Fantastic Fives Teacher Nominated for 2021 Educator of the Year Award
We are pleased to share that Mrs. Susan Olson, fantastic fives teacher at Sioux Falls Lutheran School, was nominated for ‘Hood Magazine’s 2021 Educator of the Year award.
Her nominator, who remains anonymous, shared the following about Mrs. Olson with ‘Hood Magazine:
“I am nominating Susan Olson for Educator of the Year because of the phenomenal job she does in instilling a love of learning in her students through joyful, hands-on experiences. Susan provides so many unique and intriguing learning opportunities for her students every single day, and you can sense the genuine interest from her students when they come home and start telling you about what they did at school without even being asked. All you have to do is read one of Susan's emails to parents or talk to her in person to realize that she is a true light for learning that the kids are naturally reflecting. I especially love when my student tells me about what she learned about Jesus that day, with sheer passion and wide eyes, explaining in great detail. It reminds me to aspire to the great faith of a little child, and I truly believe that Susan nurtures that great faith with love, patience, and by example.”
Fantastic fives is an early childhood program designed to give children who are age-eligible for kindergarten another year to refine academic, social, emotional, or fine/gross motor skills before moving on to elementary school. Through thematic project-based instruction, Mrs. Olson’s fantastic fives class strengthens:
social and emotional skills through free play time and group activities
fine and gross motor skills by drawing, tracing, cutting, pasting, writing, and participating in indoor/outdoor recess
academics by learning to identify letters, numbers and sounds, exploring syllables and rhyming words, conducting experiments, and sorting objects by color, size, shape and quantity
critical thinking skills through creative STEM-based activities
independence by learning to take responsibility for belongings and gearing up for recess during the winter months
communication + comprehension skills by speaking understandably in complete sentences and learning to tell stories based on pictures/images
focus + self-control by listening to stories without interruption, recognizing authority, and following directions
Contact our admissions director, Megan Baedke, at 605-335-1923 to schedule your visit at Sioux Falls Lutheran School and learn more about Mrs. Olson’s fantastic fives class.
About Sioux Falls Lutheran School
At Sioux Falls Lutheran School, our mission is to develop capable, Christian servant-leaders in a complex world who are World Ready and Faith Secure. We are passionate about giving our students the tools they need to be successful academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We strive to accomplish this goal by maintaining high academic standards, employing excellent teachers, and upholding a Christian worldview drawn from Scripture. Ultimately, we are committed to partnering with parents and the church to raise lifelong learners who use their gifts and the fruits of the Spirit, in faith, to touch a troubled world with God’s grace.