Devious Licks

We want to thank our parents for their help in speaking to their children about Devious Licks.  This has been a much smaller issue this week.  On campus, we had 5 different situations where students were involved and disciplined, some of which required restitution to be paid.  Our hope is this trend goes away quickly.  Again, we know this trend is on its way out because we were able to work in partnership with our parents!!!  So again, THANK YOU!!!

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

We want to thank our families who have reached out about Social-Emotional Learning and ask questions.  For those of you who are new to the district or new to the concepts of Social-Emotional Learning we wanted to share what it is, and some of the different activities that we are doing with our students to help people have a better understanding of the supports we have in place.  Harrison Junior School uses a program called PBiS which stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.  In short, this is a system where we teach a set of core values (Trust, Respect, Ownership, and Leadership) as well as expected behaviors.  For example, we talk to students as we open up the school year about procedures for lunch, walking through the hallways, classroom, electronics, etc…  This is a HUGE process to help us be successful.

This year, we have added pieces through a partnership through The Character Effect as well as staff created supports to assist in our students having a multitude of resources to have positive interactions and reactions in challenging situations.  For example, earlier this year we had all student create a “calming plan” where they identified situations that cause the stress, and then students developed ways to react to these different challenges come to life.  In addition, we make announcements daily focused on a weekly theme.  This week’s theme is perseverance.

Starting in October, we will share different lessons and themes with our families so that they echo these items to their homes and we can continue to work together to develop new skills for our students.

If families have any questions regarding SEL, please call us at 513-367-4831.  We are happy to work with our families to give them a better understanding each day.

Clubs and Activities

Each week, I have been promising to send out a list of clubs and activities for students to get involved in.  We are still waiting to hear back from some of the different community groups to have a full list, and once we have this it will be published via Social Media, Email Blast, School Website, etc…

However, we wanted to share a little information about programs that are currently happening and items that we can include moving forward.

Our fall athletic programs are focused on 7^th and 8^th Grade since this is what is allowable by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.  Many of our students are involved in community organizations such as Harrison Youth Football/Cheer and community volleyball.  If you have a 6^th Grade student please be on the lookout for information about Creative Writing Club with Mrs. Meghan Hayes, Book Club with Mrs. Purdy, Student Council with Mr. Burns, and Pep Club with Miss Skelly & Mr. Hotopp.

Washington D.C. Parent Meeting

We are so excited to be going to Washington D.C. in November.  If you missed the parent meeting last night, you can email chris.johnson@southwestschools.org.  Our trip this year will be the largest ever!  At this time, this year’s trip is closed.  To our 7^th Grade families, your informational meeting will take place early in the new year.

Finally, roommate selection will take place this morning with our students.  This is an exciting and nervous time for many of our students, but a part of the process.

CTE Day

Yesterday our students had an experience with CTE day.  This was a brief experience for students to be able to learn about career programs and programs offered by our partnership with Great Oaks.  Thank you to Jamie Johnson for taking a leadership role. 

Great Week

This has been a great week for our students at HJS.  Thank you for your support of our schools!