Just a reminder that the school will be closed next week from Friday, February 16^th – Monday February 19^th for the Presidents’ Day Weekend.

Valentines’ Day parties will take place on Wednesday, February 14^th. Parents will be permitted to go up to the classrooms starting at 2:15 pm. Unfortunately, only those parents who have already completed their background check and approved will be permitted to attend. We also ask that parents NOT bring younger siblings to the party. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher.

Thanks to the couple of new families this week who are now helping sell some chocolates. Currently we have given out/sold over 500 boxes of the 900 boxes. As the sale continues, the number of boxes requested begins to dwindle. Please consider selling another box or 5 (Ha Ha). The profits from this sale will help pay for the Natural History Museum Science on Wheels to come for two days on April 2^nd & 3^rd. All students will have a scheduled time to participate. Please call the school office if you can help. Remember that we do have mixed, caramel, and almond boxes to sell. Thank you for your help.

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.

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

Parent Teacher Conferences

Thanks to all the parents who attended Parent Teacher Conferences this week. If you were unable to attend either night of conferences, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher and set up either an in person or phone conference.

For K-5 Parents: 

In December of 2022, Ohio’s 134^th General Assembly enacted Erin’s Law (Senate Bill 288) which included requirements for student instruction, parent and legal guardian notification and training for school personnel on sexual abuse prevention and dating violence prevention.  The law went into effect on April 4, 2023.  Students in grades K-6 are required to have one hour of training on sexual abuse prevention annually, and students in grades 7-12 are required to have one hour of training on dating and sexual violence prevention once during their 7-12^th grade years, which we will include in the High School Health curriculum.  We have partnered with the Council on Child Abuse (COCA) for this training.  Please see the attached letter from COCA regarding the training overview that will be presented to students.   

Link to the attached letter - Click Here 

We will be holding a parent information session on February 12^th from 7-7:30pm for ELEMENTARY PARENTS in the SLSD Activity Center Auditorium for parents to hear from the presenters about the content that will be included in the student presentations.  There will be an opportunity for parents to ask questions at the end of the information session. 

If parents feel that the information might cause their child to become very upset or trigger memories from a past or recent trauma, there is an opt-out letter that will be coming out prior to the student presentations.  Parents must indicate their desire to opt their child(ren) out of the presentation in writing by signing and turning in the district opt-out form to their child’s principal. 

Official Summer Camp of the Cincinnati Reds is Back

This weeklong summer baseball camp is open to all ballplayers ages 6 to 14. If interested, please open the link below under attachments.

World’s Finest Chocolates – Need More Sellers – Two Weeks Left

On Wednesday, January 24^th we began our annual World’s Finest Chocolates fundraiser. The funds raised from this sale will be used to bring in more assemblies and programs for your children. In the past we were able to furnish each classroom (over a 4-year period of sales) a classroom set of computers to use throughout the day. Our goal this year is to sell 900 cases of chocolates. If every child could sell at least one box of chocolates, we will achieve this goal. Permission slips will be sent home next week with students to participate. By signing and returning this permission slip you agree and understand that the school CANNOT accept any boxes or partial boxes back once they have been given to a student, left the building and the sale has ended. If you have any questions, please call the school office.

Progress Book and Abre

Parents – if you are having trouble accessing ProgressBook or the Abre Parent Portal email parentaccess@southwestschools.org for help.

April 8^th 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:

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/several-tri-state-school-districts-announce-closures-on-april-8-as-total-solar-eclipse-travels-over-ohio

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 during the previous week.  School will resume as normal on Tuesday, April 9th.

Save the Date

As part of the school district’s strategic plan, our next step will be getting families and community members out and touring the buildings. The following date has been scheduled:

Feb. 22, 6 PM @ Harrison High School

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.

February’s Character Traits:

Week 25 - 2/12/24: The strength of the week is Bravery. Bravery is defined as, I take on challenges and speak up for what is right.

Week 26 - 2/19/24: The strength of the week is Fairness. Fairness is defined as, I believe everyone should have the same opportunities.

Week 27 - 2/26/24: The strength of the week is being Intentional. Intentional is defined as, I am thoughtful in working to improve myself and my world

Please reinforce these weekly traits at home and throughout the month. 

5^th Grade Parents Only

If you were not able to attend the 5^th Grade Celebration Planning Meeting this past Wednesday Night it is not too late to get involved.  This event will be held at the school from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Phoeba Hughes is the lead planner for the celebration, and she is looking for other parents who would be interested in meeting to discuss activities, food, drinks, etc. She is also looking for volunteers who can be present before, during, and after the celebration to help with set up, activities, and clean up. If you are interested in helping with the celebration, please email Phoeba at phoebakellough@gmail.com or send her a text at 513-765-0136. The next planning meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 21^st at 6:30PM and should last anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour. This meeting will be held at Harrison Elementary in the cafeteria.

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 25^th 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

February 13-23: PAST assessment administered for any K-3rd grade student who took the RAN and scored at-risk

Week of March 4: Data Analysis (ID Areas of Concern and Interventions that Align)

Week of March 11: Begin Intervention

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, February 26^th, 2024.

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. 

January PTO Minutes -  Click Here 

Hope to see you soon!

Harrison PTO

Attachments 

Harrison Reds Baseball Camp - Click Here 

Important Items for the Week Ahead

Monday, February 12 – Erin’s Law Parent Meeting – HS Auditorium 7 pm

Tuesday, February 13 – “You Are Loved” – Valentines’ Day Assemblies – 10:00 & 1:15

Wednesday, Wednesday 14 – Valentines’ Day Parties – 2:30 pm (party planners 2:15 pm)

Thursday, February 15 – Pee Wee Penguin Banking Deposit Day

Friday, February 16 – No School – Conference Release Day

Monday, February 19 – No School – Presidents’ Day

Wednesday, February 21 – World’s Finest Chocolates Sale ENDS!!!

• Lightning Squad Club Meeting – 4 pm
• 5^th Grade Celebration Planning Meeting – 6:30 pm

Thursday, February 22 – ½ of 5^th grade going to iSpace – Fieldtrip

• Remaining 5^th grade students and 4^th grade students attending a musical performance Seussical Jr at the Harrison High School Performing Arts Center – 9:45 am
• High School Facilities Community tour/meeting – 6 pm

Friday, February 23 – remaining 5^th grade students attending iSpace

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