Keeping Up with Comm Arts
~ April 22, 2024 ~
Hello Comm Arts Family and Friends!
Juniors take their US History EOC STAAR on Tuesday, April 23rd, and freshmen take their Algebra I EOC STAAR on Wednesday, April 24th. Parents, please keep these test dates free of appointments. STAAR will also be on school-issued Chromebooks. Students, turn off and on your device to allow updates to load. Also, make sure to charge your devices and bring your chargers.
Wednesday, April 24th, is Administrative Professionals' Day. Thank you, Ms. Cody, Mrs. Lee, and Ms. Montellano, for all you do! Comm Arts wouldn't be the fantastic place it is without you.
Grades are due for progress reports on Thursday, April 25th. Progress reports will be available on HAC on Monday, April 29th. Friday, April 26th, is a student and staff holiday. The campus will be closed for the Battle of the Flowers.
Highlights
Fiesta
Students in their Spanish class designed their own Fiesta medals for 2024. They had to choose a nonprofit organization that contributes to our San Antonio community in some way. Awards will be given to the top five designs. Stay tuned to see the winners!
Space Lab
Former Comm Arts graduate Elise Owen and her Space Lab team from Texas State presented last week. They shared information about their satellite and other exciting things.
Earth Day
Earth Day Fashion Show
Student Council hosted a recyclable fashion show. Nicolas Jauregui and Valeria De Hoyos were our winners.
JROTC Ceremony
Several Comm Arts students received awards last week at the JROTC ceremony. Additionally, students were recognized for next year’s leadership roles. Ella Shaw is the Corps Commander, Carissa Cavazos is the Mission Support Squadron Commander, and Tariq Bernard is the Operations Squadron Commander. This means that Comm Arts students now hold the top three positions in JROTC. Congratulations on these leadership roles and all your hard work and dedication.
Announcements
SAT Scores
Social Studies Review Sessions
9th grade - APHUG has completed the required curriculum, and students review and prepare for the exam each day in class.
10th grade - Mr. Harris's cram sessions in the LGI will be on Wednesdays after school from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. If you want to purchase a great study guide for your student, the book attached to this link works very well.
12th grade - Mr. Trevino’s annual after-school CRAM SESSIONS will be in room C215 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. We will meet every Thursday after school leading up to exam day. Please encourage your child to attend. This guide works very well if you want to purchase a great study guide for your student.
Seniors
Cap & Gowns
Seniors, Jostens was on campus last Friday for cap and gown delivery. You must visit Jostens if you still need to pick up your graduation items. They have the items at their store for pick up. Jostens is located at 2102 Mannix Dr, San Antonio, TX 78217
Prom Tickets
To purchase prom ticket(s), you will need to download the MORP app. It is available on the Google Play Store and IOS App Store. It is important to turn on notifications to get all the latest information regarding prom. Register as the Taft High School class of 2024.
Students can add a credit card/debit card to their account for prom ticket purchase. A student's credit/debit card is not charged until they are approved to purchase their ticket. You will get one of the following messages: *Students can be approved to be part of the school but not approved to purchase tickets, for various reasons. Approval can take up to 24 hours*
- Approved : The student joins the guest list and receives a QR code digital ticket. The student's card is charged. The student gets a notification of the approval.
- Denied : The student's card is not charged and will remain in the student list. You will get a notification of the denial and why.
- Come See Me : The student's transaction remains on hold in the pending approvals list. The student is notified that he/she needs to come see the admin prior to approval.
*Student Purchasing Options
- Buy a single ticket. The student purchases a single ticket for themselves.
- Buy a ticket for themselves and a date who attends the same school. The student selects the name of his/her date from the student list. You will need their contact info and student ID number.
- Buy a ticket for themselves and a date who does not attend the same school. The student fills out this google form that will go into "Pending Status" awaiting administrative approval. GUEST ID MUST BE UPLOADED, If guest ID is not uploaded then the form will automatically be denied! 2024 Taft/Comm Arts Prom Guest Request
Ineligibility: If a student has excessive absences or has outstanding fines/fees due.
Ticket Sales will be as follows: ID will be required to enter prom.
