Dear Parents,

What a fantastic start to the year!  I could not be more pleased with the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year at SOHS.  Our teachers have reported nothing but wonderful things as they have begun to work with your students, and I wanted to take a moment to share some of this positive feedback with you.

This year we have several teachers new to SOHS, and they have all been VERY impressed with the caliber and work ethic of our students.  These new additions to our staff are thrilled to be working in a school and district that has such a sincere focus on the well-being of the students, and we are equally thrilled to have these talented new faces join the ranks of our outstanding faculty.

Speaking of outstanding, hopefully you are aware that SOHS ranks among the top high schools in the country according to the 2012 Newsweek report.  South has appeared on this list for several years, and we are excited to once again receive this honor.  It is only through the hard work of our staff and students, and the enormous amount of parental support that SOHS continues to be recognized as one of the greatest high schools in our country.  Please know that we recognize your role in this accomplishment, and that we are incredibly appreciative of everything you do to support our students, our staff, and our school community.

Our students are also already celebrating some successes.  Our football team, boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, and volleyball team have all experienced victories over tough opponents.  The SOHS Marching Dragons are gearing up for their first competition, and of course we wish them the best of luck as they work on what I am told is a very difficult but dynamic show. We look forward to supporting all of our students this fall as they continue to represent SOHS through their involvement in various activities.

For those of you who have a freshman at SOHS this year, you may have heard him/her talk about Freshman Orientation.  This event was hosted by junior and senior students who serve as Link Leaders, or mentors, to the freshman class. The purpose of this day was to help transition the freshmen into a successful high school career at SOHS.  I have heard great feedback from teachers, Link Leaders, and freshmen, about the positive effect orientation had on our first few days of school.  I also know that our Link Leaders will continue to reach out to the class of 2016 to help them stay ON TARGET throughout the year.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to briefly share with you a little information about the professional development which all SOHS teachers participated in prior to the start of school.  The goal of this training was to help teachers focus on not only teaching but also reaching your student.  Our goal as a faculty is to equip your student with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in all of his or her college and/or career endeavors after high school.  We spent a considerable amount of time discussing the importance of building strong relationships with one another, and our students, so that we can effectively and efficiently help our students to reach their full potential.  I would like to invite each of you to be a part of the success of the students at SOHS.  There are so many ways that parents create opportunities for our students to grow, and by working together we can continue to foster great minds and great lives.  Thank you for all that you do.

I look forward not only to another wonderful school year, but also to working with the staff, students, and parents who all make SOHS such a spectacular place to learn.

Dorenda Neihof