Belle Fourche School District

Happy 2025/26 School Year! BF Education Connection (Alt School) has an open house for all returning and new alt school students tomorrow from 9am-3pm. We will talk about schedules, classes, and school expectations. August 13, 2025 9am-3pm! We can't wait to see you!

Bus Stop Location Change – 8th Ave & Jackson Street

Families, please note: The bus stop at the corner of 8th Ave & Jackson Street will now pick up and drop off students across the street at Herman Park.
⚠️ Please use caution in this area and remind children to avoid the construction around the old Police Department building.
Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe!

Freshmen and New High School Students Open House and
Information Session: Tuesday, August 5 at 6:00
p.m. – High School gym. Parents are welcome to
attend this as well and students/parents enter
through front entrance doors.

5th Grade Orientation Day - Wednesday, August 13th at 1:00 pm!

All returning students must register online. Make sure you click RETURNING STUDENT registration. Link is available on the District website beginning July 21 with a deadline to register of August 1 for returning students.

Direct link:
https://forms.office.com/r/A1djjfG0XH

Drivers Education:

The registration window opens on August 1.
These are the class dates and the time

August 29
September 12, 26
October 3, 17, 24, 31
November 7, 14, 21

Class time is 8:30-11:30

Link to the community ed site

https://bhcommunityed.digitalsignup.com/Class/5-driver-education?CategoryId=11&selectedCategoriesID=&selectOtherCategory=false

Revised link for Back-to-School Newsletter: (revision in 5th grade supply list - revision date 7/15/25)

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1626/BFSD/5877888/2025-26_Back_to_School_Newsletter.pdf

K-12 Flexible Learning Innovations - see attached introduction flyer.

There will be no lunch served to the public at South Park Elementary on Friday, July 11, 2025 for summer program. Breakfast on July 11 is as usual. There will be lunch available at the Middle School to the public. Thank you!

Returning Student Registration - a link will be available on our District website beginning July 21 , with a deadline to register of August 1, for returning students to register for the 25-26 school year. Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Below is information regarding the Housing Needs Study that our City is conducting. Please take a moment to take the survey and share with other stakeholders to help out. The City of Belle Fourche, in partnership with the Augustana Research Institute, is conducting a Housing Needs Study to better understand our community’s current housing challenges and future opportunities. As part of this important effort, we are inviting residents, business owners, community leaders, and all stakeholders to participate in the Belle Fourche Housing Needs Resident Survey. Your input is essential. This survey will help guide future housing policies, support economic development, and ensure our community remains a place where residents and businesses can thrive. The results will directly inform strategies to attract new housing development, support workforce growth, and enhance quality of life. Survey Deadline: August 1, 2025 We kindly ask for your help in sharing this survey widely with your networks, including employees, members, clients, and neighbors. The more feedback we receive, the more accurately we can reflect the needs of Belle Fourche. Please see the attached flyer and QR code image for easy sharing on your social media channels, websites, newsletters, email lists, or to simply print and post on your bulletin boards. You can also use the link below to be taken to the survey: https://bit.ly/BelleFourcheHousing

SUMMER MEALS Breakfast - Monday through Friday: 7:45 am - 8:30 am at South Park Elementary & Middle School Lunch - Monday through Friday: 11:30 am - 12:00 pm at South Park Elementary & Middle School Free for all children 18 and younger

Elevate - Educate - Empower Teachers and Educational Leaders at the SD Literacy Conference are leading the way in using research-based methods to improve literacy. Our teachers are committed to helping all students become confident readers and building a stronger foundation for learning. #ScienceofReading #LiteracyMatters #TeacherLeaders

Yippee! We finished out the 24-25 school year with a bang! We had an awesome awards ceremony and luncheon! A big thanks to all staff for your hard work and dedication to our students! You are all very appreciated! Congratulations to all! Teacher of the Year Building Level Winners: Austin Bishop - High School Penny Louks - Middle School Megan Haag - Elementary Penny Louks was awarded overall Distinguished Teacher of the Year Employees of the Year: Susie Gross - Maintenance & Transportation Sarah Graves - Paraprofessional Stephen Schmeltzer - Human/Child Services Kim Nelson - Clerical Harlene Hill - Friend of Education Award presented by BFEA Special thank you to: Jean Helmer - guest speaker Retirees: Melanie Anderson - 33 years Mary Day - 21 years Lesa Krajewski - 17 years Brenda LaBau - 31 years Krista Minor - 29 years Kim Nelson - 26 years Jeanette Nicholas - 39 years Have a great summer!

