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• Speech  Pathologist~ Mary Hempel  mary.hempel@k12.sd.us  
• Did You Know?
• * Reciting nursery rhymes and singing children's songs helps to improve important early speech sounds, pre-reading skills, vocabulary and basic concepts.
• *The cadence, rhyme, and repetition of words in nursery rhymes, and children's songs help develop an awareness of speech sounds.
• *By singing songs loaded with early developing sounds such as p, b, t, d, k, g, and m, you give them a "head start" to great listening and speaking skills.

• Abigail Adams said, "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence."  As we wrap up our standardized testing window, one becomes cognizant of how much is expected of our kids, our teachers, and our schools.  As new Common Core assessments are administered all over the nation, it is clear how education is evolving.  Gone are the days of traditional lecture, desks in a row, and fill-in-the-blank tests.  Our generation is moving education forward, and our kids will realize learning from a whole different perspective, not easier, not harder, but definitely worth seeking.
• South Dakota's Common Core standardized tool is the Smarter Balanced Assessment for Math and Language Arts.  Typically in the middle school and high school the grades tested include 6, 7, 8, and 11.  This year, as this is a pilot year, 9th grade was added to take the Math test.  Science assessment for grades 6, 7, 8, and 11 remained the traditional paper-pencil Dakota STEP test.  Testing has gone smoothly with only minor anticipated issues that have been solved quickly and efficiently.  The students have put forth tremendous effort for which they should be encouraged and commended.
• April 11th signified one of the final days of staff development opportunities for staff.  We invited Central High School Principal, Jason Uttermark to speak about ICU--an Academic Intensive Care Unit meant to offer an extensive support system to students.  A committee is being formulated to further develop this idea within our school.  Research and Best Practice strategies allude to the usefulness of this program to which many schools across the state are responding.  If you are interested, visit the website www.poweroficu.com.
• Also exciting in the world of education is the SD BOR announcement of dual-credit course offerings for high school students.  Essentially, students in high school are eligible to earn college credit while attending high school.  An application is necessary and the student must meet certain criteria, but the list of offerings through the

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