Southwest ISD Board Update
May
MAY 17 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
The Sun Valley Elementary School Student of the Month is Hector Horta. Hector is an “A” Honor Roll student and has achieved mastery of both his STAAR Reading and Math assessments. In all that he does, Hector displays the characteristics of perseverance and integrity. Hector is a member of the Sun Valley Chess Club and recently placed 2nd in the SWISD Chess Tournament and helped his team place 3rd overall. Hector is actively involved in sports, he plays football, basketball, and baseball. In the future, Hector would like to become a doctor in order to help others.
The Scobee Middle School Student of the Month is Devyn Champagne. She is described as an exceptional 8th grade student who models dedication and hard work in every aspect of her schooling. Devyn is referred to by her teachers as a “one-of-a-kind” student who is always ready to learn, help, and lead her peers. Devyn continues to excel in her Honors courses and scored at the Mastery Level in her state assessments. Teachers say not only is Devyn a joy to have in class with a thirst for knowledge, but she is also very busy outside of her school day. Devyn’s mother states that Devyn inspires her daily to be the best version of herself. She has a kind and genuine spirit and approaches each task assigned to her with focus, intention, and dedication. She has the blessing of being tireless and always strives for the best outcome, even when things seem daunting.
The second ranking graduate for the Southwest High School Class of 2022 is Sarahi Fernandez. Throughout high school, Sarahi has participated in varsity soccer, where she has been captain for three years, and varsity cross country. She also held the positions of Senior Class Vice President, Junior Class Vice President, Sophomore Class Treasurer, Alternative Energy Club Treasurer, and Vice President of Cafe College Club. She also was a member of Spanish Honors Society and National Honor Society. Sarahi earned numerous awards and recognitions such as AP Scholar in World History and Human Geography, San Antonio College President's List three times for the Alamo Academies, Academic All- District, 1st Team Academic All-State, All-District Offensive Player of the Year, two time All-District MVP, two time 5A All-Area, All-Area Superteam, & TASCO 1st Team All-Region. Sarahi will attend St. Mary's University and will pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise and Sports Science. After graduating college, she plans to continue her studies and will apply to a physician assistant program.
The first ranking graduate of the Southwest High School Class of 2022 is Camilla Rojas. Camilla attended Elm Creek Elementary School and McNair Middle School. During high school, Camilla served as Parliamentarian for the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica. She was also a member of the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and the Chemistry Honor Society. She is the captain of the Veterinary Judging Team with FFA. She is the president of the Alternative Energy Coalition and served as the Class secretary during her sophomore year and class president during her junior year. Camilla is an AP Scholar and has received “A Honor Roll” status throughout her high school years. She has received many awards as part of the Vet Tech Team including 1st place with her team in the Area VII Vet Contest and 1st place individually at the Hill Country Spring Contest . Camilla plans to attend Texas A&M - College Station in the fall and pursue a degree in Zoology and become a veterinarian.
The Southwest Legacy High School Salutatorian is Jazette Tellez. Jazette attended Medio Creek Elementary School and Resnik Middle School. She has been a member of the SW Legacy Titan Band and served as a captain and is now the Head Drum Major for the Titan Band. She is also a class officer and serves as Treasurer for the Class of 2022. She volunteers her time for the Best Buddies Club, which serves special education youth attending Southwest Legacy HS. Jazette is vice president of the Best Buddies Club. She has won numerous awards, including the Best Secondary Instrumentalist Award for learning a variety of instruments. She also earned an outstanding leadership award for taking on leadership roles in the band. Throughout her high school years, she earned Superior ratings in UIL band contests as an individual musician and as a member of different ensembles. Jazette has been awarded numerous scholarships. She was awarded a full-tuition scholarship from Texas A&M - San Antonio where she plans to study and travel abroad with the Texas A&M - San Antonio Honors Program. Jazette hopes to earn a Master’s degree in Criminology with the goal of eventually becoming a forensic psychologist.
