Principal's weekly updates for the weekly of January 2nd...

Good evening Southwest community!

Starting on January 3rd, we will start 5 minutes early. Nothing else will change in the schedule other than students being guided to class at 8:30 and the late bell being 8:35 instead of 8:40. 

The 1st semester exam schedule has been finalized.

Due to all the inclement weather days this fall (2 hurricanes and a week of snow), the fall semester currently has only 81 days compared to 91 for the spring semester. There have been 9 student days lost this Fall with 2 of those days being made up on November 1 and January 18; this still leaves 7 lost instructional days in the fall semester.

To provide more balanced semesters and to allow more instructional time for the fall semester, it has been decided to move the last day of the fall semester from January 18 to January 25. The 5-day test window will now be January 18-25, 2019. These five days must be used for administering EOCs and NCFEs for first semester block schedule courses. The teacher workday/parent-teacher conference day originally scheduled for January 22 will be moved to Monday, January 28. 

Exams will be given the last 8 days of the semester...

Day 1 - January 15th, Tuesday - Full Day for all students, normal bell schedule - Teacher made exams (part 1) if approved by Mr. Hettenbach

Day 2 - January 16th, Wednesday - Full day for ALL students - slightly modified bell schedule - 1st and 3rd block teacher made exams ONLY - class times will be extended for blocks 1 and 3

Day 3 - January 17th, Thursday - Full day for ALL students - slightly modified bell schedule - 2nd and 4th block teacher made exams ONLY - class times will be extended for blocks 2 and 4.

Day 4 - January 18th, Friday - 8:35 - 1:30 - Block 1 CTEs, EOC and NCFEs; Afternoon schedule – EC Extended Time Testing

January 21st - HOLIDAY

Day 5 - January 22nd, Tuesday - 8:35 - 1:30 - Block 2 CTEs,EOC and NCFEs; Afternoon schedule – EC Extended Time Testing, Multiple Test Day Accommodations & Block 1 Make Ups

Day 6 - January 23rd, Wednesday - 8:35 - 1:30 - Block 3 CTEs,EOC and NCFEs; Afternoon schedule – EC Extended Time Testing, Multiple Test Day Accommodations & Block 2 Make Ups

Day 7 - January 24th, Thursday - 8:35 - 1:30 - Block 4 CTEs,EOC and NCFEs; Afternoon schedule – EC Extended Time Testing, Multiple Test Day Accommodations & Block 3 Make Ups

Day 8 - January 25th, Friday- - 8:35 - 1:30 - only for students who are needing to make up excams - EOC and NCFE make up exams

January 28th, Monday - Mandated workday - Parent Conference Day - please request a conference with any teacher if necessary. 

The OneCard system has now been through 5 days. We have seen a great improvements in such a short time. Please reinforce to your student to be wearing the card at all times. We want the students in the habit of displaying the cards at all times, blue lanyard around the neck, not in the pocket, not inside the shirt, etc. As I have mentioned before, this is a safety and security layer that has been added to the school and we greatly appreciate your support with this project. 

We now have 9 days until teacher made exams start, and 11 until state testing begins. 
As we have very little time left in the semester, every minute of every class is crucial. Please reach out to your child's teachers with any questions and/or concerns. Also, please reinforce the importance of finishing up strong, especially with such little time left in the semester. 

As it relates to athletic schedules, please visit the SWHS Athletics page at www.cowboysports.org

Feel free to come out and support the cowboys and Cowgirls at the Sheets holiday tournament in our very own Coggins Gym. We look forward to seeing you out there!

Wednesday, December 26

TBA Mens Junior Varsity Basketball NW Guilford JV Basketball Tournament Away 

Thursday, December 27
TBA Mens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 

TBA Mens Junior Varsity Basketball NW Guilford JV Basketball Tournament Away 6:00PM Womens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 

Friday, December 28
TBA Mens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 
TBA Mens Varsity Wrestling Holy Angels Tournament @ Bojangles Arena in Charlotte Away 
TBA Mens Junior Varsity Basketball NW Guilford JV Basketball Tournament Away 
6:00PM Womens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 

Saturday, December 29
TBA Mens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 
TBA Mens Varsity Wrestling Holy Angels Tournament @ Bojangles Arena in Charlotte Away 6:00PM Womens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 

Wednesday, January 2
Optional Workday for teachers

Thursday, January 3
Students and staff return to school

Friday, January 4
PTSA Jean Day 
5:00 PM Womens Junior Varsity Basketball High Point Central High School Home 
6:00 PM Mens Varsity Wrestling Quentin Crosby Invitational @ Dudley HS Away 
6:00 PM Womens Varsity Basketball High Point Central High School Away 
6:30 PM Mens Junior Varsity Basketball High Point Central High School Home 
7:30 PM Mens Varsity Basketball High Point Central High School Away

Tuesday, January 8
7:00PM Chorus Concert - Auditorium

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, Twitter and Instagram. Please follow Southwest High School at SouthwestGHS for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! This is a great way for us to communicate and stay connected. 

