Keeping Up with Comm Arts
~October 10, 2022 ~
Hello Comm Arts Family and Friends!
This newsletter has essential information on the PSAT, homecoming, and the end of the grading period.
Campus administrators will visit students in their history classes to watch the Active Threat video and discuss school safety procedures. Parents, if you want to preview the video, it's available on the Northside Safety site.
Mr. Alicea is looking for students who would like to serve on the Comm Arts Student Advisory Council. This group would meet monthly with Mr. Alicea to give feedback from the student perspective and to discuss new ideas to grow and refine Comm Arts for the future. Everyone is welcome to apply. Each grade level will have seven representatives who will be chosen after a review of applications and grade-level teacher input. Applications will be accepted until the end of the day on October 21st using the following link: 22-23 Comm Arts Student Advisory Council Application.
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Next week Wednesday is an early release day. Dismissal is at 1:00 pm. Students will not be allowed off campus for lunch. We will also be practicing our first Active Threat drill. This does include a campus lockdown.
Los Reyes STEM Night
PSAT/SAT Testing
This Wednesday, October 12th, the PSAT/NMSQT exam, a College Board assessment, will be administered at no cost to all 9th,10th, and 11th-grade students enrolled at Comm Arts. The PSAT/NMSQT exam is the route of entry to the National Merit Scholarship Program for 11th-grade students. It is recommended that students bring their calculators. For more details, click here. All students' testing was provided resources to help them prepare for the PSAT last week.
Students, your room assignment can be found in your NISD email.
Seniors, the SAT is more than just a test. It's a tool that helps open doors to opportunity. Register for the SAT today, complete one free Timed Mini Section or Diagnostic Quiz on Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy®, and earn entries into drawings for $500 and $40,000 BigFuture® Scholarships. November 5th and December 3rd are the remaining 2022 Weekend SAT dates.
Chalk it Up 2022
End of the Grading Period = Friday, October 14th
Comm Arts Grade Guarantee Day - 1st Marking Period
Attention students and parents. To encourage timely completion of student work and to try to prevent our teachers from being swamped with late work turned in on the last day of the marking period, Comm Arts implemented a Grade Guarantee Day for each of the first three marking periods of the year. The first Grade Guarantee Day was Friday, October 7th.
Students can still turn in missing assignments after October 7th, but a teacher may not have enough time to grade those late submitted assignments for them to be reflected on the report card. Teachers will grade these assignments and submit grade changes for those students after grade submission. However, please note that the student's report card will reflect a failing grade, affecting UIL eligibility. Grade changes do not restore that eligibility. Students would regain eligibility if passing at the next 3-week grade check.
Dress Code
Students, you will be asked to change if you are out of the dress code. Please plan accordingly. If you are unsure, please ask. Link to district dress code.
The dress code items most addressed recently are midriffs, short skirts, onsies, and pants with holes above the knee. Shirts must be long enough to cover the stomach/back area, shorts/skirts must be at least mid-thigh, and pants cannot have holes above the knee. Zipping up jackets will no longer be enough for short shirts. Students will be asked to change their shirts.
Caps & Gowns
Class Rings
Dance Clinic
Homecoming Dance Tickets
When: October 15th, 2022
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: Taft Cafeteria
Price: Tickets bought after 10/9 through 10/12 are $25
Deadline to Purchase: WEDNESDAY, October 12th (NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AFTER THIS DATE)
Please be aware that the last day to submit guest forms was Friday, October 7th.
In order to purchase a ticket, students/parents will need to click on the link below. Students, you will need to use your personal emails during checkout. NISD has a block on student emails that prevents them from receiving payment confirmations & electronic tickets from MSBTickets. You can also use guest checkout to purchase a ticket under the student's name. https://www.msbtickets.com/tafths/event/2022HOCODance
Students, need to stop by the Taft VOP and scan the QR code to purchase a dance ticket for your guest, as long as their guest was approved. If you did not turn in the guests approval form last Friday, your guest will not be able to come to the dance even if a ticket was purchased.
Each student may purchase only one ticket for themselves. This will help us verify our students at the door. Students, you will need your IDs to enter.
Attention Seniors!
This year snuck up on us quickly, and it’s going by in a flash. You can help reminisce the memories by sending in (school-appropriate) photos of you and your friends during your time at Comm Arts, starting from your freshman year until now. These photos will appear in our end-of-the-year video at our banquet.
To keep things organized, a separate email has been created to keep track of everyone’s photos. Please send pictures to cahsclass2023@gmail.com. Since this is an outside Northside email address, you must use your PERSONAL email to send these photos, not your school email. Please also include your name when submitting images. For any questions, email Evelyn Berguson (evelyn.berguson@students.nisd.net), Class of 2023 historian.
CAHS Video Announcements
CAHS video announcements are back! Here is our Youtube channel. Be sure to subscribe and click the bell to get alerts so you don't miss new shows when they are uploaded. Scan the QR code to go right to our page.
Free workshops for parents: "Parenting in the Cyberworld" and more
To register, scan the QR code on this flyer or sign up here. For more information, email: margaret@schoolconnectsa.org.
Advanced Placement Program (AP)
Northside ISD covers the majority of the cost. An AP exam usually costs $97, but NISD students only pay $40 per exam. For those that qualify for Free and Reduces Meals, AP exams are $20. Parents/guardians need to re-apply each year. Once approved, we will refund the difference.
