Back to Better

Happy Friday! Spring Break is here; I hope everyone has a safe and fun time. Starting today, Judson ISD would like to challenge our students and families to take photos during the break of all their adventures. Please use #JudsonISDSpringBreak when sharing your pictures on social media.

On this week's Back to Better, Judson ISD has a lot to share about the many district accomplishments and opportunities for families for the upcoming weeks, including Spring Break curbside meals.

Spring Break is here and Judson ISD wants to support its families with meals during this week. The Child Nutrition Department knows how important it is to have healthy meals and we want to make sure that those meals are available to our students, even when they are not in school! A lunch and a snack will be provided to students 18 years old or younger Monday through Friday (March 14-18). The meals will be distributed curbside at the following locations from 10:45 am to 11:30 am. We hope to see you each day during spring break.

Hartman Elementary School- 7203 Woodlake Parkway, San Antonio, 78218

Rolling Meadows Elementary School- 17222 FM 2252, San Antonio, 78266

Candlewood Elementary School- 3635 Candleglenn, San Antonio, 78244

**If a parent or guardian is picking up a meal for a student not present, some verification of the student's enrollment in any school is needed at the time of pickup. That can be:

• Official letter/email from school listing children enrolled
• Individual student report cards
• Attendance record from parent portal of the school website
• Birth certificate for children
• Student ID cards

Judson ISD is proud to announce the graduation dates for the class of 2022.

Freeman Coliseum

• JECA: Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 7:00 PM
• Veterans Memorial HS: Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 9:30 AM

• Wagner HS: Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 2:00 PM
• Judson HS: Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 7:00 PM

Judson ISD Performing Arts Center

• JLA: Friday, June 3, 2022 at 10:00 AM

Please join us at any of the parent information meetings at Coronado Village ES or Hopkins ES to learn more about our Dual Language Program. This program is open to future Kinder students attending in 2022-2023.

Coronado Village Elementary School (5-6 pm)
March 10th, March 29th, April 7th, April 19th

Hopkins Elementary School (5-6 pm)
March 21st, March 28th, April 18th, April 25th

It was truly a historic season for the Veterans Memorial HS Boys Varsity Basketball Team. Making it all the way to the Elite 8 at this past weekend's tournament was an accomplishment that showed dedication and grit.

This team made Patriot Nation & the Judson ISD community proud!

Thank you to the supportive staff, parents, and fans who cheered the team throughout their season!

Our Judson High School football and baseball team spent this early morning assisting with Elementary morning drop-offs. The student-athletes got to connect with our elementary students. This event allowed the young kiddos to see acts of kindness as well as allowed the student athletics to understand how their actions can positively impact our community. Couch Soto is proud of his players for serving as leaders in the Rocket Community.

Judson HS Athletics partnered with six of our elementary campuses: Converse ES, Hartman ES, Copperfield ES, Miller's Point ES, Elolf STEAM Academy, and Spring Meadows.

The San Antonio Youth Commission (SAYC) and Project Worth Teen Ambassadors have partnered with the City of San Antonio Department of Human Services (DHS) and Metro Health to release a SASpeakUp Teen Mental Health Survey for San Antonio residents between the ages of 12 and 19. The American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General have all declared the mental health of children and adolescents a national crisis.

The survey will be translated into Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Pashto to ensure our community’s newest neighbors feel comfortable participating in the survey. We would like to invite you to participate in the press conference to help us bring attention to this very important topic. This survey was made by young people for young people. The results of this survey will help our San Antonio Youth leaders make suggestions on what would help improve mental health for teens in San Antonio.

All personal information will remain confidential. The survey is available through April 10 via this link https://www.saspeakup.com/

The San Antonio Youth Commission is a group of high school students from around the city. Project Worth Teen Ambassadors are youth from 7th – 12th grade who support teen health in the community by volunteering and sharing their voices, creativity, and ideas. These two organizations partner with the Department of Humans Services and Metro Health.

Judson ISD encourages all residents ages 12-19 to participate in the survey; together we can plan for a better future.

The Judson High School Diamonds Dance Team competed at the Crowd Pleasers Dance Regional Contest on Saturday, March 5th.

The Diamonds brought home Grand Champion Officers, Grand Champion Team, and many other awards!

Way to go, Diamonds!

Judson ISD will be ogre-the-moon when students get together to present their production of Shrek The Musical JR.

Auditions will be held Saturday, April 9th from 10 am to 5 pm and are open to any Judson ISD student that are currently in grades 4th - 11th. Audition Forms are due April 1st.