We are... Southwest!

Principal's weekly updates for the week of December 17

Good evening Southwest community!

I hope this message finds everyone warm and safe from this past storm. 

With the beautiful snow we experienced comes the headaches of figuring out how to make up days lost. GCS will inform us all how these days are going to be made up. Please be patient in the meantime. This issue also brings up the next obstacle..... exams.  Without knowing when the last 5 days of the semester will be, we cannot tie dates to exams days yet. However, we will communicate the plan to everyone as soon as the make up dates are shared.

This coming Tuesday we will be swiping OneCards again, this time with 6 machines rather than 2. Students must wear their lanyards and cards at all times. This is a safety and security measure for the school. Please assist us by speaking with your child about our expectations. Some students (roughly 100) still don't have cards and these cards will hopefully be in their possession after the break. Thank you to everyone who has supported this extra layer of security within our school.

We have just a little over 2 weeks left before 1st semester exams start. Please help us in reinforcing to your child the importance of finishing up this semester as strong as possible. If any child needs to make up time, it is imperative to get this completed as soon as possible. 

Interims will be distributed on Thursday. It is important for you to review these grades with your child and reach out to any teachers if necessary. 

This coming Friday, the last day before break, there are a few events to be aware of. First, Friday is a PTSA jean day. Students must wear their bracelets and jeans worn should not have any tears, rips, shreds, holes, etc. Second, the PE department is having a heart healthy day. Students currently in PE classes can dress in PE attire. Last, we are going to have an ugly holiday sweater/outfit day on Friday to kick off the holiday season.  I look forward to seeing some of those beautiful outfits. 

Note: At the moment, we will start 5 minutes early starting January 3rd. Nothing else will change in the schedule other than students being guided to class at 8:30 and the late bell being 8:35. It is possible this could change as GCS presents the plan to make up time for these days lost. Please pay attention to all future information pertaining to the make up days.

As it relates to athletic schedules, please visit the SWHS Athletics page at www.cowboysports.org

Monday, December 17

7:00PM - 9:00PM Winter Band Concert - Auditorium
Tuesday, December 18

7PM Orchestra Concert - Auditorium

5:00PM Womens Junior Varsity Basketball Dudley Senior High School Away 
6:00PM Womens Varsity Basketball Dudley Senior High School Home 
6:30PM Mens Junior Varsity Basketball Dudley Senior High School Away 
7:00 PM Mens Varsity Wrestling Ragsdale High School Away 
7:00 PM Mens Varsity Wrestling Ben L. Smith High School Away 

7:30 PM Mens Varsity Basketball Dudley Senior High School Home

Wednesday, December 19

6:00 PM Mens Varsity Wrestling Northwest Senior High School JV Wrestling ONLY @ NWG Away 

6:00 PM Coed Varsity Swimming Conference Meet @ Smith Pool Home 

Thursday, December 20

Interims distributed to all students in all classes.

6:30PM - Dance Concert - Auditorium

6:00 PM Mens Varsity Wrestling Tri-Match vs. NWG/Eastern Guilford @ NWG Away Friday, December 21

Ugly Sweater day

All day - PE Heart Day - All Freshman Focus Class

PTSA Jean Day

5:00 PM Mens Junior Varsity Basketball Ragsdale High School Away 
5:00 PM Coed Varsity Swimming Bob Sawyer Invitational @ Greensboro Aquatics Center Away 
6:00 PM Mens Varsity Basketball Ragsdale High School Home 
6:30 PM Womens Junior Varsity Basketball Ragsdale High School Away 

7:30 PM Womens Varsity Basketball Ragsdale High School Home 

Wednesday, December 26

TBA Mens Junior Varsity Basketball NW Guilford JV Basketball Tournament Away 

Thursday, December 27
TBA Mens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 

TBA Mens Junior Varsity Basketball NW Guilford JV Basketball Tournament Away 6:00PM Womens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 

Friday, December 28
TBA Mens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 
TBA Mens Varsity Wrestling Holy Angels Tournament @ Bojangles Arena in Charlotte Away 
TBA Mens Junior Varsity Basketball NW Guilford JV Basketball Tournament Away 
6:00PM Womens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 

Saturday, December 29
TBA Mens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 
TBA Mens Varsity Wrestling Holy Angels Tournament @ Bojangles Arena in Charlotte Away 6:00PM Womens Varsity Basketball OPEN DATE Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic Home 

Tuesday, January 8
7:00PM Chorus Concert - Auditorium

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, Twitter and Instagram. Please follow Southwest High School at SouthwestGHS for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! This is a great way for us to communicate and stay connected. 

