Grandparents & Special Friends Day!
Friday, November 22nd is Soundview’s Grandparents and Special Friends Day (GPSF), a wonderful opportunity for ALL grandparents and special friends to join us on campus and share in the Soundview experience. For more details and to RSVP, please click HERE.
Dear Soundview Families,
We hope the recent parent/teacher and student-led conferences were both meaningful and joyful experiences, supporting our partnership on your child’s educational journey at Soundview. These conferences spotlight essential skills like analysis, reflection, and goal-setting, empowering students to take an active role in their growth. They also serve as a valuable touchpoint for strengthening the school-family partnership that lies at the heart of our community. If you have any follow-up questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher—together, we are all here to support your child’s success.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU to our amazing Soundview Parent/Guardian Association (SPGA) for hosting one of the school community’s favorite events last weekend: BOOLING! The community spirit at Soundview is truly exceptional. It was fantastic to see so many of you enjoying the festivities and showcasing such creative costumes! See the pics below.
Last Friday was our middle school Fall Ball, an evening of dressing up, dancing, games, and treats. Another heartfelt THANK YOU to the SPGA for organizing this memorable event! Photos from the Fall Ball are available below.
Last week included some exciting educational field trips. Our kindergarten and 1st/2nd grade students enjoyed a heartwarming visit to Fairwinds Brighton Court, just across the street. In costume, they paraded for the residents, bringing smiles and joy to our neighbors. You can learn more about Fairwinds Brighton Court HERE and see photos from this delightful parade below.
Additionally, our 5th-grade students took on an environmental challenge at North City Park, where they worked diligently on restoration efforts. They learned hands-on skills to clear invasive species such as ivy, laurel, holly, and Himalayan blackberry, becoming the first group to contribute to this important new site. This experience also equips them with valuable skills they can bring back to our Soundview forest. Discover more about North City Park HERE and enjoy photos from the trip below.
Admissions Season is in Full Swing! Our Director of Enrollment Management, Victoria Nunes, is already hard at work guiding tours and processing applications for the 2025-2026 school year. If you know families who would benefit from an education that is ethical, rigorous, and compassionate, please share the Soundview story with them! We love the chance to introduce prospective families to the warmth and excellence of our school community. For more information or to schedule a visit, you can reach out to Victoria HERE.
A special reminder for Soundview families: our early admissions process for siblings of current students, which offers priority consideration, is now open! The deadline for sibling applications is December 6, 2024. For all other applicants, the deadline is January 31, 2025.
Here are the November reminders or opportunities to look forward to:
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 all 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! We’ll host three sessions and expect a pretty great turn-out, so please register your student’s guests as soon as possible by clicking HERE.
Early childhood and kindergarten: 9:30 am to 10:30 am
First- through fifth-grades: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Sixth- through eighth-grades: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Around the world and in different communities, November is a month of recognition and awareness:
Native American Heritage Month is observed in November to call attention to the culture, traditions, and achievements of the nation's original inhabitants and of their descendants. The official designation of November as National Native American Heritage Month was signed into law in 1990. You can learn more about this HERE.
November 1st and 2nd celebrate the holiday Day of the Dead, widely recognized in Mexico, as well as other parts of the world. On this holiday, the spirits of the dead are believed to return home to spend time with their relatives. The event also coincides with the last two days of Roman Catholic Allhallowtide, which includes All Saints Day on Nov. 1st and All Souls Day on Nov. 2nd, both of which honor the dead. You can learn more about the Day of the Dead HERE.
All the best (and stay warm),
Chris
Chris Watson, Soundview Head of School
One more thing…
On November 1st, 1945 the first issue of Ebony magazine was published. The magazine featured profiles of writer Richard Wright and jazz singer Hazel Scott, stories about African Americans in publishing, the color line in Brazil and a sale of African art in Philadelphia. The monthly magazine chronicles Black life in America, including the fight for civil rights, and provides a forum for African Americans to reflect on and celebrate their own communities. Founded only two months after the end of World War II, the magazine reflected African Americans' postwar determination to claim their rights as equal citizens. You can read more about this HERE.
