Happy Friday! Megan here.
First things first: This issue is brought to you by Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center.
- Wayne & Mary's just introduced more than 120 new items including potent herbals, essential oils, kids' products and more, and you can trust these products are all organically grown, ethically harvested and meet the business's rigorous standards for wellness. Stop by one of their two Sioux Falls locations throughout the month of May for a chance to win your choice of a new Wayne & Mary's herbal product. Learn more here.
Weather check: Warmin' up for the weekend
🎉 Come hang out with me! Bored this weekend? Come fold zines, eat donuts and drink coffee with me at our Sioux Falls Simplified Zine Folding Party. Swing by Startup Sioux Falls anytime from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., fold some zines, ask me anything and just hang out! Details here.
- P.S. Bring your own scissors if you're able. There's a teensy bit of cutting involved, and it seemed silly/wasteful to purchase a bunch of new scissors for one event.
This weekend, you get a little bit of a break from the onslaught of election content (though, do keep reading/watching/listening because that's super important stuff). But, instead, as the school year winds down, we're going to look at a few education-related stories. Plus, don't miss big news from Forward Sioux Falls and some Super Simplified Stories to take you through the weekend.
And now, news:
EDUCATION
How the Education Foundation is helping teachers innovate
Simplified: The Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation is awarding $140,000 in grants for teachers this spring. From screen-free programmable robots to fidget toys to art supplies, here's a look at how these grants are supporting teachers in trying new, innovative ideas in their classrooms.
Why it matters
- The Foundation has been supporting teachers and students since 2008. But it wasn't until the district invested in a full-time executive director back in 2018 that the foundation really took off. As of July 2024, the foundation has an endowment of nearly $700,000.
- This year's Public School Proud Grants will fund 95 projects submitted by 155 teachers, Executive Director Allison Struck said. Each of these grants is announced by surprising teachers in their classrooms or during staff meetings, and Sioux Falls Simplified was invited along to see some of these surprise awards last week at Eugene Field Elementary School.
- That included a $4,200 grant for school librarian Beth Versteeg, who applied for funds to purchase a set of screen-free programmable robots. These "Cubelets" and "Bee-Bots" let kids sharpen early computation skills. For example, they can pair literature with coding challenges by requiring kids to get the robot to move to the next part of the story in sequential order.
"This is just so special to know we have a program like this to help teachers ask for money to teach in creative ways," Versteeg said.
Tell me more
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
Businesses are investing in Sioux Falls' future in a big way
This is a paid piece from Forward Sioux Falls.
Simplified: Sioux Falls businesses aren't just talking about the importance of investing in our community's future. They're walking the walk. That was made abundantly clear Wednesday afternoon when Forward Sioux Falls revealed the group has raised $19.1 million to invest in the Sioux Falls community over the next five years.
Why it matters
- Forward Sioux Falls began in 1987 as a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. Campaigns are every five years and have raised nearly $70 million to drive progress in Sioux Falls. Before announcing the big fundraising success for Forward Sioux Falls IX, the organization also reflected on the outcomes of the previous campaign, Forward Sioux Falls VIII, which supported key initiatives for the last five years.
- Outcomes of that campaign exceeded goals at every metric, creating more than 5,400 new jobs at above-median wage, $1.65 billion in new capital investments and $610 million in new property tax revenue.
- The campaign saw 95 new investors, nearly one-third of the total number of investors. (Editor's note: That includes Sioux Falls Simplified!) In total, the campaign saw 316 investors.
"We've talked a lot about strategy, but what makes Forward Sioux Falls different is its execution," said Brittany Hanson, program director for Forward Sioux Falls. "And execution takes investment. Through Forward Sioux Falls, people like you invest to make sure the work gets done, and this community showed up in a big way."
Tell me more
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Overworked. Nearly half of teachers in the Sioux Falls School District said their workload is unreasonable, according to survey data shared with the school board this week. They also cited time constraints, administrative burden and too many meetings as contributing factors to that overwhelm.
- Board members and district officials said they anticipate adding more elementary teachers to keep class sizes small will help. Superintendent Jamie Nold also noted that it'll be on each individual school to take this feedback into their building improvement plans. See more of the survey results here.
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- School calendar approved. The Sioux Falls School District this week approved the school calendar for the 2027-28 school year, which is set to start Aug. 26 and run through May 24 (before Memorial Day). See the full calendar here.
- 🎵Peep the Levitt line-up. Levitt at the Falls announced the full line-up of their 50 free concerts happening this summer. The first show is June 4, and there'll be live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night through September 12. There's also five shows in the Family Series, which brings kid-friendly artists on Saturday mornings. Check out the full line-up here.
*Denotes a paid partnership
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
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Thank you
Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including SafeSplash Swim School, Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center, Startup Sioux Falls, Encompass Mental Health, the Sioux Falls YMCA, EmBe, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, the Washington Pavilion, The Premiere Playhouse, The Good Night Theatre Collective and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.
Oh, by the way
Your feedback is extremely helpful – hit the reply button and send any news tips, typos, complaints, compliments or cups of coffee my way. ❤️
Special thanks to Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center!
Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center has been committed to educating and empowering customers with all-natural health products for more than 55 years. Check out new items added to their already extensive product line, and you could win your choice of a new herbal product. Learn more here.
