We are very excited to celebrate Susan Thies’ nomination for the 2024 Dr. John W. Harris Teacher of the Year Award! Susan is a 5th grade teacher at Garfield. She says this about the environment she promotes in her classroom, “I try to build a peaceful caring culture in my classroom. Everyone belongs. Representation matters and all children should see themselves in the books surrounding them. I am honored to be a public school teacher.”
We’d like to introduce Sally Sehr as our new Lead Clerical. Anyone who visits Garfield will meet her first thing and she is excited to meet all of you! Sally has always called South Dakota home and enjoys the diverse weather. Her family is close and she and her husband have a blast hanging with their grandkids. She enjoys outdoor activities including camping in the summer and sledding in the winter. She’s going to be a good friend to have!
Earlier this year, there was a call from a classroom for a student that was being loud and disruptive in the hallway. When the behavior facilitator got there he found a very angry, unregulated student. After working with the student for some time, and not making much progress, the teacher poked her head out of the room and asked if she could try again. Facilitator responds, “Sure.”
Eventually the student yells through tears, “I just want to be normal.”
Teacher calmly grabs the students hands, looks the student in the face and said, “Oh. You’re not normal, You’re AWESOME!”
A few tears later, hugs and pinky promised are exchanged and the teacher and student walk back into class. No more calls that day.
We are very excited to celebrate Tracy Freese’s nomination for the 2024 Dr. John W. Harris Teacher of the Year Award! Tracy teaches in Early Childhood at Garfield. Tracy’s classroom philosophy is “To Give children the compassion and consistency they need, to be successful in life.”
Let’s read together! Reading a book with a child is a great way to demonstrate the love of reading and share special time with them. Research says that reading together provides cognitive and emotional benefits for readers of all ages.
Take a picture of you or any adult in your family reading with your Garfield student. IM the photos to us and you will be entered to win an Amazon book credit valuing up to $25.00. Or you can email your photos to Mrs. Neu or Mrs. Christopherson, you can find their email addresses here:
https://siouxfallssd.sites.thrillshare.com/o/ge/staff
All of the photos will be posted in the school as well as on The Garfield Facebook page, with your permission of course!
Challenge ends on March 1, 2024. One entry per student.
Mmm. Mmm. Good! Now getting your kids delicious, warm meals at Garfield at a reduced price, or even free, is easier and faster. To apply online you will need your phone number, names and income of all members living in the household, and school name, grade and birthdate for every PREK through 12th grade student living in the household. Then just go to website listed below to complete the application. Or stop in at our office and we can help you through it.
https://tinyurl.com/368mfp9t
Is your 5-year-old ready for the rigors of Kindergarten? Get all of your questions answered Tues, Feb 13 at Susan B. Anthony Elementary. Families from all SFSD schools are welcome!
SWEET! During Parent Teacher Conferences on Feb 5th from Noon to 7 pm and Feb 8th from 3 pm to 7 you can purchase candy and popcorn. The fundraiser is to support school wide goals and fund a dance on February 16th. A bag of popcorn is $1 while you can choose 2 pieces of candy for a dollar. It’s a sweet and salty deal for a really sweet cause!
The Scholastic Book Fair is where readers get to choose. They can be true to themshelves at the Garfield Book Fair! The fair will be held on Monday, February 5th from 12 noon to 7pm and Thursday, February 8th from 3 pm to 7pm in the Garfield Library. You can use cash, check (payable to Garfield Elementary), credit/debit card, or you can set up an e-wallet. Plus, every purchase benefits Garfield Elementary. Learn more:
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/garfieldelementaryschool27
Chess anyone? At Garfield we have a growing group of kids who are playing chess as well as involved in chess club. It’s a lot of fun, but it is more than that. A study by A. Branch in 2022 suggests that schoolchildren who learn or play chess appear to experience a better development of cognitive abilities or bearing a larger improvement in academic performance than schoolchildren who do not learn or play chess. Plus, they are all learning good sportsmanship while having a great time!
Dangerous weather conditions mean all activities/events for SFSD students for the
evening of Fri., Jan 12 and all day Sat., Jan 13, 2024 are being postponed.
No School Today - Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Sioux Falls Public Schools are closed Monday, January 8, 2024 due to weather.
Don't forget the dress up days next week! The last day before Winter Break all students can wear PJ's and bring a blanket and pillow for a movie in the gym!
Reminder! The student fundraising team will be selling candy on Friday, December 15th. The funds raised will go towards an all school event in the Spring.
Today is a beautiful December day, but we know it can't last forever in South Dakota! Make sure you and your student(s) know how to access Canvas for remote learning when weather that keeps kids home can be predicted in advance.
Mrs. Thies' 5th grade class made some blankets for @Project Warm Up today!
Student Fundraising Team will be selling candy on December 15th from 1:50pm to 2:20pm to raise money for a school wide Spring Event. Candy will be 2 for $1.00!
Mark your calendars now for the Garfield Elementary 4th and 5th Grade Winter Concert is Thursday, December 14th at 8:30am and 7:00pm in the Garfield Gym!
We hope you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving Break! Sharing a few pictures from Hat & PJ day! Have a great week!
