SWISD Pupil Services

On Friday, January 17, 2025 Southwest ISD, in collaboration with the San Antonio Foodbank, was able to provide food to 357 Families at our monthly drive-thru food distribution. Southwest ISD Social Workers really appreciated all the support from the different department and student volunteers, because it could not get done without you. Our remaining Food Distribution Dates are as follows:

• February 12, 2025
• March 5, 2025
• April 2, 2025
• May 14, 2025

Every campus at Southwest ISD has been awarded the Purple Start Designation. The campus social worker at each campus serves as the Military-connected point of contact for military families. Each social worker ensures that new military-connected students receive peer to peer campus tours and are invited to participate in campus activities as well as military-connected activities.

Military Family Resources

Mr. Ludyen, the Restorative Practice Interventionist at Southwest High School is collaborating with the Southwest High School Librarian, Ms. Estes to offer Restorative Practice SEL Mini Lessons. On February 17th & February 18th they will meet with students in small groups to explore goal setting and restorative practice strategies such as Relationship, Respect, and Responsibility.

To learn more please contact Mr. Ludyen at (210) 622-4500.

We would like to congratulate McNair Middle School's Restorative Practice interventionist, Brittney Santos, for being the recipient of a Southwest ISD Education Foundation Grant. She will use these funds to to work on Social Emotional Learning skills with students in a small group setting. Ms. Santos meets regularly with students to develop restorative practice skills such as Relationship, Respect, Responsibility, Repair, and Reintegration.

Every third Wednesday of the month at Hidden Cove Steam Academy, Mrs. De Hoyos, school social worker, together with Texas Grandparents Raising Grandchildren provide a safe space for grandparents and families to come together to talk and provide support and learn from each other. You do not have to have children at Hidden Cove STEAM Academy to attend. HCSA is located at 5102 Trading Post ST. San Antonio, TX 78242. The next two meetings are on January 15th and February 19th from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Please contact HCSA school social worker, Mrs. De Hoyos for more information (210) 623- 6220.

As we dive into the 2025 school year, we have some exciting news about our brand new attendance initiative for the high school JROTC program aimed at boosting those attendance numbers! Our big goal is to inspire our students to show up consistently for the next 48 days. The challenge kicked off the week of January 13, 2025, and wraps up on March 28, 2025. Want a sweet backpack? Just keep that attendance rate at a sparkling 97%! We'll be checking attendance all day long, not just during the usual Average Daily Attendance (ADA) period. So, rally your students to keep tabs on their attendance by checking their portal regularly! Let’s make this year a fantastic one!

But wait, there's even more exciting news! To boost school spirit and make sure our students are showing up, Hard Rock Cafe is rolling out a fantastic deal: a FREE kids meal for all elementary students aged 12 and under who rock an attendance rate of 90% or higher during the 3rd Six Weeks!

That's not all! Schools will also get to hand out shiny Perfect Attendance Certificates to celebrate these awesome achievements. It's a fun way to recognize those who are dedicated to their education! This initiative will continue and the awards will be handed out at the end of the cycle. So, let’s make every day count and bring the fun back to school!

We are thrilled to share that over the past six weeks, a total of 5,043 elementary students have successfully met the attendance initiative and will be honored with the certificate shown.

Join us at Spicewood Park Elementary for a 1 hour training session from ChildSafe as they discuss internet safety, cell phone safety, cyberbullying, and how parents can keep children safe online.

When: February 4, 2025

4:00 pm-5:00 pm

Where: 11303 Tilson, San Antonio, Texas, 78224, School Cafeteria

Please create an account first and then register for the class. Register HERE. For more information or questions please contact the school social worker, Mr. Garcia at (210) 622-4999.

This is the time to recognize the importance of attending to our mental health, especially seeing the vast prevalence of mental health issues and disorders that exist in our world.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website illustrate the following:

• 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year.

• 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.

• 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.

• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34

New Year’s resolutions often focus on physical fitness, but we should also keep in mind that mental health is just as important as physical health in our life.

Maintaining mental wellness is not easy, it is crucial.

Mental Wellness Awareness month is a reminder to take better care of your mental health, release stress and become happier, and improve the quality of your relationships.

Communities In Schools Of San Antonio (CIS-SA) is a school-based program designed to provide services to students and their families. Every Southwest ISD middle school and high school campus has a CIS program on their campus. CIS provides the following services to students enrolled in their program:

Supportive Guidance & Counseling

Health & Human Services

Parent Involvement & Engagement

College & Career Awareness

Enrichment Activities

Academic Support

Attendance Support

If you would like your child to be referred to CIS please contact the campus administrator, counselor, or social worker.