Welcome back to another exciting school year. It was wonderful to have students back in our halls of Comm Arts. Here's to a year filled with learning, laughter, and memorable experiences. Let's make this year remarkable together.

Our lovely campus counselors, Mrs. Skidmore, and Dr. Rosales, are working through schedules and meeting with students. If you have concerns, please contact them, but know that the beginning of the school year is busy. They will reach out as soon as possible.

This is a reminder that Monday, September 4th, is Labor Day. There will be no school, and all buildings/offices will be closed.

Save the Date! Open House is September 20th from 6-8 pm.

Congratulations to the following students: Selena Alvarez, Erin Bean, Glen Canales, Ottmar Castrejon, Natalie Cornejo, Paola Cosgallon, Daniela Flores, Caleb Fogle, Cassandra Garcia, Mya Garcia, Berkley Harrison, Maya Hawkins, Mckenzie Martinez, Nathaniel Martinez, Josarrio Mendoza, Jessica Nunez, Isabel Owens, Arianna Pantoja De Jesus, Daniel Pena, Timothy Potter, Layla Rangel, Melina Reyna, Isaac Sabogal, Jayden Sanchez, Julyssa Sierra, Samantha Silva, Carlos Thorne, Jeslyn Tuberville, Ronin Vasquez, and Karolina Vega.

They were among 62,000 students from across the country to earn academic honors from the College Board’s National Recognition Programs! These National Recognition Programs grant underrepresented students with academic honors that can be included on college and

scholarship applications and connect students with universities across the country, helping them stand out during the admissions process. Colleges and scholarship programs use these honors to identify students from underrepresented groups through College Board’s Student Search Service. These students earned this recognition by excelling on their PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP Exams and in their classrooms.

Eligible students are invited to apply during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the beginning of the next school year.

Comm Arts students Jedrek Rivera and Melina Reyna are winners of the Albricias National Contest sponsored by the Spanish Honor Society. The contest is open to Spanish students all over the nation who are enrolled in a Spanish Class. The topic this time was fashion and style. Please congratulate them on this outstanding achievement!

Student access to the building will begin at 8:00 am. If students arrive earlier, they are to report to the Taft cafeteria. Students can stay in the cafeteria or come to Comm Arts until 1st period begins. Students will not be allowed to wait outside the building.

The only entry/exit point for the campus will be the front doors. All doors, including the front doors, will remain locked during the school day but will be opened by the admin during morning arrival and passing periods. To access the building outside these times, please call the main office at 210-397-6043 or use the doorbell to the left of the main doors.

There are two bus drop-off/pickup points for Comm Arts students. One location is the driveway between Comm Arts and Taft (mainly Comm Arts students who live outside the Taft attendance zone) and the Taft bus loop, which is on the right side of the campus if looking at Taft from Culebra (this location is mainly for students who attend Comm Arts and live in the Taft attendance zone). Students, please remember that you will board the bus after school, where the bus dropped you off in the morning.

Juniors and seniors interested in Off-Campus Lunch can pick up a Comm Arts form in the Comm Arts front office. This form must be completed, including a parent's signature, before an off-campus sticker will be issued. This privilege must be renewed with a new sticker each grading period and revoked by the administration at any time if a student does not meet the campus's academic, attendance, and behavior expectations. Off-campus passes will be approved and ready for pickup on Wednesday, August 30th.

Students will have limited access to their devices this school year. Phones, more often than not, become personal distraction devices. Unless otherwise stated, students cannot access their phones during instructional time. Student phones will need to be on silent and put away. Parents, if you need to communicate with your child, they can check their phones during the passing period and at lunch. If an emergency occurs and you need to reach your child during class time, please call the Comm Arts front office.

All students attending Communications Arts HS must adhere to the standardized attire requirement. 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 Monday morning were midriffs, short shorts, 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.

Northside ISD implemented a few changes for the 23-24 school year. They include:

• No deliveries for students or faculty/staff members
• The addition of twenty fully-commissioned police officers to the NISD Police Dept.
• Access to silent panic alert technology at each school

Additionally, all students, faculty, and staff must wear their school IDs on campus for safety.

Here is the link for more information: Safety First, 2023-2024

Choir Parent Meeting - September 12th, 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room

Madrigal Auditions - September 13th, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room (Open to all Choir and Music Theatre students)

Fan Pledge Fundraiser kick off - September 15th, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. in the Auditorium (Choir and Orchestra students only)

Mixed Region Choir Auditions - October 7th, all day @ Warren High School

Fall Choir Concert - October 11th, 6:30 p.m. in the Auditorium

Treble Region Choir Auditions - October 21st, all day @ Marshall High School

Happy First Day of School!

We hope you enjoyed your summer. We are excited to see you back on campus. We welcome all our new Communications Arts students.

Please know that Counselors cannot make any schedule corrections the first two days of school unless there is a missing core class, or missing class period. Any corrections will need to happen once we have an accurate account of the number of students sitting in classrooms. If you have schedule concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to your respective counselor.

Mary.Skidmore@nisd.net Last Names A-K

Minerva.Rosales@nisd.net Last Names L-Z

If your child is in need of school supplies, once again, please reach out to your respective counselor.

Remember that it is important to complete the free and reduced lunch application each school year. Your previous year’s status does not roll over. PSAT fees, AP exam fees, college application fees, and transcript requests are impacted by lunch status. Your lunch status can result in substantial savings.

Attention all Dual Credit Students

By the first week of school, students should have logged into their ACES accounts to verify that their dual credit courses are correct.

• Students cannot ADD a dual credit class to their schedule after August 31st by 5:00 pm.

• Students can DROP a dual credit course until Sept. 8th by 5:00 PM with no penalty.

• After September 13th, a DROP will require a withdrawal from the instructor and a student’s Northwest Vista transcript will show a "W" which may impact financial aid eligibility.

• Students MUST talk with their counselor and inform Mrs. Barton of any changes to their dual credit courses.

Northside ISD is hosting a College Board Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test, or PSAT, on Wednesday, October 11th. The PSAT is optional this year for 10th graders. Sophomores who choose to participate must register by September 20th to participate and pay a $20 testing fee. There is a reduced fee of $10 for students who receive free or reduced lunch. All 9th and 11th graders will be registered to take the PSAT.

In order to register, students should click on the link provided on the school website or visit www.TotalRegistration.net/PSAT/446139 to register. To complete registration, students must answer all of the required questions. Registration is not complete until students have printed the pdf of the confirmation page that is provided at the end.

Comm Arts students will have a separate registration process from Taft High School.

Here are the important dates for the registration process:

• Mon, Aug 28, 2023, at 8:00 AM - Registration Begins
• Thu, Sep 21, 2023 at 12:01 AM - Registrations and payments after this date will incur a $5 late fee.
• Tue, Sep 26, 2023, at 11:59 PM - Registration Ends
• Tue, Sep 26, 2023 - Registrations that have not been paid for will be canceled, and exams will not be ordered.

Please contact Ms. Elizabeth Lewis, elizabeth.lewis@nisd.net, if you have questions or concerns.

STAAR EOC final assessment results for 9th graders are now available via HAC.