Applications are open for the second cohort of the Rethinking Educational Models Colloquium. This two-year cohort will focus on understanding and implementing competency-based educational models in schools. Topics include mastery-based lesson planning and grading, blended learning, strategic planning, mindset shifts within the community, and educational partners. This summary document includes application information. Questions? Email Dr. Cari Kennedy at TIE, DOE’s grant partner.

School superintendents and business officials should have received a memo on March 29 from the Department of Education’s Division of Child and Adult Nutrition Services. It lays out, at a high level, changes to School Nutrition Programs for school year 2022-23. These changes move programs, in part, back to pre-COVID practices. The information has also been communicated with school food service directors.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. To promote safe teen driving, the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and South Dakota Broadcasters Association are giving away $20,000! One South Dakota student will win $10,000 for themselves plus another $10,000 for a school-sponsored activity or program. To enter, they need to visit LessonLearnedSD.com and take a two-minute safe driving quiz.

South Dakota middle school students will have an opportunity to participate in FREE, five-day career exploration camps this summer. Hosted on three South Dakota college campuses, the 2022 Dakota Dreams Career Exploration Summer Camps will allow incoming seventh and eighth grade students to experience at least 10 different career paths.

We hope you and your students are excited and getting ready for the South Dakota Week of Work. We are pleased to announce that virtual panel information is now available on the 2022 Schedule page of the South Dakota Week of Work website. The Week of Work will take place April 11-15. We encourage you to provide opportunities for your students to connect face-to-face with local businesses and/or access our virtual options.

Congratulations to the Vermillion School District Summer Food Service Program on earning the gold Turnip the Beet Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture! The Turnip the Beet Award recognizes outstanding summer meal program sponsors. The Vermillion School District is one of only 14 sponsors across the nation to qualify for a gold award.

The 2022 SD MTSS Summer Education Conference: Growing Great Readers will be held June 21-22 in Oacoma. The event is open to all districts, and registration is now open. Keynote speakers include Dr. Dale Webster and Erica Hidalgo who will lead an Understanding Comprehension session. Julie Sealine will lead a Decoding and the Struggling Reader workshop.

CAASt training opportunities are available free to K-12 educators. The training includes components of mandatory reporting, youth suicide awareness and prevention, multidisciplinary approaches, and trauma-informed interventions. A virtual session open to all K-12 educators will be held May 13, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. CT. Schools may also request the training be scheduled and brought to their school staff.

The South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) is now accepting sponsor applications for its Artists in Schools and Communities (AISC) program, which provides matching grants to schools, arts councils, and other nonprofit organizations to host artists-in-residence between July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023.

Board of Education Standards
April 7, Mitchell

SD-STARS Power User Training
April 12-13, Rapid City
May 5, virtual follow-up meeting
(included when registering for the event listed above)

Secondary Grades and Writing with Multilingual Learners
April 19-20, Chamberlain

Title Programs Bimonthly Zoominars
April 19, June 21

South Dakota History Conference: Fighting the Good War
April 22-23, Pierre

Using a Trauma Lens to Support Your Students
May 3, Rapid City

Interpreting ACCESS for ELLs Score Report Overview webinar
May 10, online

Growing Great Readers
MTSS Summer Education Conference
June 21-22, Oacoma

ExCITE! 2022 (formerly School Library Boot Camp)
June 27-July 29, online

Top 20 Training
July 21-22, Oacoma