Anne Sullivan Elementary School -

⭐ In honor of National Principal's Month! ⭐ October is the month to celebrate our amazing principals here at Anne Sullivan, Mrs. Duin and Mrs. Karst! They work tirelessly each day to serve our students, our families, and our communities. We appreciate them so much each day for all of their hard work. If you see them or talk with your students, make sure to pass along a thank you to our fearless leaders!

📸 Picture Retake Day is TOMORROW! 📸 Monday, September 21st, 2024. If your student missed picture day or you would like to retake their school pictures, tomorrow is the day. Please send their old picture packet back to school with them and they will get their picture taken again.

Kidz-N-Coats Giveaway Today! Today, Friday, October 18th, there is a winter coat giveaway for kids ages infant to 18! Go and check it out from 3:30-6pm at the Downtown Library.

✨ Get to know Anne Sullivan Staff! ✨ Meet our Educational Assistant Team! This groups of amazing individuals support all students in our building but specifically our Special Education students and those needing academic, emotional, and school support. Anything from pushing into classrooms to support curriculum, working with students in small group on academic learning and social skills, or supporting 1 on 1, they do it all! "Every student can learn, just not on the same day or in the same way." -George Evans

✨ Get to know Anne Sullivan Staff! ✨ Here is our Special Education Team. This team of teachers works with students who may struggle academically, emotionally, and socially. These students are evaluated by the school and qualify for an Individualized Education Plan. Our special education team works with students both in their regular education classroom and in a small group setting to meet the student's individual needs. "It's not the disability that defines you; it's how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with." - Jim Abbott

📚 Scholastic Book Fair @ Anne Sullivan 📚 Reminder: Check out the school book fair in the library when you come to school today or Thursday for parent teacher conferences. There are some great books for all ages, posters, toys, etc.

⭐ Fall Parent Teacher Conference Time! ⭐ Tuesday, October 15th from 12pm-7pm and Thursday, October 17th from 3pm-7pm we will hold Parent Teacher Conferences at Anne Sullivan. This is a great time to come in and meet with your student's teacher, see how school is going, and hear about all of the amazing things they are doing. Scheduling sheets should have come home to help pick a time that works best for you. If you are unable to make it, feel free to reach out to your teacher via phone or call the school. Reminder: There is NO school on Monday, October 14th.

🔥 Fire Drill Safety 🔥 This week we had our 2nd fire drill at Anne Sullivan to help the students and teachers practice what to do in case of a fire. The students review with their teachers and then practice as a whole school. Our main focus is to help kids be prepared and be safe! At home: To help your student, talk with them about the drill, talk about your plan for at home, and hear from them if they have any fears or concerns. Each year we do 4 different fire drills to practice as a school and be prepared.

✨ Get to know Anne Sullivan Staff! ✨ Our Multilingual Team comes to you with a wealth of knowledge, variety of backgrounds, and an overall focus on building students' academic language. Our ML teachers are Mrs. Green, Mr. Maud, Mrs. Mergen, Mrs. May, and Mrs. Lawson. This team works with all multilingual students. At Anne Sullivan we have students who speak 24 different languages. Our EL team also works closely with our Home School Liaison, Dil Bhujel who helps to build that connection from home to school. He might make contact with families, do home visits, help with parent university or cultural night, or support our students in need in the building. "The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people."

🦻 🤓 Vision and Hearing Screening ear 🦻🤓 Each year we check our 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students for their vision and hearing. Making sure that our students can see appropriately and hear things around them is vital for their learning. The nurse will check all students in these grades and if there are concerns then they will make contact with home. If you have your own concerns about your student, please reach out to the school office and talk with the nurse.

✨ Get to know Anne Sullivan Staff! ✨ Bring you our final grade level - 3rd grade! Third grade can be a big transition year for students as tasks become more complex, independent work time becomes longer, and socially students are flourishing. During 3rd grade we also start state testing in the spring which brings on lots of academic learning and preparation. "Independence isn't doing your own thing' it's doing the right thing all on your own." - Kim John Payne

October Focus - Leader in Me - Habit 2 - Begin with the end in mind For Habit 2 we think about how to set goals, plan ahead, understand the impact of our actions. At school, all students work on setting goals for their learning in their classroom. From reading, writing, recess, and with friends, we are talking about goals and how to reach those goals. We also want to help students understand that our actions have consequences that can be either positive or negative depending on our choices and our attitudes. Things to talk about at home or out in the community: 1. How to plan ahead and set a goal 2. How to be prepared 3. Think about choices 4. Understanding their actions

🧡 Orange Shirt Day 🧡 Wear orange on September 30th to show support for our Native American families and students. This day was designed to commemorate the residential school experience of Native Americans, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation.

Surprise Attendance Bingo! Today we had one of our surprise attendance bingo games! Those students who were on time to school got to participate in a class bingo game! Our winner today was 202! Way to go! 🎉🎉 Remember, attendance to school and being on time each day is crucial to student learning and achievement!!

✨ Get to know Anne Sullivan Staff! ✨ Bring on 2nd Grade! This year our 2nd grade team expanded from four sections to five, making it our biggest grade level at Anne Sullivan. Second grade is such a fun year as students transition from using iPads to using Chromebooks. Throughout 2nd grade students will increase their independence as they expand their learning in math, reading, writing, social studies, and science. "Mistakes are proof that we are trying!"

👐🏼 Community members come to Anne Sullivan! 👐🏼 Today we had University of Sioux Falls student athletes and Sioux Falls firefighters come to school and spend time with our students! They enjoyed time in specials like art, gym, library and music, as well as time on the playground engaging in fun activities with our students! Thank you to those that came to visit and making today special!

⭐ Anne Sullivan All Star Style ⭐ Continuing from last year, we will focus on our Anne Sullivan All Star Style skills and expectations. Within these expectations we are able to teach students what it means to Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful both in school and out. Throughout the school year students will work on these skills within their classrooms and different areas around school. Through lessons, games, activities, and conversation, students will learn what behaviors are appropriate in different learning areas and why. At home you can help by having conversations with your student(s) about being safe, being responsible, and being respectful. Ask them about their day, their All Star skills, and if they may have earned a Leader in Me or All Star slip! These slips help to encourage positive behaviors and interactions and enter students into a drawing to have a chance to win on Fridays.

⭐ Attendance Matters ⭐ Each school year we focus on student attendance and this school year will be the SAME!! Having our students at school each and every day is crucial to their learning and growth! Throughout the school year we will have secret pop-up celebrations for students who are at school on time and ready to learn. We will have a variety of awards for both individual students and their attendance as well as classroom attendance as a whole!! If your student is struggling with the attendance the school will reach out and we will do all that we can to help! Every student. Every day. Attendance Matters.

https://youtu.be/-znMTLcsgio "Report, Don't Repost." Parents, students, and the community are asked to take 3 minutes to hear an important message from Superintendent Jane Stavem and Police Chief Jon Thum. School safety is everyone's responsibility!

✨ Get to know Anne Sullivan Staff! ✨ Check out the wonderful world of 4th grade! These veteran teachers commit each day to helping our students not only academically but also personally. This year is such a big year for students to work on being in charge of their learning. Our teachers will work with our 4th grade students to set goals and then find their perseverance and grit to accomplish those goals. "You have only failed if you have given up. Until then it is called learning!"