Guidance Office
Mrs. Emily Spurlock, Guidance Counselor for students with last name A-L: emily.spurlock@southwestschools.org
Ms. Nicole Hall, Guidance Counselor for students with last name M-Z: nicole.hall@southwestschools.org
Class Registration
It is incredibly hard to believe that we are completing registration for the upcoming school year. This is a very important process for our students, our parents, and our school. Below you will find important dates and document links.
23-24 Registration Bulletin
23-24 6th Grade Registration Worksheet
23-24 7th Grade Registration Worksheet
23-24 8th Grade Registration Worksheet
23-24 Petition to Upgrade Form (6th Grade Only) - DUE by MARCH 16, 2023
23-24 Petition to Upgrade Form (7th & 8th Grade) - DUE by APRIL 10, 2023
5th to 6th Grade Transition Dates and Information
o February 15: Meet with students at elementary schools and distributed Elective Registration Worksheets.
o February 15: Incoming 6th grade Parent Meeting at Harrison Junior School.
o February 22: Elective Registration Worksheets due to homeroom teachers.
o March 8 & 9: Registration for 5th to 6th in homeroom. Students will receive a paper copy of core class placement, and will enter preferences for elective classes.
o THIS PADLET was created so you can get information about our classes, ways to get involved, and learn about registration.
o March 16 - Deadline to complete the Petition to Upgrade online (link above), if parents so choose.
o May 10 - Students will receive a copy of their schedule during their visit to Harrison Junior School.
o May 17 - Deadline to file all schedule change requests.
6th to 7th and 7th to 8th Grade Transition Dates and Information
o March 27: Grade level meetings with students to discuss registration and distribute Elective Registration Worksheets.
o March 31: Elective Registration Worksheets are due to Social Studies teachers.
o April 3 - Registration for 6th to 7th in Social Studies classes. Students will receive a paper copy of core class placement, and will enter preferences for elective classes.
o April 5 - Registration for 7th to 8th in Social Studies classes. Students will receive a paper copy of core class placement, and will enter preferences for elective classes.
o April 10 - Deadline to complete the Petition to Upgrade online (link above), if parents so choose.
o By May 17 - Students will receive a copy of their schedule and have the opportunity to request schedule changes.
o May 22 - Deadline to file all schedule change requests.
A few FAQ’s on this process:
Q: What if I believe my child should be in advanced, but they were not recommended?
A: Complete the “Petition to Upgrade” (link at the top of this article), and it will be reviewed by our building leadership team.
Q: What if we have questions?
A: Please email your child's Guidance Counselor (contact information listed at the top of this page.)
Q: What are the metrics/MAP score for MAP?
A: This is dependent on grade level, and is based on “readiness scores” established by a review of local and national norms to ensure our students are prepared for this level. It is specific to each subject and grade level.
Q: What if the class my child wanted to be in is full, or there is a schedule conflict?
A: We will work with families on a case-by-case basis. Our schedule will be developed around student needs, but there still may be conflicts. Know that we will be in contact with each of these families and our student requests drive the schedule, but we have limited resources and some shared staff. This is the typical cause of conflict for student’s schedules.
Talented & Gifted Information
We are excited that we have evolved our Talented and Gifted Program to better meet the needs of this group of students. TAG is no longer tied directly to Language Arts class. Working in partnership with our teachers, we have developed Semester Elective courses for this group of students that will focus on critical thinking and problem solving. In addition, the focus of our TAG courses is to allow ALL students who qualified for TAG to be able to participate, and allow our TAG students to focus on their area(s) of strength to better support their needs. Our TAG courses focus on the following areas: Humanities, STEAM, Leadership & Entrepreneurship. For each of these courses there will be a focus on a specific communication tool which could include presentations, technical writing, interpersonal communication, etc., and the focus is included in the course descriptions.
FAQ’s specific to TAG:
Q: How do I know if my child is eligible for TAG courses?
A: You should have received a letter of notification at the time of their Qualifications. We will also communicate directly with students if they are TAG at the time of the registration process.
Q: Why the change to the TAG program?
A: After consultation with key stakeholders including students, parents, current and former TAG teachers, and building/district leadership, the program was ready to evolve to ensure that we were providing more opportunities for our TAG students. Each of these opportunities are supported by the design of the New Harrison Junior School, and while maintaining a key focus on the communication of ideas, provides targeted themes for which our TAG students can sign up.
Q: Will my child still be “tribed” with TAG students for these courses?
A: Yes, based upon the Talented and Gifted Guidelines through the Ohio Department of Education.
Q: Does it matter which order students take their TAG courses?
A: No, students may take them in any order, however Leadership is a 6th Grade only course, and Entrepreneurship is designed for 7th and 8th Grade students only.
Q: Will my 6th Graders be in class with an 8th Grade student?
A: No, TAG courses will be set up so 6th Grade students are in their own class. 7th and 8th Grade students will be combined allowing them to have schedule flexibility over the course of 2 school years. In addition, each course is designed in a specific band. This means that if a student takes TAG STEAM as a 6th Grader, they can also take it as a 7th/8th Grader and it will be a different experience.
Q: What about ELA? How will my child be served?
A: TAG students will be served in our ELA classrooms, and teachers will be notified which students are TAG in their courses. The curriculum remains the same as this year for ELA courses, and TAG students will conference and set specific goals with their ELA teacher. ELA teachers at all grade levels have also received specific professional development on how to support TAG students. TAG students will only by assigned to teachers with this training.
Q: What if my current 7th Grader wants to take the following schedule: Advanced ELA, Algebra I, Advanced Science, Advanced Social Studies, Spanish 2, and Intro to Engineering Design (IED), will there be an opportunity to take a TAG class too?
A: Unfortunately, no. We anticipate being on a 6 Bell schedule for the upcoming school year, however in this scenario, your child is already accelerating by taking multiple courses for High School credit (Algebra I, Spanish 2, IED). In essence, they have created a schedule that is already serving them at a high academic level. In addition, we are partnering with our teachers who have completed professional development to potentially create new opportunities outside of the school day and throughout the school year. This, of course, will be based on demand, but we are committed to offering new opportunities.
Our school is incredibly excited about these new opportunities for our students. If you have questions, please reach out to us directly and we will work to answer any questions you may have. Our number is 513-367-4831 or via email at christian.tracy@southwestschools.org