Welcome to Southwest Elementary School - Academia Bilingüe
(PK-6)
Welcome to Southwest Elementary School! Southwest Elementary is a great place to learn because we not only offer a rigorous, dual language immersion curriculum, but because we are family.
Southwest Elementary is a special place to learn and grow. We are proud of our school and have high expectations for each and every scholar. Our scholars are kind, compassionate, and resilient. Together with our dedicated staff, we strive to make connections with scholars to help them feel valued, accepted, and safe. Our overarching goal is to encourage active scholar engagement that fosters a lifetime love for learning.
Principal
Kelly Aponte

Southwest Elementary School - Academia Bilingüe
School Hours
Breakfast 8:50 a.m.
Start Time 9:10 a.m.
Dismissal 4:08 p.m.
Half Day Dismissal 12:20 p.m.
School Transparency
Southwest Elementary School offers a proven dual immersion experience in English and Spanish to help scholars become bilingual and bicultural.
Research shows that people who are bilingual and bicultural are positioned well for a successful future with more opportunities at the college level and in the workplace, better performance on standardized tests, and are more competitive in an increasingly global economy. Our scholars’ accomplishments are a testimony of the dual immersion model’s effectiveness. The academic rigor and expectations in an urban setting should also be tied to the conviction that all scholars have the potential to develop, learn and succeed, regardless of ethnicity and cultural background.
Our scholars’ success is supported by a caring staff with a deep knowledge of immersion pedagogy and a passion for teaching. Our administration and staff are committed to preserving a positive school environment with a foundation of respect, compassion, and caring for each other. Our staff participate in on-going culturally responsive teaching and inclusiveness trainings to better serve our diverse school community.
Families are actively involved in free-of-charge programs offered by our community partners. We provide an opportunity for parents to socialize with other parents and to benefit from activities of their interest.
Conoce a nuestro Directora
Meet Our Principal
We have incorporated distance learning for years and are poised to be a leader in the district as a blended model of new technologies and old practices, giving our students the best of both worlds. Our 1-to-1 student technology device approach ensures that every student has the opportunity to learn inside and outside the classroom.
Southwest Elementary School - Academia Bilingüe
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18 Mar
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Start of 4th Marking PeriodDate: Mar 18Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
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20 Mar
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FAFSA Workshop - Ottawa Hills High School (Ottawa Hills scholars only) 12:30 PM to 2:30 PMFAFSA Workshop - Ottawa Hills High School (Ottawa Hills scholars only)Date: Mar 20Time: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PMLocation: Ottawa Hills High School, 2055 Rosewood Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USACalendar: GRPS District Calendar
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4 Aprthru Apr 11
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No School | No LOOP Programming | Spring BreakDate: Apr 4 - Apr 11Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
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19 May
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CA Frost Middle High School Graduation Ceremony 5:00 PM to 6:00 PMCA Frost Middle High School Graduation CeremonyDate: May 19Time: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PMLocation: Houseman Field, 162 Houseman Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USACalendar: GRPS District Calendar
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Union High School Graduation Ceremony 7:00 PM to 8:00 PMUnion High School Graduation CeremonyDate: May 19Time: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PMLocation: Houseman Field, 162 Houseman Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USACalendar: GRPS District Calendar
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20 May
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Last Day of Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP)Date: May 20Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
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Southwest Middle High School Graduation Ceremony 5:00 PM to 6:00 PMSouthwest Middle High School Graduation CeremonyDate: May 20Time: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PMLocation: Houseman Field, 162 Houseman Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USACalendar: GRPS District Calendar
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Innovation Central High School & Grand Rapids Montessori Graduation Ceremony 7:00 PM to 8:00 PMInnovation Central High School & Grand Rapids Montessori Graduation CeremonyDate: May 20Time: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PMLocation: Houseman Field, 162 Houseman Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USACalendar: GRPS District Calendar
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At Shawmut Hills Academy, no two days are ever the same for school secretary Lisa Stewart - and that’s exactly what she loves about her job.

Grand Rapids Board of Education Trustee Arick Davis has been honored with the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology (WMCAT) Award for Inspiration.

Scholars from Southwest Middle High School and Union High School took part in a march to honor what would have been the 98th birthday of labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar E. Chavez.