S O N I A S O T O M A Y O R

E L E M E N T A R Y

El NOTICIERO O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7

October 9

PTO/PASI

Meeting—6:30

in the Library

Skate City

Skate Party—

6:00-8:00

October 17

Parent/Teacher

Conferences

3:30-7:30

October 20 &

23

No School

October 23

Parent/Teacher

Conferences

12:00-7:00

October 26

Picture Retakes

with Lifetouch

November 3

End of 1st

Quarter

November 10

No School

Greetings Sonia Sotomayor Families!

We have had an incredible start to our school year! Students are settling in to their classroom routines and navigating the building like champions!

The State of SD Department of Education recently released their annual report card. Sonia So-tomayor Elementary was once again named an Exemplary School! We share that distinction with 33 of the 663 schools in South Dakota and our very proud of the work of our students and staff. Even though we are in the top 5% of schools in the state, we still have a lot of hard work to do to maintain our status!

Attendance has been and continues to be a main priority for us. Last year our District and school goal was to have every student present at least 94% of the time, which means missing no more than 11 days of school. Unfortunately, we fell short of that goal. We had only 91.28% of our stu-dents who missed less than 11 days of school. We know we can do better! This year we will once again strive for an attendance rate of 94%. In the month of September, we had 392 out of 644 students present every day. We are hoping in October that number is much higher! We under-stand that some absences cannot be avoided, but if there is an opportunity to schedule appoint-ments and vacation outside of the school day or on days when there is not school, that would help immensely!

We have had a lot of fun celebrating Spanish Heritage Month and learning more about the coun-tries from which our interns, teachers, and other staff are from! Please go to our new school web-site to check out the interviews conducted by 5th grade students! https://sotomayor-sfsd.org/

Thank you for all of the many ways you support our students and staff. The outpouring of support for our two teachers who awaited news from their families while Hurricane Maria ravaged their county was amazing. While Sra. Jennifer Castello and Sra. Lymari Robles have heard that all of their family members are safe, their present living conditions are very poor as basic necessities are in short supply. Unfortunately there are not many ways to provide assistance to them at this time due to the inability to get resources to them. Both teachers have asked that we keep their families in our thoughts as they begin to rebuild their lives.

Thank you again for all you do, each and every day!

I am incredibly grateful to be your principal! Tracy Vik

Tracking Student Progress

by Dr. Brian Maher, Superintendent

By now, we hope your students are settling in to a healthy and well-

balanced routine of school, homework, extracurricular activities, and fun. The

months certainly go by quickly and soon enough we will be coming upon the end of

the first semester!

While keeping our sights set on the District’s overall mission “to educate

and prepare each student to succeed in a changing world,” we are also celebrating

significant gains in one of the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan.

Recently, the South Dakota Department of Education released report cards

for each school district in South Dakota based on results from tests taken last spring. In addition to

scores for math and reading proficiency, the report card also measures attendance and high school

graduation rates.

I am pleased to report the District graduation rate increased more than three full percentage

points to 83.85% - up from 80.55% at the same time last year. This improvement is the result of hard

work by classrooms teachers, counselors, social workers, administrators, and support staff who hold

weekly meetings to identify students at-risk of falling behind. Once identified, these students receive

additional support and personal encouragement to stay on track. Because of these efforts, 57 students

from every race, ability, and socioeconomic category recorded by the state, who were at risk of not

graduating with their classmates, received their high school diploma in June.

While we celebrate that improvement, our scores in math and reading are still not at the level

we would like. District third grade reading scores continue to trail slightly the State average; however,

the District growth rate in reading is higher than the State average. In math, the District’s proficiency

level increased nearly two percentage points and outpaced the State math scores. The math growth rate

improved again this year and outpaced the State growth rate more than four percent.

I can assure you teachers study these assessments and others done throughout the year to

determine which skills students have yet to master. Future lessons focus on those skills to eliminate

gaps in understanding.

In the end, test scores and graduation rates give us the “big picture” of student progress, but we

know if students are to be successful, educators must focus on the individual needs of each student.

