A Note From the Principal
Dr. Tim Anderson

Hi everyone! Here is this week’s newsletter. As usual, I invite you to review the content so you are updated about key upcoming happenings at South View. Also, I want to thank you for your amazing support of our school. We have amazing PTO participation and as you may have seen in recent communication our annual fundraiser is off to a fantastic start. As always, we are thankful for your engagement, support and partnership!

Have a family discussion about academic honesty
At South View, we work hard to reinforce the importance of academic honesty at school. The research news on students and cheating is sobering. In a nationwide survey of 43,000 secondary students, 59 percent admitted to cheating on tests and assignments. Studies also show that:
  • Kids tend to begin cheating at games in elementary school. Academic cheating tends to start in middle school.
  • Above-average students are just as likely to cheat as their lower-achieving peers.
  • Cheating doesn’t carry the same stigma it once did, anymore. Students don’t feel the shame in it that they once did.
  • The more pressure students feel to earn higher grades, the more likely they are to cheat.
  • Cheaters often think they’ll be at a disadvantage if they don’t cheat because they perceive that “everyone else” does.
  • Cheating is easier than in years past, thanks in part to technol­ogy tools. Students can download papers or projects and pass them off as their own. They can text pictures of test questions to friends.

As part of the home-school partnership, you are encouraged to talk with your kids about cheating. Consider explaining that you expect honesty at all times. Be clear that cheating includes:
  • Copying homework from another student.
  • Receiving or giving help during a test.
  • Copying work without giving the source.
  • Handing in a project or paper that was completed by someone else.

Adapted from: Plagiarism: Facts & Stats: Academic Integrity in High School, Plagiarism.org.