We hope these stories make you smile and offer an opportunity for you to encourage your student to share their own positive Valley Southwoods stories.

Mitch Kuhnert, principal

Haley Hockensmith, assistant principal

At Valley Southwoods, we believe that behaviors that receive positive reinforcement will be repeated. Valley Southwoods utilizes the PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) framework to reward and reinforce positive behavior, while using data and intervention to support students.

We want our students to learn the importance of what it means to be a TIGER:

Thoughtfulness

Integrity

Grit

Empathy

Respect

This month, we asked students to give one example of how they've seen THOUGHTFULNESS in action at school. Here are some of their answers.

"I see it every day in the teachers who are approaching struggling students, and I see it in students when someone needs help."

"I’ve seen people respecting other people’s sexuality and pronouns."

"When someone doesn’t have anyone to sit with at lunch, people invite them to sit at their table."

"The other day I saw someone help somebody else up after they had tripped."

"Just by people helping the special education kids feel like they're a part of the school."

"I have encountered moments of thoughtfulness in school when people respect and tolerate one another. They think about their friends' needs before their own and put other people's feelings first. They make them feel like they belong and open up to them. They are also kind and caring to them, listening and befriending others in our ninth grade society."

"Giving someone your full attention. Also, giving a compliment and consider giving a compliment to a stranger."

"I've seen people pick trays off of tables people have left."

"I’ve seen multiple teachers notice that a student is having a bad day and try to talk to them or see if there’s any way to make it better."