Looking at the Week Ahead
Just a friendly reminder that Spring Break will take place next week (3-23-24 – 4-1-24). The school office will be closed the entire week. When we come back on Tuesday, April 2, students will be starting their State Testing. Please see the schedule below for more information.
You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Please make sure you are members of the correct sites. There were several “unofficial” sites created and we are trying to inactivate them. I have been posting a lot of pictures of events happening at Harrison Elementary. Feel free to send them out to family and friends. This is a great way to keep up on events at school. Grandparents’ Day pictures are being posted.
Follow us on Twitter @SLSDHarrisonEl
Like us on Facebook.com/HarrisonElementarySchool
We have had a great start to the new school year. The students are demonstrating our Four Core Values – Trust, Respect, Ownership and Leadership – throughout the day.
Have a great weekend!
Ron Mangus
Principal
Katie Conley
Dean of Students
Did You Know…..
Throughout our town halls, surveys, and our recent building tours, we’ve gotten a lot of questions about our facilities. Specifically, some concern was raised that our newer buildings were built too small for the rapid pace of enrollment in our district.
We will be exploring the impacts of enrollment more in the coming weeks, but we believe it’s important to share the facts about our buildings with the community.
Financing a construction project is complicated, and for better or worse, there are a lot of people outside our district that have a say in the final product. The State of Ohio plays a large role in both financing buildings and impacting what they look like. Prior to beginning a construction project, the State of Ohio employs Future Think (a third-party consultant) to predict enrollment. It’s not unusual for the district to disagree with the analysis of the State and their consultants, but they hold the final decision-making power. Then it’s left up to us to make it work in reality.
So, the bad news is we SLSD has a limited say in the size of any building we construct. The good news…the State of Ohio, in our most recent projects, paid 32 cents on the dollar toward completion. This means, that by partnering with them, local taxpayers were saved from funding an additional $32 million toward those projects.
SLSD is constantly working to make improvements and adjustments based on increasing enrollment - stay tuned in the next few weeks to learn about how!
Track and Field Sign up
Last Call! The deadline is FRIDAY to sign your child up for Youth Track & Field this spring! It's a fun, low pressure way to introduce your child to the sport and help keep them in shape and active! More details and the link to register: https://harrisonwildcats.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/21873
State Testing Schedule
Listed below are the group testing dates for students in 3-5 grades. Please try to avoid scheduling any appointments on these dates. If you have any questions please contact your child’s teacher.
April 10 – 3-5 grade students Reading Part 1
April 11 – 3-5 grade students Reading Part 2
April 24 – 5th grade students Science Part 1
April 25 – 5th grade students Science Part 2
April 30 – 4th and 5th grade students Math Part 1
May 1 – 3rd grade students Math Part 1
- 4th and 5th grade students Math Part 2
May 2 – 3rd grade students Math Part 2
Music Booster Announcement
Did you know that Easter is early this year??
Well, we are EGG-CITED to announce that EGG YOUR YARD is back!!!!
Don't stress about Easter this year.... let our High School and Junior High band members do the work for you!!
Our band student volunteers are helping the EASTER BUNNY and will come to your house after dark to hide eggs for your little one(s) to find the next morning! We will also leave a note/sign from the Easter Bunny!
Pick a night: Fri 3/29 or Sat 3/30
25 eggs ~ $20
50 eggs ~ $40
75 eggs ~ $60
100 eggs ~ $75
To place your order, go to:
The Music Boosters are happy to include neighborhoods of Hidden Valley, West Harrison, Ross and Cleves in addition to Southwest Local School District
Son & Daughter Dances
The annual Elementary Dances are just over a month away! This year’s theme is “Under the Big Top”. They’re open to all SLSD preschool through 5th graders. Both dances run from 7-9 PM at the Activity Center. Admission is $20 per couple, and $5 for each additional child. The price includes music and dancing, snacks, photo stations and games.
The Daughter Dance takes place on Friday, April 19. Purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/daughterdance2024.
The Son Dance takes place on Saturday, April 20. Purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/sondance2024.
The dances are sponsored by the Harrison High School Student Council.
Wildcat Cares Yard Sale
On Saturday April 27th, Crosby Parking lot will be transformed into a lively outdoor market for vendors to sell garage sale items and hand -crafted items! **Enjoy music by Zoe Nienaber and Lindsey’s Shaved Ice! Sell your stuff by reserving your spot for $30 or two spots for $50. For garage sale vendors: we are looking for gently used clothing (both child and adult), books, toys, houseware, and home decor items. Set up starts at 8am All sellers/vendors must stay open from 9-12 Saturday April 27th, 2024 Sellers keep their profits, all proceeds from reserved spots benefit Wildcats Care.
Click on the attached flyer for more information.
Blood Drive
The Harrison High School senior class is once again teaming up with Hoxworth Blood Center to sponsor two blood drives this school year. The second and final drive will take place on Wednesday, April 3 from 7:45 AM - 1:30 PM in the Activity Center Arena.
