Baltic School District

Dear Parents of Pre-School Students in the Fall, Baltic School District Pre-School Registration Link can be found below: https://forms.gle/NBVEtzwf7pABVo2R7

Check out the Parent Coaching May 2022 Newsletter using the link below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J5VBzozf6P2XVfIqXVVi2u4Du56EKxFj/view?usp=sharing

Versión en español al final. April 25, 2022 Dear Parents of Baltic Pre-School Students, The Baltic School District is once again planning to run a pre-school next school year. The pre-school will be a blended pre-school consisting of children who qualify for Headstart attending at no charge and children who do not qualify for Headstart paying a fee. Children must be 3 years of age by September 1, 2022 in order to be eligible to attend our pre-school. Following is information on our pre-school. Pre-School Calendar and Hours To run a pre-school in cooperation with Headstart, we must meet the Headstart requirement that the pre-school is in session four days per week for a total of 128 contact days. While the exact start date for pre-school has not been set, we anticipate it starting no earlier than August 22nd and no later than August 29th, running for 128 student contact days, and ending in early May 2023. Pre-school will meet Monday-Thursday with Fridays occasionally used as makeup days. Assuming there will be enough interest to have both a morning and afternoon session, the morning session will run from 8:15am to 12:00pm, with those not eating school breakfast arriving at 8:30am, and those not eating school lunch dismissed at 11:30am. The afternoon session will run from 12:30pm-3:15pm Monday-Thursday with school lunch not available for students in the afternoon session. Enrollment and Registration Pre-school enrollment is limited to 20 students in the morning and 20 in the afternoon. Parents may request either morning or afternoon, and the district will attempt to fulfill such requests, but request are not guaranteed to be filled. Families wishing to enroll in the Baltic pre-school should complete on-line pre-school registration via the link on the school website. The link will open at 10:00am on May 2nd with a registration deadline of June 1st. Non-residents may register for pre-school with the understanding that they will not be awarded placement in our pre-school until after the registration deadline. No slots are guaranteed until the district provides notification after the registration deadline. In general, slots will be filled on a first come-first serve basis based on the following priority order: Baltic School District resident children, non-resident children with older siblings open enrolled to Baltic, non-resident children with no siblings open-enrolled to Baltic. Once a child is accepted into our pre-school, parents are asked to complete school district on-line registration that all PK-12 parents are expected to complete. This registration will open in early July and be accessible via a link on the school website. Pre-School Fees The fees for non-Headstart in-district pre-schoolers in 2021-22 were $150 per month for 8 months (Sept.-April) and $175 per month for non-Headstart out-of-district pre-schoolers with payment due prior to the first day of each month. The fees for 2022-23 have yet to be established, but I would expect only a minimal increase, if any. The first payment (for Sept.) must be made by August 20th, or the slot may be given to a student on the waiting list. Transportation Transportation to and from pre-school is another issue of concern to parents. We realize that 3- and 4-year-olds cannot walk to and from school, and reality today is that quite often both parents are working and providing transportation to and from school can be difficult. However, pre-school is an optional program, and it is our belief that parents should share in the responsibility of getting their children to and from school. Final decisions about in-town bussing have yet to be made, but at this time, we do not anticipate any changes being made. If the district continues to bus in-town PK-6th Grade students, then in-town pre-school students would be welcome to ride the school bus either to pre-school in the morning or home from pre-school in the afternoon via various pickup points established once PK-12 registration is complete (busses do not stop for individual students/families in-town). Pre-schoolers who live outside the Baltic city limits will be allowed to ride the school bus to school in the morning or home from school in the afternoon, just as out-of-town K-12 