Enrollment Information for Incoming 9^th Graders

 Important Dates

• Counselors will present enrollment information to 8^th graders at Mission Valley on January 11.
• Counselors will return to finalize enrollment at Mission Valley on February 1.
• Counselors will present enrollment information to 8^th graders at Indian Hills on January 12.
• Counselors will return to finalize enrollment at Indian Hills on January 26.
• Mark your calendars for the Parent Information Night on January 18 at 7pm @ SME.

 Enrollment Materials

• Each student will receive an enrollment card, a district Planning Guide, a list of courses available to freshmen @ SME, and a health form.
• Students will need to turn in the enrollment card and the health form to counselors when they finalize enrollment.

 Honors Placement

We encourage all students to challenge themselves appropriately. To that end, we offer the following honors courses for 9^th graders:  English 9 Honors, World Geography Honors, Biology 1 Honors, Geometry Honors, Algebra 2 Honors,  Advanced Programming in Java Honors.

 Students may self-select any honors course for which they meet the pre-requisite. Typically, students who have been most successful in honors courses at the high school are students who have performed well in middle school classes, have strong standardized test scores, and possess good study habits and the motivation to be in a more rigorous class.

 Overall, teachers of honors courses have indicated that students who select an honors course should be prepared for the following:

• Accelerated pace and difficulty
• Increased nightly homework (30-45 minutes more per class)
• More independent study and work

 Contact Information

Counseling office: 913.993.6630

Counselor Assignments (by last name)

A – Cl                          Lili Englebrick  eaengleb@smsd.org   993-6636

Cm – G                        Barb Johnson  eajohnsb@smsd.org  993-6632

H – I                            Heather Royce (coordinator)  earoyce@smsd.org  993-6634

J – Le & U – Z Laura Lamb  ealamb@smsd.org  993-6633

Lf – Q                          Don Baker   eabaker@smsd.org  993-6639

R – T                           Henry Font  eafont@smsd.org  993-6635

Social Worker              Laurie Michie  eamichie@smsd.org  993-6638

 Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where can I get summer school information?  Summer school information is available on the district website (smsd.org).  Enrollment begins February 5. Flyers will be available at enrollment and in the counseling office at SME.  Incoming 9^th graders do not need a high school counselor signature in order to enroll. If students plan to enroll in summer school, please make a note of it on the enrollment card. (Link) http://www.smsd.org/parents/summer.htm 

 2. . Can changes be made after enrollment forms are turned in? We make every effort to get students the classes they initially request.  Please refer to the back of the blue enrollment card for the change policy. If circumstances affect your student’s choices/placement and you think a change is appropriate, please contact his/her academic counselor.

 3. Can I request a particular type of teacher for my student?  The counseling department cannot accommodate teacher requests.

 4. How does my child sign up for a “try-out” course like drill team?  Students should list any try-out course as his/her first alternate and make a note on the enrollment card which elective he/she would like to drop if selected for the class/team.

 5. Will my student get all the courses he/she requests?  We try to make sure that students have schedules that meet their needs and include their elective requests. Unfortunately, sometimes classes conflict with one another, or there are simply not enough spaces for all the students who request a particular course.  The alternate course selections become vitally important at this point. We urge students and parents to give careful thought to the alternates and put them in order on the enrollment card because some students will end up being enrolled in these courses.

 6. Can I get an individual appointment with my child’s high school counselor?  We welcome phone calls, emails, and appointments from parents if you still have questions and concerns after reviewing the enrollment materials and attending the Enrollment night on January 18. Please call the counseling secretary at 993-6630 if you need to schedule an appointment.  Short questions may be best addressed via email.  Please be aware that the counselors will be out of the office doing enrollment for much of the month of January, so it will be difficult to get appointments during that month.

 7. . I have a special needs student. How does this affect the enrollment process?   The middle school case managers will be meeting with high school representatives to discuss placement needs of students with IEP’s. We also request that the middle school case managers sign the enrollment card.

 8. How do I decide how many honors courses are appropriate for my child? Please consider your child’s previous performance in classes, as well as his/her aptitude, work ethic, and motivation. We would suggest that parents attend the enrollment night to receive information about honors courses from the various department coordinators and individual teachers. You should also review the information regarding honors placement in the previous section.