Hot Springs School District 23-2

Did you know that South Dakota is one of six states that still lack a state-funded preschool program? Did you also know that the Hot Springs School District, for years, has valued the opportunities associated with preschool by providing the program to the children of Hot Springs without funding from the state or charging parents? Did you know that Hot Springs’s current preschool program was recognized as an Exemplary Preschool of Excellence by School Administrators of South Dakota (SASD)? Areas considered for that recognition include: Relationships, Curriculum, Teaching, Assessment of Child Progress. Health, Teachers, Family and Community Relationships, Physical Environment, and Leadership and Management. Did you know that the school district has had to “turn away” families of preschoolers because we do not have enough sections to accommodate the young learners in our community? Every dollar invested in early childhood education yields $8 in return for South Dakota communities in the future (National Conference of State Legislatures). Studies show that preschool can give young children a head start on reading and math skills and socialization that are key to later success in school. Kids' brains absorb the most knowledge in their toddler and early childhood years, and their interaction with math and reading at ages 3 and 4 will only enhance their skills. Research also indicates that students who attend preschool are more likely to graduate. Investing in Hot Springs School District’s Preschool Campaign is not only an investment for our students, it is an investment in our community and growing the minds of our young students, helping prepare them to be successful citizens. The Class of 2039 is waiting for our community’s support. PRESCHOOL CAMPAIGN FOR ALL!!!! Funding for an additional full time preschool teacher/section of preschool starting in the 25-26 school year: $60,400 *School District receives $0 funding for preschool students. *One section of preschool costs approximately $3500 per student. *School District receives approximately $7500 for K-12 full time students enrolled with the district on “count day” (the last Friday in September). *ULTIMATE GOALS: *School enrollment numbers increase by 27-28. *The community retains our young families. *Recruitment and Retention tool for Hot Springs employers for families with young children. *Early childhood education impacts the overall academic success of the Hot Springs School District. Our goal is to raise $60,000 to fund one additional section of preschool at $3500 per child in school year 25-26. Some of these preschoolers would enter kindergarten in school year 26-27, therefore the need would be estimated at half of the amount for school year 26-27. The school district receives state funding for kindergartners so this effort would become self-funded in school year 27-28. Campaign ends June 30, 2025 Our GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/7ee4937d

Congrats to our future college athletes.

Thank you to these businesses along with Massa Dental, ACE Hardware, the Mammoth Site, and our HSSD PTA for their generous support for the elementary student's fundraising efforts.

Mrs. Trevillyan and Mr. Remington are great sports.

Elem Glow Run.

We loved having Mrs. Lim's first graders, join us at the school board meeting. Awesome to hear from our middle school student council too.

Middle school teachers are awesome. Getting motivation going for our middle schoolers today and testing.

This is Tony Wiegman with Lake Area Tech in Watertown, SD. The event will be Saturday, May 3, from 8:00 – 12:00 at Watertown Regional Airport, the LATC terminal. Stop in for free pancakes, juice, and coffee. LATC is looking for people interested in an exciting career in aviation. We have two great programs, Airframe / Powerplant and a Flight program that each run for 18 months. Our A&P program is has an Associate of Applied Science Degree with 71 credits. The job market looks great in General Aviation, Corporate Aviation & Regionals Airlines. Students are going out on paid internships between their first and second year. There are several companies now looking at paying student’s tuition to get them to come work for them after school. Great opportunities in aviation !! Thank you for taking the time to share this with your students Tony Tony Wiegman Aviation Maintenance Instructor Lake Area Technical College PO Box 730 | 1201 Arrow Ave. | Watertown, SD 57201 www.lakeareatech.edu | O 605.882.5284 Ext. 435 wiegmant@lakeareatech.edu

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 SDSU Data Science Camp will take place from June 23 to 26 on the SDSU campus. This free, four-day residential camp is designed for high school students entering grades 9–12 in fall 2025. Participants will work on hands-on data science projects using R programming and artificial intelligence tools. The camp is funded by the federal government to promote STEM education. For more information, please visit the camp webpage: https://www.sdstate.edu/mathematics-statistics/sdsu-data-science-camp-2025 To register, please complete the form at: https://www.sdstate.edu/mathematics-statistics/sdsu-data-science-camp-registration-form. Thank you for your support! Best regards, SDSU Data Science Camp Department of Mathematics & Statistics South Dakota State University

3rd-5th graders. State testing begins tomorrow. Get a good night's sleep tonight and breakfast tomorrow. Do your very best.

Link for heats and results for today's track meet. GO BISON!!!!!! 2025 Queen City Classic Invite - Apr 11, 2025 live.athletic.net https://live.athletic.net/meets/48437

Congrats to these students at State FFA: Poultry Evaluation 2nd Place Team Individually Lyzzie R. 1st, Hunter K 11th, Ray S. 13th Agronomy 3rd Place Team. Individually Jessica W. 6th Place, Alex B. 7th place Horse Judging 7th Place Team/60 teams total Individually Neva A. 20th, Brynley E. 25th Milk Quality 10th place Team Individually Sarah R. 10th, Sierra B. 19th Meats Evaluation 22nd Place Team Livestock Evaluation 34th Place Team/63 Teams Total Individually Zetta K. 30th Nursery Landscape 24th Place Team Kadlin H. 30th Place Range Plant ID 8th Place Team Individually Jessica W 3rd place Vet Science 30th Place/60 teams total Floriculture 22nd/59 teams total State Degree Recipients: Jayla E, Lyzzie R, Alex B District 5 Star Greenhand Ray Sanders

April is the month to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary, yet often unsung, heroes—military kids. From frequent moves and changing schools to enduring long periods of separation from a parent, military children face unique challenges every day—and they do so with courage and heart. Today, HSSD recognizes this by wearing purple. Why Purple? Purple represents all service branches, Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, and Veterans. It blends each branch’s colors: the Air Force, Navy, Space Force, and Coast Guard’s blues, the Army’s green, and the Marines’ red. Wearing purple symbolizes unity for military children across all the services, and it is a reminder that they are supported and seen. Why We Say Military Kids Serve Too® More than 1.6 million military children support our nation simply by being part of a military family. On average, military children will attend as many as nine schools between kindergarten and high school graduation. The number of hellos and goodbyes, new zip codes, and phone numbers can bear so much weight.

Good luck to our High School Track team competing this Friday.

Thank you to these local businesses.

Let's "do this" middle schoolers and 11th graders. Do your best.

Parents... our Hot Springs Spring Spirit Wear Sale ends tomorrow! Save 20% off with code SPRING through April 8th! Shop at https://1stplace.sale/114508

***TESTING UPDATE*** Due to a middle school track meet being held Tuesday the 15th we will be shifting our testing from that day to Thursday the 17th. This affects middle school only. Junior testing dates will remain the same.

Pictures from FFA. Way to represent Hot Springs!!!!