Looking at the Week Ahead
We are still waiting for a few students to turn in their World’s Finest Chocolate money. Once all the money has been received, we will be able to order prizes. Thanks to all the people who helped with this fundraiser.
The Southwest Local School District’s students and staff across the district will be celebrating Acceptance Week from March 4th – 7th. Look down below for some of the events that have already been scheduled.
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
Acceptance Week - March 4th- March 7th (no school for students on March 8th)
Students and staff members will be celebrating differences and learning about how everybody is alike and different (predominately focused on disability awareness). Students will have school-wide presentations, guest readers, classroom presentations, trivia contests, and special dress-up days throughout the week. The list below is the theme for each day.
Monday March 4th – Mix Match Monday – Wear two different socks to show we are all unique in our own way.
Tuesday March 5th– Tie-Dye Tuesday – wear your favorite tie-dye clothing along with your tie-dye hat
Wednesday March 6th– We are ONE Wednesday – Wear your school spirit, favorite sports team, or even your place of work attire to show that we are one student body, one community.
Thursday March 7th – Inclusion and Take the Pledge Thursday and Wear Yellow to show understanding – Awareness + Change = Acceptance
For K-5 Parents:
For those who were not able to attend the February 12th parent meeting to go over the new Erin's Law and SAVE Students Act requirements for schools, please click HERE for a link to the audio recording of the presentations and a link to the slides.
Did You Know…..
During our town halls, we heard a lot about the desire for more advanced academic options for our students. We heard you, and we're acting. The district is currently working on offering more advanced options at Harrison Junior School. The math curriculum was revised during the 2023-24 school year to better serve our high achieving students, and we will revise English Language Arts next year. We are also looking to hire Gifted Intervention Specialists at each elementary school and at Harrison Junior School next year to provide more robust enrichment opportunities.
Harrison High School currently offers 22 Advanced Placement courses. We are looking to add more College Credit Plus opportunities for students as well and will have 2 additional offerings for CCP in the 2024-25 school year. *Your input is critical in ensuring that we continue to grow as a district. We're listening. We're learning. We're acting.
Official Summer Camp of the Cincinnati Reds is Back
This weeklong summer baseball camp is open to all ball players ages 6 to 14. If interested, please open the link below under attachments.
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 during the previous week. 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.
February’s Character Traits:
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.
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
February 20-29: 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 26th, 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 26 – PTO Monthly Parent Meeting – 6:30 pm - cafeteria
Thursday, February 29 – Pee Wee Penguin Banking Deposit Day
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