There is a mandatory parent meeting Saturday, April 9th from 10 am to 11 am.

Performances will be July 1st and 2nd, doors will open at 6:00 pm and the show will start at 7:00 pm, at Judson ISD Performing Arts Center, 9443 Schaefer Rd, Converse, TX 78109, performances are free. For more information, please call/email Larissa Lyons at llyons152@judsonisd.org, Larry Bailey at lbailey@judsonisd.org or Keith Witt at kwitt@judsonisd.org. To learn more, please visit our website.

Whether your little toddler is starting the Pre-K 3 or Pre-K 4 program, we want to make sure you know what to expect and have everything you need.

Join us at our Parent Pre-K Academy for a fun evening full of activities, resources to take home, and tips to make sure both you and your little one are ready for the ultimate Pre-K experience at Judson ISD!

Find the full schedule with campus, dates and details by clicking on the image.

The Fine Arts Department hosted the Judson ISD Elementary Honor Choir Performance on Saturday, March 5th, at the JISD Performing Arts Center.

100 Elementary students from across the school district performed a variety of music with guest conductor Jason Brown. The musical talents of our students filled the air.

The Judson Education Foundation hosted its annual Casino Royale Gala on Friday, March 4th. This is one of the foundation's largest fundraising events. The gala started off on the right foot selling out two weeks prior to the event! It was a wonderful evening spent with many of the foundation's partners in education and we were able to fundraise over $73,000 for students and teachers in Judson ISD. Thank you to the Judson Education Foundation Board, as well as our campuses and departments for their support in donating some amazing silent auction items.

View full photo album here.

Judson ISD celebrated Maintenance Appreciation Day on Friday, March 4th. Our hard-working and dedicated maintenance staff was treated to some great food and a lot of love!

Thank you for all that you do for Judson ISD!

Have you ever met someone who wants what is best for everyone? Get to know Trisha Walker, Metzger Middle School Social Worker. She is a woman who tries her best for her students and their community to get what they need.

Ms. Walker started her career in child welfare and saw many referrals that she believed could have been handled at the school level. She knew how hard child welfare was and how tough it is to get out of the system once a child gets in. So she decided to get into a school district to help families with referrals, like directly connecting them with the foodbank.

I like being the connection between the parents and the school to support.

Ms. Walker has been at Judson ISD for five years now, and during this time, she has learned that it is all about asking the right questions. What is it that you need? What's wrong? What is worrying you? Once the parents know she understands that things are hard, they start opening up to her.

Sometimes, when you get answers to those questions, it is not what it seems to be on the surface.

Ms. Walker recognized the need and set up district-wide food bank distributions at Metzger Middle for the past five years. It all started when she asked a former Metzger principal if she could host a distribution for their students and families and the whole Mustang community. Since then, she has helped plan close to 50 distributions, about once a month for the last five years, and with the help of Ms. Monica Garcia, other JISD campuses have started their own monthly food bank distribution.

Mrs. Davidson speaks so much about social-emotional learning, meaning if the students don't have their needs met, it will be hard for them to concentrate.

According to Ms. Walker, Mrs. Davidson has been excellent. "She's all about her students and reminds me to get whatever I need to help our students be successful." That is why Ms. Walker has hygiene products available in her office for students. She knows that if they don't have what they need, they won't be able to focus.

We are celebrating them. We are celebrating the small successes that they have.

In collaboration with the counseling department, Ms. Walker does plenty of home visits throughout the year. Some are for lunch applications, mental health concerns during virtual learning (last year), and some for attendance. Most of the attendance home visits are to deliver Perfect Attendance yard signs that have parents saying “Oh my gosh, look what we came home to,” on their Neighborhood App. Ms. Walker never fails to be the first one to help celebrate our students' successes, and that is why she has been described as an asset to Metzger MS and Judson ISD.

We would like to thank all of our JISD Social Workers who give it their best day in and day out for our students and their families.

Parents, staff, and community members had a meeting of the minds on Tuesday March 8th. The Innovation Department hosted the third Community Connections Listen & Learn Tour. These forums are meant for our community to learn about the types of specialized school models our families want and need. Our goal is to engage a community voice as we consider the innovative systems and transformative practices we would like to see in Judson ISD! During the Listen and Learn Tour, we will share successes, discuss growth opportunities, and engage in activities that will help us learn our community values and discuss ways to meet those needs.