Caption on Group Photo. Left to Right: Jermey Veldman, Site Works Superintendent; Evan Bryum, Ryan Stagelman, Levi Anderson, Steven Uttecht, Scull Construction Site Superintendent. Other Captions: Students running equipment at the worksite. Belle Fourche SkillsUSA Students Take Classroom Skills to the Job Site By Austin Bishop, Ag Education Educator and FFA Advisor; CTE Director Belle Fourche, SD – May 2025 Three students from the Belle Fourche High School SkillsUSA chapter recently took their education to new heights—literally and figuratively—by showcasing their heavy equipment operation skills on a live worksite. Thanks to a partnership with local companies Site Works Specialist and Scull Construction Service, these students had the unique opportunity to operate real machinery outside the classroom. The students, all enrolled in the school’s Heavy Equipment Operations (HEO) class, demonstrated their proficiency on a range of machines, including an excavator, forklift, skid steer, wheel loader, bulldozer, and an articulating dump truck. The hands-on experience allowed them to translate the foundational skills they had developed through advanced classroom simulators into real-world application. “Learning on simulators gives our students the foundation of operation in a controlled environment, but nothing beats the feel of operating the actual equipment,” said Advisor Jim Hartwell. “This opportunity helps them understand the scale and precision of what’s expected on a professional job site.” Site Works Specialists and Scull Construction Service collaborated to provide an active worksite for the students to gain this valuable experience under professional supervision with Site Works taking the lead. With the help of Jermey Veldman, Site Works Superintendent; Brandon Foster, Site Works Project Manager; and Steven Uttecht, Scull Construction Site Superintendent this training event was held with safety protocols in full effect, and the students were accompanied by both instructors and industry mentors throughout the day. These types of relationships not only help in the equipment function correctly, but also with field experience and networking. “This was a big moment for our students,” said Mr. Hartwell. “It’s not every day high schoolers get to jump in a bulldozer or haul material with an articulating dump truck. Experiences like this build confidence and solidify career interest.” The Heavy Equipment Operations class is part of Belle Fourche’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, which aims to equip students with job-ready skills across a variety of trades. With the support of local industry leaders, the program continues to expand its reach and impact. Both SiteWorks and Scull Construction expressed enthusiasm for continuing their involvement with the program, noting the importance of fostering the next generation of skilled workers. Mr. Steven Uttecht states that, “Scull Construction Service and Site Works Specialists strongly believe in investing in our communities and the construction industry’s future. We value partnerships like this one with Belle Fourche CTE to expose high school students to the construction trades. We strive to cultivate interest in the industry and show the students another potential option for their future. We hope to continue this partnership well into the future.” The Belle Fourche SkillsUSA chapter along with the other Belle Fourche CTE programs plan to continue integrating real-world experiences into their curriculum, bridging the gap between education and industry—one piece of heavy equipment at a time.

We're SO grateful for our elementary P.T.O.! All of the elementary students received a book and bubbles for an end of year gift and were so excited! This amazing group of teachers and parents work so hard together to give back to the students, school, and community; we cannot thank them enough for their time, fun, and teamwork as we know it's all volunteer-based! We appreciate our wonderful P.T.O. - PS... if you'd like to be a part of it, you're welcome to join! ☺️

Folk Dances, Parachutes, and Drums, Oh My! The 1st-4th grade students at South Park have been having lots of fun learning about other cultures through Folk Dances, melodic contour and form through parachute play, and rhythms and techniques with Tubano drums!

First grade may have had an indoor beach day due to lovely South Dakota weather, but we still had lots of fun! We read books on beach towels/tubes, (THANK YOU to our lunch staff for accommodating our entire grade level - we appreciate you!), we played summer bingo, and even made some sand to celebrate summer coming VERY soon!

First grade students took a walking field trip to the Old School House, had a picnic at the park, and visited the city library for a tour and to learn about the summer reading program (be sure to sign up)! Thank you to Connie Parker for her time, stories, and love towards our students when teaching them about what school used to be like! Thank you to the librarians for always hosting our kids and creating incentives for them to read during the summer! Thank you to Mr. Aspen for all he does and is willing to do for our students because he took the time to deliver their lunches to them at the park! Our students and teachers appreciate their community so much!

Every first grade student received a Porter the Hoarder book today! Thank you to our title team for setting this up, and of course the author, Sean Covel, for regularly supplying our learners with engaging texts to read with families and add to their libraries at home!