This important work is going on every day in your child’s school. We are grateful for the support and

encouragement parents/guardians and siblings can provide at home. Together we can meet student

achievement goals in the future.

Congratulations to our Summer Reading Challenge Qualifiers!

101

Oliver Carrier

Caroline Huber

Simeon Seruyange

Alex Wilds

102

Ava Burke

Isaac Harris

Julia Weins

104

Madison Winrow

201

Jaxton Hanisch

Frances Lundberg

Evan Medema

Holland Meyerink

Andrew Miller

Ainsley Niederauer

Sam Christenson

202

Ella Christiansen

Marshal Jones

Macie Olson

Tate Stamp

203

Sophia Bengford

Harper Johnson

Alexander Twa

204

Isabella Boeve

Brielle Jenkins

Johanna Neide-

Ophelia Norris

302

Lauren Huber

303

Abigail Eastman

Noah Klaahsen

Juliet Meyers

Emmeline Murray

304

Payson Csobar

Henry Kiesow

Max Krenik

Christian Walling 401

Juan Antonio Bohorquez

402

Lillian Kiesow

Grady Southwick

Brady Stamp

404

Summer Schmaltz 501

Ava Klaahsen

Camryn Reiter

502

Ruby Bearden

Sophia Gordon

Colton Tolly

105

Sydney Krempges

Julian McChesney

Kade Kimber

Your ‘change’ made a change!

Over the course of 3 days, Sonia Sotomayor raised

$2,229.48 dollars for a school in Texas that was hit by the

hurricane. Thanks Sonia Sotomayor kids and teachers for

bringing coins to help a school in need.

Written by: Ella W. & Lucas H.

Fall parent/teacher conferences at Sonia

Sotomayor Elementary will be held on

Tuesday, October 17th from 3:30pm-

7:30pm, and Monday, October 23rd from

12:00pm-7:00pm.

September Perfect Attendance Winners

Kinder Quinn Heinrich

1st Grade Mia Rivera-Nemmers

2nd Grade John Davis

3rd Grade Lily Yan

4th Grade Katy Burggraff

5th Grade James Yunag

101 & K03 had the highest percentages of class attendance!

Happy Fall from the Library! It’s October and that means there are pumpkins everywhere! Let’s take this harvest theme and bring it into the Sotomayor Library for some reading fun! This is a VOLUNTARY activity, but provides a fun activity and great conversation about books with your students! Here’s how it works: 1. Select a book and read it together. 2. Focus your discussion on the characters in the story.

a. Describe your character. b. What are some things the character did in the story? c. Do you like this character? Why or why not?

3. Pick one character and create them on a small pie size pumpkin. (A small enough pumpkin that the student can carry it.)

4. Decorate it, paint it, glue things to it, and just get creative! (Please don’t carve it though.) 5. Send the pumpkin and book (with a note with the student/ family name) to the Sotomayor

Library on Thursday, October 26th or Friday, October 27th. 6. Pumpkins and books will be on display the week of October 30-November 3rd for all

classes to see! 7. Pumpkins and books will be sent home on Friday, No-

vember 3rd. Enjoy! I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with! Sincerely, Mrs. Egstad

Birthday Book Donations

Maddie Hooker 6-2-17 Dragons Love Tacos

Sydney Krempges 9-2-17 My Lucky Day

Francis Lundberg 9-6-17 Donde Viven Los Monstruos

Annika Graning 9-9-17 Cuentos de Anderson & Patio Feo

Eva Linton 9-10-17 Are You My Mother?

