Back to school for CSD Aug. 25

By Esther Noe

Just like that the summer is almost over, and the Custer School District (CSD) is gearing up for the 2026-27 school year.
New student enrollment for Custer Elementary School (CES) is Aug. 5-20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. At Hermosa School (HS) and Custer Jr./Sr. High School (CHS), new student enrollment is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. respectively Aug. 10-20 Monday through Thursday.
Junior and senior high school returning student schedules and computer checkouts will be available at the high school Monday, Aug. 17 and Tuesday, Aug. 18 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 19 and Thursday, Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
Paperwork will need to be completed, and a parent’s signature and necessary payment are required prior to a laptop being issued. There is a $25 nonrefundable fee per student or a maximum of $50 per family. Prices for computer coverage do not include lost chargers or battery replacements. Laptops are for seventh through 12th grade students only. Legal guardians must be present to sign paperwork.
District open houses are Wednesday, Aug. 19 at HS from 4:30-6:30 p.m. In Custer, open houses are Monday, Aug. 24 at the high school and elementary school from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The Custer kindergarten and junior kindergarten meeting is in the gym at 6 p.m. Aug. 24.
This year, the CSD Board of Education opted to start the school year Tuesday, Aug. 25. There is no school Monday, Sept. 7 for Labor Day. School day hours are 7:45 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. for CES, 7:50 a.m. to 3:46 p.m. for CHS and 7:40 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. for HS.
Homecoming week is Oct. 12-16, with a parade Oct. 16. The last day of the fall semester is Dec. 17. After winter break, the spring semester begins Jan. 5. Graduation is scheduled for May 22, and the last day of school is May 27.
Parent teacher conferences for all three schools will be Oct. 23 from 8-11:30 a.m. and March 16 from 4-7:30 p.m. Also, CES and HS will have parent teacher conferences Oct. 19 from 4-7:30 p.m., and CHS will have parent teacher conferences Oct. 26 from 4-7:30 p.m.
In case of inclement weather, school will be closed when, in the judgment of the superintendent or his/her designee, conditions would not be safe for buses to operate or for children to walk to school. The official statement will be made over KOTA, KEVN/FOX, KELO and KNBN television in the morning.
Beginning this school year, all students who qualify for reduced-price meals will now receive meals at no cost. The Free/Reduced Meal program has changed, and there is no longer a reduced-price category for eligible students. All reduced meals are now free. Families are encouraged to complete an application to determine if they qualify for free meal benefits and other eligible programs. 
This includes the $500 college savings for qualifying kindergartners funded through Trailhead Scholars at the Black Hills Area Community Foundation. Applications are available through the school offices or at csd.k12.sd.us/page/csd-meal-program.
The 2026-27 student and adult meal prices are as follows:
• Paid elementary, middle school and high school breakfast: $1.95
• Adult breakfast: $3.35
• Milk, extra milk and morning snack milk: $0.65
• Paid elementary lunch: $3.30
• Paid middle and high school lunch: $3.45
• Premium paid lunch: $4.60
• Adult Lunch: $5.25
• Premium adult lunch: $5.50
Lunch ala Carte Items: 
• Extra lunch entree: $2.75
• Extra branded/fresh pizza: $2.75
• Extra premium lunch entree: $3
• Adult fruit and veggie bar: $3.75
Activity passes are on sale now at all school offices. For regular season events, kindergarten through 12th grade students are $4, adults are $6 and senior citizens (60+) are $3. Season passes for kindergarten through eighth grade students are $25, ninth through 12th grade students are $35, adults are $54 and family passes are $85. Complimentary senior citizen passes will be issued upon request for those Custer County residents 60 years of age or older. Playoff event admission prices are according to South Dakota High School Activities Association guidelines.
There are a number of new coaches this year as well. Amanda Hewett is the head soccer coach, Bohdan Pesicka is the assistant soccer coach, Shayna Young is the head volleyball coach, Jenna Frederick and Becky Lowe are the assistant high school volleyball coaches, Heather Cooper is the assistant girls basketball coach, Nathanial Schaffer is the CHS assistant football coach, Sami Lebert is the middle school volleyball coach, Kayden Kursave is the HS volleyball coach, Young is the Hermosa School girls basketball coach and Kim Ellerton is the Hermosa School boys basketball coach.
New to the teaching staff this year are CES and HS art teacher Reilly Lane, CES third grade teacher Marc Lerberg, Jr./Sr. high school special education teacher Kristy Reindl and seventh-eighth grade Custer English Language Arts teacher Nora Smolnisky.
HS transfers/staff changes include Brandi Cook as a first grade teacher, Kristin Seidler as a third grade teacher, Lowe as a concessions advisor and Melinda Thaut as a special education paraprofessional (para). CHS transfers/staff changes include Skylair Jaure as a physical education teacher and activities director, Jake Hiser as a physical education and math teacher and Catherine Halliday as the seventh through 12th grade choir teacher and fifth through 12th grade band teacher. CES transfers/staff changes include Nicole Schmidt as a fourth grade teacher, Darla Hemingway as the admin assistant and Madalyn Hattervig, Vachel Rice, Jae Lykken and Thea Teasley as special education paras.
Updated student handbooks, school supply lists and more can be found at csd.k12.sd.us.