Principal's Corner: Oct 17, 2026
What's Going On at South High School?
Parent Teacher Conferences & MEA
Hello South Families,
It was wonderful to see so many families at Parent/Teacher Conferences this past week. We are proud of the progress our students are making toward their academic goals, and the strong turnout reflects the important partnership between families and educators in supporting student success. The collaboration between home and school plays a vital role in helping students grow, achieve, and reach their full potential. Thank you for your continued partnership, encouragement, and support. We value your feedback and look forward to working together to ensure every student continues to thrive.
Principal FitzGerald
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.
School Transformation
The Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education continued discussions regarding the district's school transformation work at its October 13 meeting. Board members considered a resolution calling for a comprehensive enrollment and facilities plan before final school closure decisions are made. The resolution emphasizes the importance of using districtwide enrollment, facility, and long-term planning data to guide future decisions. The Board's action means that additional planning and analysis will continue before any final closure decisions move forward. Families can expect ongoing updates as the district continues its school transformation process.
NO SCHOOL DATES:
- Tuesday, November 3 - Election Day
- Friday, November 13 - Teacher Grading Day
Homecoming - Starry NIght
- October 19: Spirit Day - Adam Sandler
- October 20: Spirit Day - Twin Day
- October 20: Latine Heritage Family Night
- October 21: Spirit Day - Dress for the Wrong Occasion
- October 22: Spirit Day - Tiger Day (Orange and Black)
- October 22: Pep Fest - 2:15-3:10pm
- October 22: Homecoming Volleyball Game
- October 23: Spirit Day - Class Color Day
- October 24: Homecoming Dance (Semi Formal Attire)
We specifically ask students to refrain from hazing activities on Class Color Day. In past years, some students have brought glitter to school and dumped it on other students throughout the day. While many students view this tradition as harmless fun, not all students are comfortable participating or expecting such interactions.
Additionally, glitter creates significant challenges for our custodial staff and can take weeks to fully clean from classrooms, hallways, and shared spaces. While we are proud to support student traditions and school spirit, we also want to encourage thoughtful participation in all Homecoming events and activities. By respecting one another's comfort levels and our shared spaces, students can help ensure that Homecoming is a positive experience for everyone.
Tardies & Hall Sweeps
One of our School Improvement Goals this year is to increase student attendance. Achieving this goal requires students, staff, and families to work together to ensure that all students understand the importance of being present, engaged, and on time for every class.
At South High, we believe that every student should attend school every day, every hour, and arrive on time to each class. To support this expectation, we will continue implementing hall sweeps throughout the school day.
Students are provided five minutes to transition between classes. Once the bell rings, our Engagement Team will make an announcement and begin the hall sweep process. Classroom doors will be locked, and students who are not in class will be directed to a common location where they will reflect on the reason for their tardiness. Families will be notified of the tardy so that we can work together to support timely attendance moving forward.
The first 10 to 15 minutes of class often contain some of the most important instruction, learning targets, and directions for the day. Arriving on time ensures that students are prepared to fully participate and benefit from the learning experience.
Thank you for your partnership and support. We are confident that these interventions will reduce the number of daily tardies, increase instructional time, and contribute to greater student success at South High. Together, we can help ensure that every student is present, engaged, and ready to learn.
South High Athletics
Games this week:
Monday, Oct 19: Boys Soccer, @Blake - 7pm
Tuesday, Oct 20: Girls Volleyball, @South vs Richfield
Monday, Oct 19: Girls Tennis, Regional Tournament
Thursday, Oct 22: HOMECOMING!!
- Girls Volleyball B Squad 4pm
- Girls Volleyball JV 5:30pm
- Girls Volleyball Varsity 7pm
South High Yard Signs - la
Get Your South High Lawns
Get a South High lawn sign to show our South High Pride throughout Minneapolis.
Here's the link if you'd like to get one!
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.
South High CCC Newsletter Link
Attention Students & Families!
Please check out this week's CCC Newsletter, LINKED HERE.
-Kelsey & Katie
Site Council
We had a great turnout for our October Site Council meeting. You can expect updated meeting notes in our next newsletter. Save the date for the next meeting, November 12, 2026
What's to Come?
Site Council Meeting Notes, Oct 8
Principal Search Information
Upcoming Music Dept performances
More Staff Introductions