Principal's Corner: Sept. 18, 2026

MPS Messaging

Hello South High Families,

I wanted to pass along some messaging from MPS Communications in regard to School Transformation. Minneapolis Public Schools has been on a journey the last few years to reimagine the MPS student experience, to move closer to financial sustainability, increase enrollment and retain more families. The bottom line is that our students deserve more, and there are systemic barriers that we need to address to improve student experiences across our district.

Tuesday, Sept 15, MPS staff shared three proposals to increase the number of students accessing the MPS student experience districtwide.

MPS has several resources available on our School Transformation website (https://www.mpschools.org/about-mps/school-transformation) to learn more about the proposed options:

Detailed information about each of the proposals (https://www.mpschools.org/about-mps/school-transformation)
An interactive map (https://srfconsulting.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=2ab005ccff584320bfd8ba952520e876) which shows current and proposed boundary changes

We, in partnership with MPS Leaders, encourage you to seek information, attend information and feedback sessions and complete surveys to share your thoughts and feelings. South will be hosting a Transformation Meeting on Site. See all dates below.

Attend a Meeting

All meetings will be held from 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Interpreters (Spanish, Hmong & Somali) and childcare will be available.

Camden High School: Sept. 30, 2026
Washburn High School: Oct. 1, 2026
Edison High School: Oct. 2, 2026
South High School: Oct. 6, 2026
North High School: Oct. 7, 2026
Southwest High School: Oct. 8, 2026
Roosevelt High School: Oct. 9, 2026

MPS Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment (EDIA)

MPS is currently recruiting new members to join the MPS Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment (EDIA) Committee! The EDIA Committee partners with MPS as a voluntary advisory and consulting committee that – through an equity lens – reviews, assesses, discusses, and makes recommendations to improve district-level policies and practicesthat directly impact staff, students, and families. This committee is composed of MPS students, caregivers, community organizations, and school/district staff that are representative of our larger MPS community.

If you are interested in applying or want to learn more, visit the EDIA webpage. Interested applicants must submit an online, paper, or audio application by September 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

South High Smudge

On Friday, September 11, our South High Community engaged in an all school smudge. Rachel Wilson and Vincent Patton, in collaboration with the All Nations staff and students, led our school community in a beautiful smudge ceremony.

Smudging (also called wakan wakan in some Dakota contexts) is the act of burning dried sacred plants. Example plants such as Dakota sage (Artemisia ludoviciana), white sage, sweetgrass, cedar, or tobacco, inside a fire‑safe bowl or abalone shell. The act of wafting the smoke around a person, object, or space is the definition of smudge. The smoke is believed to remove negative energy, restore balance, and strengthen connection to ancestors and the natural world. Students and staff have to option to step out of the circle if they choose not to participate.

It was a beautiful event and we invite you to ask your student about the ceremony for more information.

School Transformation - Message from Superintendent Dr. Sayles-Adams

initially shared Friday, September 11: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPNworhlfDs)

Between now and October 16, we want to hear your feedback about the options. Share your feedback with us by completing our survey (https://my.thoughtexchange.com/participate/226363058) or attending an upcoming community meeting. While you are welcome to attend any meeting, we encourage you to attend the meeting at the high school in your pathway as that pathway will be the focus for the presentation. We also encourage you to work with your student(s) to share their feedback.

We’d like to thank you for your support and we look forward to continuing to improve your student’s experience here at MPS.

If you have any questions contact us at mailto:answers@mpls.k12.mn.us.

Feedback, Questions, Concerns & Celebrations!

Using the QR Code or the https://bit.ly/3UQYDsz LINK, please provide our team with feedback, questions, concerns and celebrations to help make South High the best school in the city!!

Thank you for your partnership.

Athletics Update - Home Games This Week

Cross Country Meet:

Sept 24 XC Meet @ Dodge Middle School in Farmington

Girls Tennis:

Tues. Sept 22 VS Roosevelt @ Powderhorn Park
Wed. Sept 23 VS Washburn @ Kenwood Park

Boys & Girls Super Soccer Saturday: Sept 26, 2026 - all day

JV girls: 9 am
Orange boys: 11 am
Black boys: 1 pm
Varsity girls: 3 pm
Senior recognition between varsity games (4:30 pm)
Varsity boys: 5 pm

A message from our families to our fans!!

We are reaching out to invite you to participate in this year's Super Soccer Saturday festivities happening on Saturday, September 26! We welcome you to come cheer on your South High soccer teams and/or to sign up as a volunteer since we have many spots to fill to make Super Soccer Saturday a success. To volunteer, sign up here: https://signup.com/go/Suiyhth.

-South High Soccer Boosters

South High CCC Newsletter Link

Attention Students & Families!

Please check out this week's CCC Newsletter, LINKED HERE.

-Kelsey & Katie

Latine Heritage Month & Family Engagement

Save the Date!! We will be celebrating Latine Heritage Month. We invite all South High families to join us for a night of food, fun and dance on Oct. 20, 2026. We will update future newsletters with further details.

Site Council - Meeting Notes

Save the Date for the new Site Council meeting.

Oct 8: 4:30-6:00pm

Check out the Meeting Notes from our September meeting:

LINK: click here

What's to Come?

We are still working to complete the following:

South High Homecoming Dates
Fall Conferences
Testing windows (FAST, MCAs, AP) Timeline
Grade change timeline
Full Staff Introduction