Juniors are taking their SAT on campus this Wednesday, April 16th. SAT is digitally administered online using our district Chromebooks. Remember to charge your device the night before and bring your charger, just in case. Calculators will be provided, too. Juniors, this is allowed if you want to use an external mouse for testing. Click HERE to access the SAT School Day Student Guide.

Use your PSAT/NMSQT results to create your free personalized SAT prep. For more information, click here: Offical SAT Practice or Unlock your personalized SAT study plan. There are several practice SATs on Bluebook. Just log into the Bluebook app using your College Board account.

Thursday, April 17th, is our Earth Day celebration during lunch. Freshmen, this is similar to Turkey Fest. Many of our campus clubs and organizations will have food items for purchase. Please bring cash if you want to participate. Seniors, Thursday is also the last day to submit your scholarship information to Ms. Torres for the printed graduation program. Scholarship information can still be submitted after for announcing.

Friday, April 18th, is a holiday. Our campus will be closed. Monday, April 21st, is a student holiday/staff work day.

This week, we are also honoring students with parents/guardians in the military. Please join us by following the theme dress for the week.

The 2025 induction ceremony for Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica was an incredible success. Students were recognized for their outstanding performance in their Spanish language classes.

The guest speaker was Ms. Valeria Barriga—an Emmy Award-winning meteorologist, entrepreneur, public speaker, and actor with over 15 years of experience in television. She shared her experience of connecting with others using the Spanish language.

Congratulations and welcome to all the new SNHS members! Also, thank you to Ms. Navarro and the SNHS officers. The event was beautifully done!

Absolutely fantastic job to everyone who participated in SkillsUSA! The excitement was electric in the air as we showcased amazing talents in Job Exhibits, TV Production, and Digital Cinema. What an incredible display of skills and creativity!

Comm Arts Broadcast Journalism students had an incredible opportunity to immerse themselves in the KSAT Academy! They teamed up with talented KSAT reporters, skilled photojournalists, and expert video editors, diving deep into the world of broadcast journalism. This hands-on experience allowed them to sharpen their skills and unleash their creativity, making it an unforgettable journey in their pursuit of storytelling excellence!

Next week, Juniors will take their US History EOC STAAR on Tuesday, April 22nd. Freshmen will take their Biology STAAR EOC on Wednesday, April 23rd, and Algebra I EOC STAAR on Thursday, 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. Here is a great article with 9 Tips for Overcoming Test Anxiety.

AP World History

Want to get a 3, 4, or 5 on your World History AP exam? Join Mr. Harris for his Cram Sessions on Wednesdays in the LGI from 4:30 pm to 5:15 pm. These Cram Sessions will occur every Wednesday until the AP exam day on May 8th.

AP Government & Politics

Join every Wednesday afternoon through the week of April 28th. It will run from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Mr. Trevino will review the required content and writing skills needed to earn college credit on the AP Exam. (remember we have not been in AP Gov since the fall semester, and statistics show that students who show up to cram sessions perform higher on the AP Exams in May)

Registration is now open!

Parents and students, please refer to the Summer School link in this newsletter for more detailed information about courses offered, dates, tuition, and deadlines. To register, email your child's respective counselor and let the counselor know which course you would like your child to take over the summer.

The deadline to register for summer school courses is May 1st, 2025.

The Taft/Comm Arts 2025-2026 Summer Choir Camp is scheduled for July 14-17, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 in the Taft Choir Room (A211). Choir Camp is free and optional for choir members. Still, it is highly encouraged for all incoming and veteran choir students! They will sing, play team-building games, build their choral community, welcome new choir members to their choir family, and introduce our new choir officers for the 2025-2026 school year!

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and CAHS students are contributing their creative talents to raising awareness about child abuse and neglect. Lailah Navarro, a CAHS Senior, has single-handedly decorated this child outline to look like Mr. Invincible, a superhero from the Image Universe. When asked why she chose this character to highlight Child Abuse Prevention Month, Lailah commented, "Mr. Invincible is a perfect character because his superpowers are his inner strength, resiliency, and healing factors." It illustrates to children everywhere that they "are resilient and strong" when faced with difficult life circumstances and do not stand alone. By raising awareness of this essential cause, we can together create a safe community and world for all children.

On Monday, April 14th, we begin the Purple Up for Military Children celebration by wearing purple.

Purple represents the joint service operations and is a combination of Army Green, Air Force Blue, Space Force Blue, Coast Guard Blue, Marine Red, and Navy Blue; it is the color that represents military children from all the branches.

Join us in wearing purple on Monday to show support for all the military kids for the strength and sacrifices that they have made.

We invite you to join us in celebrating all the military-connected CAHS students by participating in the following dress day themes: CAHS 2025 Purple Up! Let's Celebrate the Military Child

Grades

Please check HAC with your child to review their grades. If you have any questions, please get in touch with your child's teachers.

Courses for the 2025-2026

Parents and students can review the courses your child selected for the coming school year in HAC.

