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04 Legislature
recesses for 16 days; will reconvene March 15 to consider Governor’s vetoes
The 2004 Legislature is currently
recessed for 16 days, after 34 days in session. Members of the Body will
reconvene March 15.
Governor asks students
to write Easter letters to troops
Governor Rounds is planning a
special Easter mailing to South Dakota troops who are deployed away from
home. Letters/cards from students need to be sent to the Office of the
Governor by April 2 to be included in the shipment.
Annual achievement
testing starts March 22
South Dakota’s annual testing of
students in grades 3-8 and grade 11 will take place between March 22-April 16
this year. Public schools are required by state law to administer the tests
to all enrolled students.
SDBOE hearings set for
March 15 on 4 sets of proposed rules
The South Dakota Board of Education
will hold public hearings on school bus rules, certification requirements, and
a new statewide accountability system Monday, March 15, at 9:10 a.m. at the
Best Western Ramkota Inn in Pierre.
Nominees for Regent
Scholar Diplomas due April 1
The Department of Education
reminds high school principals and counselors that the list of nominees for
Regent Scholar Diplomas is due April 1.
Applications open for
Governor’s Healthy
School recognition program
Public schools are invited to
compete for monetary awards and public recognition in the
Healthy School
award program recently announced by Governor Mike Rounds. Application packets
are now available and are due April 30.
Chance to Succeed
offers $$ for after-school tutorial programs
Elementary schools in South Dakota
are invited to submit a proposal for funds to support a cross-age peer
tutorial program. Deadline is Friday, May 7.
Microsoft offers K-12
schools Windows software for donated computers
Microsoft’s Fresh Start for
Donated Computers program replaces Windows licenses and operating systems
free of charge on computers that have been donated to K-12 schools.
Gov. Rounds invites
high school marching and jazz bands to Korean War Memorial Celebration Sept.
18
Gov. Mike Rounds is inviting nearly
200 high school and college bands from across South Dakota to participate in
the dedication of the Korean War Memorial, Saturday, Sept. 18 in Pierre.
Even Start funds
available for new family literacy programs
Even Start funds are available for
new family literacy programs in South Dakota. The RFP is available from the
SD Department of Education. Proposals are due in
Pierre May 3.
County emergency
managers and sheriffs ready to help schools with bomb threat procedures
The Office of Homeland Security in
Pierre recently provided bomb threat procedures to all sheriffs’ offices and
county emergency coordinators throughout the state. Schools that do not
have procedures in place for responding to bomb threats are urged to contact
local authorities.
“Unsafe School Choice
Option” policy implemented; uses data reported by schools
The Dept. of Education completed
the state’s first analysis of Safe and Drug-Free/Gun-Free School data in
February in order to implement the state’s Unsafe School Choice Option
policy.
Protection of Pupil
Rights Amendment (PPRA) requires school policy, parent notification; some
surveys may require active parental permission
Public school districts (legal
education entities/LEAs) must have policies covering the requirements of the
Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) and must notify parents annually
of the policies.
Schools invited to
join communities at West Nile, mosquito control seminar; grant $$ available
for local mosquito control
Schools that may be concerned about
mosquitoes during athletic events and around school property next summer and
fall are encouraged to partner with community officials.
04-05 immunization
info sent to schools by Dept. of Health
A packet of information,
2004-2005 School Immunization Requirements, was distributed to all
South Dakota schools recently by the SD Dept. of Health.
State sells surplus
property on eBay website
The State of South Dakota is
selling used vehicles and equipment on the eBay internet website between March
1-May 31. The items are all surplus property of the State of South Dakota.
New law to assist
state, schools with materials for blind students
A new law, HB 1221, passed during the 2004 legislative session will speed
up the production of Braille books for blind students in South Dakota.
CareeReality
presentation in Pierre March 11
Educators, parents, and community members are invited to attend (at no charge)
CareeReality presentation at the Pierre Ramkota River Centre, March 11.
School staff invited
to Women in Science conference; SD scientist to keynote
Educators, counselors, scout
leaders, parents and other interested adults are invited to Women in
Science conference at the South Dakota
Discovery Center,
Pierre, March 11.
504/ADA audio
conference available March 17
Section 504/ADA Advanced Issues
is available via an audio conference March 17.
State Character Ed
conference in Pierre July 8-9
Nationally-recognized character
education experts will headline the South Dakota Character Education
Conference in Pierre July 8-9.
“Creating
Technology-Enhanced Classroom Materials & Online Lessons”: summer
workshops for high school math and science teachers
Specialized training for high school math and science teachers is available at
this summer; the two-day workshop will be offered twice.
Seven SD students win
$$ for charities in statewide essay contest
Seven South Dakota students won
generous donations to their favorite charities by successfully participating
in the nationwide Laws of Life essay contest.
New resources
available on several school health issues
Several federal agencies recently
posted new resources on the web that may be of interest to school counselors
and principals.
Help available for
schools to prevent bullying among students
Schools can receive materials and
assistance from a national bullying prevention campaign that was announced
March 1.
New grants.gov website
offers one-stop shopping for federal grants
A single, comprehensive website
that contains information about funding and applying for all federal grant
programs was unveiled recently.
College Board assists
high school teachers with prep for new SAT essay
South Dakota high schools that had
students who took the 2003 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT or P/N) last October recently received materials
from the College Board, publishers of the college entrance examination.
All-USA Teacher Team
nominations sought by USA
Today; due April 19
USA Today
is now accepting nominations for its seventh All-USA Teacher Team. The annual
recognition program honors 20 K-12 teachers.
$$ awards available
for outstanding school volunteer programs individuals
A total of $30,000 in prizes will
be awarded to schools with winning volunteer programs by Midwest Living
magazine. Deadline for entries is April 1.
Successful
school-community partnerships to be recognized nationally
School districts that have teamed
with local communities to develop and implement innovative activities that
advance student learning are encouraged to enter that 2005 national Civic
Star award program.
Week of Classroom
Teacher celebration set for May 2-8
The annual Week of the Classroom
Teacher is an opportunity for schools and communities to honor the
professionalism and dedication of their teachers.
Nation’s annual
Holocaust remembrance set for April 18-25
The annual Days of
Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust will be commemorated this year
from Sunday, April 18 through Sunday, April 25. The Day of Remembrance
is April 18.
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