Join us at our upcoming meeting happening on

March 22nd at Wagner HS (Spanish Edition)

The Metzger Middle School choir program is making history and proving that the arts are THRIVING in Judson ISD!

Last week, Metzger choirs participated in the annual UIL Concert and sightreading evaluations at the Judson PAC. On Wednesday, the Men's Choir earned excellent ratings (Division II) in the sightreading room and were the first Men's Choir to represent Metzger in school history.

Last Thursday, both the combined JV/Beginning Treble Choirs and the Varsity Treble Choir earned overall SUPERIOR ratings (Division I) in BOTH concerts and sightreading portions of their evaluations. They now represent the first and second choirs to earn Sweepstakes awards in Metzger Middle School history!

These accomplishments are even more meaningful since due to Covid, NONE of the competing students had ever participated in UIL before!

The Metzger Middle School Choirs are made up of about 80 students from across all grade levels at Metzger and have been under the direction of Andrew Sanchez since 2018. Mr. Sanchez is so proud of these students' growth, not only as musicians and artists but as beautiful people as well.

Congratulations to all choirs who participated this week!

Huge Congratulations to our very own Coach Christina Camacho for receiving the TABC Coaching Milestone Award for reaching 700 WINS in her career! Not only has she accumulated so many victories but she has also touched so many hearts and changed so many lives! She is a blessing to us all!

On Tuesday March 8th Judson ISD celebrated #InternationalWomensDay. The district recognized the influential women who have made an impact on the lives of our students inside and outside of the classroom. We are proud to celebrate women for their contributions to their workplace, communities, and society.

Team members gathered behind Dr. Ball as she walked the ERC building carrying balloons and gifts looking for Kerry Armstead, Executive Director of Special Education. Ms. Armstead is known for her calm and nurturing demeanor. She leads the Special Education Department, finding resources for students to achieve success. She is very passionate about the work she does and often refers to her staff and our teachers as “change agents”. Ms. Armstead has been with Judson ISD for 10 years and has served in the classroom, as a campus administrator, and in the Special Education Department. Judson ISD is like a family to her; she says she is grateful for the opportunity to come to work every day to do something she loves. When Ms. Armstead is away from work she is the queen of Netflix and enjoys listening to audio books. We are honored to name Ms. Kerry Armstead as the JISD employee of the month of March!

View full photo album here.

Congratulations to the JHS class of 2022 Senior Dental Interns in the Dental Internship Program who all passed their Nitrous Oxide Sedation certification exam on Tuesday, March 8!

1. Maritza Campos
2. Madison Garcia
3. Thuy Tien Ha
4. Justin Hudnell
5. Yadiel Natal
6. Jasmine Pina
7. Fatima Preciado
8. Liliana Ramirez
9. Alyssa Watson
10. Jo Williams
11. Jesenia Zavala

This marks the 12th year of the dental program having a 100% passing rate in both Dental Assisting and Nitrous Oxide Sedation certifications. Congratulate these Rockets next time you see them!

A special thank you to the CTE district administrative team, Judson HS administrative team, counselors, teachers, Ms. Alice Enfinger, and the JTECH team for the support and for making the process of certifying the interns seamless.

Judson ISD is proud of our students for this great achievement. We hope to see you at our next dental check up!

TexFest Celebration kick-off at H-E-B featured current and former students from Miller's Point Elementary in the Mojo-rimba under the direction of Ms. Bonnie Anderson!

Sending lots of strength and best wishes to E'Lisa Butler, from Wagner High School for advancing to the State Powerlifting Meet in Corpus Christi, TX! E'Lisa is making history!

She placed 8th overall at the Powerlifting Regional Championships, lifting 905 lbs to advance to state. Thank you to Coach Gonzales for helping his athletes advance to this level in the 1st year of the program!

This flag football league is open to both boys and girls, grades Pre-K through 6th. Learn more.

• Location: Rutledge Stadium
• Cost: $150 per child or $10 per child if receiving Medicaid, SNAP, or WIC benefits (4 seasons per year-up to a $600 value per year/per kid). The first 100 to register will receive $50 off
• Dates: March 1st (Orientation), March 27th, April 3rd, April 10th, April 24th, May 1st, May 8th, May 15th (Championship)
• Commitment: 2 Hours on Sundays. (2) 30-minute pre-game and 30-minute games. Played between 12pm - 6pm.
• Field Play: Width 64 yards long (2-4 games going on at once)
• Coaches: Required background checks - 3 per team (2 coaches/1 team mom)
• Safety: Insurance provided for every participant
• Four Divisions: Pre-K-1 st grade– 6 yr. Under = Patriot League, 2nd - 3rd grade– 8 yr. Under = Thunderbird League, 4th -5th grade– 10 yr. Under = Rocket League, 6th grade– 12 yr. Under = Champion League

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? Are you looking for a job? Do you want to become part of the Judson ISD family? Please consider applying for one of our critical need areas below if you said yes!

