Student & Academic Support Services

Editor: Mykala Castille, Social Work Intern

Assistant Editor: Carmen G. Thatcher, LCSW-S

Mr. Floyd Contreras is the school social worker at James Bonham Academy. He has worked within San Antonio Independent School District for the last 27 years. His previous roles in DFPS, CPS, hospital social work, and foster care prepared him for his role at Bonham Academy. In addition, Mr. Contreras is a veteran of the United States Air Force. Thank you for your Service!

Mr. Floyd Contreras found his passion for the field of social work in his time at CPS. He described a "need for people that care for others" but do not need the credit for it. This passion was reinforced when he adopted his daughter.

When asked about the impact of school social work, Floyd shared that there is an opportunity to make the connection between school, home, and the community. In addition he shared that school social workers help improve attendance, mediate bullying, and help overcome the hurdles students encounter. Mr. Contreras shared that there is difficulty in the job. It is not possible to reach every student because of lack of time and resources. He also described that the last two years has been especially difficult but the positives outweigh this. Seeing a student or family he impacted down the road makes the work seem worth it! Mr. Contreras shared that one of the most positive experiences is learning that one of his students is now a junior at Harvard University. He overcomes the obstacles by "not worrying about what others think, but just doing what is right".

Mr. Contreras was asked for his best piece of advice for new social workers and he said "find an area of social work that you love and enjoy going to work every day" but also emphasized that "your family and your health always comes first".

Email: fcontreras@saisd.net

San Antonio ISD and San Antonio Food Bank partner to make food resources available district wide!

Lowell Middle School opened a food pantry on campus to battle food insecurity district wide. Stephanie Solis, LMSW established her food pantry in January and serves families on a weekly basis! Many social workers have referred their families here and this resource is being used to its fullest. A new pantry is being opened at Poe Middle School. Keep an eye out for updates on the second location!

The food pantry at Lowell has served 145 people across 28 and distributed 6,541 pounds of food! What an accomplishment in a short two months!

If you would like to volunteer at or donate to the Lowell Food Pantry and closet, reach out to Stephanie Solis to discuss opportunities

The Riverside Park community has come together to help one another. Ms. Sandra Villareal, LMSW has received enough community support to open a food pantry and clothing closet available for Riverside students and families. Congratulations on this accomplishment Sandra!

This year, Ms. Villareal has served more than 200 bags of food to families at Riverside and half of these families have visited the clothing closet! Great job on this accomplishment!

March is Social Work Appreciation Month! The district hosted a drive thru to treat social workers to lunch and a gift bag! We thank you for all your hard work and dedication to your campuses, students, and families.

Learn more about this years theme here

The SAISD Student and Academic Support Services department has a number of partners and resources available to assist students and their families. Visit our webpage for more information here.

As our interns are closing out their practicums, we would like to thank you all for choosing social work, a profession dedicated to improving the lives of students, families and the community. We have included a poem that best defines the work we do.

"Don't Quit" - An Inspiring Poem By Edgar A. Guest

"When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road your're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low but the debts are high,

And you want to smile but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many failures turn about

When we might have won had we stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow -

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out -

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

You can never tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when your're hardest hit -

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."