General Meeting (last one of the year)
Monday, April 24, 2023: PASI general meeting*

   6:30 pm at Hayward Elementary library

Great Gathering 2023 will be held October 21, 2023

The Hilton Garden Inn

Downtown Sioux Falls, SD

Wreaths

We are pleased to have the beautiful evergreen wreaths that represent the Spanish Immersion Program to the Sioux Falls community available again this year. Help support PASI by purchasing one for yourself and letting family, friends, and neighbors know as well. You can order your wreath now through ClickBid. This wreath has great pops of color which is sure to enhance your space this holiday season. Consider purchasing one for your neighbors, friends, and family! The deadline to order your wreath is November 1st. We anticipate wreath delivery mid November and plan to disperse them TBD at Sonia Sotomayor from TBD. We will schedule another time for wreath hand out on TBD as we get a feel for timing and needs. If this timeline changes (due to supply/demand issues), we will communicate ASAP.   

Great Gatherings

The event will take place on Friday, October 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm at ICON Lounge in Sioux Falls.

Please stay tuned for more details as the event gets closer!

To help before/after/during the event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4cadad2ca4f5c07-great1 

Event Details and Purpose
PASI is proud to host Great Gatherings, a fundraiser and community building event! While the Spanish Immersion program is housed within the public school system, it takes additional funds to provide students the optimal learning environment. The largest expense is our intern program, who serve as a teaching assistants in each of the five schools. The native Spanish speaking classroom teaching assistants are an integral part of the success of the entire program. The number of interns varies each year, and the 2022-23 school year goal is to have 17! PASI helps by raising money to help support these interns, as well as support the growing program and future interns. Our TOTAL fundraising goal for 2022-23 is $102,000. In order to reach our goal we need volunteers, monetary donations, and hosts for Great Gatherings. Our goal is that every family in the Spanish Immersion program can participate in the special event in some capacity. Whether it’s attending, hosting/co-hosting a gathering, purchasing a raffle, donating to the silent auction, volunteering to help on one of the committees, or just spreading the word. Let’s build our Spanish Immersion community while raising money to keep the interns in each classroom, benefitting every student.  
At this event you will find raffles, silent auctions, as well gathering events you can purchase to take part of in the future. Please consider supporting our Spanish Immersion program by participating in Great Gatherings.  

What is a Great Gathering?
A Great Gathering (click link to submit your host form) is just that, it’s a chance to gather together members of our Spanish Immersion community, students, parents, and teachers to participate in a great activity or event*. The gatherings are all unique and can be whatever the host chooses- a family event, adult only event, or children only event. Families can host a gathering together for students; parents can host an adult gathering and/or teacher can host an event for students. All costs of the gathering are paid for by the host and the money collected in attendance fees will go to support our intern program. At the Great Gatherings event on November 5th, 2021 parents and teachers will buy the opportunity to attend your event or to have their children attend your event that year.
* Please be mindful of the gathering site given the COVID-19 pandemic. Outdoor activities encouraged. 

Great Gatherings Committees
    Gatherings –  Amy Taylor
    Silent Auction / Class Champions – Ann Sarutzki-Tucker
    Raffles – Adrienne Horsley
    Wreath – Dani Swanson,
    Goodwill Offering – PASI Team

– EVENT DETAILS –
Great Gatherings 2022 is  being held at Icon Lounge in Sioux Falls
Date: Friday, October 28, 2022  at  7:00 pm
Location: Icon Lounge, downtown Sioux Falls, SD
Cost:  $25 / ticket if purchased in advance
$TBD / ticket at the door
Teachers free if hosting a gathering.  If hosting a gathering your ticket will be free as well.
Raffles, Silent Auctions, Great Gatherings to purchase will be available. If unable to attend you can still purchase raffle tickets up until the day of the event. 

– HOW TO HELP –
Free Will Donations
This is your chance to give to support this crucial program! All donations are tax deductible and contribute directly to our goal. This year’s fundraising goal is $102,000. Click on link  to donate through ClickBid.

Host A Gathering
Families, teachers, community members and more are encouraged to HOST a Great Gatherings event during the school year. Gatherings are meant to bring a fun group together and bring a sense of community. (click link to submit your host form)

Silent Auction
There will be multiple silent auctions (click link to register your donation for the silent auction) items. Join us for the fun and see what you will walk away with! To PURCHASE raffle tickets please create your Clickbid account and look for the package you want a chance to win!
Cost: variety of raffle prizes in a variety of price ranges

