Incoming Freshmen: Class of 2027

Calendar of Events

Date	Event
Jan. 10	Online Stevenson Enrollment begins (Click here to get started) *Action required
Jan. 11, 12, 17	Incoming Freshman Family Orientation
Jan. 11	Placement letters mailed home
Jan. 19	Summer School Registration begins (Click here to get started)
Jan. 19, 23 & 25	Incoming Freshman Course Selection Evenings
Jan. 25 - 26	Dance Placements (Check website for audition materials)
Jan. 27	Online Stevenson Enrollment due (Click here to get started) *Action required
Jan. 27	Freshman Year Course Selection Worksheets due *Action required
Feb. 3	Freshman Year Course Verifications mailed home
Mar. 22	Co-Curricular Fair
Mar. 23	Summer School Registration closes
April 17	Orchestra & Guitar Placements (Check website for audition materials)
May 1	Health Forms due *Action required
Mid May	Annual Residency Verification *Action may be required
Mid June/July	Registration Fee Payment *Action required
June 6 - 29	Summer School - Semester One
June 6 & 20	Summer Multilingual Language Benchmark Testing Day
July 5 - 27	Summer School - Semester Two
July 11 & 25	Summer Multilingual Language Benchmark Testing Day
June & July	Sports PREP Activities
June - July	Band Summer Rehearsals (Band Directors will send out details)
Late July	Band Camp (Exact dates to be announced)
August 8	Summer Multilingual Language Benchmark Testing Day
August 11	Freshman Orientation Day
August 14	School Begins

 

Family To-Do List

While we strongly encourage families of incoming freshmen to frequently review the Calendar of Events tab for important dates, this tab provides families with a general overview of the actions that all families must take prior to the upcoming school year. The five actions below are listed in the chronological order.

1. Online Enrollment

Families will receive information on how to complete the online enrollment process via an email sent the week following winter break. Parents will need to review and upload the required school enrollment documents and complete the information listed below between Jan. 10 and Jan. 27.  Click here to log in to get started.

• Household Information
• Parent/Guardian Information
• Student Information
• Consent for Records
• Home Language Survey

2. Course Selection

An important part of ensuring the success of our students is supporting them in the selection of their courses. Stevenson's goal is that the course selection process represents a partnership between families and counselors. Virtual course selection evenings will take place on Jan. 19, 23 and 25. For more information about the incoming freshmen course selection evenings, click on the “Course Selection Evenings” tab on this page.

During these evenings, families will work with counselors to go over potential classes for the upcoming school year. Following these evenings, course selection worksheets must be completed by Jan. 27. Forms can be emailed to shs_enrollment@pornololite.com or faxed to (847) 634-0644.

Course verification sheets will then be mailed home in early February. These sheets will list all courses entered for the student's freshman year. Instructions for submitting elective course request changes will be included. A smooth and effective beginning to the school year will be enhanced by early decisions.

3. Required Health Forms

Families will receive health forms as part of a Welcome Packet, which will be distributed during the Incoming Freshmen Orientation Nights the week following winter break. All health forms must be returned to the Nurse's Office by May 1, 2023. To begin the process, please download and complete the forms below.

Required Health Forms:

• Child Health Examination Form

• Dental Examination Form
• Medication Permission Form

IF applicable:

• Asthma Action Plan
• Anaphylaxis Action Plan

You may email completed documents to nurses@pornololite.com or fax to 847-955-2445.

4. Annual Residency Verification

Families are required to verify their residency within the District 125 attendance boundaries on an annual basis. Residency verification will take place in mid May. 

To streamline this process for families, the District contracts with a third-party vendor to automatically verify student address information by comparing parent/guardian names and addresses with electronic databases such as utility companies. If residency is electronically verified, families will receive a confirmation email to this effect in mid-May and no additional documentation will be needed. Families whose residency we are unable to verify through this process will receive an email in mid-May sharing more information regarding the documents required and the steps for submitting them. For more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, click here.

5. Online Registration

After residency has been verified, families may complete the online registration, the yearly process for families to pay fees for materials and programming needed to support their student’s learning for the upcoming school year. Students must be registered by mid-June/July. More information will be coming in Spring 2023.

NOTE: Families must complete residency verification before proceeding with the registration process.

