What are the advanced Math options and how is this decided?  There have been recent changes at the district level to advanced math options.  This document provides a basic framework.  If you have questions after viewing this, please contact one of our counselors.

Can you explain the elective wheel and the foreign language opportunities for 6th graders? How long is the commitment for Spanish vs. the wheel (sem/year)? Spanish is the only World Language class offered in 6th grade.  Spanish is a year long class.  The other elective option for 6th graders is the Exploratory Wheel.  The Exploratory Wheel classes change each quarter, and students are randomly assigned to the various Wheel options each quarter.

Do students have to take music if they want to choose a different elective? What about PE? All 6th Graders do take a music class (their choice of band, choir, or orchestra), and all 6th graders take PE.  6th graders can then choose between Spanish or the Wheel as an additional elective in their schedule.

How many hours a week is the GT teacher working with kids? And what subjects is s/he supporting? GT programs in secondary schools are not pull-out like they can be in elementary.  Our GT coordinator runs clubs and activities that students that are identified GT are invited to participate in.  Some of these include the National Junior Honor Society, Brain Bowl, Debate club.  Our coordinator supports all subject areas and works with teachers looking for help supporting our GT students.

How does Special Ed support work at SHMS (pull outs, push ins, separate level classes…)? Students attend general education classes alongside their peers, then take a specific Academic Support Class related to their individual education plans to get the support outlined in their plans. Our Special Education Teachers also push into the general education classes to provide support; some students take assessments in a smaller setting with their Special Education teacher if that’s a part of their IEP.

How much homework should we expect? This will vary depending on the classes taken, but in general students should expect to have assignments to make progress on or complete just about every school day.  We try to limit this on weekends and even more so on long weekends and holidays.  Under normal circumstances, most students should expect no more than an hour’s worth of this kind of work, and often quite a bit less than one hour

How much time do kids spend on their Chrome books (other computers) each day? This varies from day to day, but in general students are expected to have their chrome books charged and ready for use all day every day.  We recognize that access to technology is filled with pros and cons, and that’s reflected in ways that we limit or prohibit device use at different times.  For instance, lunch periods are “No Screen Time.”  This includes phones, chrome books, and technology that’s available for students in the library.  Additionally, we expect phones to be “off and out of sight” at all times.

When do students sign up for after school activities? Several will be available as the school year starts in August, and others are made available as their start time approaches throughout the year.  Information and deadlines are shared with families and students in the weekly email newsletter (The Cougar Connect) and with students via daily announcements. 

What sports compete with other schools? Our 8th grade Interscholastic sports compete with other schools. That includes girls/boys basketball, girls volleyball, flag football, wrestling, coed track and coed cross country.

For after school activities - how long are they and at what time do they usually end? We offer many clubs and sports. Most practices are about an hour long, the length of clubs can vary based on the activity. Some of our clubs also run before the school day, typically starting at 7:45. For a complete list of our current offerings, see the athletics or activities pages on our website.

How many students are admitted through open enrollment? It varies from year to year, but in recent years, all students for whom Southern Hills was the first choice were offered Round 1 enrollment.  Other factors can come into play after Round 1, and those factors can limit additional enrollment offers.

The transition to middle school feels a bit scary & overwhelming. What does SH do to make 6th graders feel welcome and comfortable? What is done to help them figure out how to navigate the new building, lockers and the short breaks between classes? Our actions include but are not limited to:

• 6th grade orientation day, during which only 6th graders attend.  The morning includes a variety of community building activities followed by an extended lunch period then an abbreviated version of the daily schedule.
• 6th grade teachers who have been teaching 6th graders for many years, and who understand the importance of creating welcoming classrooms, hallways and other areas of the building.
• Patience and help with lockers, and a lot of patience in the first days of the year as students learn how to get themselves from one class to another.
• Ongoing support from our counselors and other staff members designed to meet students where they developmentally are as they make this important transition.

How is lunch? We currently have two lunches, A and B lunch. All 6th graders are scheduled together in A lunch, along with some 7th graders. Other 7th graders and all 8th graders are in B lunch. Lunch is 30 minutes long, and includes enough time for students to eat, then socialize, play games outside, or access the library. We have a courtyard and students can often choose to eat inside or outside during lunch.

What kinds of support do you have for kids who need help? 

1. Our teachers recognize that not all students learn in the same way or at the same pace, so we prioritize supporting student learning on an individual basis as much as we can.  Our 6th grade teachers also do a really good job of using consistent routines and resources that establish a strong foundation for student success.
2. All students are also scheduled into a Transitions class.  During this class, students learn organizational skills designed to support their learning in all classes.  We also regularly schedule social-emotional lessons in this class.  The teacher in this class also works with students and other teachers to provide additional support toward assignment completion in all classes. .
3. Our counselors also provide Transitions-like support to students as needed.  This might be provided in regularly scheduled small groups or with individual students.  These are usually scheduled during some combination of lunch periods, before/after school, or at other times during the school day.

4.  We offer a Math Academic Support Class (ASC) for students who need additional and targeted support in Math. This class can be taken one or both semesters, and it usually takes the place of the 6th grade elective wheel.

If you asked teachers at Fairview or Boulder High about SH, what would they say SH students are known for? What percentage of your students go to Fairview and Boulder High? Teachers from high schools tell us our students are well prepared to succeed in high school...Most of our students live in the Fairview attendance area and attend Fairview.  Each year we have students attend all the Boulder Valley high schools mainly based on their home school and/or interests.

What is the cell phone policy? “Off and out of sight” is the wording that best captures our expectation. 

How do you support parents, especially first time middle school parents? Support for parents comes from our teachers and the rest of our staff, and it also includes a PTO group that enthusiastically offers opportunities for our parents.  Those efforts have been limited by the pandemic in the last year and a half, but that group knows they play an important role for our first time parents in particular.  There will be PTO parents at our Open Enrollment events, and we encourage incoming/potential parents to seek out our PTO parents with any questions you might have.

What do the communications coming out of SH look like? (In our elementary school years we’ve gotten either too many emails (often with confusing/conflicting info) or not enough comms, therefore missing out on events, etc.) We email a weekly newsletter (The Cougar Connect) every Friday afternoon.  We try to avoid additional emails beyond that, but they do sometimes occur. 

Are there opportunities for parents to volunteer (other than PTO)? Beyond PTO, parents sometimes volunteer to help with supervising students during lunch periods in the library, in the cafeteria and/or outside.  Those opportunities similarly exist before and after school to help supervise students as they arrive and depart for the day.  Other opportunities occasionally come up connected to classrooms, including chaperoning field trips.