Raffles
To PURCHASE raffle tickets please create your Clickbid account and look for the package you want a chance to win! You choose the package to purchase the raffle ticket for, or purchase one for each package. Each raffle winner will be drawn live the night of the event.
Cost: based on raffle item
Raffles include:
1.  $1000 Giveaway (FMV: $1000)
This is easy opportunity to win some cash. For every 100 raffle tickets sold, we will raffle off $1,000. The more tickets we sell, the more we will give! What a way to turn $50 into $1K!
$50/chance
2.  Cabin in the Hills Getaway (FMV: $1250)
A new, unique property located right at the entrance to the Gilded Mountain Subdivision. Lookout Tower is a spacious 5 bedroom 3 bath home on 4 levels - one of which is the watchtower on the 4th level. This custom cabin is wonderfully decorated with enjoyable living spaces and a one-of-a-kind master bedroom and bathroom in the top level tower room with some of the best views in the area!
Reservation is for three nights. Booking will not be over any holidays or in June, July, or August. Winner responsible for cleaning fee.
Donors: Nichoelle & Colin Waldner and Jeff Koch
https://www.deadwoodconnections.com/property/rangers-watch-lodge?PageDataID=125928&fbclid=IwAR1kB8kmNpvBB-g4FuZhxP1DvtJAuQ3wk_yYEFq6PU-BqQX7gES20JcVHCI
Generously donated by: Nichoelle and Colin Waldner, Jeff Koch
Exceptions: No holiday booking or June, July, or August, winner responsible for cleaning fee.
$50/chance
3. Artisan Skin and Laser Center (FMV: $1000)
This skincare package includes one BBL treatment, a Diamond-Glow Facial, 20 units of Botox and a Revision Skincare package. Don't miss your opportunity to provide yourself the self care you deserve.
$50/chance
4.  Necklace (FMV $***)
5. School lunch money (FMV $120)

Volunteer
This amazing event requires all hands on deck. We need assistance in a variety of areas including: marketing, decorations, raffles, wreath hand out. We would love to have your help. Please email pasi.sf.sd@gmail.com with any questions or ideas. See below how you can sign up for a Great Gatherings Committee and/or be a Classroom Champ.

Travel Opportunities

On hold due to the pandemic
The Spanish Department at LHS plans a trip to a Spanish-speaking country every other year.   For general information about these trips, contact Department Chair Kim Tollinger at Kimberly.Tollinger@k12.sd.us. 

Our summer immersion travel may be organized by Parent Advocates for Spanish Immersion (PASI). They advocates and support the Spanish Immersion program in the Sioux Falls Public Schools. Their primary focus are interns who enhance the language and cultural experience in the classrooms and community.

PROJECT WARM-UP

Project Warm-Up was started in 2006 by Kaitlin and Tracy Vik as a service project for the Key Club at Lincoln High School. That first year, 100 blankets were made in one afternoon. Each year, more schools, groups, and teams have gotten together to make blankets and the project has grown substantially!

Over the past 15 years, Project Warm-Up has distributed over 25,000 blankets to children and families in need. Many children face poverty, homelessness (during the last school year, the SFSD identified over 1000 students as homeless), death of a parent, placement in foster care and/or serious illness and some are new to our country (and South Dakota winters). We know a simple blanket can't fix their situation, but hopefully it will provide them some warmth and comfort while dealing with what life is currently offering them.

Each December, the school social worker from every school in the Sioux Falls School District requests blankets for the children in need in their school. As blankets are being made, they are boxed up and prepared to be delivered to schools the Monday after the event. School social workers, counselors and administration deliver the blankets to children just prior to the holiday season. Schools also keep some blankets on hand throughout the year to distribute when needed. 

Project Warm-Up has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide a new blanket to each family member when they receive the keys to their new home. Each year the Teddy Bear Den, Heartland House, St. Francis House, and other local agencies receive blankets to share. Project Warm-Up has answered the call when tornadoes struck the communities of Sioux Falls, Marshalltown, IA, Delmont and Wessington Springs and when a flood devastated the towns of Dell Rapids and Canton.

We are partnered with Rachel Schuldt to provide blankets for her Delivering Hope-Chemo Care Bags that she distributes to adults and children undergoing chemotherapy. We have also partnered with Hugs 4 Haddley and Amy Jo Lems to deliver blankets to children in local hospitals. Call To Freedom has received blankets for those rescued from human trafficking. 

Project Warm-Up exists solely upon the generosity of others. People donate funds, fleece and/or time. We have gotten pretty savvy in our fleece shopping and can make a child-sized blanket for $12. A donation of $100 would enable us to wrap eight children in the warmth and comfort of a new blanket. Imagine what a larger donation could do! Our goal is to make at least 3,000 blankets this year! The need is great, but we are ready to meet the challenge! Your donation is tax deductible.

Consider hosting a blanket party of your own!

yard signs

We are proud of every student in the Immersion program and I am sure you are too. Proudly display your support with a PASI yard sign. They make great gifts as well! $15/sign. Contact PASI to purchase.

Household items for new teachers

See the SignUpGenius for item requests.