students are allowed to ride the bus (busses would stop for individual students/families). The past three years, we provided transportation for pre-schoolers in the middle of the day to and from daycares in the City of Baltic at a fee of $20 per month, and we plan to do so again in 2022-23. Information on transportation will be provided in August prior to the first day of pre-school. Headstart All families are encouraged to investigate eligibility for Headstart as children who qualify for Headstart attend our pre-school free of charge. While Headstart is a program for low-income families, there are some opportunities for families that exceed Headstart income guidelines to qualify for Headstart depending upon the specific situation and needs of the family. Anyone wanting information on qualifying for Headstart can call Ranae Fleming at 605-951-8723. Please note that even if a family is approved for Headstart, they are still asked to complete both pre-school and school district registration. Meals, Snacks, Immunizations A requirement for Headstart children is that if they attend a morning session, they receive breakfast and lunch free of charge. Non-Headstart families whose children attend either the morning or afternoon sessions will be asked to provide snacks on a rotating schedule. Non-Headstart children in the morning session will have the option of eating breakfast and/or lunch at school, but they would be charged the normal school lunch price for elementary students, which was $1.55 for breakfast and $2.90 for lunch in 2021-22 with 2022-23 prices to be set in July. Up-to-date immunizations are not a requirement for entrance into our pre-school. However, pre-school staff and our school nurse will work with families over the course of the school year with the goal of getting all pre-schoolers up-to-date on their immunizations. If you have any questions about our pre-school, feel free to call me at 529-5464. Sincerely, Bob Sittig Superintendent Baltic School District abril 25, 2022 Estimados padres de estudiantes de preescolar bálticos, El Distrito Escolar del Báltico está planeando una vez más ejecutar un preescolar el próximo año escolar. El preescolar será un preescolar combinado que consiste en niños que califican para Headstart que asisten sin cargo y niños que no califican para Headstart que pagan una tarifa. Los niños deben tener 3 años de edad antes del 1 de septiembre de 2022 para ser elegibles para asistir a nuestro preescolar. La siguiente es información sobre nuestro preescolar. Calendario y horarios preescolares Para dirigir un preescolar en cooperación con Headstart, debemos cumplir con el requisito de Headstart de que el preescolar esté en sesión cuatro días a la semana para un total de 128 días de contacto. Si bien no se ha establecido la fecha exacta de inicio para el preescolar, anticipamos que comenzará no antes del 22 de agosto y no más tarde del 29 de agosto, con una duración de 128 días de contacto con los estudiantes y un final a principios de mayo de 2023. El preescolar se reunirá de lunes a jueves con los viernes ocasionalmente utilizados como días de maquillaje. Suponiendo que habrá suficiente interés para tener una sesión por la mañana y por la tarde, la sesión de la mañana se extenderá de 8:15 a.m. a 12:00 p.m., con aquellos que no desayunan en la escuela llegando a las 8:30 a.m., y aquellos que no comen el almuerzo escolar despedidos a las 11:30 a.m. La sesión de la tarde se llevará a cabo de 12:30 p.m. a 3:15 p.m. de lunes a jueves con almuerzo escolar no disponible para los estudiantes en la sesión de la tarde. Inscripción e Inscripción La matrícula preescolar está limitada a 20 estudiantes por la mañana y 20 por la tarde. Los padres pueden solicitar ya sea por la mañana o por la tarde, y el distrito intentará cumplir con dichas solicitudes, pero no se garantiza que se llenen las solicitudes. Las familias que deseen inscribirse en el preescolar báltico deben completar la inscripción preescolar en línea a través del enlace en el sitio web de la escuela. El enlace se abrirá a las 10:00 horas del 2 de mayo con fecha límite de inscripción del 1 de junio. Los no residentes pueden inscribirse en preescolar con el entendimiento de que no se les otorgará la colocación en nuestro preescolar hasta después de la fecha límite de inscripción. Las franjas horarias de No están garantizadas hasta que el distrito proporcione una notificación después de la fecha límite de registro. En general, los cupos se llenarán por orden de llegada en función del siguiente orden de prioridad: niños residentes del