FAQs
Location
Shreveport, LA 71106
Phone
Hours
M-F: 8:00am-3:00pm
A:Â Scheduled conferences are held for all students at the end of the first quarter, with an optional conference in the third quarter. Students do not attend school on these days. It is a time for parents and teachers to discuss their child’s progress. Open communication is welcome and encouraged between parents and teachers. Additional conferences may be scheduled at any time, and informal contacts via notes, teacher voicemail, or by phone are always welcome.
A:Â Southfield believes that the home and the school share responsibility for educating each student. Additionally, all parents of students enrolled in Southfield school are members of the Parents Association. The Parents Association coordinates multiple opportunities for which parents may volunteer. Please see the Parents Association section under Campus Life.
ADMISSIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q:Â What is your sibling policy?
A:Â Siblings do receive priority if there is a waiting list. They are still required to go through all steps of the application process.
Q:Â What information and documents will I need to apply/enroll in the school?
A: Past schools attended, up-to-date medical/shot records, previous report cards, test scores, social security number for the applicant, and tax returns if applying for variable tuition.Â
Q:Â What is Variable Tuition?
A: Variable Tuition is a sliding-scale tuition plan based on a financial application and takes into consideration factors such as family size, income, and military status. As a guide, you can review our tuition ranges here. This serves as a guide, actual tuition plans are created on a case-by-case basis following the completion of the application for variable tuition.Â
Applicants can get a general idea of their eligibility for Variable Tuition after completing the application online.
After completing the application and applying to Southfield School, a formal tuition decision/offer from Southfield School typically arrives within one month. Depending on the time of year and the number of applicants, the process may take slightly longer.
Q:Â Do you have an option for tuition assistance or grants?
A: Yes, our program for tuition assistance is called Variable Tuition. Families applying for Variable Tuition can receive a tuition plan that is 20-50% below the full tuition expense. We also offer a $1,000 military grant through that program. Learn more about Variable Tuition and apply online here.
Q:Â Is the variable tuition application process confidential?
A:Â It is strictly confidential. No information is shared with any member of the Southfield community. The school also expects that the amount of the award will be treated with strict confidentiality on the part of the family.
Q:Â Do I have to submit a new application for Variable Tuition every year?
A: Yes, you must file the SSS application each year. However, unless there are significant changes in the family’s financial situation, it is unlikely that the school will make significant adjustments in the amount offered. Renewal is also dependent upon the satisfactory performance by the student(s) and upon reasonable compliance with school expectations by the family. Finally, renewal is possible only when all school accounts are current.
Q: Are scholarships available?
A:Â A limited number of scholarships have been established and as they become available are an option for some families. Please inquire with us to learn more about our scholarships. Â The application requirements, amounts awarded, the duration of the scholarship and availability of these funds vary from scholarship to scholarship.
For additional questions about financial aid or scholarships, contact Finance Director, Morris Inabnet, at (318) 213-6366 or minabnet@southfield-school.org.
A:Â Applicants to the Southfield Preschool-2 Exploration program should be 2 years old by August 1st.
Q: How are preschool applicants evaluated?
A:Â A developmental screening will be scheduled for new students entering Readiness classes. All applicants will meet with the Preschool Director or Lower School Director for grades PS-2 through 2nd.
A: School starts at 8:00am for everyone on our campus. Preschool classes dismiss at noon. However, there is an Extended Day Program available for families in the afternoon portion of the day.
Southfield School provides a cafeteria-style lunch program for our students. Lunches are ordered each month in advance on the school website. The lunch program is directed and operated by Southfield parents. Lunches are reasonably priced and there is a varied menu from which to choose. Each lunch cycle starts on the first day of each month and ends at the end of each month.
Lunches from home should consist of healthy foods that the child can easily handle independently. Children are encouraged to save desserts for last. Candy and sodas are not permitted. Preschool students eat lunch in their classrooms. In the spirit of environmental responsibility, reusable lunch containers are encouraged.
Extended Day sessions begin on the first day of school. However, if the family schedule does not require that the child stay, it is sometimes helpful to give the child a week or two to adjust to their morning routine before leaving them for the afternoon.
The After School Program will be available most days of the school year. Please check the Southfield calendar for exceptions (such as noon dismissal days, school holidays, parent/teacher conference days, etc.), and/or they will be posted in the after school program area.
Parents must select a pick-up time of 4:30 or 5:30pm and may register for 3 or 5 days per week. Please remember that by signing the contract you are financially committed to those days. Drop-in service is available by contacting our Auxiliary Programming Director, Nicole Coulter.
LOWER SCHOOL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A:Â Southfield currently offers French as its foreign language curriculum for students in Preschool through 4th grade.