Tatum Meyer 9-15-17 Toy Trouble

Zeke Artz 9-20-17 Jose el Chevere Helado y Dinosaurios

Kingsley Greene 9-20-17 Adventures of Huck Finn

Kinsley Pfeiffer 9-20-17 Coleccion de Oro Jorge el Curioso

Kobe Glaser 9-27-17 The Alphabet Atlas

September Perfect Attendance Achievers

Aanenson, Collin

Agre, Carter

Ailts, Zachary

Akossi, Louison

Akossi, Raelle

Alarie, Nora

Alberico, Avery

Alberico, Lucius

Anderson, Diem

Anderson, Isla

Anderson, Piper

Arndt, Finley

Arnott, Joslynn

Arriolacolmenares, Elijah

Atkinson, Eli

Atkinson, Reid

Baker, Caden

Barenklau, Rayann

Barrera, Monroe

Batcheller, Wells

Batcheller, Winston

Bauer, Anna

Bauer, Julia

Bauer, Maxwell

Bauer, Samuel

Bausch, Amelia

Bausch, Jakob

Bearden, Francis

Bearden, Ruby

Becker, Andrew

Becker, Jacob

Begeman, Mason

Bengford, Sophia

Benitez, Cruz

Bennett, Javi

Bennett, Xuvo

Berg, Jorgen

Berg, Maeley

Blauth, Isaiah

Blauth, Maria

Blom, Julia

Blom, Taysia

Blom, Tyson

Boen, Truett

Boese, Henry

Boeve, Isabella

Bohorquez Renteria, Juan

Bolger, Sullivan

Bosler, Fletcher

Bosler, Grier

Bratkiewicz, Samuel

Brockevelt, Emery

Brockevelt, Leighton

Brouwer, Morgan

Broveleit, Meena

Brown, Elle

Brown, Jake

Brunner, Brielle

Bukovich, Cora

Burchett, Benjamin

Burggraff, Jack

Burggraff, Katy

Burke, Ava

Carlson, Lucas

Carolan, Connor

Carolan, Thomas

Carrier-Damon, Oliver

Christensen, Josephine

Christensen, Samson

Christiansen, Ella

Cole, Simon

Collins, Alexia

Conover, Anna

Conover, Elena

Cramer, Adelita

Crawford, Charlotte

Crawford, Hudson

Csobor, Payson

Daly, Samantha

Davis, Damian

Davis, John

DeGroot, Samuel

DeGroot, Sophie

DeKam, Sienna

Donis, Tristan

Dorman, Hudsyn

Downey, Griffin

Dumdei, Ethan

Dumdei, Zachary

Dyck, Finley

Ehresmann, Marek

Ehresmann, Willa

Eidsvoog, Oliver

Eidsvoog, Oscar

Emerson, Evangeline

Eskam, Caeden

Estevez-Nei, Luigiano

Etrheim, Griffin

Figueroa, Jessica

Flynn, Mya

Flynn, Traysen

Forbes, Aurora

Foster, Naomi

Gassen, Lincoln

Gerling, Marlo

Gilbertson, Jack

Gillespie, Isabel

Glanville, McKinley

Glaser, Kobe

Goff, Avery

Goff, Tatum

Gordon, Sophia

Graning, Annika

Gray, Connor

Greene, Kingsley

Groher, Adelia

Groher, Elise

Groher, Reid

Gruber, Johanna

Hammer, Aurora

Hanisch, Jacob

Hanisch, Jaxton

Hansen, Cidney

Hanson, Ethan

Harrison, Sebastian

Hartmann, Matthew

Hartmann, Sydney

Hartmann-Johnson, Harper

Heinrich, Mikah

Heinrich, Quinn

Hendriks, Stella

Herbst, Alice

Herbst, Nathanial

Hernandez, Eva

Hernandez, Kate

Hiatt, Lucas

Hilmoe, Holden

Hilmoe, Loften

Hitchcock, Eden

Hitchcock, Lazarus

Honkomp, Lucas

Honkomp, Sophia

Hooker, Madison

Hoover, Finley

Hoover, Isaiah

Huber, Caroline

Hurney, Eloise

Husser, Connor

Husser, Jacob

Hutchinson, Connor

Hutchinson, Evie

Hutchinson, Harmony

Hutchinson, Kalette

Hutchinson, Karis

Imus, Rowen

Jal, Jakob

Jal, Jenna

Jenkins, Brielle

Jensen, Camden

Jensen, Claire

Jensen, James

Jensen, Maddux

Jepsen, Miya

Jerstad, Catherine

Johnson, Alexander

Johnson, Oscar

Jones, Amari

Jones, Anthony

Jones, Lily

Jones, Marshal

Jones, Nala

Jones, Owen

Jorgenson, Jonah

Justice, Luciana

Kenyon, Chalease

Kenyon, Evan

Kenyon, Kyler

Kiesow-Knudsen, Emmett

Kiesow, Henry

Kiesow, Lillian