The Valedictorian for Southwest Legacy High School is Yulissa Carrillo. Yulissa attended Sky Harbour Elementary School and McAuliffe Middle School. Over the years, Yulissa has been involved in the Texas Association of Future Educators, served as Secretary her sophomore year, and holds the position of president of her chapter and Area 2, in a larger section of the organization. She is an active member of the National Honor Society and serves as secretary. She is also a member of the Student Council and Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America. Yulissa has received awards from TAFE for a State Portfolio Contest, Interactive Bulletin Board, and State Lesson and Delivery in STEM. She has received scholarships to Texas A&M - San Antonio, Our Lady of the Lake University, University of The Incarnate Word, and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She will attend Texas A&M - San Antonio University, where she plans to major in education and become an elementary school teacher. She then wants to pursue her Master’s in Counseling at Our Lady of the Lake University. Her goal is to become an educator and influence the life of any student who steps foot into her classroom, the way so many of her teachers at SWISD did for her.
The CAST STEM High School Class of 2022 Salutatorian is Karina Ramos-Jaime. In addition to her high school diploma, Karina will also earn her Associate of Science Degree. She accomplished this with a perfect college GPA of 4.0. Karina attended John W. Arndt Elementary School in the United Independent School District in Laredo and Resnik Middle School. Karina recognizes that her experiences at CAST STEM and the expectation of cooperative work developed her as a person and a peer mentor. Karina will enter the University of Texas at San Antonio as a Presidential Distinguished Scholar majoring in Public Health. Her financial need has been met through several scholarships, including the Baumberger Foundation Scholarship. Karina wants to attend medical school to become a therapeutic psychiatrist. Karina wishes to champion adult mental health, pharmaceutical advancements, and bilingual family medicine.
The top-ranking graduate and first Valedictorian for CAST STEM High School is Mary Naw. Mary attended multiple elementary schools after immigrating to the United States from a refugee camp in Thailand. She later moved into the Southwest ISD community and attended Resnik Middle School. Mary has been accepted into the Engineering Honors program at the University of Texas at San Antonio. After much thought, Mary has decided to major in Civil Engineering as she wishes to someday return to her hometown in Thailand to help rebuild and develop an adequate water system. Mary will enter UTSA without the burden of financial need having earned the elusive “free ride”. She has been named a Baumberger Scholar, a recipient of a Whataburger Foundation Scholarship and ACE Mentor Scholarship, a UTSA honor Scholar, and holds several other merit-based awards. Mary, was who unable to attend the board meeting, finishes CAST STEM having earned an Associate Degree of Science from Palo Alto College, while maintaining a perfect grade point average.
Southwest Legacy High School students created a portrait of the late board trustee Mr. Mike Frazier during this past spring semester. The portrait was initially a project created to celebrate Big Art Day and students continued to work on it for another two months. The portrait is created entirely by approximately 18,000 push pins. The students have been commissioned to create a portrait of Mack Umack. Art teachers Celeste Montoya and Anabel Toribio along with student Rachel Ybarra attended the meeting for the recognition and also presented a portrait of former Deputy Superintendent of Business and Finance Manuel Valles. Below is a list of students who were greatly involved in the push pin process:
Kateland Cruz
Mauricio Delgado
Mauricio Diaz
Roy Huron
Joselyn Lozano
Joseph Lievrouw
Adrian Martinez
Javier Mata
Miguel Moreno
Madeleine Flores
Karysma Garza
Chuma's Mexican Restaurant has been in the SWISD community for almost 20 years. Carlos
and Maria Gonzalez took over the business and quickly became part of the community. As
time has gone on, Alex and Carlos Jr. have taken over Chuma's, both are SWHS Alums and have
continued the tradition of working with SWISD. During the pandemic, Chuma's Mexican
Restaurant approached our Community Relations Department to see how they might be able
to partner with SWISD. They understand that they are part of this community, and they want
a chance to give back. Many of the employees at Chuma's attended or graduated from
SWISD, so giving back to SWISD during this time was a priority for them. Chuma's decided to
start a Taco Tuesday Program, where a portion of the proceeds would assist our SOS
Department. This Program ran from September to May. During that time, the restaurant
raised $1,000 to give back to SWISD. We would like to take a moment to thank them.
Items Approved
2022 School Trustee Election
Two re-elected Southwest ISD board members, Sylvester Vasquez, Jr. and Ida
Sudolcan, were sworn in just after the May 7 School Board Election results were canvassed.
The Board approved the summer hours and wellness initiative. The District's summer hours go into effect Monday, June 6, 2022. The District will operate on a 4-day work week with campuses and departments closed on Friday, contingent on summer school schedule. Campus or department staff has a choice of the two options below:
Option A: Mon.-Thurs., 10 hour days = 40 hours. Shift: 7:00AM – 5:30PM
Option B: Mon.-Thurs., 8 hour days + Fri.-8 hours vacation, accrued time or personal day = 40 hours.
