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A Note from the Principal
Dr. Tim Anderson
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As parents one of our primary concerns from the moment we have our children is for their safety. We childproof the cabinets, purchase the baby monitors, watch what they eat etc. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for parents is how to ensure safety, while allowing our children to separate from us and ultimately get some bumps and bruises along the journey to independence. It can be scary when we are not able to guarantee their "safety", because we don't control their environment as we were able to when they were young. When thinking about safety, we often consider physical, emotional and intellectual safety.
We raise our children exposing them to our beliefs, values and behaviors. We want them to continue in life, building on this foundation as they make their decisions and choices. In school, present multiple perspectives and ideas and assist students to critically think about them. We use multiple methods to do so; questions, readings, film clips, discussions and other methods are used at South View to help students explore ideas and events. Sometimes for students it is unsettling to hear an idea that they have never thought about before. As educators, we want students to be able to make informed decisions, logically analyze positions and issues, create new ideas, take a stand or position and defend it with evidence and communicate one's ideas to others. We hope that when students grapple with an idea they will talk about it at home with you this year and will be strengthened intellectually in being able to address a multitude of issues with confidence.
The ups and downs of middle school development create other safety concerns for parents. Will other students treat my student well? Will they be accepted? Sometimes kids can display meanness at this age-even your child! It is a not uncommon part of this developmental stage. This behavior does not define the person. It is what middle school-aged students sometimes do in order to figure out who they are and how they want to be. It can be challenging for parents to allow our child to be around other people who might be struggling with appropriate behavior. However, your child can grow stronger and more confident and resilient when they encounter such challenges, which helps them develop the skills for future emotional ups and downs.
The physical safety of our students is also important. The older our kids get, the less control we have about protecting them physically, because they aren't with us every minute of the day. This fall, we have been having fire drills and lockdown drills, which helps prepare students in case of an emergency. We have discussed rules and expectations at school, because with almost 1400 students, we need to "manage" physical space so we reduce the likelihood of people getting hurt. As parents, you can help by abiding the traffic expectations in dropping off and picking up your students to ensure everyone's safety. As noted in the "reminders" section of this newsletter, we have observed a lot of unsafe driving in our pedestrian crossing areas. Please do your part to help keep our students safe as they head to and from school.
The reality is that our challenge as parents is that we need to do what feels counter-intuitive. We need to let go of some control, which means our students might be hurt emotionally, encounter an idea that we didn't want them to think about and fall off their bike on the way to school. We are available and supportive to our kids but we don't take over. As we slowly relinquish our parental control, we also are giving them "tools" to deal with the things that confront them. In this way, we send the message to our children, "You are capable of solving your own problems. You can work this out. You will get through this. You are becoming your own person. I am here to help assist you if you need it." And this is the time when students can make mistakes or bad choices, from which we utilize as teachable moments for growth and maturity. For our ninth graders, this is a time for true leadership opportunities. It is important to know that
9th grade is also the first year of high school,
which is recorded on their high school transcript, so it is a
very important year
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Tim Anderson, Ed. D., Principal
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- Fall Fest Sept 23
- Monday, Sept 26th: Magazine drive kick-off
- Tuesday, September 27th: Postcards due!
- Friday, September 30th: 1st Magazine Order Turn-In: Double Order Day!
- Sept. 30th - Early Release (12:40pm)
- Wednesday, October 5th: Final Magazine Order Turn-In: Virtual Reality Glasses Bonus!
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Counselor's Corner
The latest news from your SV counselors
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Safety Reminders
Please remember to
slow down
when driving past the school and pay careful attention to people in the crosswalk and stop until everyone gets safely across. We have many students walking to school in the mornings and need to assure their safety. A number of parents and community members have contacted us recently with concerns about cars driving too fast and/or not waiting for pedestrian traffic to cross. Thanks for your kind attention to this matter!
Thanksgiving
For the first time in many years, we have classes on the Monday/Tuesday of Thanksgiving Week. Please remember that these are scheduled school days and if students miss a test for a planned trip we encourage students to make the effort to hopefully take them before they leave.
Celebrate Back To School with South View's Fall Fest 2016!
Friday, September 23
Tickets are $5 in Advance or $8 at the door
(Tickets may be purchased during lunch the week of Fall Fest)
6
th
Grade - 3-5pm (Students must meet in the cafeteria after school)
7
th
-9
th
Grade- 6-8pm (Students must enter Door #7 - West Wing)
Activities Include
: Outdoor Dance Party, Laser Tag, Hippo Chow Down Challenge, Giant Jenga, Giant Twister, Game Room, Dunk Tank, Karaoke, Donut Eating Contest, Movies, & More!
Food
will be available for Purchase
Please note: Students are not allowed to leave early without a parent
Edina PCN Event: "Chemical Health and Mental Health: What Parents Need to Know" More information here:
PCN Event
Magazine Drive Fundraiser
We are kicking off our Magazine Drive Fundraiser on Monday, September 26th! We will have traditional kick-off assemblies in the auditorium for 6th through 8th graders, while 9th graders will watch a video in advisory. Please encourage student participation as this drive provides much-needed classroom and building funds. A schedule for the magazine drive is below!
Monday, Sept 26th:
Magazine drive kick-off
Tuesday, September 27th:
Postcards due!
Friday, September 30th:
1st Turn-In: Double Order Day!
Wednesday, October 5th:
Final Turn-In: Virtual Reality Glasses Bonus
Taking Students out of School
We understand that kids have appointments etc. and would like remind you of the procedure to make the process easier for everyone.
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Send a note with your child with their name, grade, time they are getting picked up, reason for absence and your signature.
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Student will bring the note to the office in the morning and receive a pass.
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When it is time to go they show the pass to the teacher and meet you at door.
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If the student will be returning to school, that same pass can be given to the teacher. Simple!
When students are in music or phy ed they can be more difficult to reach so following this procedure will prevent you from being late to your appointment!
Lost and Found Items
There are already many items in our lost and found. Please remind your child to check for their belongings across from the office by
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4725 South View Lane, Edina, MN 55424
Office: 952-848-3700 | Attendance: 952-848-3702
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