Kiesow-Knudsen, Vivian

Kirchner, Taydra

Kirsch, Bergen

Kirsch, Taryn

Kirschenmann, Cash

Kirschenmann, Isabel

Klaahsen, Ava

Kleinschmit, Emmett

Klemme, Anya

Klemme, Zoey

Kompelien, Quinn

Kompelien, Reese

Konz, Noah

Krempges, Isaac

Krempges, Sydney

Krenik, Maxwell

Krenik, Samuel

Kunz, Ingrid

Langdon, Brianna

Langenfeld, Camila

Langenfeld, Finley

Larson, Deacon

Larson, Santee

Lease, Emily

Lease, Natalie

Leuning, Molly

Lilke, Mason

Linton, Eva

Loween, Ashton

Loween, Austin

Loween, Jacob

Lumley, Anah

Lundberg, Frances

Malchow, Cole

Malchow, Jake

Malchow, Katie

Maldonado, Keniel

Maravel, Evelyn

Martin, Chase

Martin, Tate

Mathiesen, Aliza

Mathiesen, Chloe

Mauss, Joseph

McCall, Aubreigh

McKenzie, Christian

McMillan, Oliver

Mebius, Kayanna

Mebius, Quinn

Medema, Evan

Mertes, Elizabeth

Mertes, Emily

Meyer, Tatum

Meyerink, Claire

Meyerink, Holland

Meyers, Juliet

Mikel, Oliver

Miller, Andrew

Moberg Jackson Luca

Muharemovic, Bentlee

Mulder, Eli

Murray, Samuel

Nanton, Isaiah

Nanton, Stephen

Neiderhiser, Johanna

Nelson, Sophia

Neuharth, William

Niederauer, Ainsley

Nielsen, Rhys

Nolan, John

Nolan, Natalie

Norris, Ophelia

Olesen, Amelia

Olesen, Elizabeth

Oliver, Griffin

Olson, Oliver

Ortega, Emily

Ott, Alexander

Ott, Carolyn

Parker, Robert

Parsons, Chaska

Parsons, Kena

Pascoe, Fiona

Pass, Elena

Pederson, Lucy

Perry, Alice

Perry, Liv

Peters, Cecilia

Peters, William

Pfeiffer, Kinsley

Phillips, Trent

Picotte, Dante

Plorde, James

Poppe, Maren

Preto, Adriana

Quello, John

Rabanales, Tristian

Raph, Maddox

Raph, Trey

Rassier, Cora

Rave, Briar

Rave, Calla

Reiter, Camryn

Remme, Dawson

Reynoza, Robinson

Rivera Nemmers Mia

Robbins, Jack

Rood, Amaya

Roti, Lura

Rueckert, Nyla

Sagness, Zoe

Schellpfeffer, Cole

Schellpfeffer, Elena

Schellpfeffer, Myles

Schempp, Jaden

Schmaltz, Summer

Scholla, Jordan

Scholla, Tessa

Schramm, Spencer

Schultz, Cooper

Schwab, Regan

Scott, Ashton

Scott, Boston

Segura, Kaydin

Seruyange, Simeon

Sheets, Lily

Shockman, Jack

Sieve, Maci

Sipma, Kaylie

Slade, Brielle

Slade, Nolan

Smith, Jovianna

Somerset, Liam

Sorensen, Lillian

Sortino, Christopher

Southwick, Grady

Spanos, Anna

Spanos, William

Stahlecker, Raylan

Stamp, Brady

Stamp, Tate

Starks, Everett

Starks, Wyatt

Statema, Kenley

Statema, Lauren

Statema, Lily

Stormo, Brayden

Streufert, Samuel

Stroh, Jackson

Talley, Violet

Termaat, Ella

Termaat, William

Theisen, Landon

Thompsen, Jade

Thompsen, Thomas

Thurman, Charles

Thurman, Samuel

Thury, Amrit

Timat, Bo

Timat, Jude

Tinguely, Eleanor

Tjarks, Benjamin

Tollinger, Paige

Tolly, Colton

Tolly, Isaac

Towe, Callie

Tunge, Joseph

Twa, Alexander

Twa, Isaac

Umstead, Cole

Umstead, Tessa

VanBeek, Mae

VanBeek, Oliver

VanderFeen, Hannah

VanRoekel, Miles

VanVeldhuizen, Isaac

VanVeldhuizen, Sasha

Ventura, Lillyanna

Vergara, Sofia

Vizcarrondo, Jeronimo

Vizcarrondo, Leonardo

Walling, Christian

Warden, Ella

Warden, Lydia

Weber, Elysse

Weber, Grayson

Weber, Hudson

Weber, Jace

Weber, Kade

Weber, Wilson

Weins, Julia

Werner, Andrew

White, Ella

White, Jaxon

White, Kiera

White, Nora

Whiting, Brendan

Whiting, Cade

Wiebe, Ariah

Wiessner, Britta

Wilds, Alexander