We are... Southwest!

Principal's weekly updates for the week of December 10

Good evening Southwest!

I hope this message finds you safe and warm. Please pay close attention to the all calls and social media posts from Guilford County Schools in regards to any possible closings or delays.  

We have just a little over 3 weeks left before 1st semester exams start. As we continue to approach exam time, it is crucial for students to have all work turned in, time made up and that each student is making every effort to finish strong right through exams. There is a scheduled Saturday School this coming Saturday in the Media Center from 8AM to Noon for any students that need to get a bulk of time made up. Additionally, please make sure you are monitoring attendance and grades on Powerschool and never hesitate to reach out to your student's teachers.

This past Thursday, SWHS and Allen Jay Prep were the first 2 schools to start the Onecard scanning process. As one of 7 pilot schools and the largest pilot school to implement this additional layer of security, we recognize that we would notice issues that need to be addressed/ That is the purpose of a pilot school. After Thursday morning, the district has recognized the need for more scanning stations for us and therefore will be tripling the number of stations. We should see those stations arrive soon. In the meantime, we are focusing on students getting in the habit of displaying their ID card around their neck at all times. Students whose cards did not scan properly or did not get a card yet will be addressed in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience during this process as we add yet another layer of safety and security within our school. 


Each month, we recognize faculty members who have stood out during the previous month for reinforcing the Superintendent's Strategic Plan.  Please help me in congratulating these amazing educators.

Goal 1: Reading - Mashamas Allah
Goal 2: Math - Carol Crawford and Marti Hmiel
Goal 3: Career pathways - Cecilia Ynoa Lantigua
Goal 4: Exceeding Growth - Desiree Wright
Goal 5: Decrease Gaps - Will Muse
Goal 6: Increase Efficiency - Sue Durant

We also want to recognize this past month's SWHS Crystal Apple Award winner - Amanda Cook for revitalizing the dance program at Southwest. 

Thank you again for recognizing these amazing individuals. 

One last bit of information, if you have not heard yet, the entire school district will be starting 5 minutes earlier as of January 3rd. This is to assist us with banking some time as we are sure to receive inclement weather and will run out of inclement weather days. The late bell for 1st block will be 8:35 starting on January 3rd. Please make a note. 

As it relates to athletic schedules, please visit the SWHS Athletics page at www.cowboysports.org

Monday, December 10

No Athletic Events

Tuesday, December 11

5:00PM Womens Junior Varsity Basketball Northwest Senior High School Home
6:00PM Womens Varsity Basketball Northwest Senior High School Away
6:30PM Mens Junior Varsity Basketball Northwest Senior High School Home
7:30PM Mens Varsity Basketball Northwest Senior High School Away

Wednesday, December 12

7:45 - 8:35 Leadership Meeting - Media Center
4:30 PM Coed Varsity Track OPEN DATE @ TBA Away
6:30 PM Mens Varsity Wrestling Western Guilford High School Away

Thursday, December 13

7:00PM - 9:00PM Winter Band Concert - Auditorium

Friday, December 14

All day - PE Heart Day - All Freshman Focus Class

All day - PTSA Chic Fila Day - Palladium - Mention SWHS

5:00 PM Womens Junior Varsity Basketball Ronald Reagan High School Home
6:00 PM Womens Varsity Basketball Ben L. Smith High School Away
6:30 PM Mens Junior Varsity Basketball Ben L. Smith High School Home
7:30 PM Mens Varsity Basketball Ben L. Smith High School Away 

Saturday, December 15

8:00 AM - Noon  Saturday School Make up time - Media Center

9:00 AM Mens Varsity Wrestling Bison Invitational @ HP Central Away

12:00 PM Coed Varsity Swimming Conference Meet @ Smith Pool Away

Tuesday, December 18
Interim reports distributed to all students
Orchestra Concert

Thursday, December 20
6:30PM - Dance Concert - Auditorium

Friday, December 21
PTSA Jean Day

Tuesday, January 8
7:00PM Chorus Concert - Auditorium

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, Twitter and Instagram. Please follow Southwest High School at SouthwestGHS for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! This is a great way for us to communicate and stay connected. 

We are... Southwest!