SWHS Principal's message for the week of July 31st

Good evening, this is Mike Hettenbach, Principal of Southwest Guilford High School.

As we are just four weeks from the start of the 2017-2018 school year, we want to refresh all of you on some important upcoming dates and reminders.

Please make sure you have started your summer reading. The summer reading expectations are posted on the SWHS website. Please recall if you end up getting English scheduled in the 2nd semester, you can reach out to your assigned spring teacher and set up a time to take your summer reading test right after school starts. 

Please check the school's website for the updated version of our Student Dress Code. This was approved by the school's leadership team. If you have already been shopping based on the previous year's dress codes, your child will still be within the parameters of the code, however, you and your child will find that we have eased up on some of the expectations while also providing clarity.

As it relates to student schedules, schedules that can be viewed online are not always accurate. Counselors are currently working on all school schedules throughout the summer. Please understand that moving teachers and classes are necessary due to ongoing enrollment changes. Therefore, the only communication that should be occurring to counselors about schedule changes should be a request for one of the new classes being added to the fall. Please reach out to your child's guidance counselor if both you and your child agree on requesting any of these newly added electives:  Beginning Band, Dance, Advanced Dance, Advanced Physical Fitness with a concentration on Yoga, Zumba, and more! Honors African American Studies, Digital Media and Advanced Digital Media!  We are very excited about diversifying the elective options for your child. Again, please reach out to your child's guidance counselor immediately with any interest. 

Final student schedules will be delivered in hand in homeroom classes the morning of the first day of school. Homerooms will be posted in the halls that morning. We will provide 10 days for the first day of school to have schedules adjusted due to legitimate reasons. 

Students who are enrolled in GTCC classes as their first location should report to GTCC and report to SWHS thereafter. He/she can pick up their schedule on the first day from the main office once they arrive to school. 

Go ahead and mark your calendar for the 1st semester, September 11th, from 6:00 pm to 7:30pm, SWHS's PTA Walk the Schedule Night or as some of you may see it as Open House.

If you are friends with any parents or guardians of rising freshmen, Thursday, August 24th is the Freshman Orientation. All Freshmen are expected to be present from 8:30-12:30 that morning while all parents will be attending that evening from 6:30 to 8:00.

As it relates to athletics, Fall practices and try outs officially start on July 31st. Please reach out to the individual coaches or our athletic director for more information. Also - feel free to navigate through our athletics webpage @ www.cowboysports.org 

As usual, we thank you for your ongoing support! Enjoy your summer. Please know I will send weekly messages only as I feel it is appropriate.

Remember, you are always able to access this message on our school website under School News and titled Principal's Weekly Updates or on Facebook and Twitter. Please follow Southwest High School at SouthwestGHS for both Twitter and Facebook. This is a great way for us to communicate and stay connected.

I hope you continue to have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you on the first day of school, Monday, August 28th!

We are... Southwest!