Distrito Escolar báltico, niños no residentes con hermanos mayores inscritos en el Báltico, niños no residentes sin hermanos inscritos en el Báltico. Una vez que un niño es aceptado en nuestro preescolar, se les pide a los padres que completen el registro en línea del distrito escolar que se espera que completen todos los padres de PK-12. Esta inscripción se abrirá a principios de julio y será accesible a través de un enlace en el sitio web de la escuela. Tarifas preescolares Las tarifas para los niños preescolares que no son de Headstart en el distrito en 2021-22 fueron de $ 150 por mes durante 8 meses (septiembre-abril) y $ 175 por mes para los preescolares no Headstart fuera del distrito con el pago adeudado antes del primer día de cada mes. Las tarifas para 2022-23 aún no se han establecido, pero esperaría solo un aumento mínimo, si es que lo hay. El primer pago (para septiembre) debe hacerse antes del 20 de agosto, o el cupo se puede dar a un estudiante en la lista de espera. Transporte El transporte hacia y desde el preescolar es otro tema de preocupación para los padres. Nos damos cuenta de que los niños de 3 y 4 años no pueden caminar hacia y desde la escuela, y la realidad hoy en día es que muy a menudo ambos padres están trabajando y proporcionar transporte hacia y desde la escuela puede ser difícil. Sin embargo, el preescolar es un programa opcional, y creemos que los padres deben compartir la responsabilidad de llevar a sus hijos a y desde la escuela. Las decisiones finales sobre el transporte en autobús en la ciudad aún no se han tomado, pero en este momento, no anticipamos que se realicen cambios. Si el distrito continúa transportando a los estudiantes de PK-6to Grado de la ciudad, entonces los estudiantes de preescolar de la ciudad serían bienvenidos a viajar en el autobús escolar ya sea al preescolar por la mañana o a casa desde el preescolar por la tarde a través de varios puntos de recogida establecidos una vez que se complete el registro pk-12 (los autobuses no se detienen para estudiantes individuales / familias en la ciudad). Los niños en edad preescolar que viven fuera de los límites de la ciudad báltica podrán viajar en autobús escolar a la escuela por la mañana o a casa desde la escuela por la tarde, al igual que los estudiantes de K-12 de fuera de la ciudad pueden viajar en el autobús (los autobuses se detendrían para estudiantes / familias individuales). En los últimos tres años, proporcionamos transporte para niños en edad preescolar en el medio del día hacia y desde las guarderías en la ciudad de Baltic a una tarifa de $ 20 por mes, y planeamos hacerlo nuevamente en 2022-23. La información sobre el transporte se proporcionará en agosto antes del primer día de preescolar. Ventaja Se alienta a todas las familias a investigar la elegibilidad para Headstart, ya que los niños que califican para Headstart asisten a nuestro preescolar de forma gratuita. Si bien Headstart es un programa para familias de bajos ingresos, hay algunas oportunidades para que las familias que exceden las pautas de ingresos de Headstart califiquen para Headstart dependiendo de la situación y las necesidades específicas de la familia. Cualquier persona que desee información sobre cómo calificar para Headstart puede llamar a Ranae Fleming al 605-951-8723. Tenga en cuenta que incluso si una familia es aprobada para Headstart, todavía se les pide que completen el registro preescolar y del distrito escolar. Comidas, Meriendas, Inmunizaciones Un requisito para los niños de Headstart es que si asisten a una sesión matutina, reciban desayuno y almuerzo de forma gratuita. A las familias que no son de Headstart cuyos hijos asisten a las sesiones de la mañana o de la tarde se les pedirá que proporcionen bocadillos en un horario rotatorio. Los niños que no son de Headstart en la sesión de la mañana tendrán la opción de desayunar y / o almorzar en la escuela, pero se les cobrará el precio normal del almuerzo escolar para los estudiantes de primaria, que fue de $ 1.55 para el desayuno y $ 2.90 para el almuerzo en 2021-22 con precios de 2022-23 que se establecerán en julio. Las vacunas actualizadas no son un requisito para ingresar a nuestro preescolar. Sin embargo, el personal preescolar y nuestra enfermera escolar trabajarán con las familias en el transcurso del año escolar con el objetivo de que todos los niños en edad preescolar estén al día con sus vacunas. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre nuestro preescolar, no dude en llamarme al 529-5464. Sinceramente Bob Sittig Superintendente Distrito Escolar Báltico

