The first week of the fourth quarter has wrapped up and we are ready to finish the school year strong!  We had a great showing in Columbus last weekend, with 17 DECA students qualifying for the National Career Development Conference in California in April, two DECA students (Kayla Morris and Lanie Gehner) getting elected to DECA State Officer positions, four state placers in girls’ wrestling, one state placer in boys’ wrestling, and Chloe Dearwester winning her fourth straight State Championship, securing her spot as the most decorated student-athlete in the school’s 140+ year history!

We have a full week next week and then we roll into Spring Break before returning for what will be a very quick eight weeks.

Please see below for some important updates and information.

Community Engagement Update
Last week, we shared some important information about how we handle bullying at SLSD. We want to continue sharing information, since this is an important topic that the community highlighted throughout our community town halls.

Do you and your kids know how to report bullying? We have a very specific policy and procedure when it comes to bullying in our district. The first step of the process is to report any issues right away - our teachers and staff won’t know if there is an issue if no one says anything.

We do our best to provide students with resources to report bullying, including easy QR codes in our buildings that allow them to quickly report an issue. Once something is reported, we then begin our process to handle the situation. 

Ensuring our students feel safe and accepted in all aspects is important to SLSD, and we continue to try and find ways to make improvements every day!

You can review our bullying policy here. 

You can review the bullying procedure here.

Finally, our facility tours continue in March and April, and we encourage you to sign up to attend! You can RSVP below:

March 19th at 7:00 PM at Harrison Junior School 

April 29th at 7:00 PM at Miami Whitewater Elementary

RSVP HERE

We're listening. We're learning. We're acting. 
 

Prom Tickets on Sale/Prom Information – SALES END NEXT FRI 3/22
Prom tickets will go on sale ONLINE ONLY on Monday, March 11 (information will be sent to students via the Microsoft Teams Grade Level pages).  Sales will end Friday, March 22nd.  Prom is Saturday, April 6th at 7:00 PM at the Union Terminal Museum Center.  Tickets are $70, and Harrison students wishing to bring a guest need to complete and turn in the guest form found here. After Prom will be at The Place and is included in the ticket price.  As we did with our 2023 Prom and with our most recent Coronation, we will have an attendance requirement for Prom in April.  To be eligible to attend Prom, a student can have no more than six (6) UNEXCUSED absences from school from 1/8/24 – 4/5/24.  Absences with appropriate medical or other third-party documentation do not count as unexcused absences.  Please contact the office with any questions.  We addressed this with the juniors and seniors in our grade level assemblies in January.

State Testing Information
As we are now in the fourth quarter, we are approaching that time of year where we conduct our annual state testing.  We will begin state testing the week we return from Spring Break.  We will follow last year’s schedule in which any student not taking the test for English/Language Arts or Mathematics will not report to school on that testing day and instead work remotely; the Social Studies and Science tests later in April/May will be on a two-hour testing schedule where all students will report to school at staggered start times.

Here is the testing schedule at a glance:

WEDS 4/3: ENGLISH II (all testers report to school by 8:00 AM, non-testers will work remotely)
WEDS 4/24: ALGEBRA I/GEOMETRY (all testers report to school by 8:00 AM, non-testers will work remotely)
TUES 4/30: US HISTORY/AMER GOVT (all testers report to school by 8:00, non-testers report by 10:05)
THURS 5/2: BIOLOGY (all testers report to school by 8:00, non-testers report by 10:05)

For Wednesday 4/3, sophomore students will report to school by 8:00 to begin testing.  All freshmen, juniors, and seniors will work remotely at their own pace (there is no set schedule for classes to meet).  Here is the schedule for sophomores testing on Wednesday 4/3:

7:30 AM – 8:00 AM         Breakfast (packaged items will be available)
8:05 AM – 10:30 AM      English/Language Arts Part I
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM    Lunch
1:20 AM – 1:30 PM       English/Language Arts Part II

Students will remain in their testing locations until the end of the testing session and will be dismissed at 1:30 PM.  Students needing to wait for transportation may do so in the Commons. 

Testing on Wednesday 4/24 (Algebra I/Geometry) will follow the same schedule as above; only students needing to test (current Algebra I or Geometry students, or specific students needing to re-test) will report to school by 8:00 to begin testing.  All students not testing will work remotely at their own pace (there is no set schedule for classes to meet).

We will continue to communicate testing information in weekly emails to families.

Please contact the Main Office with any questions.

New Mental Health Resources for Parents/Guardians
We are pleased to offer a FREE and confidential website for families, ParentGuidance.org. This site was developed by licensed therapists that provides trusted and specialized courses, professional support, and a safe community for parents, to learn how to support your child. Parents can also get answers to mental health questions, including anxiety, depression, self-worth, grief and loss, suicide ideation, family strife and other mental health concerns.  Popular courses you may want to explore are: “Parenting with a Purpose” and “Unlocking your Inner Parent Superhero.” The courses within ParentGuidance.org will provide you with tools to form stronger bonds with your children.  You and your child’s mental health are important to us!  Additionally, you also have access to FREE webinars developed by licensed therapists.  These are virtual and anonymous.  Please see the flyer linked at the bottom of this email for the dates, times and links of these offerings. 

