A Note From the Principal
Dr. Tim Anderson

Effective ways to handle your middle schooler’s emotions
At South View, students, staff and families have been amazing this year in so many ways! I have seen resilience, persistence, effort and flexibility in so many ways. And the allure of summer and all the opportunity and excitement it brings looms just around the corner! Of course, there is still more teaching and learning ahead of us, which is important and which demands more resilience, persistence, effort and flexibility from us all. This truism can cause stress and impact us in sometimes challenging ways. At school, we are seeing some students struggle with these demands and express understandable frustration and related behavior. In a normal year, adolescence can present these challenges, and preteens are notorious for their strong emotions. Perhaps you are seeing some of this at home, too. Here are tips for handling your child’s angry outbursts: 
  • Stay in control. Overreacting to your child’s anger only adds fuel to the fire. Give your child some space and time to settle down. Resume your discussion when you’re both calm. 
  • Avoid harsh punishment. It’s tempting to yell, “You’re grounded for a month!” when you’re upset. But discipline should be designed to teach, not punish. 
  • Don’t give in. If you’ve made a good decision, stick to it. Show your child that pleading and tantrums will not change your mind. 
  • Offer choices. Giving your middle schooler a sense of power can reduce frustration and outbursts. Say things like, “You can finish your report either before you go on a run or after. It’s your decision.”
We are in this together! Here’s to a successful partnership with all of you as we work to finish this challenging year well, together!
– adapted from the Parent Institute