Parent, families, and community members, here is the April 2022 Coaching for Parents Newsletter. The topic of this months newsletter is "The Facts Around Bullying". Click this link to check out the newsletter --- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ysx9l9YwACc3th6V0NnqZ0hi0q0VaQhh/view?usp=sharing

Parents and families here is the March 2022 Newsletter - Mental health Series from our Coaching Parents Program --- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Rez0JcW2mq-GEf7Pt4Tt4rphWqF4Yvn/view?usp=sharing

Baltic School District has partnered with ParentGuidance.org to bring the Baltic community, Coaching for Parents. Check out the website link - https://CookCenter.ino/GetCoaching to find out more.

Parents! Please join us in person or virtually for our Kickoff on 1/11/22 @ 7:00 PM. We will have childcare and refreshments provided! Help take a proactive approach to your child's and family's mental health and well-being!

Baltic PTO SCRIP Gift card Christmas Fundraiser Not sure what to get a staff member for Christmas? Get them a SCRIP gift card! If you would like to give a gift to a school employee this holiday season, you can purchase a SCRIP gift card or drop off a dollar amount at the elementary office (you choose the amount). That dollar amount will be combined with other contributions and used to purchase a SCRIP gift card of the staff members choice. . On December 16th, the teacher will be asked to which place they would like a gift card. The teacher will receive the gift card along with a greeting card from each person that gave money for that teacher. To contribute money towards a gift card, you can simply stop in at the elementary office and tell Brittany which staff member you would like the amount to go. You can also fill out the attached form and send it with the money in an enveloped labeled " SCRIP Christmas Fundraiser" to the office. This is a great way to recognize one or more of our staff members while at the same time supporting the PTO Program that raises money to benefit the school, staff, and students. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XJ50XdNtsxptwkvnA2qNWWpCQtJYD4IA/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106538193156935530973&rtpof=true&sd=true If you have questions, please email the PTO at balticpto@gmail.com. Baltic PTO

Dear Parents, To promote two-way communication between the school and parents, we form a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) that meets 2-3 times throughout the school year. At the PAC meetings, the administration presents information to parents on various topics and gets feedback, and parents have the opportunity to ask questions about topics or concerns of general interest. It should be noted that the PAC meetings are not a time to ask questions or address concerns about specific students or staff. Parents are asked to serve on the PAC for two years, so each year we have half of the PAC serving their second year and half serving their first year. Of course, if a parent is not interested in serving a second year, we will find a replacement, but the experience must not be too painful as most return for the second year. Please email me at Robert.sittig@k12.sd.us if you are interested in serving on the PAC. We are looking for five new PAC members, and if we have more interest than spots, members will be selected to have a good cross-section of K-12 parents. The meetings are usually held on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday at 6:30 or 7:00pm and usually last 1.5 hours. Once we have the PAC members set, we will determine the date of the first meeting, which we hope to hold in late October or early November. Thank you for considering participation on the PAC. Supt. Bob Sittig Queridos padres, Para promover la comunicación bidireccional entre la escuela y los padres, formamos un Comité Asesor de Padres (PAC) que se reúne 2-3 veces durante el año escolar. En las reuniones del PAC, la administración presenta información a los padres sobre varios temas y recibe comentarios, y los padres tienen la oportunidad de hacer preguntas sobre temas o inquietudes de interés general. Cabe señalar que las reuniones del PAC no son un momento para hacer preguntas o abordar inquietudes sobre estudiantes o personal específicos. Se les pide a los padres que sirvan en el PAC durante dos años, por lo que cada año tenemos la mitad del PAC en su segundo año y la otra mitad en el primer año. Por supuesto, si un padre no está interesado en cumplir un segundo año, encontraremos un reemplazo, pero la experiencia no debe ser demasiado dolorosa ya que la mayoría regresa para el segundo año. Por favor envíeme un correo electrónico a Robert.sittig@k12.sd.us si está interesado en servir en el PAC. Estamos buscando cinco nuevos miembros del PAC, y si tenemos más interés que lugares, los miembros serán seleccionados para tener una buena muestra representativa de padres de K-12. Las reuniones generalmente se llevan a cabo los lunes, martes o jueves a las 6:30 o 7:00 pm y generalmente duran 1,5 horas. Una vez que tengamos los miembros del PAC establecidos, determinaremos la fecha de la primera reunión, que esperamos tener a fines de octubre o principios de noviembre. Gracias por considerar la participación en el PAC. Supt. Bob Sittig