Benchmark Testing and Placements

Placements for students arriving to Stevenson from our sender schools are determined based on a combination of a student’s performance in eighth grade courses, conversations with the student’s eighth grade teachers and benchmark data. Benchmark testing may be required for certain incoming freshmen, specifically those transferring from out of district. 

Multilingual Learning

Incoming students with prior language coursework or experience, Heritage, or Native speakers interested in taking Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Latin, or Spanish must take an online placement exam. Please register your student for one of the exam dates listed below. Students will test in the listening, reading, and writing domains.

2023-2024 SUMMER BENCHMARKS DATES:

• Tuesday, 6/6 
• Tuesday, 6/20 
• Tuesday, 7/11 
• Tuesday, 7/25 
• Tuesday, 8/8

TIME and LOCATION:

• More information coming soon

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Students without previous instruction or exposure to a World Language DO NOT have to register for a benchmark exam and will be placed in a Level 1 class.
• Students who took a World Language benchmark and received placement do not retake the exam to change course placement. Students must test 90 days from the first exam. Only one (1) retake opportunity is allowed.
   

REGISTER for the BENCHMARK EXAM

For questions or more information, please visit the Multilingual Learning FAQ resource or email benchmark@pornololite.com.

Science

Recommendations for students from non-sender schools and transfers students will be based on standardized test scores (MAP scores preferred) in Mathematics and Reading, as well as a review of students’ performance in 8th grade. Our Science Division first reviews mathematics scores; based on strong scores, some students are given the recommendation/choice:

• AC Chemistry or AC Biology 

For the other students, we review the Reading score to give one of three options. We also consider the English recommendations and then:

• Recommend AC Biology with a choice of AC Chemistry
• Recommend AC Biology with a choice of CP Biology
• Recommend CP Biology with a choice of AC Biology
• Place in CP Biology

Mathematics

For students transferring into Stevenson from outside our sender schools, the mathematics course placement will be determined based on a complete transcript from the previous school and curriculum review of the student’s previous course. A report card and full topic-by-topic syllabus of the previous course is requested.
Families must be registered as district residents through our Student Services Division before a transcript and course curriculum review is initiated. (To verify residency, please contact the Student Services Division at 847-415-4500.) Contact Valerie Tomkiel at vtomkiel@pornololite.com for details around the transcript/curriculum review.

Communication Arts

Students from non-sender schools and transfers students who are able to provide a standardized reading and/or English test score (from the MAP (preferred), AIMS or Iowa tests, for example) do not need additional assessment. Contact Kim Musolf at kmusolf@pornololite.com to submit such scores at any time.

For students who cannot provide a standardized reading and/or English test score, recommendation/placement in Freshman English and literacy courses is determined by an assessment of the student’s ability to comprehend and analyze text. Students should expect to read a text, answer questions in an analysis paragraph, and answer online multiple-choice questions. This test is also open to students who wish to reassess and change their initial Academic Literacy placement. 

In order to arrange for this SHS testing, which can be done virtually or in person, please contact Denise Perkins at dperkins@pornololite.com.

Course Selection

In mid-January, incoming freshman families will receive a letter sharing their student’s course placement recommendations in English, Mathematics, Science and if applicable, Multilingual Learning. Shortly after this information is mailed home, Stevenson will host three virtual course selection evenings for incoming freshman families. During these evenings, families will have the opportunity to virtually meet with a Stevenson school counselor or director for support in choosing classes for the upcoming school year.

• Jan. 19 (4 - 7 p.m.) -- last names A-G
  • Group 1 (A - Bh): http://zoom.us/j/99766963865
  • Group 2 (Bi - Cl): http://zoom.us/j/93587679660
  • Group 3 (Co - Fi): http://zoom.us/j/98004033064
  • Group (Fl - G): http://zoom.us/j/99450682256
     
• Jan. 23 (4 - 7 p.m.) -- last names H-O
  • Group 1 (H - Kal): http://zoom.us/j/92943595016
  • Group 2 (Kam - Ky): http://zoom.us/j/91051440618
  • Group 3 (L - Mar): http://zoom.us/j/98478638157
  • Group (Mas - O): http://zoom.us/j/94801161522
     