The deadline to pay for AP Exams was Friday, October 7th. There are three ways to pay:
1. Cash through the Comm Arts front office
2. Check through the Comm Arts front office
3. Card via My School Bucks
Invoices will be emailed by the end of this week, showing balances paid and/or owed. If you have not paid yet, please do so.
Real Talk - College Board
Counselors' Corner
Sophomores: the counselors will meet individually with each student during their World History class to review credits earned and plan for meeting graduation requirements. These conferences will occur from October 17th through October 21st.
Seniors - The counselors met with seniors on October 5th for a guidance lesson on Postsecondary readiness. Life after high school was the topic of the day.
Declaration of Respect
October is Bully Prevention Month. Last Friday was NISD's Declaration of Respect signing day.
During students' communication classes, we paused to remember David Molak, a San Antonio student who took his own life after being cyberbullied in 2016. Senate Bill 179 was passed in 2017 and empowers school districts and parents with tools for bullying prevention.
PTSA Membership
Seniors interested in applying for the Jack C Jordan Scholarship need to be a member of the Raider PTSA. The deadline to apply is November 9th.
Congressional App Challenge (CAC)
The deadline for the Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is quickly approaching on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. CT. The CAC is a nationwide competition intended to engage students’ creativity and encourage their participation in STEM. Since 2015, the CAC has allowed students to compete with their peers by developing software applications (apps) for mobile, tablet, or computer devices. App submissions should demonstrate some level of functionality. However, the app does not need to be finalized so long as the students can demonstrate their programming skills and provide a detailed outline explaining the app concept and design. Students may compete as individuals or in teams of up to four, as long as two of the teammates reside in Texas’ 20th Congressional District.
Students can register as individuals or in teams on the Congressional App Challenge website, www.congressionalappchallenge.us. Included is a flyer with additional details and the competition rules. Student apps will be judged by a panel of local judges who work within the academic, software, and entrepreneurial fields. The app created by the winning student or team will be featured on the website of the U.S. House of Representatives and displayed in an exhibit at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
If you have any questions, please contact Emily Tarango-Chavez of my San Antonio Office at (210) 348-8216 or email at Emily.tarango-chavez@mail.house.gov.
Online Tutoring
CAHS Calendar (October - December)
October 2022
2nd - National Custodial Appreciation Day
5th - World Teacher Day
7th - AP payments due in full /NISD Declaration of Respect Signing Day/Guarantee Day - grades
10th - Columbus Day/ Indigenous Peoples' Day
12th- PSAT (9-11th grades)
14th - Homecoming/End of 9 weeks
15th - Homecoming Dance
16th - National Boss’s Day
17-21st - Digital Citizenship Week / National School Bus Safety Week
18th - Skills & Strategies Day
19th - Early Release (1 pm) / Unity Day
24-28th - Red Ribbon Week
27th - Picture Retakes (9-11th grades)
31st - Halloween
November 2022
1st - Quill & Scroll Induction Ceremony
4th - Progress Reports grades due
6th - Daylights Savings Time Ends (turn clocks back 1 hour)
7th - Progress Reports available in HAC
8th - Student holiday/staff development/Election Day
11th - Veteran's Day
17th - Turkey Fest
21st-22nd - Student Holiday/Staff Development Day
23rd-25th - Thanksgiving Break (schools/offices closed)
December 2022
2nd - CommStock/ Progress Report grades due
7th - PLT - No AM Tutoring
13th-16th - Semester Exams
16th - End of Fall Semester
19th-30th - Winter Break - No School
School Pictures
9th-11th Graders:
Underclassmen who took pictures during prep days received their picture proofs a few weeks ago in their English classes. If, for some reason, you are not happy with these or you did not take a picture during prep days, we will have retakes on Thursday, Oct. 27. That will be the last opportunity for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to take their individual picture for the yearbook. Picture orders can be placed at https://my.lifetouch.com/.Seniors:
Seniors, If you have not already taken your senior picture either on campus or at the Prestige studios, please schedule an appointment ASAP at the Prestige Studios by calling (210) 691-1284 or going online at local.prestigeportraits.com. They would be back on campus Friday, November 4, for retakes and yearbook-only pictures if you missed the September 13 date. Please note that if you wish for your picture to be in the yearbook, it must be taken through Prestige Portraits before Thanksgiving break.
If you wish not to have your portrait appear in the yearbook, please provide an email or written note from your parent/guardian stating that they know you do not wish to have your picture appear in the yearbook.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with Mrs. McCarthy in room C205 via email.
'22-'23 United Yearbook
Senior parents
School Safety
As we continue to evaluate safety measures, deliveries will not be allowed this year. Additionally, any visitors to campus will need to apply and pass a background check. This does need to be completed every year. It will not roll over. Here is the link to the background check: https://www.nisd.net/community/volunteer-mentor
If you see something, please contact the NISD Safeline. The Safeline is anonymous and available 24 hours/7 days a week.
Phone number: 210-397-7233
Email: safe@nisd.net
Lost & Found
Important Information
Communications Arts High School
Mission: Our school promotes curiosity while providing rigorous academics in a supportive and collaborative environment.
Vision: Communications Arts H.S. students will be confident, capable, communicative leaders.
Email: cahs@nisd.net
Website: https://www.nisd.net/communicationsarts
Location: 11600 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78253, USA
Phone: (210) 397-6043
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommunicationsArtsHighSchool/
Twitter: @NISDComArts