SAT Wednesday for current juniors

Juniors will take their SAT on April 16th, 2025, at CAHS. Students who have previewed SAT practice tests typically score better on the actual exam. Have your child review SAT questions in the college board account. Most universities are reverting to requiring SAT or ACT scores as part of admissions.

CAHS Counselors will be visiting Senior classes on April 17th, 2025, during their English classes to talk about Self-Efficacy.

Seniors, below are the elementary and middle schools that shared their information with us. If you don't see your school below, you can contact your school directly for senior walk details.

Please be aware that this is an unexcused absence if you miss a class. If you bring in a note, this will be an excused absence. Plan accordingly for semester exam exemptions.

Students can request a fee waiver directly from College Board. Eligible students can receive SAT fee waiver benefits by logging in to their College Board account and submitting a request. Learn more on the College Board website.

AP Exams are almost here. All testing will take place during the first two full weeks of May. Click HERE for specific exam dates. Students must be on campus and in their testing room by 7:40 am. Testing will begin promptly at 8 am. Students who ride the bus will need to make alternative transportation plans.

This year, almost all History and English exams are digital. The Science and Math exams will be hybrid. All testers will need to bring their school-issued Chromebooks and chargers on testing day. Students, see Ms. Lewis if you have questions about digital exams or your device.

Starting on April 7th, when students sign in to My AP, they'll see a pop-up window prompting them to choose a college, university, or scholarship organization to receive their AP scores for free before they reach their dashboard. Seniors must choose a score-send recipient to access AP Classroom and their course resources and assignments.

As a reminder, students get one free score sent each year they take an AP Exam, and their score report will include their AP scores from this year and any previous years. If applicable, colleges and universities use official score reports to determine credit or placement. Colleges, universities, and scholarship programs that receive scores may also use a student's information and official score report to contact them about admissions, educational, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities. Students must change their free score-send selection by June 20th, 2025.

Their official score report will be sent in July, including scores for the AP Exams they take this year and any past AP Exam scores.

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

1. AP Daily Practice Sessions - This video series is available on AP Classroom and YouTube. Experienced AP teachers will provide practice on free-response and multiple-choice questions.
2. AP Daily Videos - In the AP Classroom, there are short videos led by experienced AP teachers that you can review at your speed.
3. AP Daily: Live Review Recordings - Last year's recordings are also available on AP Classroom.
4. Other AP Classroom Resources - Topic Questions, Progress Checks, My Reports, and Additional Tips are all available.
5. 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.

Our very own Destanee Lindner is a Big Future Ambassador! Here are some resources she has to share.

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

Thank you, Comm Arts Family, for purchasing a yearbook! We only have 79 books left to sell. As for Ads, the final day to buy an Ad is May 1st. See the flyer for more details.

Link for the yearbook

• https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productDetail/1033119/COMMUNICATIONS-ARTS-HIGH-SCHOOL/Yearbook/2024071704203610055/CATALOG_SHOP/Yearbook/2024071704203611355#design/0

Link to purchase ads

• https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/ybAdDesigner/1033119/COMMUNICATIONS-ARTS-HIGH-SCHOOL/2024071618151849081/CATALOG_SHOP/

Click HERE to order your pictures online. Use either your student ID or picture Day ID: EVT4KQVBF

ENJOY 10% OFF your order!

CODE: F202410OFF

EXPIRES: July 31, 2025

Graduation dates are here. Comm Arts/Taft High School graduation is June 3rd at 9:30 am. For more information, click HERE.

Make sure you order in a timely manner. Graduation items will be ready for pick up on April 25, 2025. Our cap and gown are white. For those who just want to order the cap and gown, click here.

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:

1. For the Spring semester, the student has three or fewer absences, excluding school business absences; (Spring semester begins January 7, 2025)
2. The student’s final average for the spring semester is 80 or higher;
3. The student’s conduct grade in that class is satisfactory or better; and
4. 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.

Students, you can find a new tutoring support system in your NISD portal.

Varsity Tutoring offers:

• 24/7 On-Demand Chat Tutoring (including AP courses)
• On-Demand Essay Review
• Live Enrichment Classes
• Test Prep Classes (ACT, SAT, GED, etc), Academic Classes (study halls, algebra bootcamps, etc) and Enrichment Classes (languages, robotics, chess, etc)

Don't forget to check it out!

Adobe Creative Suite Software at Home for Personal Devices

ComArts CTE students, please remember that you can download and install Adobe Creative Suite software onto your personal laptops and computers (not Chromebooks) for FREE using your NISD student login credentials. Use the attached instructions for guidance. Keep in mind that the Adobe software version installed at home will be a newer version than what is available at school. Please get in touch with your Communications teacher (Cleveland, Villarreal, Sabogal, or Flores) if you have questions.

Our Verification of Enrollment (VOE) is available digitally. The VOE form is used for driver's permits and licenses. Use the Google Form to request a copy.

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/
X: @NISDComArts