Williams, Lila

Wilson, Justin

Wingert, Tucker

Winrow, Madison

Woitte-Kaup, Landon

Wolbrink, Aliesha

Wolbrink, Jamari

Wood, Kamryn

Yan, Lily

Yunag, James

Zell, William

Zwak, Hannah

Dear Parents and Families: Reading for pleasure unlocks the power of information and imagination and helps children discover who they are. Here’s what you can do to help children develop stronger reading skills and a love for reading:

• Set the example. Let children see you read. • Have a collection of books in your home. Update this collection routinely to keep up with

changing tastes and reading skills. • Support our school’s Book Fair. Allow your children to choose their own books to read.

Our Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. Please make plans to visit our Book Fair and be involved in shaping your child’s reading habits.

Book Fair dates: October 17th- 23rd Shopping hours: During School Hours and Conference Times

If you are unable to attend the Fair in person, we invite you to visit our online Book Fair at scholastic.com/fair or send some money to school with your child so that they may shop the book fair and find some wonderful books and treasures. We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair! Remember, all purchases benefit our school.

© 2017 Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. 14045 F17 • 200000 Permission to reproduce this item is granted by Scholastic Book Fairs®.

For the 5th grade vocal concert, the students will be performing Why Mosquitoes

Buzz in People’s Ears, by Verna Aardema (retold and set to music by Brian Hiller

and Don Dupont) on Tuesday, November 14th at 7:00 p.m. The students will nar-

rate the story in both English and Spanish, and will enhance the meaning of the sto-

ry by singing, dancing, dramatizing, and playing instruments.

All 5th grade students will be participating in some special part—e.g. narration, danc-

ing, or playing instruments. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Make

sure to mark your calendars for this exciting event!

Mrs. Sander

melanie.sander@k12.sd.us

Attention 5th grade parents!

Mark Your Calendars

5th Grade Vocal Music Concert

Tuesday, November 14th at 7:00 p.m.

in the Sonia Sotomayor Gymnasium

Please check out our NEW web-

site at www.sotomayor-sfsd.org!

Content includes:

Sonia Sotomayor Calendar

Teacher Websites

Newsletters

Tutor Information

Volunteer Information

Links to school related events, and more!

SAVE THE DATE FRIDAY, NOV. 17 6:30 PM HILTON GARDEN INN DOWNTOWN Our marvelous Great Gatherings committee has been hard at work gathering ideas for our newest fundraiser! This will be an adults only gathering to raise money for our Intern program. This year, the school district paid for 1 intern, while the fundraising done thru PASI paid for 12! The committee is putting together great silent auction items, you can sign up to host or attend a small setting gathering to raise money for the program (more details will be given the night of the event,) they will be selling personalized Christmas wreaths and much,

PASI NEWSLETTER

P A R E N T A D V O C A T E S F O R S P A N I S H I M M E R S I O N T O A D V O C A T E A N D S U P P O R T T H E S P A N I S H I M M E R S I O N P R O G R A M

