Happy Superbowl Sunday!!

We are moving into Week 25 with exciting events and important updates to share!

🌟 BCPS Climate Survey – We Need Your Voice!
Your feedback is essential in shaping the future of our school. Please take a few minutes to complete the BCPS Climate Survey Please click this link.

Thank you for your support!

📚 Tutoring Available
Support is available for students in Language Arts, Math (All Grades) and Title I Targeted Math 7. If your child could benefit from extra help, please encourage them to take advantage of these opportunities.

🏀 Basketball at Away and Home
Come cheer on our Tigers as they take on Northwest Academy on Tuesday @ Northwest and Franklin at home on Thursday this week! Let’s show our school spirit!

📄 Report Cards
Quarter 2 report cards were posted on Schoology on Thursday and sent home with students on Friday. Please review your child’s progress and reach out to teachers if you have any questions.

🎉 Honor Roll & Perfect Attendance Assemblies
We will celebrate our students’ achievements during our Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance Assemblies for grades 6, 7, and 8 from February 21 (Grade 7), February 24 (Grade 6) and February 25 (Grade 8). Invites will be sent out this week.

As always, thank you for your partnership in supporting our students. Let’s have a great week!

In Partnership,

Mrs. Bomar

Baltimore County Department of Health is offering a Pregnancy Support Group. Virtual classes began February 18th. Discussion topics are listed on the flyers

This week, we will be celebrating Respect is Love Week, an initiative to encourage students to reflect on how respect fosters strong friendships and positive relationships.

Ms. Jacobs and Ms. Carter will be leading engaging events in the cafeteria during lunch throughout the week.

Here’s a brief overview of the activities:
📅 Monday – Students will contribute to a Respect is Love poster by writing a word or drawing a picture that represents respect and love. ✍️🎨
📅 Tuesday – We’ll ask students, “What makes a good friend?”, and record their responses for a short video about healthy relationships. 🎥💬
📅 Wednesday – Students will engage in an interactive activity to identify healthy vs. unhealthy boundaries. 🚦💛
📅 Thursday – Students will write a kind note to a friend about how they light up their world, which will be delivered the next day. 💌✨

Not pictured:

• Mashoor A.
• Dayana H.

February is Black History Month, a time to honor the rich heritage, culture, and contributions of Black leaders, innovators, and changemakers throughout history. At Southwest Academy, we are committed to celebrating and learning about the achievements that have shaped our world.

Throughout the month, our students will engage in activities, discussions, and events that highlight the impact of Black pioneers in various fields, from science and literature to civil rights and the arts. We encourage families to continue these conversations at home and explore the many ways Black history influences our present and future.

Let’s take this opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and continue working toward a future that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The BCPS Climate Survey is now open. Please take a moment to use the link to select your language and complete the survey.

Please click the link: Focus Parent Portal and within you account, there's a Schoology link which allows you to view your child's current grades. Progress reports will be available this Friday, Sept. 27th.

We have having an increase in students not coming to school in uniform. This week, we plan on doing uniform checks and items not adhering to the policy will be confiscated, returned at the end of the day and your student will receive detention.

Please ensure that your student adheres to the dress code policy. If you have any questions, feel free to contact your child's grade level administrator.

Students will also be permitted wear Southwest Academy shirts.

We've had a slight decrease in our attendance. We need to get back on track.

How You Can Help:

As a direct response to recent behaviors exhibited by students across the nation, BCPS staff from the Department of School Safety have created an addendum to the 2024-2025 Student Handbook – Code of Conduct. This addendum directly addresses disciplinary action that will be taken when students violate the code of conduct in specific ways. Students who engage in these behaviors will be subject to all legally allowable consequences including, but not limited to, suspension and expulsion. School system consequences are in addition to action taken by law enforcement.

The annual Mind Over Matter Annual Conference will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. The goal of this event is to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and substance use prevention. This event is for all BCPS students and their parents/caregivers. and will include student performances, a keynote speaker, and breakout sessions. There will also be vendors, free promotional items, giveaways, face-painting, and more!

We have partnered with BSN/Sideline Sports to offer merchandise options for students and staff. Order now and get an additional 20% off of your purchase. Use the link below to purchase.

For the 2024-2025 school year, there will be an intense focus on cross-curricular vocabulary instruction. In core content classes and on the morning announcements, students will be introduced to a word and given the opportunity to make connections with the word within their content, with the expectation of greater comprehension as well as increased MAP reading scores.

Help us reinforce this focus by asking your student what word is for the week and having them use the word at home. Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes progress.🙂

Feb. 10

• Field Trip - Wide Angle Youth Media Grades 6 & 7

Feb. 11

• Basketball Away vs. Northwest Academy

Feb. 13

• Basketball Home vs. Franklin

Feb. 14

• Valentine's Day 💝

Feb. 17

• Schools and Offices Closed for President's Day

Feb. 18

• Basketball vs Pikesville @ Woodlawn High

Feb. 21

• Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance Assembly for Grade 7 @ 8:30am (Invites will be sent out Monday, 2/10/25)

Feb. 24

• Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance Assembly for Grade 6 @ 8:30am (Invites will be sent out Tuesday, 2/10/25)
• Basketball Home vs. Franklin Middle

Feb. 25

• Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance Assembly for Grade 6 @ 8:30am (Invites will be sent out Tuesday, 2/10/25)

Website: https://southwestms.bcps.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southwest.academy?igsh=NmdmZGc2ZmFtczZq