February 28th at Southwest - ACT for Juniors and Activities for 9, 10 and 12

Southwest 11th Graders

will be taking the 

Official ACT with the Writing Section

February 28 starting at 8:05 am

9th and 10th Graders

EXPLORE and PLAN test Interpretations

and

Academic Showcase

and

2017-18 Course Pre-Registration

12th Graders

Academic Showcase Support

Release after lunch

February 28, Tuesday is a a regular school day for all students.  

Seniors will be released around 1;15 pm

9, 10 and 11th Graders may be released

30 -60 minutes early (2:00 - 2;30 pm)

Mark Your Calendar - March 27 Viva City Fine Arts Festival at Guthrie Theater

Southwest Alumni Levi Schwartzberg Performs at Jazz Central

Southwest Senior Brennen Hawkins Athlete of the Week

Tardy Policy to Change Effective March 1

Time to have that Talk!

Class time is important.  Talking to friends is important.  Telling Mom where you are going to be at 4 pm is important.  How do I fit it all in?

The 1st period class starts at 8:05 am.  It has been that way for over one full year.  The first bell is at 8:00 am and means start walking toward class.  8:05 am is a TARDY BELL.  Students arriving at school or just getting to class after 8:05 are TARDY.

there are five minutes in between classes.  With a couple exceptions it is possible to go from one class in one corner of the building to another class in the opposite corner in five minutes.  Yes, it means there is limited conversation on that walk across campus.

A student need to be in the next class by the tardy bell.  There is a warning bell two minutes earlier than the tardy bell.

Please discuss with you student the importance of being where the student belongs.  More details to follow.  The conversations with students starts today,

10 things you should never say to your kids

Parenting is one of the toughest jobs out there, and in her work as the Director of the Barnard Center for Toddler Development and the author of "How Toddlers Thrive," Dr. Tovah Klein has seen plenty of questionable parenting tactics.

While perfection is probably not a realistic goal to aim for, Klein spoke to INSIDER about what parents should avoid saying to their kids in order to avoid hurt feelings and harmful stereotypes.

"That's not how you do it, let me show you."

Tina Floersch/Unsplash

Kids need to fail a few times in order to learn a new skill. Stepping in and doing the work for them will make them feel like they aren't capable of doing it at all.

"It gives a clear message to the child of 'I can't do this, only the grown-ups know how to do it,'" said Klein. "It actually works against [building] confidence."

"You're just being silly."

Vance Osterhout/Unsplash

Kids are unpredictable, but there's usually some method to the madness. 

"Maybe they don't want to say hello or greet somebody, and the parent goes 'Oh you're just being silly,' when in fact, the child is feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable because it's a new situation," she said. "It takes away whatever the child is actually feeling or doing at the moment."

Instead of shutting them down by dismissing their feelings, she recommends helping them label their emotions.

"You're so shy."

Caleb Woods/Unsplash

Labeling a personality type based on a temporary emotional state, however, isn't helpful.

"Whether the child in general has a shy nature or not, at that moment they're feeling uncomfortable, but it doesn't necessarily last," she said.

"That's not something to cry about."

Pexels

Telling a child to stop crying when they're upset, even if it's for a trivial reason (or seemingly no reason at all), embarrasses them. 

"If a child is very upset, they're upset, and what they actually need is some empathy and some help calming down," said Klein.

"Big boys don't cry."

Brandon Morgan/Unsplash

Gender stereotypes start young. For boys, this often translates into expectations of being tough and stoic by suppressing their emotions.

"The message becomes clear — don't have feelings," said Klein.

"Look how beautiful you are!"

Nina Strehl/Unsplash

Girls also receive their fair share of messages about what the world expects of them from a young age.

"'You're so beautiful, look how beautiful you are' gives girls clear messages about how they're supposed to look," she said.

"That isn't so pretty. It doesn't look good on you."

Marjorie Bertrand/Unsplash

Same goes for commenting on their clothing choices. 

"That gives girls clear messages about 'I'm supposed to look a certain way,' and that certain way is considered the standard of prettiness," she said.

"Are you sure you want to eat that? It's going to make you fat."

Danielle MacInnes/Unsplash

"This is somewhat gendered, especially for girls, but it's true for all children," said Klein. "Particularly in our society for girls, who get so many messages about their bodies."

Parents should also watch what they say about their own eating habits and body image. When kids hear parents worrying about getting fat or gaining weight, they adopt those concerns.

"You're so smart."

Alexander Dummer/Unsplash

It might seem counter-intuitive, but telling a kid that they're smart actually makes them less motivated.

"Saying that kind of thing to children actually can work against their striving to learn," she said. "Learning is a series of trials and tribulations. It's not just 'I'm smart, I know everything.'" 

"I'm so disappointed in you."

Jakub Kriz/Unsplash

No need to play up the guilt if a child knows they misbehaved.

"If the child already knows they've done something wrong or they're already feeling badly, it riddles the child with shame," said Klein. "Instead, try to understand what happened with the child and why something happened, and then let them know that it can't happen again, and help them put it back together."

Read the original article on INSIDER. Follow INSIDER on Facebook. Copyright 2017. Follow INSIDER on Twitter.

Southwest Japanese World Language Students Placed Second Japan Bowl

Thirteen Southwest Japanese students participated in the J-Quiz at Normandale Community College. 

This is a bi-state competition to test the ability of high school students in Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin who are studying the Japanese language.  It is modeled on a quiz show format and aims to make the study of Japanese challenging and enjoyable.  There were three levels: level II, level III and level IV in this competition. 

The Southwest level VI-A students got second place in their category.

Please congratulate Level IV-A students! The finalists who represented Southwest at Regions this year were:

Level IV-A — Virginia Culhane,  Megan Browne, Elizabeth Bieger

Please acknowledge these other participants who did a great job at Regions this year:

Level IV-B — Athen Schooler,  Zakeria Husein

Level III-A —Maddison Blevins,  Julia Reiswig,  Jairo Sanchez Hernandez

Level II-A — Audrey Jenkins,  Elena Graham,  Annie Thao

Level II-B —Grace Smith,  Darius Stone

Thank you for your support!

Kyoko French

Southwest Japanese World Language Teacher