Let’s show our students our support as we head into the last of the school year! We are going to print pictures of everyone who is giving our students a Thumbs up! and place them where our students can see the pictures as they enter the building. Take a picture of you giving a thumbs up and put it in the comments, or IM it to us, or email it to keith.lapour@k12.sd.us, or bring a 4x6 print to the office. We will get them posted so the kids will know you’ve recognized they got up and showed up!
🗳️ Help shape the future! Five candidates are vying for two open seats on the Sioux Falls School Board. Learn about them and make time to get to the polls on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/elections
Get up. Show up. Thumbs up!
Our next attendance event is about to start up. During the month of April we’d like to fill up our classrooms with happy learners so we’re going to track our whole school's attendance down to the minute. Our goal is to accumulate 600,000 student minutes in school through the month of April. That’s about 90% attendance. If we reach our goal we will have a day for everyone to warm up wearing our comfiest pajamas. Plus, we will have some surprise rewards. We will follow up with more details. Remember, every minute counts!
SFSD wants your feedback! Our annual parent/guardian survey is now open through Friday, April 19, 2024. Check your email for an active link and share your experiences with us as partners in your child's education! https://survey.k12insight.com/r/6HS2G1
Mrs. Bell is a good friend at Garfield! April 2nd through April 5th is National Assistant Principal week and we’d like to thank her for all she does here at Garfield, which is A LOT! Plus she’s displaying her school spirit in this picture by showing off the Garfield G.
The winner of the BIG attenDANCE bracket challenge for 2024 is… (insert dramatic pause here) FOURTH GRADE! They won with a staggering 92.76% in the final week of the competition. That’s the kind of dedication that wins championships. Great job fourth grade!
All of Garfield were winners as part of the BIG attenDANCE but there were a few students who won a little bigger. Pictured are some of the winners of our raffles and pop-up perfect attendance winners. We’d like to put out a special thanks to Sioux Falls Skyforce, Skate City, Burger King, Scheels, University of Sioux Falls Athletic Department, and Sisson Printing for their support and generosity! What a fun week made especially so by our GREAT students!
What a great celebration with our Garfield friends and family before heading out to Spring Break! The kids made it a fun-filled environment any college or pro team would envy. Team Bell won the game but Team Garfield won the day!
Consistent attendance is important! Many teachers will say when attendance worsens, misbehaviors will often rise. Learning happens at a rapid rate at Garfield. When school is missed, students who are behind because of attendance will often feel negative feelings such as anxiety and confusion. This can lead a student to act out or try to “escape” the situation by leaving the room. In the paper, “The Effects of Absenteeism on Academic and Social-Emotional Outcomes” published in 2020, authors SantiLucrecia bañez and Cassandra Guarino state “Generally speaking, elementary and middle school are the levels during which extended absence from school has the strongest negative impact on social-emotional development.”
Fantastic job Garfield families! We hit 91% attendance the week of March 18th through March 22, a 3% increase from the week before. Third grade finished at the top with 92%. Way to go third graders! Great recovery Garfield; let’s keep going strong!
Our Garfield students and families are amazing! From March 1 to March 22 there were 204 out of 535 total Garfield students who had perfect attendance. That’s an AMAZING 38% of our students had perfect attendance! Education is so important for our leaders of tomorrow and every minute of it is invaluable. Way to go Garfield families!
Plans are in the works for SFSD students and staff to bring electronic devices home over the weekend in the event that winter weather presents challenges on Monday. Refresh your memory now about the new remote learning plan by using the QR code on the image. We'll keep you posted if there are any schedule changes for Monday.
Ms. Johnson is at Garfield to help students find their passion in learning whether it be math, reading or writing. She also wants her students to know they are loved and believe they can be leaders. That is one of the reasons she is a co-leader for the Leader in Me organization at Garfield.
Once on the basketball court The Enforcer Johnson will make her opponents wish they were anywhere else. Her defensive and rebounding games are a punishment on their own. Ouch!
We are experiencing a downpour of books being read in our “Rain or Shine, Everybody Reads” reading challenge. As of Thursday we totaled 7,550 books read at Garfield and 228,186 in the community! Over 2,000 books were counted in one day. As of Thursday we had 4,450 books left to go (about 8 books per student)...SO CLOSE! Remember, books read at home count too so let’s ramp up this flood and achieve our goal!
Ms. Stensland is a Special Education Teacher at Garfield. She works with students in all grade levels k-5th providing direct instruction to students with a variety of needs. She also develops and follows individualized educational plans.
Ann-Tre Stensland is known on the hard court for cooking up a hot platter of tre’s served with a side of cold defense.
The week of March 25th is going to be huge at Garfield! Our BIG attenDANCE competition will be coming to a close. March 25-28th our Fundraising Committee will be pitting Team Skogstad vs. Team Bell. The kids can vote for their favorite team by dropping coins in the jars found by the entryway. Money raised will be used to bring fun events like the DJ Dance Party and Family Movie Night to Garfield. Then on March 26 there will be a Staff basketball game at 1:40 in the afternoon. Plenty of prizes will be awarded. The more basketball cards students earn the better their chances of winning.
Ms. Cousins has been teaching for 16 years. At Garfield she is currently teaching a K/1 blend. She loves helping build a positive educational foundation for our young learners! Her core belief is all students CAN and WILL learn!
On the hardcourt she is Money! Whether she is taking her jump shot to the bank or tossing dimes to her teammates, Money Cousins is golden.
As a Behavior Facilitator at Garfield, Mr. Kirschman works with students to keep them safe. As part of the BASE (Behavior Academic Social Education) his focus is on students who are having difficulty in the classroom but his work includes helping all students achieve success in all aspects of their school life.
One the hardcourt it is thought he has patterned his game around his namesake, LeBron, the King, James. However King Kirschman, with his 99% shooting accuracy, maintains LeBron James has patterned his game after him. Interesting!
As a Special Education Teacher at Garfield, Mr. Bitterman works with students to help them achieve their best in areas in which they struggle. He also works with families and other adults to develop plans for students' success.
Once he steps on the basketball floor Buckets Bitterman is a microwave because he heats up fast. When you need a basket, Buckets can manufacture one at a moment's notice.
