Keeping Up with Comm Arts
~ January 29, 2024 ~
Hello Comm Arts Family and Friends!
New Educator of the Year
Ms. Laisza De La Rosa is Communications Arts High School's New Educator of the Year. Congratulations! As a graduate of Comm Arts, she knows how to provide all the amazing opportunities for our students. Thank you, Ms. De La Rosa, for all that you do! We are fortunate to have such an outstanding journalism and yearbook teacher!
Many talented Comm Arts students will complete the District Leadership and Skills Conference this week (SkillsUSA). Photography was on Monday, January 29th, and Digital Cinema Production will be on February 3rd. Animation teams will compete on January 31st and TV Video Production on February 1st. Good luck to all who are competing and their sponsors!
Mark your calendar! On February 7th, the Comm Arts student body will take Panoramic pictures. The senior-only picture will be at 10:30 am, and the whole campus picture will be at 11:00 am. Students and parents, please plan accordingly. We love to have everyone in the picture. Make sure students adhere to the dress code, please. Order information can be found in this newsletter.
Highlights
School Board Recognition
Comm Arts senior Isabella Labinsky gifted artwork to our board member, Mr. Bobby Blount, in celebration of Texas School Board Month. The theme this year is "Locally Elected/Community Connected."
Student Voice
Seniors Zander Hartman and Ronin Vasquez attended Dr. Craft's student voice meeting two weeks ago. They were asked to share their experiences as soon-to-be graduates.
Outsiders Film Festival (NESA)
Last Friday, Senioritis and Streetlight Murders were screened at NESA. Maya Hawkins’s little sister got the Best Actress award for her performance in Street Murders. Congratulations!
Bexar Fest Filming
Last Thursday, the Bexar Fest team attended the Donors and Corporate Partners event at The Botanical Gardens from our partner United Way. They got to interview a handful of important people in the company, including the President & CEO Chris Martin.
Speeches
Last week, freshmen let their voices be heard through powerful speeches of their own. They practiced using the rhetorical devices learned in class. Ms. V. is really proud of their creations and their growth as an oral speaker.
Revolutions
Mr. Polinard and Mr. Harris combined their English and Social Studies classes for a project in which students had to defend their stance on whether revolutions from 1750 to 1900 succeeded or failed. Sophomores did a fantastic job!
Announcements
SAT Classes
US Service Academy Day
Spirit Tryouts
Attention Seniors
The end of the year is coming soon. And with that in mind, the Senior Video is also right around the corner. Send senior pictures and video clips for the Senior Video to cassandra.garcia@students.nisd.net or send it to the class account at @cahs2024 on Instagram by February 9th!
Comm Arts Banquet
The Student Council is marching towards the March 23rd Comm Arts HS Banquet! This event is only for Comm Arts students. Tickets will be sold for $20 via myschoolbucks.com. We will make another announcement once these tickets are ready for purchase. Tickets include a dinner, a DJ, incredible decorations, and a dance. We will also have an awards ceremony to recognize some of our kiddos.
Teddy Bear Drive
The Helping Hands Club is having a new teddy bear drive to support the Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas. Teddy bears act as a transitional item when a child starts at the center, and each child receives one. Our club is also making Valentine's Day cards as well to donate. Please drop off all new teddy bear donations to Mrs. Frias' room. They are accepting donations until Friday, February 9th.
NHS is offering 2 chapter points for one bear. Thank you in advance for helping our club help those in need.
Concessions
The class of 2025 is selling concessions at Grassroots on February 9th from 6 to 8 pm!
Grass Roots
February 9th, 6:30-8 pm in the Comm Arts LGI
See Mr. Polinard in room C221 to buy your ticket today.
Class of 2026
Hello 2026 parents and students! Our class officers will be conducting a concession fundraiser for Grassroots on February 9th. We are accepting cash donations from now until Wednesday February 7th in order to purchase items for that event to sell. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated! And remember that our class officers conduct fundraisers throughout the years so that we can have a memorable senior year!
Donations can be made to room C219 (Ms. V's room). Thank you!
December STAAR EOC
For students who took a STAAR EOC in December, results will be available on Northside's Home Access Center on Wednesday, January 24th. the PDF below will help you access your state assessment scores.
Adobe Access
Adobe Creative Suite Software at Home for Personal Devices
ComArts CTE students, please remember you can download and install Adobe Creative Suite software onto your personal laptops and computer (not Chromebooks) for FREE using your NISD student login credentials. Use the attached instructions for guidance. Keep in mind the Adobe software version installed at home will be a newer version than what is available at school. Please contact your Communications teacher (Cleveland, Barton, Sabogal, or Flores) if you have questions.
Counselors' Corner
Wise Words with Dr. Rosales & Mrs. Skidmore
Senior Parents: The counselors met with seniors individually this past week to finalize credits still needed for graduation and to distribute their midyear rank and GPA.
Junior Parents: The counselors provided juniors with a copy of their course planning guides through their AP US History classes. If you have not seen this, please ask your student to show it to you. Students were asked to share this with their parents.
Sophomores & Sophomore Parents: The counselors met with sophomores during their English classes to review their course selection guides for next year. Sophomores also received an updated credit count based on first-semester grades. Please receive this information with your child. The counselors will meet individually with sophomores during their AP World History class next week to discuss their course selections for their upcoming junior year.
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Now is the time to reflect on what you want to achieve over the second semester. Which parts of the fall semester were the most challenging? Which parts would you like to improve? Determine an area you would want to improve upon and create S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART goals are
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Measurable
T - Timely manner
Consider the following:
What obstacles might get in the way?
What tools and resources will help you to achieve your goal?
Break your goal down into small steps.
Track your progress.
Keep a growth journal.
Go Center
BigFuture Scholarships
10th and 11th graders can qualify for $500 and $40,000 scholarships from BigFuture®! The scholarships are open to all students, with no GPA, test score, essay, income, or citizenship requirements. Every month, BigFuture will award $500 and $40,000 to students who take steps toward their career and the education they need to reach it.
For more information: BigFuture Scholarships
College Board
AP Exams
Payment:
Students will sign up for the exams during their AP course(s). Northside ISD does cover the majority of the cost of the exam. Exam fees are $98, but NISD students only pay $40 per exam. For those who qualify for Free/Reduced Meals, AP exams are $10/exam. Parents/guardians need to re-apply each school year. See the pdf below for more details of payment.
The deadline to pay for exam(s) was Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. You can still pay.
Freshmen/Sophomores - $40
Juniors - $80
Seniors - $120
**AP Spanish 4 - Students will take the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam on Thursday, May 16th, 2024.**
All other exams will be processed through Taft HS.
Calendar
Important Links & Documents
Attendance Email
We have an email for attendance. If you usually email attendance (parent/doctor) notes, please use this email: cahs.attendance@nisd.net. Thank you!
Yearbook 2023-2024
Spring Semester Exam Exemptions
A student enrolled in courses earning high school credit (full-year or semester) may be exempt from the spring semester exam if the following criteria are met:
- For the Spring semester, the student has three or fewer absences, excluding school business absences; (Spring semester begins January 3, 2024)
- The student’s final average for the spring semester is 80 or higher;
- The student’s conduct grade in that class is satisfactory or better; and
- The student is in attendance during the scheduled exam time.
A student who is eligible for exemption may take the exam if desired.
Exam Weight: The two graded quarters of each semester shall weigh 90 percent of the semester grade, and the semester exam shall weigh 10 percent of the semester grade. If a student is exempt from the semester exam, the semester grade shall be calculated using only the two grade quarters of the semester.
New Lunch Items
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
Attendance Email: CAHS.attendance@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