The drive is open to the public. All donors will receive a free wearable blanket! If you are 16 or older, you may be eligible to donate blood.
Click HERE to schedule an appointment.
Progress Book and Abre
Parents – if you are having trouble accessing ProgressBook or the Abre Parent Portal email parentaccess@southwestschools.org for help.
April 8th Total Solar Eclipse - reminder
On April 8, 2024, Ohio will experience a once-in-a-lifetime Total Solar Eclipse event. The last total solar eclipse in Ohio happened 217 years ago in 1806. Many parts of the state, ours included, will be in total darkness for a brief period in the late afternoon. The rest of the state will see the sun at least 95% blocked by the moon during that time.
The timing of the total eclipse has created a tricky situation for school districts in the totality zone, as it is supposed to occur right around our dismissal time. The issue will not be the darkness, but instead, the amount of traffic in our area, as the Ohio Emergency Management Team anticipates an extremely large number of visitors to our area to view this historic event. It is estimated that an additional 139,000-556,000 travelers will be coming to this part of Ohio, creating gridlocked traffic conditions and travelers stopped all along our roadways. More information and guidance from the Ohio Emergency Management team can be found here: https://ema.ohio.gov/media-publications/ohio-total-solar-eclipse
Due to the safety concerns regarding travel conditions, Southwest Local Schools have decided to close on Monday, April 8, 2024. Several other districts in our area have already done the same:
The school district will be providing solar eclipse glasses to all our students and staff members so they may view the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse safely. Those will be sent home with students on Wednesday, April 3rd. School will resume as normal on Tuesday, April 9th.
Kindergarten Registration – 2024 – 2025 – Don’t let time run out!!!
The Southwest Local School District will begin kindergarten registration for the 2024 - 2025 school year Feb 1 beginning at 6 am. Registration can be completed online from any computer. Detailed instructions regarding the online application will be available on the district's website (www.southwestschools.org) under New Student Registration Tab. When your online forms are completed and all required documents have been uploaded, call the district registrar at district office at 513-728-8401 to make sure the documents have been received and are acceptable to complete your registration. See the district page for age requirements and immunization requirements.
March’s Character Traits:
Week 3/25/24 Mindfulness (Spring Break)- Mindfulness is when we are present and fully engaged in the moment.
Please reinforce these weekly traits at home and throughout the month.
Update Regarding Ohio’s New Law for Dyslexia Screening
All students in grades K-3 at Southwest Local School District will undergo dyslexia screening as part of Ohio law requirements. This non-intrusive process aims to identify early signs of dyslexia, and if your child is flagged, they may be given a Tier 2 Screener for further assessment and tailored support. This is not a comprehensive dyslexia assessment designed to diagnose your child with dyslexia. The screener is designed to identify areas of concern in specific components of reading that identify your child as being below or well below grade level expectations.
Students in SLSD will receive an initial screening through Aimsweb Plus. K-3 students are already taking this assessment three times a year (fall, winter, spring). Students who score in the 25th percentile or below on the winter administration of Aimsweb Plus, will then be given an additional assessment called the RAN. If your child scores in an at-risk range on the RAN, they will be given the PAST assessment to target areas for intervention. We will notify you if your child will be receiving interventions based on these screenings.
Remaining Timeline for Dyslexia Assessments 2023-2024
March 11-April 26: 6-8 Week Intervention Window
Week of April 29: Re-administer PAST to this target group of students
During May data meetings, all students will be placed in MTSS groups for the following Fall based on areas of need.
PTO Planning Meetings
PTO meetings this school year will take place on the fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 pm in the school cafeteria. The next PTO meeting is scheduled for Monday April 22, 2024 due to the timing of Spring Break and Easter.
You can always join PTO. Just your small membership fee of $10 helps us provide services for the kids! This does not require you to volunteer or attend meetings. It is all up to you how much you would like to be involved. If you have any questions, please reach out to a board member.
Joining the PTO is not a huge commitment and often looks like 1-3 service hours a year with opportunities in the evenings, during the school day or can be as simple as signing up to send in cookies for an event. Everyone doing a little adds up to a LOT for our kids.
Please click on the link below for the meeting minutes.
February PTO Minutes -
Hope to see you soon!
Harrison PTO
Attachments
Daughter and Son Dance Flyer - Click Here
Important Items for the Week Ahead
March 23 – April 1 – Spring Break – No school for students and staff
Tuesday, April 2 – Cincinnati Museum Center Assemblies
- 2nd Grade Students Field Trip – Red’s Museum and Ballpark
Wednesday, April 3 - Cincinnati Museum Center Assemblies
Thursday, April 4 – Erin’s Law Assemblies – 4th and 5th grades
DISTRICT MISSION: "Academic and Social Growth for ALL students, EVERY DAY!"
DISTRICT MOTTO: "Excellence through Relationships"
HARRISON ELEMENTARY MOTTO: "Where Children Come First"
DISTRICT CORE VALUES: Trust, Respect, Ownership and Leadership