I N T H E S I O U X F A L L S P U B L I C S C H O O L S W I T H T H E P R I M A R Y F O C U S O N I N T E R N S W H O E N H A N C E T H E L A N G U A G E A N D

C U L T U R A L E X P E R I E N C E I N T H E C L A S S R O O M S & C O M M U N I T Y

PASI FAMILY DIRECTORY Did you know that you can find your

child’s friend’s contact information on

your phone? PASI is using the Church

Directory app (as shown above) to share

much more! There will be food, drinks & music so bring your dancing shoes! Dress is ‘snappy casual’ so make sure you all come and not let your blue jeans hold you back! The committee is looking for several people to help with all of the individual events for the night. Please email greatgatheringspasi@gmail.com to sign up or ask questions. It’s going to be a great event! Thank you to the committee members for coming up with the great ideas & getting it all planned!

family contact/birthday info with just a

quick download! You can also add all of

your information so people can find you!

You will need to include your name,

address (optional), email address & phone

number. Please upload a current family

photo so people can see who they are

contacting and who they just spoke to in

the hallway! This is the only way for your

child to receive birthday invitations &

other forms of needed contact as the

school does not allow invitations to be

passed out at school!

October 2017

Continued..

Increasingly, proficiency in a second language & interculture competency skills open up employment possibilities. Many sectors requiring the global economy from international business and tourism to communications and the diplomatic corps. Hi-level, high paying employment will demand competence in more than one language. In the United States, world

Economic & Sociocultural Benefits of Spanish Immersion

2017-2018 Interns – Welcome to Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Continued…

Page 2 PASI NEWSLETTER

October 2017

language abilities are increasingly important to national security, economic competitiveness, delivery of health care, and law enforcement. (Carla.umn.edu)

PASI IMMERSION RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Front row-Luisa Munevar-Columbia (Naranjo), Ingrid Gonzalez Ochoa-Columbia (Rivera) , Darlyn Lopez-El Salvador (Bartolome/Patoja/Bohrquez), Lizzi Gutierrez-El Salvador (Castello), Alejandra Suaza-Columbia (Gutierrez/Greenfield/Flores), Pineda, Jennyfer Sanchez-Columbia (Cortes/Graning/Wistuba) Back row- Maria-Paz Puentes-Chile(Edison MS), Vida ‘Magaly’ Celili-Bolivia (Moscoso/Robles/Miranda), Markel Rios-Spain (Langle), Dora Chicas-El Salvador (Yenny), Juan Maestu-Spain (Renteria/Valbuena/Vaquez), Laura Plaza-Spain (Osorio/SanMartin), Maria Arcones-Spain (Petit/Nievas)

Meet our wonderful interns!

They are listed below! Their Names, Country of origin & classrooms they

serve.

Have a wonderful experience in Sioux Falls!!!!

PASI/PTO 5K RUN/WALK & KIDS FUN RUN On Saturday, Sept 23rd, PASI hosted the 3rd annual 5K Run/Walk and Fun Run for families, interns & teachers. While the weather threatened to dampen the fun, the rain held off! This year, approximately 50 participants completed the 5K, and around 35 kids had fun with the children’s run. Gift certificate prizes were courtesy of 605 Running Company were awarded to the top three men’s and women’s finishers of the 5K, and Scheels gift cards were awarded to the top intern finishers. Interns, host and partner families were also recognized at the even for all they do for the Spanish Immersion Program.

While not a fundraiser this year, the event brought in around $200 in donations!

Thank you to all of the committee members for the hard work putting the event together. Also, thanks to

*********************************************************************************************************************

OCTOBER 2017 PAGE 3 PASI NEWSLETTER

the 605 Running Company & Scheels for the prize donations, to Principal Vik, Mrs. Lange, Mrs. Conrad, Mrs. Egstad, and all of the school staff who assisted with the event, and to all the family volunteers who assisted.

