Applications are open for the second cohort of the Rethinking Educational Models Colloquium [https://doe.sd.gov/grants/rem.aspx]. 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 [https://doe.sd.gov/grants/documents/colloquium-1121.pdf] includes application information. Questions? Email Dr. Cari Kennedy [ckennedy@tie.net] 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 [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2022/04/documents/Memo-Returntonormal.pdf]. 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.

The website also lets you and your students see your school’s participation compared to other high schools and districts.

The deadline for entry is April 30.

Let’s work together to keep our roads safe, have the highest participation rate, and win some money for your school!

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.

Basic information about the camps is below. You can use these sample communications [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2022/04/documents/SampleMessages.docx] and this graphic [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2022/04/documents/SummerCamp.png] to share with parents.

Learn more at www.ourdakotadreams.com/summercamp. Inquiries from families should be directed to the website and the specific university hosting the camp.

BASIC INFORMATION
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.

• June 26-30, 2022
  Black Hills State University in Spearfish, partnering with South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and Western Dakota Technical College
• June 26-30, 2022
  University of South Dakota in Vermillion, partnering with Southeast Technical College
• July 24-28, 2022
  South Dakota State University in Brookings, partnering with Lake Area Technical College

Students and families should visit www.ourdakotadreams.com/summercamp to learn more and to access the application.

The Dakota Dreams Career Exploration Summer Camps are a partnership of the South Dakota Board of Regents, South Dakota technical colleges, South Dakota businesses and industry, and the South Dakota Department of Education.

The camps are funded with federal dollars available to the Department of Education through the American Rescue Plan Act.

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 [https://weekofwork.sd.gov/schedule.aspx] of the Week of Work website [https://weekofwork.sd.gov/]. 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.

Tuesday through Thursday, students will be able to participate in live 40-minute panel discussions at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT. Each panel will feature representatives from a variety of related career clusters. Check out the 2022 Schedule page [https://weekofwork.sd.gov/schedule.aspx] for more details. Timing doesn’t work for local schedules? Panel discussions will also be recorded and made available for later viewing. Zoom links will be posted on the schedule each morning, and no pre-registration is necessary.

Not sure how to help students get ready? Resources are available on the Schools page [https://weekofwork.sd.gov/schools.aspx] of the Week of Work website [https://weekofwork.sd.gov/] to help you and your students prepare for an engaging week of activities aimed at exploring career opportunities.

Does your school already have robust work-based learning programs in place? Have you been able to provide opportunities for students this year despite the sometimes challenging environment? Kudos to you! Consider using this week to celebrate everything you have done to prepare students for their next steps.

Whatever you do during this exciting week, please share your photos and success stories by using #SDWeekofWork on social media or email them to sdweekofwork@state.sd.us. Thank you from everyone at the Department of Education for everything you do to provide your students with career experiences.

If you have any additional questions please email sdweekofwork@state.sd.us.

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 Vermillion School District is one of only 14 sponsors across the nation to qualify for a gold award. In all, 84 summer meal sponsors were awarded, with 54 silver awards and 16 bronze awards. This is the Vermillion School District’s second Turnip the Beet Award. In 2018, they earned bronze.

The Turnip the Beet Award recognizes outstanding summer meal program sponsors nationwide who work hard to offer high quality meals to children that are appetizing, appealing, and nutritious during the summer months.

2021 Turnip the Beet Award winners [https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-tub-awardee-list.pdf]

Summer meals are critical in the lives of millions of our nation’s youth, whose risk for food insecurity increases during the summer months when they no longer have access to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program. Summer meal programs, including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) within the NSLP, present the opportunity to help alleviate summertime food insecurity and positively impact children’s growth and development by offering nutritious meals and encouraging children to develop healthy habits at a young age. High quality summer meals provide daily energy and help make sure children are healthy and ready to learn when they return to school in the fall.

The Turnip the Beet Award was created to showcase sponsors who go above and beyond to ensure that children in their care receive high-quality meals that are both nutritious and appetizing.

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 [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2022/04/documents/22-MTSS.pdf]. 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 [https://usd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIucOGvqj0iEtxvUgOjnaQEw_mjZtQdSyFS]. Schools may also request the training be scheduled and brought to their school staff.

Find more information on these flyers:

• May 13 CAASt training [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2022/04/documents/CAASt-0522.pdf]
• K-12 CAASt training (general) [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2022/04/documents/CAASt-Training.pdf]

Training is provided by the University of South Dakota CAASt Program and the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment, with funding from the Department of Education.

Questions? Contact Tracy Thomes [tracy.thomes@usd.edu] at USD.

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.

Applications must be received through the AISC online grant form. Organizations will find several new artists and arts groups have joined the teaching artist roster [https://artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc/meetartist.aspx]. Applicant organizations should also note a small increase to the artist fees and grant amounts in the coming fiscal year.

Through the AISC program, students – adults and children alike – will learn about fine arts in a relevant, hands-on environment.

Grantees choose their artist from a roster of professional teaching artists endorsed by the Arts Council. Disciplines include writing, music, theater, visual arts, and traditional arts. A theater residency could include classroom workshops or a full-length production featuring local students at the end of the week. In the visual arts, choose from pottery, painting, drawing, sculpting, murals, comic book making, and more. There are traditional arts residency opportunities in hoop dancing, ribbon skirt making, flute making, and oral traditions. To view the extensive list of roster artists and read about the residencies offered, visit www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc/meetartist.aspx.

The deadline for grant applications to be submitted online is April 15. The simple online form is available at www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc. Please review program guidelines before applying and reach out to Rebecca.cruse@state.sd.us with questions.

An office of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council provides grants and services to artists, arts and nonprofit organizations, and schools across the state with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the state of South Dakota. For more information about SDAC grant programs and artist rosters, visit artscouncil.sd.gov.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism and the South Dakota Arts Council. The department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.

Board of Education Standards
April 7, Mitchell
[https://boardsandcommissions.sd.gov/Meetings.aspx?BoardID=32]

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
[https://www.sdhsf.org/2022-history-conference-registration-page.html]

Using a Trauma Lens to Support Your Students
May 3, Rapid City
[https://www.eventbrite.com/e/using-a-trauma-lens-to-support-your-students-tickets-265307059557]

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

Growing Great Readers
MTSS Summer Education Conference
June 21-22, Oacoma
[https://bhssctie.wufoo.com/forms/qdte8y70p72ywo/]

ExCITE! 2022 (formerly School Library Boot Camp)
June 27-July 29, online
[https://sites.google.com/view/learnleadsdslschlib/courses/excite]

Top 20 Training
July 21-22, Oacoma
[https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2022/02/documents/Top20Training-0122.pdf]