Dear Southwest Public Schools Community,

I am happy to share that our school year is off to a great start! All of our students and staff have

settled into their classes and routines nicely, and the excitement in our schools is wonderful to

see. Our fall sports teams have just begun their competitions, and I want to wish all our athletes

and coaches the best of luck this season! Your hard work and dedication are truly impressive.

We also have many other activities that are preparing for events and competitions, highlighting

the many talents of our students.

The school is aware of the mosquito problem due to all the recent rains, and we are actively

working to address it. The school district is taking steps to spray the grounds and facilities to

help manage this issue and ensure a safe and comfortable environment for everyone.

I encourage all parents and guardians to log into Infinite Campus. If you haven’t done this yet,

please download the app to check your child's grades, attendance, and lunch balance. It’s

important to keep a positive lunch balance for your child. If you need a free and reduced lunch

application, you can pick one up at the office in either school building.

To stay updated on all the activities and events at Southwest Public Schools, please visit our

school website and follow us on our social media accounts, including Facebook and X. Staying

informed helps us support our students and our school community. Thank you for your support

as we work together to make this school year a success!

Best regards,

Drew Billeter

Superintendent

Southwest Public Schools

Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year at Southwest Elementary!

We are excited to announce that the new school year is off to a fantastic start. As with every new beginning, we bid farewell to several staff members embarking on new adventures and warmly welcomed some new faces to our team.

We are pleased to introduce Ms. Stephanie Hansen, who will be teaching music this year, and Mr. Shannon Lovin, who will be instructing 4th and 5th grade Math and Science. Additionally, Mrs. Alyssa Garrett will be providing student support in Resource, while Mrs. Sasha Burton and Mrs. Joni Bowman will both be teaching 2nd grade. We also welcomed Ms. Kimberly Hoffmann, Ms. Kassidy Messersmith, and Ms. Rachel Moore to our paraeducator and daycare staff. We are grateful for the excellent staff members joining our Elementary Team!

Our Back to School Night was a tremendous success, and we were thrilled by the great turnout. Students and parents had the opportunity to visit classrooms and meet their new teachers. Parents were able to complete necessary paperwork, and our school counselor, school nurse, tech coordinator, and Title 1 teacher were all available to answer questions and assist parents as needed. As a special treat, students enjoyed Tropical Snow cones, which is always a favorite for our students and staff!

This month, our Kindergarten through 5th grade students will begin taking their Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments along with DIBELS assessments. These assessments provide classroom teachers with valuable data to help guide instruction. Teachers will share these results with parents during the Parent-Teacher Conferences in October.

As a reminder, starting in September, we will have a 10:00 AM late start on the second Wednesday of each month, with the first late start scheduled for September 11th. This time will allow teachers to collaborate in their professional learning groups and complete staff training.

The school year has begun and the students are starting a new journey. I always enjoy seeing the kids return from the summer. This Summer seems to have went by fast. The kids have matured over the summer and are becoming young adults.

Please be sure to call your child in if they are going to be absent or late for a appt. by 8:15. That way we know your child is safe and has not had car trouble or missed a bus. I have always requested that we call parents of the kids who are missing, and we have no call. This helps us insure your child is safe and we both know where they are. So please call 308 692 3223.

The fall activities are underway, and we have a great percentage of our students involved in activities. We have always felt that kids that are involved in activities tend to do better in classes. Please encourage your child to participate in the activities we offer. Band, FBLA, FFA, Sports, Drama, Speech, ACADECA, Quiz bowl and others. Some things kids learn from being involved in extra activities are: respect, discipline, team, communication, reliability, and self-worth to name a few.

We have a great educational staff that will go the extra mile to support your child!!!! Please communicate with them if you have concern.

Each quarter, a small group of 5 th grade students are chosen at random to serve as members of a

leadership group called Rockin’ Riders. This student organization is dedicated to both school and

community service and plays a direct role in organizing school-wide events and activities. Every fifth-grade student will have the opportunity to serve as a Rockin’ Rider member for one 9-week period; however, participation is optional. As a Rockin’ Rider, members are expected to serve as good role models to their peers, demonstrate respect for themselves and for others, exhibit good leadership skills, and maintain good grades and attendance.

In recent years, the Rockin’ Riders have sponsored many school-wide activities and fundraisers as well as community and school service projects. Activities have included coloring contests, guessing jars, school-wide movie at a local theater, and end-of-the-school year dance parties. Fundraisers that the Rockin’ Riders have found success with include Valentine Cookie-grams, hat days, and “Pie in the Face” for staff members.

The community and school service aspects of Rockin’ Riders ensures that students learn the importanceof giving back to their community and school. For example, Rockin’ Riders hold a food drive twice a year for the local food pantry. They have donated funds from fundraisers to the local fire department and they participate in the “Angel Tree” each December. School service projects include gathering recyclable materials, assisting with landscaping the school grounds, and recording daily announcements to be played for classrooms each morning.

The 5 th grade students look forward to serving as Rockin’ Riders and it is a valuable opportunity for them to increase their leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. Encourage your child to share with you their experiences throughout the year as they participate in this great leadership opportunity.

Counselor’s Corner – Mr. Schake

Seniors

Scholarships:

Seniors can access scholarship applications on their “Class of 2025” Canvas Site. A list of available

scholarships will soon be found at www.swpschools.org

1. Hover over the Jr. Sr. High School tab at the top
2. Go to the bottom of the selection and choose “Senior Scholarships”
3. Click the google link.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tUvMVTpzKq3umttYJmzwmBM64aNEs60AOFPMJARU_jQ/edit?gid=0#gid=0

*The spreadsheet is organized by monthly due dates so be sure to look at the months in advance, so you have time to fill the applications out before the due date. This is updated as I receive scholarships throughout the year.

*The scholarships highlighted in red are not updated and the scholarships highlighted in green are

always open and have differing due dates so be sure to look back on these frequently.

Sophomores:

*We will be attending Connect the Dots Career event in McCook on September 25 th

ACT

Register for the ACT at: actstudent.org

Southwest School Code: 280151

MCC Test Site Code: 024600

The Southwest National Honor Society is again having their Little Caesar’s Pizza Kits fundraiser that helps support our Community Service Projects throughout the year.We will be selling until end of the school day on Friday, October 11 th . If you are notcontacted and would like to buy some pizza (or cookie dough or pie!) please contact Mrs. Rice at the High School or one of the following students: Allison VanPelt, Amelia Minary, Atleigh Nelms, Payton Truksa, Trenton Williams, Alyssa Koch, Anikka Nelms,Caitlyn Adams, Ella Cure, Houston Billeter, Kyra Nelms, Nena Escobar Salas and Bella Stritt.

Peg Rice, NHS Adviser

The fall sports season at Southwest High School started with conditioning week on August 5, followed by official practices beginning on August 12. All sports teams will begin competition on Thursday, August 29. The fall sports offered include girl's golf, boy's and girl's cross country, volleyball, and football.

The cross-country team will have its first meet at Dundy County on August 29. The volleyball team will start its season with a JV/Varsity dual match against Bertrand on the same day and

will also compete in the Cambridge Tournament on Saturday, August 31. The football team will

open its season at home against Heartland Lutheran on August 30.

For the latest updates and information, please check the school's website and follow their

social media pages. We encourage everyone to come out and support our student-athletes and

their coaches.

A big thank you to everyone who helps with the clock, scorekeeping, chain gang duties, driving

the bus, and all other tasks that make this season successful. We also appreciate the parents for

their support and the booster club for providing meals for the teams. Good luck to all coaches

and athletes as the season begins!