Dear Students, Parents, and Staff, This is just a reminder that the Spirit Wear on-line store is open now through Oct. 31. Our Fall / Winter Spirit Wear store is officially open..... we are opening it a little earlier than usual, since supply and demand on some items are taking a little longer than expected and this way if we get the orders in now, we will hopefully have the items in hand in time for the 1st games..... The Spirit Wear store is open NOW thru midnight, Oct. 31st., again, NO exceptions as that will delay the orders even more than predicted. When ordering, if our wonderful Bulldog supporters see something they like, they just have to click on the item, then in the next screen to the right of the item, there is a drop down that states "Choose Design". This is where they will choose a new Generic Baltic Bulldogs logo, or a mens/womens basketball logo. As they choose their logo option, the image will change so that they know they are ordering the correct logo that they prefer. There are specific items notated on the site that they will take longer to arrive, just so that everyone is aware that those particular items will arrive at a later date. Thanks again and here's to another successful Spirit wear shopping season...... https://hauffsports.chipply.com/balticbasketball/

Hello 7th and 8th grade families, Sioux Valley has a scheduling conflict for Monday. We are now moving our JH volleyball game from Monday to Tuesday, October 12th. The games will still begin at 4:00PM and they will still be at the Sioux Valley School in Volga. Thank you, Cameron Kerkhove Secondary Principal/AD

Congratulations Owyn Anderson (1st Grade) for selling the most Krispy Kreme donuts to support the music program at the Baltic School District. Thank you for all your hard work!

Dear Students, Parents, and Staff, Our Fall / Winter Spirit Wear store is officially open..... we are opening it a little earlier than usual, since supply and demand on some items are taking a little longer than expected and this way if we get the orders in now, we will hopefully have the items in hand in time for the 1st games..... The Spirit Wear store is open NOW thru midnight, Oct. 31st., again, NO exceptions as that will delay the orders even more than predicted. When ordering, if our wonderful Bulldog supporters see something they like, they just have to click on the item, then in the next screen to the right of the item, there is a drop down that states "Choose Design". This is where they will choose a new Generic Baltic Bulldogs logo, or a mens/womens basketball logo. As they choose their logo option, the image will change so that they know they are ordering the correct logo that they prefer. There are specific items notated on the site that they will take longer to arrive, just so that everyone is aware that those particular items will arrive at a later date. Thanks again and here's to another successful Spirit wear shopping season...... https://hauffsports.chipply.com/balticbasketball/

Baltic Homecoming Week Dress Up Days HS/MS Dress Up Days Monday --- Sports Day Tuesday --- Holiday Wednesday ---Out of this World Thursday --- Disney Day Friday --- Blue and Gold Elementary Dress Up Days Monday --- Sport/Jersey Day Tuesday --- Holiday Day Wednesday --- Pajama Day Thursday --- Disney/Blue and Gold Friday --- Dress up for parade theme/Blue and Gold​

Baltic Blood Drive Friday, September 24th, 2021 7:00 am to 11:00 am / 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm Baltic High School - Call 529-5461 to schedule a time Walk-ins welcomed too.

