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Two years ago, the vision of Community Schools began as a shared dream—one that brought together certificated and classified staff, community partners, families, and students. The collective goal is to remove barriers and challenges that prevent our students and families from accessing essential resources such as food, clothing, shelter, mental-health services, social-emotional learning (SEL) supports, and connections to broader health resources, along with consistent attendance and a strong sense of belonging.
Now, in the 2025–2026 school year, we celebrate Year 1 of Community Schools implementation—where that vision is becoming a reality.
This newsletter highlights the incredible work already happening across our schools through the Community Schools initiative. This work creates campuses that serve as true community hubs—places where students and families can easily connect with the services they need to help close opportunity gaps.
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Parent Workshop: Understanding & Addressing Bullying Together
Lake Marie recently hosted a Parent Workshop focused on empowering families to understand and address bullying. Led by our LCSW Mrs. Vera and Community Schools Site Lead Ms. Jackie, parents received valuable information, engaged in thoughtful dialogue, and gained practical resources to support their children. Events like these strengthen the partnership between home and school, helping us work together to ensure every student feels safe, supported, and heard.
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🥗 Nutrition Parent Classes at Loma Vista in Partnership with GCH! 🍎
Loma Vista is excited to host Nutrition Parent Classes every Thursday!
Parents learn simple, practical ways to support their family’s health through nutritious meals, smart food choices, and healthy habits. These sessions are a great opportunity to connect with other parents and build a stronger, healthier school community. 💙
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Financial Literacy Parent Classes in Partnership with GCH💡📝
McKibben Elementary is excited to be partnering with GCH for a six-week Financial Literacy workshop series. Every Monday, our families are invited to learn practical strategies for managing money, achieving financial goals, and avoiding financial challenges. Our parents come to the workshops ready to grow their knowledge, engage in meaningful conversations, and connect with other parents in our school community.🐻💡📝
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From Apps to AI Parent Education
Los Altos parents and families participated in a workshop called “From Apps to AI, What Every Parent Needs to Know.” Families got the opportunity to learn about how our district, students, and teachers utilize AI. Parents were also made aware of supporting students with creating their own original work instead of AI use for homework assignments. Overall, parents became more informed on the risks of AI and proper use of AI in school and at home to support student achievement.
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Building Belongingness at Carmela
On Friday’s during morning Drop Off, Carmela’s mascot ,Dodger the Dolphin, makes an appearance to encourage attendance, engage students and parents in different activities. During Bullying Prevention Week in collaboration the Community School Lead, Community Liaison, and School Social Worker , had two white boards, one with resources for parents, and another one for students to "Pledge to include all" by writing their names and pledging to be against bullying.
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Building Community Safety
Graves hosted a Community Safety Meeting with the Whittier Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (Norwalk Station), and other officials. The goal was to strengthen communication and collaboration to support the safety and well-being of our entire school community.
Together, we discussed recent activity in the community, mental health supports, and communication protocols on who to contact and when in various situations, all reinforcing our shared commitment to keeping Graves a safe, caring, and connected environment for students, staff, and families.
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Community Schools Health Partnership
Community Schools at SWSD has created partnership with the Comprehensive Mobile Clinic to provide accessible and convenient health care services to our students, families, and staff. Through this collaboration, the Mobile Clinic offers the greater South Whittier community an opportunity to schedule appointments for essential health needs such as physical exams, vaccinations, and general medical care, helping to remove barriers that often prevent families from receiving timely support.
To date, the Mobile Clinic has visited Graves Middle School (GMS), Carmela Elementary and Los Altos Elementary. The September visits were specifically designed to support families in catching up their TK–Kinder students on required vaccinations.
This partnership continues to strengthen SWSD’s commitment to providing Integrated Student Supports, one of the core pillars of Community Schools, by meeting families where they are and expanding access to health resources within our community.
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Join the Community Schools Advisory Committee
Join us and become part of the Community Schools Advisory Committee. Each school site reviews data on a monthly basis and invites community members to participate in shared decision-making. Please contact your Community School Lead if you are interested in joining the Community Schools Advisory Committee.
Lake Marie Elementary: Community Schools Lead — Jacyleen Ramirez, jramirez@swhittier.net
Loma Vista Elementary: Community Schools Lead — Jacyleen Ramirez, jramirez@swhittier.net
McKibben Elementary: Community Schools Lead — Jennie Hernandez, jehernandez@swhittier.net
Los Altos Elementary: Community Schools Lead — Nadia Dominguez, ndominguez@swhittier.net
Carmela Elementary: Community Schools Lead — Ruben Leon, rleon@swhittier.net
Graves Middle School: Community Schools Lead — Evelyn Larios, elarios@swhittier.net
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Gabriela Delgado
Gabriela is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters
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