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

We're counting ⏱️ down the days to the first day of 🏫 school 🎉! Every day between now and Thursday, August 22, we'll introduce you to one of SFSD's newest 🍎 teachers! Katelyn is returning to teach in the District, 📓 and we couldn't be happier to have her back. T-minus 9 days to go! ⏰

Looking for a new opportunity? 🚍 Join School Bus Inc. this Thursday for on-the-spot interviews for school bus drivers and aides! 🚌 🎒 Bonus! Bring a teacher supply and get a FREE Back to School photo taken by a professional photographer! 📸 Plus, enjoy free smoothies and coffee while you’re here! ☕️🥤

This morning the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation surprised 70 new, first-year teachers with $200 First Time Teacher Grants during orientation! Teachers are able to use these grants to purchase materials to get their classrooms ready for the school year. The Education Foundation started this program in 2011, and with the announcement this morning, they will have awarded more than 1,000 First Time Teacher Grants! What a wonderful way to kick things off for the upcoming school year!

Yesterday was the last day of the Summer CLC Program. Students at the Robert Frost site got to celebrate with some water bounce house festivities. A big THANK YOU to the CLC community partners who make this out-of-school-time care possible: the Boys and Girls Club of the Sioux Empire, Volunteers of America, Dakotas, EmBe, and the Sioux Falls Family YMCA. Schools buildings will now get a week and a half deep clean to be all set to welcome students on Thursday, August 22nd!

This morning, the SFSD Office of Indian Education welcomed students and families back with an open house! Lots of excitement starting to bubble up as students begin to get supplies together for the upcoming school year. See you in the classroom soon!

This morning was filled with conversation and collaboration as SFSD welcomed elementary administrators and instructional coaches back. Buildings will be well prepared for the return of teachers next week, and the first day of school, which is exactly two weeks away!

Next up on the “Welcome Back” list for the upcoming school year: substitute teachers! We had a packed house this morning full of substitutes for the 2024-25 school year. These dedicated professionals are crucial to ensuring a smooth-running school day, and they show up for students when it’s most important. Thank you, substitutes, for everything you do! We’ll see you in the classroom soon!

Whether it's front office staff or custodial, child nutrition or education assistants, SFSD is always working to make sure our staff have continued training to be the best at what they do! This morning, administrators from across the District joined together for a welcome back meeting to prepare for the upcoming school year. While we work hard every day to provide the best education for our students, continuing education for staff is also a top priority.

Calling all current and incoming high school students! Your open houses are starting NEXT WEEK! Please check with your school for exact times. Open houses help us foster good communication, build a sense of community, and ensure that students and families are well prepared for the upcoming school year. See you soon!

Can you believe there’s only ONE WEEK left of the ☀️ summer CLC program?! 🕶️ The last day for the program is Friday, August 9th. This is so schools 🏫 have a chance to get everything in tip-top shape for the first day of school 📕 on Thursday, August 22nd! 🍎 Let’s take a look back on what made this first CLC Summer Program such a successful one! 😎 https://youtu.be/y3ni6ZvxyZI

We're rolling out the red carpet 🎉 to get ready for back to school! 🏫 Today SFSD welcomed back clerical and specialist staff with a special training focused on "The SFSD Experience" (more to come on that soon 👀). Today is also the first day back for principals, and next week SFSD office hours return normal school year hours ⏰ (check with your school for exact times). The first day of school (Thursday, August 22nd) will be here before we know it!

The marching band season is officially underway! At Lincoln High School, where the marching band has seen some incredible success in recent years at Bands of America Super Regionals at both St. Louis and Indianapolis, and where the band has been invited to perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November, there are 80 brand new members to the marching band this year. That means a lot of freshmen. Yesterday was the first day of SPAT Camp for new members and leadership of the horn line. Follow one of these freshmen as they experience a full day of marching band work for the first time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsmVFFpIGBY

Beat the heat TODAY with an outdoor fire hydrant party! Put on by Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation, this event is totally FREE with no registration required! Just show up and enjoy the fun!

🎫 No more standing in line - SFSD is going "cashless" at athletics and fine arts events! Get your athletic booster passes, student passes, and single event tickets by scanning this QR code or by visiting our website: 👉🏼 https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/o/sfsd/page/back-to-school

This week we are re-releasing an episode of the Avera Family Forum focused on the benefits of setting limits at home. Avera Behavioral Health experts join us to give you the tools you need to set limits at home and reinforce positive choices. Tune in here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47lOUp_4wO0

Join in the fun of this ComEd offering that keeps students practicing throughout the summer as they learn new music, make new friends, and get extra opportunities to perform for friends and family! https://youtu.be/c7e__8Q92YE

Join in the fun of this 2nd concert event of the summer from ComEd's Summer Youth Orchestra! These students have spent the summer learning new music, continuing to practice, making new friends, and performing for friends and family! https://youtu.be/W0vxDUSHD8Y

The first day of school is just over a month away! More info on open houses to come soon, but for now, please save these dates! If you haven't yet completed the Annual Student Information Update, please do so here. https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/school-registration See you soon!

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!