A:Â Regular homework is assigned in the lower school Monday through Thursday to reinforce and complement classroom learning. The length of the homework assignment varies appropriately according to grade level. Many students learn to use time in class, so they may not have much regular homework.
A: Southfield School provides a cafeteria-style lunch program for its students. Lunch menu information and online ordering is available for purchase on the school website and app. Each lunch cycle starts on the first day of each month and ends on the last day of each month. The lunch program is optional: children may bring their own lunches, and microwave ovens are available to students in grades 2nd through 8th. Sample Menu.
Q:Â At what age are students required to take standardized tests and what tests are used?
A:Â The school sponsors a junior level tennis team for lower school students each spring. The school also sponsors Scouts. A variety of after-school activities are also available during certain times of the school year such as advanced art lessons, piano, and taekwondo.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q:Â What high school credits do students earn?
A: 8th grade Algebra I, Spanish I, and Spanish II courses carry a high school credit. Some students are also able to earn Geometry credit if they qualify for the school’s Advanced Curriculum Experience (ACE) program.
Q:Â What foreign languages are offered?
A: Beginning in 5th grade, students may choose between French and Spanish. 5th and 6th grade students take foreign language as an exploratory course for a quarter. 7th and 8th graders commit to the year-long language class of their choice in order to earn high school credit.
Q:Â What is the average homework load?
A:Â Students should expect to be assigned homework in each subject every day, including Fridays. The amount of homework will increase appropriately as a student advances through middle school. The formula for measuring appropriate homework time is the student’s grade times 15 minutes. This formula applies to the approximate length of time for the total homework. (i.e. A 5th grade student should expect 5 x 15 = 75 minutes homework per night; an 8th grade student should expect 8 x 15 = 120 minutes homework per night.) 8th grade Algebra I, Geometry, French I, and Spanish I students can expect additional homework since these courses carry a high school credit.
Q:Â Can students order lunch?
A: Southfield School provides a cafeteria-style lunch program for its students. Lunch menu information and online ordering is available and purchased on the school website. Each lunch cycle starts on the first day of each month and ends on the last day of each month. The lunch program is optional: children may bring their own lunches, and microwave ovens are available to students in grades 2nd through 8th.
Q:Â Do all students make the team for school sponsored sports?
A:Â There are several opportunities for students to engage in sporting activities through programs associated with Southfield School. As these opportunities are designed to develop skills and understanding of the rules and strategies of the various sports, all who wish to participate are granted the opportunity to do so. The school sponsored Middle School teams include basketball, tennis, golf, and cross country. Southfield students also have the opportunity to participate in a joint private school football team. The Jets Alliance football team is comprised of students from five local private schools and competes with both local and regional schools.
Southfield Middle School also sponsors a cheerleading squad that supports our middle school boys’ and girls’ sports teams.
Q:Â What trips do students take?
A:Â Local and Ark-La-Tex field trips are organized for every grade level throughout the school. These trips are considered to be an integral part of our educational program. Parents will always be notified well in advance of any planned field trips.
5th and 6th grade students take day trips to areas of historical or scientific interest. 7th grade students take a three-day science related trip into Arkansas. 8th grade students study Louisiana history during a four-day trip. Middle school students, alumni, and parents may also participate in annual overseas trips during spring break that are organized by the school’s foreign language teachers.
Q:Â What standardized tests are used?
A:Â Middle school students take Stanford Standardized Achievement Tests, and 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders take the Otis Lennon School Achievement Tests in the spring each year. These tests measure student performance using national norms and indicate the progress of individuals in areas such as language arts, reading comprehension, and mathematics.
The results of the Stanford Achievement Tests are mailed to parents in early June.
Q:Â How is student progress reported?
A: In the Middle School, student progress is reported in several ways. Every nine-week marking period, grades are made available through the school’s database, Veracross. In the first quarter, report cards will be followed by parent/student/teacher conferences and optional conferences are held in the third quarter. In the second and fourth quarters, the report cards will include written comments from each academic subject teacher.
Middle school uses a seven-point grading system: A (100-93), B (92-85), C (84-74), D (73-65), F (64-0).
Q:Â Are there regularly scheduled parent/teacher conferences?
A: Scheduled conferences are held for all students at the end of the first quarter and optional conferences are held in the third quarter. Students do not attend school on this day, but middle school students attend the conference with their parent. Conferences are a time for parents, teachers and students to share a discussion about the child’s progress. Open communication is welcome and encouraged between parents and teachers. Additional conferences may be scheduled at any time, and informal contacts via notes, teacher voicemail, or by e-mail are encouraged and always welcome.