• Teachers, Substitutes, Bus Drivers, Child Nutrition, Custodians, Maintenance, Office Clerks, Police Officers, and Administrative

If you have any questions about a position, please contact:

• Jennifer Rodriguez jjrodriguez@judsonisd.org (210) 945-5615
• Herlinda Thomas hthomas@judsonisd.org (210) 945-5616
• HR Department (210) 945-5101

Judson ISD has approved a new substitute daily rate. Please contact Ms. Bertha Sanchez if you have any questions, bsanchez356@judsonisd.org or (210) 945- 5617.

Substitute Pay on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

• $90 | Non – Degreed – High School Diploma or GED
• $100 | 60 College Hours – 60+ Accredited hours or degree
• $125 | Certified Teacher or Nurse – Valid Texas Teaching Certificate or Nurse License

Substitute Pay on Monday & Friday *This does not apply to long-term substitutes.

• $100 | Non – Degreed – High School Diploma or GED
• $110 | 60 College Hours – 60+ Accredited hours or degree
• $135 | Certified Teacher or Nurse – Valid Texas Teaching Certificate or Nurse License

Texas Pride and Judson ISD Special Education Department will be hosting a fundraiser in support of the JISD Special Olympics Team. Pre-sale tickets are now on sale for $10.00. Come join the fun and enjoy world class BBQ, live music, silent auction, games, and much more!

The event will happen Saturday, March 12, 2022 from 1pm to 6pm.

at Texas Pride BBQ

2980 E Loop 1604 S, Adkins, TX 78101

For tickets, please call 210-357-0801, ext.21486

• Edward Waring: ewarning@judsonisd.org
• Amy Paul: apaul@judsonisd.org
• David Saldana: dsaldana@judsonisd.org

Bexar County, with the help of Community Labs, is now offering no-cost COVID testing services at the Converse Senior Center (405 South Seguin, Converse TX 78109).

The Community Labs entrance will be to the left of the center's main entrance.

Hours of operation:

8am to 6pm Monday thru Friday

Testing will be free of charge and available on a walking basis only: no appointment meant necessary.

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests.

The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. Order your tests now so you have them when you need them.

Order Free at Home Tests

All you need to do is fill out a form with your name, residential address, and email (if you wish to receive shipping notifications). The form will not ask for any kind of credit card information.

COVIDtests.gov is up and running early to help prepare for the full launch tomorrow, January 19th, 2022. They ask you to please check back tomorrow if you run into any unexpected issues.

Judson ISD wants you to know that free/reduced meal applications are about more than just school meals. An application allows you to qualify for P-EBT benefits and helps with critical funding for your child’s school. Interested in reduced or no-cost AP or college entrance exams, payment for sports fees, or qualifying for low-cost internet access? Fill out the application. JISD encourages you, if you haven’t filled one out, please take a moment.

CLICK HERE FOR APPLICATION. The benefits go way beyond just food.

**Those families with students attending a CEP school should not fill out a free/reduced meal application.

Judson ISD has partnered with Community Labs to provide free COVID-19 screening for JISD students and staff. The screenings happen on a weekly basis, every Monday, to be exact. Students MUST be registered before their first test. Below is a document containing more information about the screenings and how to register your student.

Screenings will be conducted at four different secondary campuses. Parents who have registered their students to test should take their students to one of the locations below on Mondays from 3 pm-5 pm.

• Judson Middle School
  
• Metzger Middle School
• Veterans Memorial High School
• Wagner High School

Do you have a unique story? An event, student, teacher, or community member you want to highlight? The Judson ISD social media platforms and website are a great way to highlight student and district successes! Every school year, the Judson ISD Communications Team receives hundreds of submissions, and we do our best to post as many district events as possible. Tell us your story! #JudsonISD

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Judson ISD's Multimedia Coordinator, Briana Estrada, at 210-945-5411 or bestrada@judsonisd.org. Thank you in advance for your participation.

This publication is brought to you by the Judson ISD Communications Department.

Website: www.judsonisd.org
Location: 8012 Shin Oak Drive, Live Oak, TX 78233, USA
Phone: (210)-945-5100