School news of the week: Surprising first-year teachers, playground addition, first-day scenes

Amazing things happen in our schools every day — if you know where to look! Do you know some school news others would love? Let us know at [email protected].

The Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation awarded 79 first-year educators with first-time teacher grants. Each individual will receive $200 from the Education Foundation and the Mary Chilton Foundation to purchase supplies to equip their classrooms. They can use the funds for bulletin boards, posters, classroom sets of books, organization kits, puzzles, games, flash cards, etc.

Here are some first-day scenes from Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.

New on the playground at John Harris Elementary this year: A GaGa Pit! The GaGa pit was purchased with funds raised by the PTO. Gaga is a fast-paced, high-energy sport played in an enclosed, plastic, octagonal pit. Think of it as a gentler version of dodge ball and accessible to all skill levels. It even has a door for easy access for all students to play.

Cheers to these middle school mentors, training to come back and connect with students at Sonia Sotomayor Elementary.

The Sioux Falls School District hosted an open house event sponsored by Avera for Native American students and their families, distributing  school supplies, clothing, and personal hygiene products. There are more than 2,000 Native American students in the district.