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Dell Rapids Elementary Students “Pie” Staff Members

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The Dell Rapids school district held their annual holiday donation drive for local food pantries December 6th through December 10th.  As part of the drive, the Dell Rapids Elementary School had a goal of collecting at least 1,000 items.  The school not only met their goal, but far exceeded it with 1,349 items collected!

To celebrate reaching the goal, a student from each of the elementary classrooms was randomly selected to “pie” a staff member during a celebration on Tuesday, December 14th.  The most important part of the celebration was recognizing the generosity shown by all the students and their families.

The district as a whole collected over 1,750 items for local food pantries during the donation drive.

Dell Rapids Elementary Holding Winter Clothing Drive

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The Dell Rapids Elementary School is holding a winter clothing drive to help the kids in the community stay warm all winter long.  Donations of new and gently used clothing can be left at the Dell Rapids Elementary School (309 15th St) or at County Fair Food Store (1002 State Hwy 77). 

Items in need are hats, mittens, coats, scarves, boots, gloves, snow pants, sweatpants, sweatshirts, underwear and socks.  Donations will be accepted Monday, November 8th through Tuesday, November 23rd.  Questions can be directed to Dell Rapids Elementary PTO at dellspto@gmail.com.

Dell Rapids Elementary Handles Gas Leak Issue

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The Dell Rapids Elementary school had its share of surprise excitement on Monday, March 29th.  Early in the school day, the Dell Rapids School District announced that there was a gas leak in the kitchen of the elementary building.

In a school-wide note that was emailed to parents, Dell Rapids Elementary Principal Julie Wynja stated that the entire school was evacuated in less than five minutes and all the students were boarded on buses within seventeen minutes of the initial announcement.

All of the students were moved to the high school building and were able to enjoy a movie in the gym while tests were done to the elementary building.  By 10:45 in the morning, the tests and reports indicated a safe return to the elementary building, and the students were transported back to the elementary building to finish the normal schedule to the day.

In the email note, Wynja said, “I must say that all staff and students at the elementary handled it like champs.”  She also said, “Please know that our number one priority was always making sure that your kids were safe!”

Dell Rapids Elementary Receives Strider Bikes

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The Dell Rapids Elementary School received an early Christmas gift on Friday, December 18th.  The Strider Bikes Education Team delivered 22 bikes to the elementary school after Dell Rapids Elementary was chosen to receive bikes from the All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program.

The delivery of bikes and helmets will allow the kindergarten and kindergarten prep classes to work with the PE teacher, Shannon Tjaden, to learn how to ride a bike during PE class starting in the spring.  The mission of the All Kids Bike is to teach every child in America how to ride a bike during kindergarten physical education classes.  The All Kids Bike program also provides a curriculum that can be used which focuses on the entire class learning to ride and progress through their skills together.

Craig Jorgensen and his students at the high school also helped build a bike rack for the bikes and helmets when they are not in use.

More information about the All Kids Bike program can be found on their website at www.allkidsbike.org.

Dell Rapids Elementary Celebrates Blue Ribbon Award

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Weeks after hearing the school was being recognized as a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School, the Dell Rapids Elementary School celebrated on Friday, November 15th.  Dell Rapids Elementary was just one of 362 schools in the country to receive this award, and only six South Dakota schools achieved the recognition.

Students and staff were treated to an assembly to celebrate the honor with everyone wearing a blue ribbon t-shirt.  School board members Matt Weiland, Troy Randall, and Jacque LeBrun were in attendance.  Dell Rapids City Administrator Justin Weiland and District 25 Representative Jon Hansen also attended.  Former South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard spoke and presented the school with their certificate of recognition.

While speaking to the students, Daugaard said, “Dell Rapids is a very special school.  It’s one of the best in whole the state.  In fact one of the best in the whole United States. That’s why we’re here today.  We’re here to celebrate what a special school Dell Rapids is, and we want to thank all the people that make Dell Rapids special, especially your teachers.”

Julie Wynja, the K-4 Dean of Students, said, “I would like to thank all of my teachers and staff.  It takes a lot to make a Blue Ribbon school, and we’re so lucky that we have each and every one of you.  And last, but not least, 409 kids deserve a lot of applause because they are amazing!”

The Dell Rapids High School band performed, and Rocky, the Quarrier mascot, also helped the students and staff celebrate this achievement.

Dell Rapids Elementary Recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School

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The Dell Rapids School District was notified at the end of September that the Dell Rapids Elementary School is recognized as a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School.

