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Upcoming Events
For a more complete list of professional development
opportunities, visit
www.southdakotapd.com.
Parent involvement topic of
conference
Parents often wonder how they can become more involved in
their children’s schooling. A FREE conference slated for Aug.
15-16 in Sioux Falls will help them find meaningful ways to
do just that. The conference is hosted by the South Dakota
Department of Education and South Dakota Parent Information and
Resource Center. It will be held at the Downtown Holiday Inn.
The conference theme is “Partnerships with Families Create
Success: Make This the Best School Year Ever!” Karen Mapp,
author of “Beyond the Bake Sale,” will offer a keynote
presentation. South Dakota’s Secretary of Education Rick Melmer
also will address the group.
School leaders are asked to share this information with
parent-teacher groups, school boards and interested parents.
For information about the conference,
click here
and check back frequently for updates. Questions can be directed
to Dawn Smith, Department of Education, at (605) 773-2535.
Presenters wanted for 2008 South
Dakota Interchange
The 2008 South Dakota Interchange will take place Sept.
24-25 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
Infinite Campus is issuing a call for presenters to share their
experiences and expertise as an Interchange session leader (and
get cool stuff). Presenters will demonstrate ways in which their
district uses Campus to solve real-world challenges on a daily
basis. To submit a proposal,
complete this form. Questions can be directed to Barry
Brahier at
barry.brahier@infinitecampus.com.
Registration and session descriptions will be available at a
later date.
Keeping kids in
school This fall, the Department
of Education will host one-day workshops designed to help
districts find better ways to engage at-risk students.
"Effective Strategies to Keep Kids in School"
will be held in Sioux Falls on Sept. 22 and Rapid City on Sept.
24. Franklin Schargel, a former school administrator and noted
author on reducing drop-out rates, will share practical
information – with an emphasis on effective strategies for
improving graduation rates.
The workshops will offer a basic overview of graduation issues
and an opportunity to assess your district’s efforts to increase
graduation rates. Districts that are not meeting state
graduation rate targets are strongly encouraged to attend.
Administrators, board members, counselors, special education
staff, middle school and high school teachers, employers, and
other stakeholders all play important roles in increasing
graduation rates. Districts are encouraged to send a team of
participants where possible.
Both workshops will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a
90-minute break for lunch. Both are FREE. The Sioux Falls
workshop will be held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center
(attached to the Sioux Falls Arena). The Rapid City workshop
will be held at the Rapid City Ramkota Convention Center.
To register, visit the department’s professional development Web
site at
http://www.doe.sd.gov/southdakotapd/.
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