PASI 5K committee members: Erica Bukovich, Ryan Schellpfeffer, Natalie Stamp, Megan Konz, Megan Wiessner, Mark & Shannon Huber

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK – PARENT ADVOCATES FOR SPANISH IMMERSION – PASI

Earn funds for your student’s 5th grade trip or another future trip thru the program. Set up an account with SCRIP. You purchase groceries, eat out at restaurants and stay in hotels, so you might as well purchase gift cards for those items & earn money while you’re at it! It is super easy to set up at www.shopwithscrip.com Most cards are e-cards and are instantly available, while others are physical cards. If orders are placed by Monday morning, you will receive the cards Thursday in your child’s folder. Go to the website, set up a user name & password. The PASI code is 23534FCB28631. Sign up for PRESTO pay and you will not even need to write a check each time. After your checking account is verified, (2-3 days), forward that email to pasi_sf@hotmail.com for confirmation.

Continued..

PAGE 4 PASI NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2017

Sra. Betancur & Sra. Roche to the Immersion Team. Look for bios in the next newsletter!

**********************************

Calling all Middle/High School families: Please consider participating in ANY fashion in the “Great Gatherings” fundraiser! Gracias!

Winter is coming whether we like it or not! Calling all shoppers with extra winter items!! We will be collecting new & gently used winter items for the interns, most who come from countries with no need for this attire! Donations can be made at Sonia Sotomayor or by contacting Ali Schellpfeffer at ajschell@gmail.com

This is the 10th anniversary of Spanish Immersion, with ninth graders entering high school, and taking one full Spanish Immersion class.

- Welcome, Bienvenidos, Senora Conover at Lincoln High School as the first immersion high school teacher

- Also, bienvendidos to two new Spanish Immersion teachers at Edison Middle School from Spain! Please welcome Senorita Herguedas & Seniorita Arenales as they join Sr. Montoya,

SPANISH IMMERSION MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL PASI UPDATES

Continued..

By: Danette Saur & Shannon Graber

Meeting: The first Middle/High School Council meeting will be held Monday, October 9th at Shannon Graber’s home at 1720 E Edgewood Rd, Sioux Falls from 7-8 pm. Please RSVP to dsgraber@sio.midco.net. All middle/high school parents are invited to attend. Chairs: Danette Saur, Middle School Shannon Graber, High School Goals:

1) Develop a field trip program locating Spanish speaking focused career or cultural opportunities outside the classroom

2) Find ways to give back to the community – volunteering

3) Work to improve communication between school(s) and parents

Why continue Immersion past elementary… - This is an interesting article, regarding immersion programs/parents at the secondary level:

http://carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol6/May2003_pointers.html

OCTOBER 2017 PAGE 5 PASI NEWSLETTER

How to accomplish goals:

1) Provide updates at PASI meetings-be a presence at general meetings to solidify PASI as K-12

2) Create monthly middle/high school immersion newsletters (short) and only send to those parents; have a short piece in PASI general newsletter showing the middle/high school involvement

3) Appoint a PASI board member to the middle/high school

4) Advocate for professional development for teachers in middle/high school

5) Create immersion t-shirts for volunteer events such as Cinco de Mayo, Tamale making, Rake the Town, etc

6) Keep middle/high school families engaged in PASI/immersion-invite to fundraise with general PASI, and be transparent about middle/high school money allocations at secondary level

7) Allocate money for middle/high school immersion needs-Start up classroom material, professional development, assistant w/volunteer t-shirts etc

What’s new in the Middle/High School Council for Spanish Immersion? Come find out…

Questions on high school? Then don’t miss this: PASI meeting November 13, 2017, 7 pm. Kristin Grinager (HighSchool Curriculum Coordinator), Kim Tollinger (LHS World Language Department Chair & Spanish Instructor) and high school parents will be providing an overview of the High School Curriculum and answering questions

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjgpfKFh8bWAhUErY8KHf5iCswQjRwIBw&url=https://owlcation.com/humanities/Spanish-Lesson-Fifty-Five-Doing-Math-in-Spanish&psig=AFQjCNH2xqCooE3CoVKjBTTqMUFZGCxMyw&ust=1506625376017745