Watchdog Nation,
Welcome. Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! Hyperlinked, you will find our back-to-school newsletters for JK-5 and 6-12. The "First Day of School" for all students will be Thursday, August 21, 2025.
Bus Routes. We are still searching for our sixth route driver. If we cannot find another driver by August 8, 2025, we will need to change how we provide transportation services. As such, we may reduce the number of routes from six to five. The change would impact the length of routes and the number of in-town stops. Please stay tuned for more details about our next steps. If you know someone who would be a great fit for our team, please encourage them to apply.
Open House. Join us on Monday, August 18, 2025, for our elementary and middle/high school open houses. Our elementary open house will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Families will sign up for a 20-minute session. Stay tuned for more details from Mr. James. Our middle/high school open house will occur from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Our open house experience allows parents and students to connect with teachers and administrators.
Fall Activities Meeting. Our 7-12 fall activities meeting will occur on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. (BHS Gymnasium). Parents and students will have a chance to connect with activity coaches and advisors after a brief orientation meeting led by Mr. Reinalda and Mr. James. If you or your child cannot attend, don't hesitate to contact your child's activity coach or advisor. Please remember that your child must have a completed physical before practicing/participating. Below, you will find links to the 2025-2026 physical form from the South Dakota High School Activities Association.
2025-2026 Physical Form (English)
2025-2026 Physical Form (Spanish)
Pardon our Progress. We are finalizing our summer projects. We have updated our hallway flooring in the middle school and high school to mirror our efforts at Beresford Elementary. We have installed a new scoreboard at Cortland Carnes Stadium. On August 29, 2025, we will dedicate the field in honor of Mr. Jim Heeren. The ceremony will take place before kickoff when we host Parker in football. We are installing turf on the playground at Beresford Elementary. This addition will not only benefit students during recess but also during physical education classes, youth practices, and other activities. We have invested in our Agriculture Education Shop space with new ventilation units and a new CNC laser/plasma table. Our replacement HVAC units for Beresford Elementary have been delayed. We are still hopeful they will be installed and operational before the start of school. Our theater light upgrades are also in progress -at the moment, we are waiting on backordered parts. We have also started the design process for our South Campus Expansion efforts. Below, you will find images from our July 18, 2025, webpage update.
Be Safe, Be Well, and Go Dawgs!
/s/ Dr. Dustin Degen