April 11th - April 24th ~ Ticket price will increase to $70
April 25th - May 8th ~ Ticket price will increase to $80
*Last day to purchase a ticket will be May 8th*
Send your AP Scores for Free
Beginning on April 10th, students signing in to My AP will see a pop-up window prompting them to choose a college, university, or scholarship organization to receive their AP scores for free. Seniors will have to make a selection to access AP Classroom and their course resources and assignments. Students have until June 20th, to change their free score send selection.
Senior Walks
Seniors, below are the elementary schools that shared their information with us. If you don't see your school below, you can contact your elementary school directly for senior walk details.
Leon Springs ES
May 15th
Fields ES
May 23rd
Linton ES
May 24th
Summer Programs
Summer School
Official summer school information is now available. June 17th - June 27th (holiday: June 19th)
and Session 2 is July 1st - July 11th (holiday: July 4th). For more course information and costs, click the link below. Please keep in mind, due to campus requirements; Comm Arts students cannot register for the Social Studies and English courses. Registration opens April 10th and ends Friday, May 17th.
Counselors' Corner
Wise Words with Dr. Rosales & Ms. Skidmore
Summer School - Contact your respective counselor if you want to register for summer school.
Test Anxiety - As testing continues, students may want to continue practicing good test-taking strategies they’ve learned along their academic journey and manage their test anxiety levels. Here is a Princeton review that outlines what students can do to help manage their anxiety levels: Ways to Overcome Test Anxiety
Grades - Please check HAC for missing assignments, test grades, and a current grade average. Contact your teachers if you have any concerns.
Classes for 2024-2025 School Year - Please also check HAC for the classes you requested for the 2024-2025 school year. If something needs to be changed, please contact the respective counselor.
Go Center
AP Exams
AP Exams are almost here. All testing will take place during the first two full weeks of May. See our May calendar for exam dates. Students must be on campus and in their testing room by 7:45 am. Testing will begin promptly at 8 am. Students who ride the bus will need to make alternative transportation plans.
All Comm Arts students are registered for the AP exam assigned to them in their Comm Arts AP course. For unpaid AP exams, please make payment as soon as possible. There are three methods to pay. See the PDF below for instructions. If you need a new invoice, please email Ms. Lewis. (elizabeth.lewis@nisd.net)
This year, the AP World History, AP U.S. History, AP English Language & Composition, and AP English Literature & Composition exams are digital. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors must bring their school-issued Chromebooks and chargers on testing day. Students, see Ms. Lewis if you have questions about digital exams or your device.
AP reviews now available
To find these videos in AP Classroom, AP students need to click on the Course Guide section in the blue navigation bar on the left of their screen. Then, they'll click on the Review tab. Finally, they should select 2024 AP Exam On-Demand Review to see the list of new videos available. Note: Students can also watch review sessions from previous years in AP Classroom.
AP Daily: Practice Sessions are about 15 minutes long each and provide a walk-through of both multiple-choice and free-response questions so students can become familiar with the types of questions they’ll see on exam day. The videos are available for students to view at any time and will remain accessible through the AP Exam administration so they can watch whenever works best for them.
Free Resources to Prepare for AP Exams
Is this your first time taking an AP exam? If so, here is a good read for you! - Click here to read
Here is a good read on building your confidence for taking an AP exam. - Click here to read
New AP Daily Practice Sessions - Starting April 22nd, a new video series will be available on AP Classroom and Youtube. Experienced AP teachers will provide practice on free-response and multiple-choice questions.
AP Daily Videos - On AP Classroom, there are short videos led by experienced AP teachers that you can review at your speed.
AP Daily: Live Review Recordings - Last year's recordings are also available on AP Classroom.
Other AP Classroom Resources - Topic Questions, Progress Checks, My Reports, and Additional Tips are all available.
Other Free Resources - Use the About the Exam tab to learn more about the exams. Also, your teacher has provided many resources throughout the year that can be used to review. Don't forget that you can form study groups to review together.
For more information, click here: Prepare for AP Exams.
AP Exams
Payment:
- $40 per exam
- Free/Reduced Meals $10/exam - parents/guardians need to re-apply each school year.
- See the pdf below for more details of payment
All other exams will be processed through Taft HS.
Calendar
Important Links & Documents
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.
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.
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