Tomorrow is a Great Day For BOOLING!
Join us tomorrow to celebrate a successful start to the Annual Campaign with Soundview Parent and Guardian Association’s event, BOOLING! We will be bowling in costumes and featuring a fun-filled trunk-or-treat. It’s one of our most popular community gatherings, and we encourage all Soundview families, current and alum, to join us. Remember, it’s first come, first served for bowling. RSVP HERE.
Dear Soundview Families,
Thank you to our community for your generous contributions and support as we kicked off this year’s Annual Giving Campaign. Soundview offers a unique and transformative experience for our students, and this is only possible with a strong culture of philanthropy. Your generosity helps ensure that our programs remain ethical, rigorous, and compassionate. Discover what Soundview means to our Board of Trustees President, Shawn Heidel, by visiting HERE.
For those who weren’t able to participate in October, don’t worry! There will be opportunities throughout the school year to get involved and to continue conversations about how we can further advance our school. Your engagement and support truly make a difference. At any point in the year you can make a personally meaningful gift that will create a lasting impact on our students' lives.You can always make an immediate gift HERE or pledge your support HERE.
Here’s an update on our progress so far:
Total Gifts & Pledges: Last year we received 92 gifts. We are well on our way this year with 52 gifts so far.
Total Raised: Including immediate gifts, confirmed future pledges, and anticipated matching contributions, we’ve reached $225,665. Our goal is to reach $250,000 by the end of October.
Goal: Our goal for the school year is $365,000. There will be more opportunities to contribute, including an end-of-year appeal and at our Soundview Spring Benefit Event.
It was also an exciting and “spirited” week on campus as the entire school participated in our Soundview Spirit Week! The students were very engaged in themed attire, fun activities and showed off their school spirit. You can see photos from Soundview’s Spirit Week HERE.
Yesterday, the seventh-grade Humanities class visited Trinity Lutheran Church as part of their World Religions unit. These field trips give students a unique opportunity to explore primary sources by engaging with the people, architecture, and practices of each faith. Back in the classroom, students will reflect on how these experiences deepen their understanding as they prepare to research a religion of their choice. Learn more about the church HERE and view photos from the visit HERE.
Here are the November reminders or opportunities to look forward to:
The parent-teacher and student-led conferences will be on Thursday, October 31st and Friday, November 1st. There are no classes for students these days. Regular school resumes on Monday, November 4th at the usual time. Conferences are an important opportunity to discuss your child’s development as well as for our older students to practice their reflection, goal-setting, and presentation skills. Here is a quick explanation of each participant’s roles:
Students: (fifth- through eighth-graders lead their own conferences; conferences for lower grades are not student-led):
Identify strengths and areas for growth with specific examples.
Celebrate the students’ strengths.
Create a plan for addressing the students’ areas for growth.
Parents:
Please be punctual (it’s a very busy day).
Stay positive; focus on your child’s strengths.
Ask open-ended and reflective questions.
Teachers:
Manage the time respectfully.
Provide probing questions and highlight achievements.
Be ready to clarify where necessary.
Picture retake day is coming up! On Tuesday, November 5th Lincoln and Lucy Photography will be back to take individual portraits and sibling photos for those who sign up. When pictures are complete and ready for purchase, you will receive a link and code via email. Please secure your spot no later than November 1st by visiting HERE.
Our next Community Coffee event will be Wednesday, November 6th and will take place from 9:10 AM - 10:10 AM in the Performing Arts Center. Parking is available after dropping at 9:00 AM. A Community Coffee is an informal conversation with parents, our school counselor, other faculty/staff, and me. We’ll use the time to discuss the election, as well as the recent recommendations from Jonathan Haidt’s ParentEd webinar about screens and social media. You can find all of the dates on the Community Calendar HERE.
Join the SPGA on Wednesday, November 6th, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm for their second meeting of the year! All parents and guardians are warmly invited to participate, and a virtual attendance option will be available upon request. If you require childcare while attending the meeting, please sign up HERE.
Our 2nd ParentMap ParentEd Talk will take place on Thursday, November 7th from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. The topic is Winning Strategies for Parents of Gamers with Dr. Alok Kanojia, a parent coach and cofounder of Healthy Gamer. The live viewing for current Soundview parents will be in the Soundview library, with an optional discussion until 1:30 pm. Space will be limited. If you're unable to join us in person, you can register to watch the live stream. Here are a few helpful details:
Soundview community members can register HERE.
The password for complimentary ticket access is SOUNDVSCH
After the talk concludes, all registered attendees will be emailed a link to watch the recorded session at their convenience.
There will be no school, care or clubs on Monday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day.
On Thursday, November 14th the SPGA will be hosting a Family Education Night featuring Dr. Karen Pavlidis, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm in the PAC. The topic is “Strategies to Promote Self-Regulation in Children & Empowering Parents as the Agents of Change” This presentation aims to build caregiver confidence in supporting children’s self-regulation skills by teaching evidence-based, practical strategies for preventing and responding to common behavior challenges. You can register for the event and childcare by visiting HERE.
Friday, November 22nd is Soundview’s Grandparents and Special Friends Day (GPSF), a wonderful opportunity for grandparents and special friends to join us on campus and share in the Soundview experience. Guests are invited to spend an engaging hour in the classroom, participating in projects and activities alongside their students. It’s always a heartwarming day filled with connection and creativity! For more details and to RSVP, please click HERE.
Around the world and in different communities, November is a month of recognition and awareness:
Down Syndrome Awareness Month is celebrated in October to raise awareness of people with Down syndrome and their abilities, and to promote their inclusion in the community. The month was first designated in the 1980s by the National Down Syndrome Society. You can learn about Down Syndrome HERE.
National Adoption Week is an annual event that takes place from October 21st–27th and celebrates adoption and the families it creates. The week aims to raise awareness about the need for more adoptive families, especially for children in foster homes. It aims to educate the public about the adoption process and correct misconceptions, highlight the positive impact of adoption on individuals and communities, showcase the diversity of adoptive families, share inspiring stories, and emphasize the identity of adopted children. You can learn more about this HERE.
Thursday, October 31st - Friday, November 1st is Diwali. Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions. It symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". It's a major religious holiday in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, and is also observed by some Buddhists. The name Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word deepavali, which means "row of lights". You can learn more about this HERE.
Hope to see everyone at BOOLING!
Chris
Chris Watson, Soundview Head of School
One more thing…
On October 25th, 1940, Benjamin O. Davis Sr. became the first African American to be promoted to brigadier general in the United States Army and later rising to Lieutenant General throughout his career. He is most notably known for leading the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Davis's promotion was controversial because it was made by President Franklin D. Roosevelt right before the 1940 election. Davis's military career spanned 50 years and included service as a military attache to Liberia. During World War II, he traveled to Europe to inspect African American units and advised on race relations.
He retired from the military in 1948, but remained on active duty to perform inspections and offer recommendations on racial integration. Davis's son, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., became the second African American to attain the rank of general in the U.S. military in 1954, and the first in the Air Force. You can learn more about this HERE.
