What a Fantastic School Year!
Congratulations to the remarkable 2024 eighth-grade class of Soundview School as they embark on their high school journey! This year’s graduating class has a combined total of 58 years of experience at Soundview.
Dear Soundview Families,
Congratulations on an extraordinary school year! I’m so proud of our school community. It is my great honor to serve as your head of school. This week, it was a joy to reflect on the achievements of every single Soundview student, and that includes their academic growth, creative and artistic expression, and the deepening of relationships between students and their classmates and teachers. We’ve taken an ethical, rigorous, and compassionate approach, and that is what makes Soundview special. Thanks to our entire community.
On Monday, our eighth-grade students had a "skip day," which included a memorable journey to the Woodland Park Zoo and downtown Edmonds. You can see photos from this trip below.
Additionally on Monday, our sixth and seventh-grade students had an end-of-year field trip to Lynndale Park for some fun, games, and lunch together. You can see photos from this trip below.
On Tuesday, we upheld the Soundview tradition with our student-led Field Day, an event brimming with excitement and community. You can see pictures from this event by visiting below.
On Thursday, amidst a buzz of excitement, our students, staff, and faculty came together to commemorate the end of the school year, relishing moments of camaraderie as they penned heartfelt messages in yearbooks and enjoyed refreshing popsicles. Experience the joy captured in snapshots by viewing them below.
On the last day of school, we gathered in the Soundview forest for the well-earned Soundview Achievement Ceremony. We recognized the efforts of our Class Captains, celebrated the value added from Soundview Parent and Guardian Association, and presented our International Baccalaureate award winners. We also announced the yearbook cover contest winner and Edmonds Art Festival honors. Thanks to our orchestra for providing the soundtrack. You can see photos from the ceremony by visiting below.
Finally, our community gathered last night for the graduation ceremony of the class of 2024. Congratulations to our graduates and their families!
Here is information about the transition to summer and the next school year:
Enroll for Soundview Summer Camp from June 24th through August 2nd. To register, click HERE.
Soundview administrative offices are open daily throughout the summer from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM except for: the Juneteenth holiday on Wednesday, June 19th; Independence Day July 4th-5th; and school cleaning and maintenance August 5th-16th.
Join our Soundview community at our Summer Social on Saturday, August 3rd, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Lynndale Park, Shelter #2.
You can expect two communications from Soundview this summer: In mid-July, look for a summer update letter from me with highlights of the upcoming school year; and a mid-August letter from me with all the information you will need to be ready for the 2024-2025 school year.
We will donate all unclaimed lost and found items next Friday, June 21st. If you think you are missing an item, please come by campus during the week of June 17th - 21st to collect any items that belong to your student.
If you have a friend who’s student would benefit from an ethical, rigorous and compassionate education please reach out and connect them with our Director of Enrollment Management Victoria Nunes HERE. We have limited spaces in just a few grade levels.
Stay connected to Soundview on our social media channels. We’ll be posting all summer. Follow us on Instagram HERE and Facebook HERE.
Around the world and in different communities, June is a month of recognition and awareness:
June 19th, known as Juneteenth, is a holiday celebrated to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, enslaved people were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. You can learn more about this HERE.
June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly National Aboriginal Day). This is a day recognizing and celebrating the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Indigenous peoples of Canada. The day was first celebrated in 1996, after it was proclaimed that year by then Governor General of Canada Roméo LeBlanc, to be celebrated annually on June 21st. This date was chosen as the statutory holiday for many reasons, including its cultural significance as the Summer solstice, and the fact that it is a day on which many Indigenous peoples and communities traditionally celebrate their heritage. You can learn more about this HERE.
Pride Day, also known as International LGBT+ Pride Day, is celebrated on June 28th to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City's Greenwich Village. The riots were a response to police harassment and social discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community, and sparked a series of protests that galvanized the gay rights movement. The first Pride marches took place on June 28th, 1970, the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social groupYou can read more about this HERE.
Happy Father’s Day and enjoy your summer, it’s well earned!
Chris
Chris Watson, Soundview Head of School
One more thing…
On June 14th, 1949, Albert II, a male rhesus macaque monkey, became the first mammal and primate to travel to space. The Air Force Aeromedical Laboratory monkey flew 83 miles (134 kilometers) on a V-2 rocket from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, surviving the launch but dying on impact during reentry when his capsule's parachute failed. Albert II's physiological data was recorded up until the moment of impact. The monkeys sent into space were anesthetized during their missions, and sensors and cameras allowed scientists to study the effects of radiation and weightlessness on living organisms at high altitudes. Without these animal sacrifices, many more human lives may have been lost during the space program. You can learn more about this HERE.