Everyone will return to the regular 5-day/8-hour work week Monday, July 25, 2022. The week of July 4 thru July 8 will be an 8 hr work week in observance of Independence Day.
The Workplace Wellness Initiative is also coming back. All employees who work at least 226 days will have one hour/day to participate in physical fitness or intellectual fitness activities.
The initiative begins on Monday, June 10 and ends on July 22. All activities must take place within the District . No department or campus may be left unstaffed for any amount of time.
Supervisors have the flexibility to approve and determine the time and area of the wellness hour. For those choosing physical activities, a fitness buddy is strongly recommended for accountability, encouragement, and safety.
Sun Valley Elementary Site Renovation Project
The Board approved NorthStar Elite Construction & Consulting, LLC for the Sun Valley ES Site Renovation for a total contract amount of $847,353.
Campus Library Collaborative Furniture Project
The Board approved the Campus Library Collaborative Furniture project and purchased the new furniture from Indeco Sales at a cost not to exceed $472,496. As part of ESSER II funding, the District will be providing collaborative furniture to all 11 elementary school libraries and four middle school libraries. The new furniture packages will provide flexible grouping furniture to assist with instructional support, social distancing, and ensure safety in student collaboration.
Aquatic Center Weight Equipment
Trustees approved the purchase of the SWISD Aquatic Center strength training/weight room equipment from Advanced Exercise at a cost of $85,029. The new Southwest ISD Aquatic Center will include a strength training room that will require equipment needed for training the athletes' overall body when not training in the water.
Instructional Materials
The Board approved the purchase of instructional materials for the 2022-2023 school year
at a cost of approximately $564,000. Instructional materials adopted by the state were used for the purchase. The instructional materials are for K-12 Science, K-5 Math, 9-12 Health, and PreK Systems. The specific amount for each area is listed below:
Presentations
SWISD Graduation Ceremony
Leaders from CAST STEM High School, Southwest High School, Southwest Legacy High School and the Division of Curriculum & Instruction collaborated and developed unified and consistent documents to assist with the 2021-2022 Graduation Ceremony. In an effort to ensure a successful and inclusive experience for all graduating students, this collaboration developed the student’s behavioral contract, honor acknowledgement listing, ceremony program, and FAQ's for students and parents.
Alamo Colleges District Presentation
Southwest Independent School District and Alamo Colleges District have been in partnerships for many years and the collaboration grew in 2021 with the launch of Southwest Early College High School and Southwest Legacy Early College High School. A representative from Alamo Colleges District provided data to reflect the progress of the partnership, to include multi-year enrollment, academic success, and cost savings to students. In addition, Alamo Colleges District presented a certificate of appreciation to Southwest ISD.
Summer 2022 Academic Program & HB4545 Update
The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to cause a loss of learning for students. In an effort to
mitigate the downward slide in academic achievement and provide additional instructional service time, the Division of Curriculum and Instruction has planned two instructional programs to provide targeted instructional focus on mastery of essential TEKS with key grade level specific skill instruction, and begin the required tutoring for HB4545.
Smart Start will be hosted by feeder pattern schools June 6-23, 2022 for K-12 grade students. Dates of the week will vary based on program needs. A Ready Start for high school students runs August 8-12, at each of the high schools, Special Education Compensatory Services program services will be held June 27 - July 14. Finally, a revised Jump Start for incoming PreK students will be held the week before school starts for a half-day event at the school to bring PreK students and parents into the schools to acclimate them to the school environment.
Kriewald Road Elementary School gave an update to the redesign of the campus. On March 22, 2022 the Board approved the new learning model redesign of a Fine Arts infused curriculum and the school name change to Kriewald Road School of the Fine Arts. From June 20-24, the Kriewald Road School of the Arts entire staff is scheduled to engage in the New School Summit to begin training in arts-infused curriculum work. The ultimate goal is for Kriewald to begin transitioning into becoming a school of the arts with an emphasis on continual improvement and student success. The original plan proposing six new Fine Arts teachers has been modified to incorporate additional resources that the District can provide.
Southwest Independent School District
Website: www.swisd.net
Location: Southwest Independent School District, TX, USA
Phone: 210-622-4300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWISDsatx
Twitter: @swisd