• Jan. 25 (4 - 7 p.m.) -- last names P-Z
  • Group 1 (P - Re): http://zoom.us/j/94318157346
  • Group 2 (Rh - Si): http://zoom.us/j/95659292979
  • Group 3 (Sk - Va): http://zoom.us/j/97714864580
  • Group (Ve - Z): http://zoom.us/j/91692781361

WATCH: Incoming Freshmen Course Selection Worksheet Walkthrough (YouTube)

Course Verification

The completed 2023-24 Incoming Freshman Course Selection form must be returned by Jan. 27 in order to ensure a smooth transition to high school. Once received, an Incoming Freshman Course Verification Confirmation sheet will be mailed home in early February. Instructions for submitting requests for an elective course change will also be included.

Technology

How Incoming Freshmen Receive Their iPad

All incoming freshmen receive an iPad which they keep until they earn a diploma with Stevenson. Students should expect to use these to access etextbooks, class assignments and communicate with their teachers. Incoming freshmen attending summer school will receive their SHS iPad in the classroom on the first day of summer school. Students attending the first sessions of summer school will receive their SHS iPad on Tuesday, June 6. If a student only attends the second session, they will receive their SHS iPad on Wednesday, July 5.

For students not attending summer school SHS iPads will be distributed on Freshmen Orientation Day on Friday, Aug. 11.

Things to keep in mind:

• The District requires the iPad to be in a case. The District-issued case does not have a keyboard. You may choose to purchase your own case. Please check the model of the iPad before you purchase.
• The SHS iPad is signed in to a Managed Apple ID. This provides 200 GB of iCloud storage.
• The SHS iPad will not have access to the App Store, iMessage or FaceTime. All academic apps can be found in Self Service.
• Zoom is the available app for video chat with classmates. It is already installed on the SHS iPad with your Stevenson Zoom account set up.
• Earbuds, Headphones, Apple Pencils, Stylus and keyboards are all accessories that the District does not supply. If you choose to purchase your own, please check the model of the iPad before you purchase.
• The notetaking and annotation app used at SHS is Notability and is already installed on the iPad.

Student Access to Technology

Stevenson students are given access to several different technology programs. Every student is provided with a network account, an email account, Canvas account, IRC account and an Infinite Campus account. Login information (account names and passwords) should be kept private at all times. Additionally, all freshmen will have the Student Guidebook downloaded onto their iPads.

Students with questions or needing assistance with an SHS-issued iPad should visit the technicians at the SMARTdesk. The SMARTdesk is located in the Link Labs building. During summer school, the SMARTdesk is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Special hours will be posted. During the school year, it is open on regular school days from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. On late arrival days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Special hours will be posted.

During the school year, computers are available for student use in the Information Learning Center (ILC) in the West Building (Room 2300/1300) or in the East Learning Center (Room 7026). Freshmen may use the desktop computers during study hall by asking a classroom teacher for a pass to one of the Learning Centers from study hall.

The use of a Stevenson High School computer is intended to serve instructional purposes only, playing games is not permitted. In exchange for the privilege of using the District’s computers, computer network and internet access, students must consent to staff members monitoring such use.

In order to use the internet, a summer school student must have a signed Acceptable Use Guideline form (regarding access and use of the District Information Services systems) on file. For the school year, students will agree to acceptable use during the registration process. Inappropriate use of the District’s computers, computer network and/or internet access may be considered gross disobedience or misconduct.

To view more detailed information about our technology services, including answers to frequently asked questions, please visit www.pornololite.com/student-life/tech-services.

Patriot Wellness Center Orientation

The Patriot Wellness Center is an exciting and inclusive space for all students. Student safety is our priority while we foster competence and confidence in movement ability to support physical and mental wellness and performance. To align our actions with our priorities, we created a simple 60-minute PWC orientation that ensures students move safely and effectively throughout the wellness space. With the tools and insights provided, students will maximize their time in the PWC and work toward their potential. Please register below to ensure student safety and well-being.

*Required for incoming Freshmen who want to utilize the PWC during the summer of '23

REGISTER NOW

Relevant Links

• Academic Calendar
• Course Selection
• Summer Enrichment
• Student Activities
• School Technology
• Fine Arts Auditions
• Athletics
• Infinite Campus

Frequently Asked Questions