Only 362 schools in the United States were given this honor in 2019.  Of those 362 schools, only six in schools in South Dakota received the recognition. Five of the six South Dakota schools were elementary schools.

To receive this recognition, the school must be nominated.  Dell Rapids was nominated in the category of “Exemplary High Performing Schools”.   To receive the National Blue Ribbon recognition, Dell Rapids Elementary had to meet the following criteria as listed The National Blue Ribbon Schools government website:

  1. The school must be in the top 15 percent of all schools in the state when schools are ranked on
    1. the performance of all students who participated in the most recently administered state assessments in reading (or English language arts) and mathematics, or
    2. a composite index that includes these assessment results and may also include assessment results in other subject areas and/or other student performance measures, such as attendance or graduation rates.
  2. For each of the school’s subgroups meeting the State’s minimum size requirement, the school must be in the top 40 percent of all public schools in the state when schools are ranked on
    1. the performance of all students in the subgroup who participated in the most recently administered state assessments in reading (or English language arts) and mathematics, or
    2. a composite index that includes these assessment results and may also include assessment results in other subject areas and/or other student performance measures, such as attendance or graduation rates for high schools.
  3. For high schools, the school must be in the top 15 percent of all high schools in the state when high schools are ranked on the most recently available graduation rate.

Congratulations to the Dell Rapids Elementary School and the Dell Rapids School District Administration on this recognition!

Dell Rapids Elementary Changing Christmas Program

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This year’s Christmas concert at the Dell Rapids Elementary School will have changes.  Due to elementary school seeing its greatest growth as a school this year, administration has decided to break the Christmas concert into two separate performances on different nights.

Julie Wynja, K-4 Dean of Students, sent a letter home with students detailing the changes to this year’s concert.  Grades 2, 3 and 4 will have their performance on Thursday, December 12th at 7:00 p.m.  Grades K-Prep, K and 1 will have their performance on Friday, December 13th at 7:00 p.m.

Wynja noted in the letter, “Our rational behind the split was mainly focused on the space and safety due to the numbers of students and families we were putting into our gymnasium and still be able to keep the Christmas spirit alive for each of our 400+ students.”

Wynja also mentioned in the letter that the growing enrollment has been a challenge on space over the last few years of the performances.

Tjaden Receives Teacher of the Year Honor

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ShannonTjadenDell Rapids Elementary physical education teacher Shannon Tjaden has won the 2017-2018 SHAPE (Society for Health And Physical Educators) South Dakota Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award.  Tjaden will be formally recognized at the SHAPE SD Conference on Friday, January 26th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.  The conference runs from January 25th through January 27th.

“It’s a big honor, and honestly it’s well deserved. He does a ton with our students at the elementary. He has our 3rd graders playing cricket. It’s not roll the ball out and watch them play by any means. He’s always active with them. It’s very, very well deserved,” said Dell Rapids Elementary School Principal Jay Nelson during the Dell Rapids School Board regular meeting on Monday, January 8th.

Administrators, other teachers, students, or parents submit nominations for the award.  The nomination form is found on the SHAPE SD website at http://shapesd.org.

The award criteria states the applicant mus be a physical education teacher who conducts a quality physical education program as refelcted in NASPE standards and guidelines for K-12 Physical Education programs, utilizes various teaching methodologies and plans innovative learning experiences to meet the needs of all students, serves as a positive role model epitomizing personal health and fitness, enjoyment of activity, sportsmanship, and sensitivity to the needs of students, participates in professional development opportunities, and provides service to the profession through leadership, presentations, and/or writing.

Tjaden also currently serves on the SHAPE South Dakota Board as Past President.

Dell Rapids Elementary Raises over $15,000 for American Heart Association

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JumpRopeForHeartDell Rapids Elementary students raised $15,205 for the American Heart Association during their Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser.  With the amount of donations raised, the students can say that they will have saved over 300 lives.  The American Heart Association says that a $50 donation saves a life through CPR training.

The Physical Education department received $1,800 in new equipment from Flaghouse with the amount of money raised.  The school received $100 for every $1,500 donated, plus they received a $300 bonus for quadrupling the amount raised the last time Dell Rapids Elementary School participated in Jump Rope for Heart.

Two hundred and forty-five students participated in the fundraiser.  The Pre-K students raised $6545.  The Kindergarten classes raised $2,918.50. First graders raised $2,833.41.  The second graders brought in $2,621.60, the third grade classes raised $1,733, and the fourth grade students raised $3,513.  The top earner from the elementary school was Makenzi G. with $340.