Eugene Field A+ Elementary School -

Our first graders have been learning about the American Revolution! During Art Integration, students used Visual Thinking Strategies to explore two famous paintings from the era: The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull and Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze. Students discussed the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the events that led the colonists to seek a new nation. Then it was their turn to make declarations of their own! Each student boldly shared an idea that was important to them and invited classmates to sign their declaration. Along the way, they practiced sharing their opinions, listening to others, and disagreeing respectfully. Some students even got a signature from Mr. Mees!

🎪 The EFA+ Spring Carnival is NEXT FRIDAY! 🎉 Our PTA is hard at work planning a fun-filled evening for our school community, and we’d love your help to make it a success! There are two easy ways to get involved: 🎟️ Donate Carnival Supplies: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4BADAD2DABFC1-63370108-2026 🙌 Volunteer at the Carnival: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4BADAD2DABFC1-63370144-2026 Thank you for supporting this festive event and helping create a memorable night for our students and families! 💙

Dear Families, Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up, and the PTA invites you to help us celebrate our wonderful teachers and staff! Families are encouraged to record a short thank‑you video, post a note, or add a photo. These messages will be shared during Teacher Appreciation Week and mean so much to our staff. How to participate:     •    Use this link (https://www.tribute.co/efa-staff/?slideout=Invitations&invite=copy_link) to open our school's Tribute message:      ◦    Record a brief video      ◦    Write a short thank‑you message     ◦    Submit a photo  Please send your submission by Tuesday, May 5th.  Thank you for helping us show our gratitude for all they do! EFA+ PTA

In art integration, our kindergarten students explored weather by learning about different types of weather and creating symbols to represent them. They then used their symbols to design unique mobiles, incorporating sticks they collected on a nature walk. Art Smarts and Nature Smarts in action!

Our primary students are exploring tap dancing in dance class! Tap is an engaging and energetic style that sounds just as cool as it looks, and our students are having so much fun discovering its rhythms and movement.

From now through May 8, we’re collecting new or gently used children’s books in the EFA+ office. These books will be part of a MI Day lesson, where students will help prepare them as special gifts for CASA and NICU families in our community. Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated—we’re so grateful for your support!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating 25 years of A+! We’re so grateful for your support and for being part of this special milestone.

Last night we celebrated 25 years of EFA+—and discovered an even bigger milestone: Eugene Field Elementary School has been part of our community for nearly 75 years! Meet Kermit, one of the very first 6th graders to attend when the school opened in 1952. It was such a treat to meet him and hear firsthand stories from the early days of this special place.

Our MI family groups came together to reflect on what makes our school so special. Students shared what makes our community unique, then created artist trading cards to express their ideas. We are proud to be A+ 25 years strong.

Tomorrow night is the night! Here are a few helpful tips for the evening: • Enjoy the art show at your own pace—this is an open house-style event, so feel free to come and go as you please. • Bring spare change to support our 5th graders during their Monologue Museum (5:30–6:15). • Live music begins at 6:25 with the Treble Makers, followed by Just Sugar! We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate 25 years of A+ learning!

As part of our We Are A+: 25 Years celebration, we’re excited to host a silent art auction! Each class has collaborated to create a unique collage piece, all of which will be available for bidding. We’ll also be auctioning a framed Alice in Wonderland playbill featuring cast autographs. In addition, limited-edition 25 Years of A+ mini pennants will be available for purchase—don’t miss your chance to take home a special piece of this milestone celebration!

As the school year winds down, our kindergartners are celebrating a year of big learning with their annual Alphabet Countdown! So far, highlights have included Water Day and USA Day—full of fun, creativity, and lots of smiles.

Our 5th graders have been hard at work preparing for the Monologue Museum! 🎭 This Friday, they’ll share personal stories and reflections about their experiences as students at EFA+ through creative performances. Join us from 5:30–6:15 to support and celebrate their work! ✨ This event also supports the 5th grade celebration—guests are welcome to bring spare change to contribute to student canisters after the performances.

During Black History Month in February, students began a unit exploring hip hop as an important cultural movement with deep roots in Black history and expression. This learning continued into March, where they discussed elements of hip hop culture, including graffiti as a form of artistic expression. To conclude the unit, students created their own original hip hop-inspired dance movements, reflected on their inspirations, and gave their creations meaningful names. They also explored graffiti-style art in a short project, connecting visual art to the broader themes of creativity and self-expression within hip hop culture.

⏳ ONE WEEK to go! 🎨✨ We Are A+ is almost here, and we can’t wait to celebrate 25 years of creativity with our amazing EFA+ community! Come see: 🎨 Artwork from every student 🎭 Our 5th grade monologue museum 🖼 Silent art auction 🧁 Delicious student-designed cupcakes Bring your family and join us for a fun, inspiring night—you won’t want to miss it! 💜

This week at both Oh My Cupcakes locations: Art Cupcake by Cohen! 🎨🧁 This delicious creation features a rich chocolate cupcake with fluffy whipped cream frosting, topped with M&M’s and sprinkles—pure joy in every bite! Don’t miss it!

Planting season is underway at IronFox Farm and EFA+! 🌱 Our 3rd graders teamed up to learn soil blocking and seed planting—future gardeners in the making!

Now open! It's time to complete the Annual Student Update! ⏰

Every child who will attend school in the Sioux Falls School District for the 2026-2027 school year must complete an annual update. This is required every year to ensure that student information, such as data privacy, emergency, and health information, is correct and up to date.

Complete the update using your desktop or laptop computer in just a few minutes through your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account that can be found here --->https://siouxfallssd.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/siouxfalls.jsp

Need help with the update? Please call your child's school or the Student Records and Registration Office at 605-367-7952.

🎨✨ Something sweet is coming… ✨🎨 We’re just TWO WEEKS away from celebrating 25 years of EFA+ with our We Are A+ event! Get ready for: 🖼 An all-school art show featuring every student 🎭 5th grade monologue museum 🧁 Student-designed cupcakes 🎶 Live music & more Mark your calendars and plan to join us for a night that celebrates the creativity that makes EFA+ so special 💜

Former EFA+ Eagles Norah, Nevaeh, and Ivy just soared to a 2nd place finish in Junior Performance at the South Dakota National History Day competition! 🎉🦅 Next stop: Nationals in Washington, D.C. 🇺🇸 We’re so proud of these talented students—way to represent! 👏✨