Juniors and Seniors: Fall Planning Day is September 23 at Augustana University. There will be close to 100 post secondary institutions there to gather information from. Please read your email from Schmitz, sign up prior to September 17th if you would like to go, and email Schmitz that you signed up. Transportation will be provided. Augustana is requiring masks during the 45 minutes we are there.

Senior parent night has been set. Volleyball and Cross Country will be October 14, 2021 with it being announced before warm ups at the volleyball match. (approximate time of 7:00 pm). Football and Cheer will be on September 10, 2021 prior to the starting lineups at the football game. (approximate time of 6:45 pm).

Parents and Students, Fall pictures that some of us "old" folks still refer to as "ping pong" pictures are coming Thursday, September 2nd. Picture order packets were sent home with students today and should be returned on picture day. All students in grades PK-12 are asked to take a picture, even if you do not intend to purchase any pictures. We have all students take a picture for inclusion in the school yearbook and class composite, and also for use in Campus when making seating charts with pictures for substitute teachers. The picture company will once again be Photography by Mark who provides us with a limited number of hardship picture packages that include two 3 X 5 and eight exchange size pictures. If financial issues prevent you from ordering a picture package, contact Brittany at 529-5464 or at brittany.wipf@k12.sd.us to make a confidential request for a hardship package that will distributed on a first come-first serve basis. Instead of returning the order form, orders can be placed online as outlined below. How To Order School pictures Online… 1. Go to www.schoolphotosbymark.com 2. Click on “Order Here” 3. Choose the “Click here to order” 4. Enter “BASD ”for the event name, click “search” 5. Click on your school district 6. Click on Tea Sports, then choose your sport. 7. Enter your email address and click “login”. All orders are tracked with the email address you enter. 8. You should now see a page with our photo packages. Choose from any of our packages and/or order ala-carte items. 9. Once you are done shopping, click on the “shopping cart” icon. You will be prompted for your students information as well as yours. That is it! Once again, all PK-12th grade students are asked to take a picture regardless of whether you purchase any pictures. Call a school office if you have any questions. Supt. Bob Sittig

Baltic School District Daily Announcements Congratulations to our 2021 -2022 Champions of Character on Track Representatives: Elyssa Clark; James Leffring; Julia Pittman Seniors: Please add class motto ideas to the document emailed to you. Ideas are due by the end of the day Thursday. Any HS student interested in Writing Club, please sign up in Ms. Daugaard's room by the end of the week. Reminder: First Day of CTE Classes is Tomorrow, August 26th Any Junior or Senior interested in running for student council officers, please notify Mr. Kerkhove by today! PTO Meeting tonight at 6:30 in Marissa Whipple's classroom Our 2020-2021 yearbooks are in! Current students can collect pre-ordered yearbooks or purchase one ($45) from room 112 (Spanish room) at the following times. Before school 8:00am – 9:30am or after school from 3:00pm- 4:15pm. Parents/graduates can pickup their copies after school. Location will be at a table by the HS office (just inside the doors) from 3:30 -4:00 this week only. We will also have a table set up at the volleyball game Tuesday the 31st. Any alternative time will have to be scheduled. If you have any questions, please email me at melanie.koskela@k12.sd.us Thank you to everyone who made this yearbook possible! School Picture Day: Thursday, September 2nd Order your 2021 Yearbooks now! If you place your order by October 8th, you can select up to 4 free icons with the purchase of personalization. Order forms are available from Mrs. Koskela, either of the school offices, or you may order online at http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A07697300 The cost of the yearbook is $45.

Baltic Bulldogs will be hosting the Parker Pheasants tonight at 7:00 PM at the Baltic High School come out and support the team. To view our live stream event please visit our YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBzmQqWjtzY We hope to see you all out there showing your Bulldog G.R.I.T.