Happy Social Worker Week!
In the Sioux Falls School District, every student's journey is unique. For many of the kids we serve, our school social workers are there every step of the way! Whether offering a listening ear, connecting families to resources, or advocating for students' well-being, their dedication ignites hope and creates lasting impact in our schools.
This year's theme, Unite to Ignite: Celebrating Our Impact, is a perfect reflection of how our social workers bring people together to create brighter futures for students.
THANK YOU to our incredible school social workers for your compassion and care!
At Leader’s Assembly on Monday morning we had the pleasure of celebrating individual leaders from each grade level for the month of February! These leaders were nominated by their classroom teachers. Great job to these leaders of today and tomorrow!
Our Garfield attendance is back on track! We’re hoping the long flu season this year is coming to a close. For the week of February 24 through February 28 we are back at over 92% attendance school wide. Fifth graders were leaders with 95% attendance. Each grade level was at 90% or above. Way to go Garfield families!
We’d like to recognize our very own Tracy Freese who was nominated for the Teacher of the Year Award. Tracy is a teacher in our Early Childhood program and is a blessing to Garfield, the families she has served, and the many students who have had the opportunity to be part of Tracy’s classroom. Thank you Tracy and we are so proud to have you be part of Garfield!
Read Across America Week will be the week of March 3 - March 7. The book this year will be “Trouble at School for Marvin and James” by Elise Broach. To help get the kids in the spirit we have a family challenge. Send a photograph of students reading to pets, stuffed animals, toys, whatever you have at home to recreate the friendship between Marvin and James. You can email your pictures to Mrs. Christopherson at emmy.christopherson@k12.sd.us or Mrs. Flying Hawk at abbie.flyinghawk@k12.sd.us.
We will also have themed dress up days at school throughout the week.
Monday, March 3rd - Hats off to reading. Wear a hat
Tuesday, March 4th -Differences are unique. Mismatch day
Wednesday, March 5th - Rainbow of readers. Class color day
EC/K- Purple
First grade - Blue
Second grade - Green
Third grade - Yellow
Fourth grade - Orange
Firth grade - Red
Thursday, March 6th - Team up for reading. Wear a jersey or spirit wear
Friday, March 7th-Cozy up to reading-Wear PJ’s or comfy cozy clothes
It’s going to be a fun filled week!
This year we celebrated Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday February 26. It has been recognized annually worldwide as a day to stand against bullying. Pink Shirt Day began in 2007 when a student in Nova Scotia was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate this day!
Join us from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on Thursday March 6th for an evening of fun and community. There will be a meal along with activities such as slime making and mural painting, board games, and hula hoop games. This evening is being planned and operated by the students on our Family Engagement Leadership Team. There will also be community partners such as Connect Health and Sioux Falls Thrive.
We are still celebrating last night's wonderful Teacher of the Year event! So many amazing educators to celebrate! Congratulations again to 2025 Teacher of the Year, Bruce Rekstad, who left with a $4,000 check, courtesy of our friends at Vern Eide. Also, a huge congratulations to the other four finalists, Jennifer Aerts, Bryan Aukerman, Scott Amundson, and Jessica Foley. New this year, thanks to the generosity of the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation, these four finalists walked away with $1,000 each. So many wonderful memories were shared last night! We are so grateful to everyone who attended, from nominees and their friends and families to past ToY winners, past educators, school board members, SDEA friends, and SFSD administrators, it truly was an unforgettable night! Were you at the event? Feel free to get your photos here! https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC3KKk You can watch the full video of the event here! https://youtu.be/D-60TEv2ijA
Tonight is the night! The 2025 Teacher of the Year will be announced at an event starting at 7:00 PM. Watch live with us here! ---> https://youtube.com/live/MnFs9wL28Oo?feature=share
A recent Facebook post regarding Washington High School falsely claimed a routine request for a birth certificate was related to immigration status.
State Law (SDCL 13-27-3.1-3.3) requires all public school students to have a birth certificate on file within 30 days of enrollment. When required records are missing from student files, school staff regularly attempt to contact families before sending the required information to the State’s Attorney.
These requests are made solely to ensure compliance with State Law and to maintain complete student records. They are in no way related to immigration enforcement. We are committed to protecting the privacy of our students and their families.
Please reach out to your child’s school or the district office with any questions rather than relying on social media for accurate information. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping student records up to date.
We have some outstanding leaders at Garfield! These leaders were nominated by their classroom teachers for showing exceptional leadership in and out of the classroom. At our Leaders Assembly on Monday we were able to celebrate them and their accomplishment.
We are so proud of our students’ creativity! Each grade level submitted artwork that would be placed on ceiling tiles which would grace our entrance. Here is our 4th grade placement! Look up when you visit the school… you’ll like what you see!
Do you or someone you know have a child who will be 5-years-old on or before September 1st? If so, Online Registration for the 25-26 school year is now open on the Sioux Falls School District website or through the Parent Portal. Start your child off on the right foot this upcoming school year and get them registered now! https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/school-registration
We are so proud of our students’ creativity! Each grade level submitted artwork that would be placed on ceiling tiles which would grace our entrance. Here is our 5th grade placement! When here for conferences, look up when you walk in the front door. We think you’ll like what you see!
The Penny War totals are in. And the winner is (drum roll please) 1st grade. And WOW! The first graders really played the game well. They ended with 11,496 points. Second place went to 4th grade with 5005 points and 2nd grade finished with 3385. When we know how much money our students raised for the Humane Society, we will let you know. Great job 1st graders!
Check out th e book fair during conferences!Also, we have the book fair next week:
Monday February 3, 12-7:00
Thursday February 6, 3:00-7:00
We accept Cash, Card, Check, and e-wallet!
Learn more here:
: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/garfieldelementaryschool27
Parent/Teacher Conferences are going to be Monday, February 3rd : 12:00 - 7:00 pm and Thursday, February 6th: 3:30 - 7:00 pm Here’s your chance to visit with your child’s teacher about your child’s education and how they spend their day, to see their school and walk where they walk on a daily basis. If you haven't reserved your time yet, you still can. Just call the office and we will find time. We look forward to seeing you!
Penny Wars are here and they! Until January 31st the grades will be competing against each other by collecting coins at the front entrance. Rules: A penny is worth 1 point and dollar bills are worth 100 points, $5 bills worth 500, $10 bill worth 1,000 etc., when placed in your grade jar. Nickels are a negative 5, dimes a negative 10 and quarters a negative 25 when placed in the grade jar. The goal is to earn the most points while keeping your opponents at bay. This fundraiser is being conducted by the Student Lighthouse team.
This past week was a tough one for attendance. Nasty cold following a 3 day weekend made it tough to recover. We ended at 88%, well below our expectations but this week is a new week and we believe we will get back on track. Last week was again lead by our 4th graders at over 92%. Way to do 4th graders and your families!
We are so proud of our students’ creativity! Each grade level submitted artwork that would be placed on ceiling tiles which would grace our entrance. The design and creation are completely their work. Here is our Early Childhood placement!