Tutoring is Available
The National Honor Society has started their weekly tutoring sessions.  Every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 7:15 AM, the National Honor Society students will be available for free tutoring for anyone who needs help.  There’s no need to sign up in advance, just show up to Room 104 (Mrs. Siemer’s room), and let the NHS students help you with any subject you need.  Please reach out to Mrs. Siemer if you have any questions.

Spring Art Show Open at The Coffee Peddlar
Be sure to check out the Spring Art Show, hosting by The Coffee Peddlar.  Selected artwork from students at HJS and WHHHS will be on display through April 4. 

Color Guard Auditions –Tues 4/2
The Harrison Marching Band Color Guard will have auditions for next year on Tuesday, April 2 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM.  This is open to any student in Grades 7 – 12.  For additional information, please see the flyer linked at the bottom of this email.

Check Out The Paw Print – Harrison’s Online Student News Site
Mrs. Evanson’s Journalism class has been working hard, and they have launched an online news site entitled “The Paw Print.”  Please be sure to check it out at https://harrisonpawprint.org/.

School Fees
School fees are now posted to our students’ accounts.  Directions for how to log on and pay student fees can be found here.  Thank you for your attention to this information!

Junior/Senior College Information
Seniors received instruction on how to complete transcript requests in Naviance on Thursday, August 31^st during Advisory.  The slide show is available for viewing on both the Guidance page of the school’s website and on the Class of 2024 Teams page. Students at Diamond Oaks/Scarlet Oaks received the same instruction during their individual meetings when their Harrison counselor visited.

Juniors and Seniors interested in visiting a college campus can sign up on that college’s website. We need a parent note stating the day and time of the visit. Please bring this note to the guidance office several days prior to your visit.

Senior Scholarship information
All seniors have access to Naviance. There is a scholarship section where the guidance office frequently uploads scholarship applications. We encourage all seniors to review the scholarships available and apply. If you have any questions, reach out to connie.acra@southwestschools.org

Senior FAFSA Information
There have been recent changes with FAFSA.  Your FSA ID can be obtained at FAFSA.gov and registering for an FSA ID if you do not already have one.  Every student will need their own FSA ID to apply for FAFSA as well as anyone that is considered a “contributor”.  A “contributor” would be a spouse/parent/guardian of the student.  In the past only one parent had to get an FSA ID even if the parents were married, now married parents BOTH must have their own FSA ID. (If the parents are not married/living together, then the parent that provides the most financial support must be the contributor) You must have different email addresses and phone numbers to register for the FSA ID, you cannot use the same email address or phone number when registering.  By having your FSA ID registered and ready, the student and parent/guardian can immediately fill out and submit the FAFSA.

Seniors will attend a FAFSA Financial Aid package presentation on March 7^th, during Advisory.  Topics covered will include award letters, types of financial awards, interest rates, and tips on smart borrowing.  Please know that with the rollout of the new FAFSA application, the government has announced delays in financial aid award notification.  Many schools are pushing back their decision days due to this, check with each school to see if any decisions dates have been moved.

Harrison Night at the Cincinnati Cyclones – Sat 3/23
The Harrison Jr. Sr. High PTO is hosting Harrison Night on Saturday, March 23!  The Acapella group and the Sign Language will be singing/signing God Bless America, and the Band Boosters are doing the Split the Pot!  A portion of each ticket sold through our link is donated to our PTO!  Buy your tickets here:  Cincinnati Cyclones

Band Boosters Fundraiser: Egg Your Yard
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: www.harrisonmusicboosters.com

Please message us through Facebook Messenger with any questions.  We are happy to include neighborhoods of Hidden Valley, West Harrison, Ross and Cleves in addition to Southwest Local School District.

PTO/Booster Organizations
We would like to invite you to join the Harrison Junior/Senior High PTO as well as our Booster organizations.  You can visit https://harrisonjrsrpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home to join the PTO, https://harrisonwildcats.membershiptoolkit.com/Home to join the Athletic Boosters, https://www.harrisonmusicboosters.com/ to join the Music Boosters and the Harrison CAT Boosters’ page to support the Vocal and Drama programs.

UPCOMING DATES
TUES 3/19: HARRISON JUNIOR SCHOOL TOUR 7:00 PM
MON 3/25 – MON 4/1: SPRING BREAK
WEDS 4/3: STATE TESTING – ENGLISH II
SAT 4/6: PROM
MON 4/8: NO SCHOOL/ECLIPSE

Please feel free to contact us with questions.  Thank you and have a great weekend!

Go Wildcats!

Joe Pollitt
Principal
William Henry Harrison High School

DidYouKnow? 
Mental Health Information 
Color Guard Audition Info