Community Schools Trimester 2 Highlights

This trimester, our Community Schools across South Whittier School District continued strengthening opportunities for students, families, and staff. Through student leadership initiatives, family engagement opportunities, wellness supports, and attendance programs, our schools are actively implementing the four pillars of Community Schools to support the whole child.

Below are highlights from each of our school sites demonstrating the impact of Community Schools in action.

Lake Marie Elementary proudly launched its first Student Council campaign, providing students with an opportunity to practice leadership and civic engagement. Students wrote speeches, created campaign posters, and confidently shared their ideas with their peers.

More than just an election, this experience helped students build confidence, responsibility, and leadership skills while learning how their voices can positively impact their school community.

This initiative reflects the Collaborative Leadership pillar, empowering students to take an active role in shaping their school culture and strengthening student voice on campus.

At Carmela Elementary, students participated in a Kindness Week recess activity led by the LCSW, Social Work Intern, Community Liaison, and Community Schools Lead. Students wrote encouraging messages and decorated hearts to spread kindness throughout the school community.

Activities like this reflects the Integrated Students Support Pillar, that promotes social-emotional learning and help create a positive school environment where students feel safe, supported, and connected.

Loma Vista recently launched a series of parent workshops in partnership with the LA County Department of Mental Health. These four-week sessions began with a workshop on Healthy Relationships, with each week focusing on a different topic designed to support family wellness and strengthen student well-being.

Providing opportunities like these reflects the Community Schools pillars of Family and Community Engagement and Integrated Student Supports, as families gain access to valuable resources, build connections with community partners, and receive tools that help support both student success and family well-being.

McKibben Elementary, in collaboration with our Expanded Learning partner Think Together, implemented creative attendance incentives to encourage students to attend school regularly. Students who demonstrated strong attendance were celebrated with special recognitions, including a snow cone celebration for students who attended school every day. Weekly attendance challenges also entered students into raffles for prizes, including gift certificates.

These joint efforts between the school and our expanded learning partner helped strengthen student engagement and reinforce the importance of daily attendance. As a result of these efforts, McKibben proudly earned first place in the district-wide attendance incentive for highest attendance for the last two weeks. 

Initiatives like this highlight the Community Schools pillar of Expanded Learning Opportunities, where school staff and community partners work together to create engaging programs and coordinated supports that promote student success both during and beyond the school day.

Los Altos Elementary launched a Monthly Community Resource Day, providing families with the opportunity to meet with the Community Liaison and Community Schools Lead to learn about local services and school events.Community partners are invited to participate in these events, helping connect families with resources while strengthening the partnership between schools and the broader community.

This work reflects the Community Schools pillar of Family and Community Engagement, as it creates meaningful opportunities for families to connect with school staff, access local resources, and build stronger relationships with community partners that support student and family well-being.

The Graves Middle School Community Schools Advisory team visited Bellflower Middle/High School, a school in its fifth year of Community Schools implementation, to learn about systems that support student success.

During the visit, the team observed practices focused on integrated student supports, including career exploration opportunities, success classes that build academic and self-management skills, and wellness resources embedded throughout the campus.These insights will help guide ongoing collaboration and strengthen systems that support the whole child at Graves.

Opportunities like this enhance the Community Schools pillar of Collaborative Leadership by bringing educators and leaders together to learn from one another, share strategies, and collectively strengthen systems that support student success.

On March 4, 2026, South Whittier School District proudly hosted a Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Art Show at the Graves Middle School Fieldhouse, celebrating the creativity and talent of our students and community. The event featured over 600 pieces of artwork, showcasing student samples from TK through 8th grade curated by our VAPA teachers, including pieces created through our Expanded Learning Art Club as well as artwork from our Painting for Older Adults parent series.

The event served as a celebration of artistic expression across our school community while creating a welcoming space for students, families, staff, and educational partners to come together and appreciate the creativity within SWSD.

Events like these highlight the Community Schools pillars of Integrated Student Supports, Family and Community Engagement, and Expanded Learning Opportunities by providing meaningful opportunities for students and families to participate in the arts, engage with the school community, and connect with educational partners in a shared celebration of creativity and learning.

Painting For Older Adults

Introduction To Computers

Flexibility & Balance (Yoga)

https://www.swhittier.net/communityschools