Elementary School

We would like to welcome parents/guardians to our February Parent/Teacher Conference Nights. Monday, February 10 4-8pm and Tuesday, February 11 4-8pm. Our educators look forward to visiting with you about your child's progress and learning mastery expectations for the remainder of the year. The Scholastic Book Fair is here. Our students are excited to shop for their own books and every purchase at the Fair benefits our school! For more info, visit the school library and https://scholastic.com/bf/westsideelementaryschool57 We are also holding a Westside WAVE and Sisseton Redmen Gear Fundraiser with 605 Design for our Student Council. The funds raised support our Kinder than Necessary tshirts, Assessment tshirts, Attendance Awards and School Culture Incentives throughout the year. https://605designandapparel.com/collections/westside-elementary A huge shout out to Ms. A and Ms. Joan for working together with our youngest learners on the igloo project - displayed in the cases by the nurse's office. At Westside we are: Well Prepared, Always Safe, Value Respect, Eager to Learn

We look forward to meeting you at conferences this week Monday, February 10 and Tuesday, February 11, 2025. Make plans to visit the Book Fair, Check out the lobby for the online link to 605 Design for Westside Gear - all proceeds go towards Student Council, congratulate the elementary Science Teacher of the Year - Mrs. Hillestad in the STEAM Classroom! If you are not connected to Rooms yet and using this as your main form of communication with your child's teacher - please do not leave conferences until it is working for two-way communication. https://www.sisseton.k12.sd.us/o/ssd/page/rooms

THE BOOK FAIR IS ALMOST HERE! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming Feb 9–Feb 13. Our students are excited to shop for their own books and every purchase at the Fair benefits our school! For more info, visit https://scholastic.com/bf/westsideelementaryschool57.

Congratulations to Mrs. Hillestad our STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) enrichment teacher. Today she was awarded South Dakota Outstanding Elementary (STEM) teacher at the 2025 South Dakota STEM Conference in Huron. Congratulations Mrs. Hillestad we are grateful for the impact and difference you are making for our students and school. We invite all to an open house to congratulate Mrs. Hillestad in the STEAM classroom at Westside Tuesday, February 11 4-7pm. Congratulations Mrs. Hillestad we are proud of you and honored to have you as an educator at Westside in Sisseton!

Thank you SWO Tribal Headquarters, Education Department and Tribal Council for the warm welcome and day of learning. The first group of 4th Graders attended council meeting with Dr. Sherry Johnson, had language lessons, games and a tour with Joey Bird, Alayah LaFromboise and Katlyn Chanku. The students were treated to a pizza lunch. This was an outstanding experience to share and learn together. The second group will attend March 5.

Junior Kindergarten loves Counselor Mrs. Ziemer! Thank you for all you do for all of us. We celebrate you everyday and especially during National School Counselor Week!

Sisseton School District Parent-Teacher Conferences: Westside Elementary - February 10 & 11 SMS/SHS - February 11 & 13

THANK YOU to our school counselors for providing support services for our students and schools!

Due to current weather conditions, Sisseton Public Schools will start at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 3, 2025. Breakfast will not be served. Buses will run where able.

SAVE the DATE: February Parent - Teacher Conferences are Monday, February 10 and Tuesday, February 11 4-8pm at Westside. Scheduled conference times have been sent home with your child. Contact your child's teacher or the office with any questions: (605) 698-7613 ext. 4 sissetonelemoffice@k12.sd.us We look forward to seeing you at conferences! We will have a BookFair with Scholastic and a Westside WAVE Gear fundraiser for Student Council with 605 Design.

Fantastic Friday! Preschool, Junior Kindergarten and 4th Grade worked together and created igloos today. Thank you Ms. A for organizing this opportunity for all of our learners. Many smiles and giggles with friends, frosting, marshmallows and popsicle sticks!

Celebration of 100 days today!

Mrs. Amy Currence - Wells Fargo Bank read to Mrs. Nelson's class today. The story and discussion was about saving money. Thank you Mrs. Currence for your visit today, we look forward to seeing you soon.

Caregiver Resource from Amplify: https://amplify.com/caregiver-hub/amplify-ckla/ What is Amplify CKLA? Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is a language arts program for Grades PreK–5 that combines a multi-sensory approach to phonics with rich texts carefully sequenced to build content knowledge—so that students learn to read and read to learn at the same time. Every day in Grades PreK–2, students complete one full lesson that builds foundational reading skills, as well as one full lesson that builds background knowledge. In Grades 3–5, students start to master the skills of reading, further opening up their worlds. How you can support your student at home: If possible, read with your student daily; even 15 minutes of reading together each day can create a huge impact. You can read sections of the text aloud together. If your student struggles, you might try reading the text to them with expression, and then have them read it aloud back to you. For additional practice, watch the recorded read-alouds with your K–2 student or have your Grade 3–5 student use the Vocab App. Find moments to discuss what they are reading and discovering. Examples of questions you could ask: What stood out to you from what you read today? Were any sentences or words confusing? What was your takeaway from the author’s passage? What do you think the writer was trying to communicate? Do you agree with the writer’s ideas or descriptions? What connections can you make between what you are reading and your own life or other issues? Any questions about your child's literacy progress, please contact your child's teacher: https://www.sisseton.k12.sd.us/o/ses/staff

The Sisseton School District Native American Parent Committee meeting will be held Wednesday, February 12, from 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. in the Sisseton HS/MS Multipurpose Room.

Preschool had a BIG day today. They celebrated 50 perfect attendance days and.....they brought a Happy Birthday sign, sang, shared donuts and said Hip, Hip, Hooray to Secretary Sarah for her birthday today! This is an outstanding group we are thankful for each day.🥰

Flu and Cold Season Reminders from the School Nurse.

Congratulations to the Kinder than Necessary students that won a tshirt from first semester. We get to celebrate students 'noticed' for showing kindness for others above and beyond the expectation each day.

Parents/Guardians: Are you interested in learning more on 'The Science of Reading' plan to attend this lunch and learn session. Monday, January 27 11:30-12:30 If unable to attend onsite - email: april.moen@k12.sd.us for a link to join the session.

Daily we get to celebrate our students at Westside. It is rewarding to see students at school on time each day to be well prepared for learning. The hallways and classrooms are filled with smiles, hugs, and greetings shared with great care. The staff at Westside have created a culture for safety and learning the students rise to the expectation each day. Thank you to all for giving your very best for our students to grow, learn and achieve each day.