Volume 13

This Week at South Vol. 13 

Good Morning South Students, Parents, Staff, and Community Members, 

Please find the Weekly Bulletin for December 2nd through 6th (Also Attached)

Part I: The News

All School Pancake Breakfast Request from PTSO:

Hello, South High School Families!!

This year we are having our biannual FREE Pancake Breakfast on Friday, Dec.13th to kick off FINALS WEEK!! We need LOTS of helpers and donations!!

Please click on the link below to see what our needs are!!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0449A9AE2CA2FF2-free

Thank you for your support! South High PTSO

Jazz Band at O’Malley Elementary:

Mr. Somaduroff and South’s Jazz Band volunteered to play at O’Malley Elementary’s Blue Ribbon School Assembly last week. Here’s a brief thank you message I received from Principal Kelly Eagleton:

  • I want to thank you so much, especially Mr. Somaduroff and your kids for performing! The Jazz Band made our celebration so special! Students and staff loved hearing you play, they are amazing!! It was a perfect combination of fun and excitement!

ASAA All-State Music Follow Up:

Here is a comprehensive list of All-State Music Winners, continued from last week:

  • Abigail Webster  - French Horn - 4 years in a row!
  • Emma Hogge - Tuba 
  • Claire Meeds - Mixed Choir Alto 1
  • Sarah Robinson - Mixed Choir Alto 2
  • Calvin Kern - Cello 

South Theatre: And Then There Were None:

South’s Theatre Group just finished a production of And Then There Were None with a rotating cast, some students singing in Choir while also performing in the production, and one senior who participated in a school production for the first time. 

If you missed the show in person, you can follow the link and see the full production here.

Fund Raise for Special Olympics by Taking a Polar Plunge with your Principal:

Shelley Cooper and South High Partners Club have been participating in The Polar Plunge and raising money for Special Olympics since 2009.  Last year almost $9000 dollars was raised. Help us get into the double digits this year! Here’s a quick video from years past. To join us, donate, or find more information, visit the following link.  

Winter Dance (Crystal Ball) Spirit Week:

As a way of injecting some light and energy into the winter darkness, we will have a spirit week this week leading to the Winter Carnival on Friday and Winter Dance on Saturday. The days are as follows:

  1. Monday: Upperclassmen wear RED; Underclassmen wear GREEN
  2. Tuesday: Wear Flannel
  3. Wednesday: Wear Ski Clothing or Winter Gear
  4. Thursday: Ugly Holiday Sweater Day
  5. Friday: White Out!

 

Part II: Big Ideas & Their Application

We’re back from Thanksgiving Break and in the home stretch to final exams. In an effort to give everyone a tool for approaching the next three weeks, and for making plans for how to approach next semester,  I’d like to introduce a new big idea: The Keystone Habit and the power of small wins. 

A Keystone Habit is defined by Charles Duhigg, in his book The Power of Habit, as a beneficial habit or routine that has “the power to start a chain reaction, changing other habits”(p. 100). Both organizations and individuals can have Keystone Habits, and in both instances, finding the right habit can have exponential benefits. This idea works based on “small wins”. In other words, small wins create momentum, which then carries over into other parts of life, work, or school. In Duhigg’s own words:

  • Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favor another small win. Small wins fuel transformative changes by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people that bigger achievements are within reach. (p.112).

At South, we are attempting to create our own organizational Keystone Habit by internalizing a way of thinking that relies on three reflective questions, which help all school staff focus on serving students based on their learning needs.  

These same questions could be asked at home in order to identify students’ learning strengths and weaknesses, which will help parents and students identify next actions. This could be used as a helpful strategy to prepare for finals:

  1. What challenges or expectations am I expected to meet?
  2. What strategies will I use in order to face the challenges or meet the expectations? 
  3. How well did my strategies work, and how will I adjust my approach next time?

Next week, I will share a couple of examples of Keystone Habits from Duhigg’s book, and how these might translate into exponential benefits for everyone as we move forward. 

Have a Great Week South!