ASK US
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Thanks for your Ask Us questions. After a backlog, we are back with a slightly new format. Some of the questions we receive can be grouped together with a single response.

We also encourage you to pose questions first to your supervisors, when possible. They have more understanding of specifics within your department.

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Dear Team Members:

In the past week, we received eight Ask Us questions, which all arrived at the same time. They were submitted during the last four months, with some dated as far back as June. To ensure confidentiality, we use an external web hosting company to receive and forward the submissions. The same problem occurred with emails requesting adoption records and inquiries about volunteering; four months’ worth of emails arrived last week. The external company is working with our IT department to find out why the emails were not forwarded immediately.

Questions related to Residential and School matters will be addressed at all-staff meetings with Deanna and Malia on Wednesday, October 16.

Here are responses to the other questions:

Q: According to the Emergency Manual the Calling Tree is updated every other month and distributed to staff. The last time I received a hard copy of the Calling Tree was during the Covid outbreak. Is this still a thing?

A: We’re grateful to you for drawing our attention to the Calling Tree. It is updated monthly and stored on SharePoint, where it is available to anyone who has the right link and login permissions. In addition, administrative assistants print the Calling Tree and place it in the emergency procedures binders in each building. We are reviewing ways to make the Calling Tree available to all employees and will communicate our solution soon!

Q: With all the improvements happening around campus, has there been any discussion about adding a fence around the playground areas for improved safety for the children?

Also, it would be nice to have permanent canopies placed for shaded areas. They would provide a long-term investment to give children and staff alike to place to sit in the shade while enjoying the benefits of being outside.

A: Thank you for your question. We have been focusing primarily on larger-scale campus improvement projects, such as the new dining hall in Sioux Falls and the new campus in Rapid City. Your comments are valued and appreciated and we will be reviewing them soon. A meeting is scheduled for the first week of November to discuss the Sioux Falls Campus master plan, which will likely include playground updates, building potential and property fencing.

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