School news of the week: Turning the 19th into a treat, clever lessons, need for substitutes

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].

Last fall, the Sioux Falls School District launched its first-ever crowdsourcing campaign called the Better Together Initiative. Staff were invited to submit ideas to improve the working and learning environment in the district. Edison Middle School English language arts teacher Alyssa Anderson suggested an “Unconference” — similar to something she had previous attended — providing “a chance for staff to showcase their expertise while allowing colleagues to choose the most beneficial professional development based on their needs,” according to the district. The “Unconference” idea will be introduced in August at the district’s new Inspire Education Conference, and all staff can participate.

Sign us up, Rosa Parks Elementary. To try to turn the COVID-19 cloud around, they’re doing something special on the 19th of every month — decor, treats, etc. As this clever teacher said: “They’ve got it covered.” The snacks and sayings looked fun too.

Sixth graders at Patrick Henry Middle School got creative making their own rivers and streams to learn about weathering, erosion and deposition during science.

Seventh grade science students at Tri-Valley created chromobugs to demonstrate the process of traits being passed from parent to offspring. Students also learned to identify their genotypes and phenotypes.

Love from the playground at Lowell Elementary.

Sonia Sotomayor Elementary families gave back to the Ronald McDonald House with 50 blankets from Project Warm-Up.

Show of hands, everyone who remembers their Book Fair days. The truck pulled up to John Harris Elementary last week.

Do you want to help support the important work being done in our schools? They’d love for you to consider substitute teaching, and there’s a pay increase to go with it.