falls Classroom Connection. Mason spent many evenings behind a camera recording concerts and events. He has also began the laborious process of sorting through hundreds of video tapes, from various formats, dating back more than 40 years, and digitizing them for the modern age and public accessibility. Learn more about all the amazing things Mason does here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e417gVq47vU

🚨 Attention 📣 SFSD parents/guardians! Communication is key when it comes to providing you with important messages regarding your student's school. Make sure we can stay in touch! Follow these directions so you continue to receive important information regarding your student.

This week we officially say a celebratory "Bon Voyage!" to Dr. Teresa Boysen as she retires from her 31 year career with the Sioux Falls School District! In this emotional episode of Spotlight, we hear from Dr. Boysen on the lives she's impacted, the changes she's seen, and legacy she leaves behind. Enjoy the next chapter, Dr. Boysen! Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or on the SFSD YouTube page. https://youtu.be/I8_5C-6SvBk

Summer school students at the Elementary Immersion Center spent the morning learning the great summer sport of baseball! Big thanks to 5Tool Sports for volunteering their time to teach these kids all the basics. The team also stepped up and donated all the gear that they have outgrown or don't use anymore for students to take home if they want to pursue the sport! EIC students are either new to the country or speak limited english and they had a fantastic morning learning all about the great American pastime!

Students are swingin' through the summer this week at the LHS Jazz Band Summer Camp! This camp is taught by some of the best jazz musicians in the area, and it fills a necessary gap for music students who want to continue to practice their craft over the summer months. You can catch their performance THIS Thursday, June 27 at the McKennan Park Bandshell at 6:30 PM! https://youtu.be/Yjqip6jJxyM

Summer break is a great time to sit down and truly focus on what our goals for the future are. In this week's re-release of the Avera Family Forum we hear from SFSD counselors on some best practices for planning for the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drKtKL9hvu4

Students at the CTE Aviation Camp have taken to the skies! All week they've been learning about the ins and outs (and ups and downs) of all things aviation, and camp finally concludes with an afternoon of rocket launching. It looks like they had a blast! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH-D4HfqY0o

Today we honor Juneteenth, marking the end of slavery in our nation. Let's celebrate freedom, learn from our history, and work toward a just future for all.

Make Music Day, held every June 21, is a global celebration of music, originating in France in 1982. This free, public event welcomes musicians of all levels and genres to perform in various outdoor spaces, turning cities into live music stages. The Community Ed Summer Youth Band has been preparing to participate in the event at a performance set to be held at the Edison Middle School track tomorrow (Thursday, June 20) at 7 PM. They plan to perform the piece "Earthgroove" which will be played by other bands throughout the nation (and world!) in celebration of Make Music Day. What a great example of music bringing people together all over the world!

Students who participated in the 2024 CTE Culinary Camp got a special visit from celebrity chef Paul Wahlberg yesterday! Chef Paul visited with the students and spoke about his 40 years in the culinary business. During their conversation students learned about all aspects of the restaurant business, but also about the emotional connections we make with food and the cultural and societal importance of sharing a meal. Most importantly, after the talk, students learned how to make tacos! 🌮 🎉 Thanks for stopping by Chef Paul! https://youtu.be/ApQm_Gb6AmY

It's becoming more and more clear that social media can lead to troubling mental health challenges for everybody, but especially for teens and tweens. On this re-release of the Avera Family Forum, we take a look at the dangers of social media comparing. This program will be on KLRN TV this week, or you can tune in online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsiOC-avhg0

Sioux Falls Community Education has many camps going all summer long to keep students active and engaged over the break! Here's a quick look at what students have been up to at last week's Camp Invention and Chess Camp! https://youtu.be/aCiowHcXbr4

Congratulations to the students who participated in the Dakota News Now media camp last week! These brave students spent last week in the newsroom preparing material for their own mini-newscasts, and on Friday they got to bring their segments to the airwaves. You can watch what they produced here! https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2024/06/07/media-camp-2024-wraps-up-watch-campers-friday-newscasts/

As the gavel dropped to adjourn the meeting on the evening of Monday, June 10th, 2024, board member Kate Serenbetz said her final goodbye to serving as a sitting member on the Sioux Falls School Board. Ms. Serenbetz is SFSD's longest standing school board member and has provided exceptional leadership for 15 years. Since July 2009, she has served on countless committees, watched over the construction of new buildings, facilitated Superintendent transitions, and acted as an advocate for all the children of the Sioux Falls School District. Her dedication to excellence will be felt in the community for years to come, and her commitment to providing the best education to all students will have lasting positive impact throughout Sioux Falls. Thank you, board member Serenbetz, for your years of dedicated leadership! We wish you all the best on your next chapter in life!

The first step towards a life of success is the most important one - showing up. Chronic absenteeism is a nation-wide issue, and SFSD is not immune from the difficulties it presents. The Avera Family Forum series is being re-released online and on KLRN this summer each week, and the topic this week is the importance of school attendance. Tune in to hear more on the importance of showing up to school.