JHE Newsletter
John Harris Elementary - WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL
Mission: To educate and prepare each student to succeed in a changing world.
WELCOME BACK to the 2019 - 2020 School Year
On Tuesday, August 20th from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., we will have our Back to School Open House. This will be an opportunity for you and your child to see the classroom, visit with the teacher, and meet your classmates.
This year Open House will look a little different. Classroom teachers will not be doing formal presentations. You are welcome to attend Open House anytime between 4:30-6:30! This will allow families time to meet each of their child’s teacher and spend time in the classroom.
Don’t forget to stop in the MultiPurpose Room to purchase your John Harris spirit wear, and visit with our PTO Presidents!
We look forward to seeing you on August 20th!
DATES TO REMEMBER
Thursday, August 15th - 5:15 to 6:15 p.m.
- Kindergarten Parents ONLY Open House - Multipurpose Room
Tuesday, August 20th - 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Back to School Open House - all students
Thursday, August 22nd - 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 a.m. Regular School Hours
- FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Thursday, August 29th - 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
- Learning Adventures Preschool Open House
Friday, August 30th/Monday, September 2nd
- No School - Labor Day Weekend
Tuesday, September 3rd - 8:15 to 11:15 a.m.
- FIRST Day for Learning Adventures Preschool (Monday - Thursday)
Tuesday, September 10th
- Picture Day
Friday, September 27th - 5:00 to 7:30 p.m.
- Family Fun Night
PRINCIPAL'S CORNER
Welcome back John Harris Families! The school is already buzzing with staff members! The clerical have been busy enrolling new students, unpacking boxes, and taking care of all the staff! Teacher have spent many hours transforming their classrooms into bright, beautiful classrooms! In a few short weeks, we will welcome your children into our building and into our classrooms!
We look forward to our families seeing all the changes that the beginning of the year brings! We completed a large renovation to the Music Room, Band/Orchestra Room and added a larger classroom to the 4th grade wing. We are excited for you to see the new classrooms. The custodians have cleaned and scrubbed the entire school. The halls are shining and look brand new! You will also notice the new activity stickers in the hallways. We are excited for our students to walk, jump, crawl, hop, and spin their way around the building!
More importantly, our teaching staff have been hard at work training and preparing curriculum for the year. They have spent time planning effective lessons and looking for the best teaching strategies to ignite the love of learning! We are thankful to our district and the community for partnering with John Harris. We look forward to an incredible school year!
Staff Spotlight
My name is Tim Wagner.
I am excited to be the Admin Intern this year at John Harris! This is my 17th year in education. I taught for 10 years in the Sioux Falls Catholic Schools in grades 3, 4, and 6 and then have been an elementary principal the past 6 years in Iowa. I grew up in Garretson so am excited to be returning to South Dakota! My wife, Rebecca, and I have 2 boys, Ben (3) and Luke (1). I look forward to meeting you and am excited for a great school year!
My Name is Stefanie Hage.
I am excited to be returning to John Harris as the new Librarian! I have been with the Sioux Falls School District for 16 years, nine of those years were spent teaching at John Harris Elementary. Throughout my career I have served as a first through fourth grade teacher, Instructional Coach and Reading Recovery teacher. My undergraduate degrees are in Elementary Education and Business/Marketing. I have a Master’s Degree in Reading Leadership from USF and will be working on my Elementary Multi-Media Endorsement over the next few years.
My husband and I have three kids, two in high school and one in elementary. I keep busy attending all their events, spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and of course READING!
I am really happy to be back “home” at JHE in this new role, and look forward to connecting with students and helping them foster their love of reading!
My name is Amanda Bork.
I want to begin by saying thank you for welcoming me in to the John Harris family! My teaching career started when I received my Elementary Education degree from Augustana University and proceeded to attend the University of Sioux Falls where I received my degree in Special Education as well as my Masters in Educational Leadership. Before I ventured in to the path of special education, I taught kindergarten for seven years! I loved my kindergarten students but my heart was guiding me to follow my passion for specialized education. My husband Maxx and I have two dogs and we just welcomed our first children in to our family – our twins were born in June. We love to spend time with our family and look forward to getting to spend time with the staff, students and families of John Harris!
DROP OFF PROCEDURES
BACK TO SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Click Here: Back to School Information
Breakfast - Lunch Program Information
Please make note of our new lunch times
Kindergarten - 11:05 a.m.
1st grade - 11:30 a.m.
2nd grade - 12:10 p.m.
3rd grade - 11:35 a.m.
4th grade - 11:00 a.m.
5th grade - 12:15 p.m.
Click for new Lunch Information
Back to School Staff Breakfast - August 22
Let's welcome the JHE staff back with a donuts & fruit breakfast!
Please deliver your item(s) to the front office or staff lounge - not the child's classroom - by 8:45am to ensure that all staff can enjoy it!
Thank you for helping to make this day special!
Picture Day Coming Up
JHE's School Picture Day is September 10. We'll be running two stations each with two volunteers - one getting classes while one stays with the students in line double checking hair/collars. We'd love to have you help us make this day picture perfect :)
Contact us
Email: kersten.dobberpuhl@k12.sd.us
Website: http://www.sf.k12.sd.us/john-harris/home
Location: 3501 East 49th Street, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Phone: 605-371-4111
Volume 1, Issue 1