Keeping Up with Comm Arts
~ April 21, 2025 ~
Hello Comm Arts Family and Friends!
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 and bring your chargers.
Wednesday, April 24th, is Administrative Professionals' Day. Thank you, Ms. Cody and Mrs. Lee, for all you do! Comm Arts wouldn't be the fantastic place it is without you.
Grades are due for progress reports on Friday, April 25th. Progress reports will be available on HAC on Monday, April 28th.
Cap & Gowns
Seniors, Jostens will be on campus this Friday, April 25th, during all lunches for cap and gown delivery. If you miss picking up your graduation items, you will need to visit Jostens.
Campus Highlights
Top Graduates
Last week, we honored our seniors and their families who are graduating Top 10. Our Top 10 seniors are Ella Shaw, Audrey Mucker, David English. Laurel Roberts, Leyli Annayeva, Caden Tapp, Isaac Sabogal, Kelsi Leishman, Grace Snyder, and Selena Alvarez. Congratulations on all your hard work and dedication! This is an amazing accomplishment!
Announcements
Class & StuCo Officer Elections
Applications are located on your Social Studies and English Schoology sites. Complete the application by Friday, May 2nd, to run for one of the following positions:
- President- Assists in all duties, works closely with teacher sponsors
- Vice President- Works closely with president and teacher sponsors
- Secretary- Helps with organization, taking notes at meetings, help plan volunteer opportunities, etc.
- Treasurer- Helps with money, including dues, fundraising, t-shirt sales, etc.
- Historian- Helps with social media accounts, induction ceremony, etc.
Please consider that you cannot hold more than one officer position at CAHS. So you can't be an STUCO officer and a class officer.
You may immediately begin campaigning on Monday, May 5th, upon receiving an approval email from Mr. Harris. Please campaign in a positive manner on @commstuco = Twitter and Instagram. You can also hang 2 (but not more than 2) posters in the stairwell area. 1 poster per stairwell. If any campaigning is considered "negative," Mr. Harris or Mr. Trevino will NOT allow you to run for office.
You will only get an approval email if you can meet and commit to the following criteria:
- Officers must maintain an overall average of 75 or higher in all classes throughout the school year.
- Officers missing more than two scheduled meetings will be placed on probation. Missing a third meeting will result in removal from office.
If any officer fails to meet the above criteria, the student will be on probation for six weeks. If there is a second probationary period, it will result in removal from office for the remainder of the school year.
Elections will be held on Monday, May 19th, and Tuesday, May 20th, via Google Form voting. Look for a form on May 19th in your Social Studies teacher's Schoology. Voting ends May 20th at 4:20 pm, and winners are announced on May 21st.
AP Exam Reviews
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)
April AR
Afternoon AR for April 25th is canceled.
Please reach out if you have questions about attendance recovery. All attendance recovery must be completed by May 29th, 2025.
Attendance Matters
Summer Information
2025 Summer School Information
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.
Swim
Band
Summer Choir Camp
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!
Tech Camps
Summer Sports Camps
Counselors' Corner
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.
EOC Exams
End-of-course (EOC) exams continue next week with US History EOC for 11th grade, Biology 1 EOC for 9th grade, and a select few 9th-grade students for Algebra 1 EOC. Here are some tips on how to prepare for taking tests. 14 Tips for Test Taking Success
Seniors
Senior Walk
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.
Graduation Dates
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.
Go Center
SAT Fee Waivers
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
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.
Send Your AP Scores for Free
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.
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
- 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.
- AP Daily Videos - In the 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.
College Board
Big Future Ambassador
Our very own Destanee Lindner is a Big Future Ambassador! Here are some resources she has to share.
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
Pictures & Yearbooks
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
Link to purchase ads
9th-11th Grade Pictures
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
Calendar
Tutoring Schedule
April 2025
May 2025
Final Exams
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 7, 2025)
- 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.
Varsity Tutors
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!
HB 114
The Texas Legislature recently enacted HB 114, requiring all school districts to implement mandatory disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP) placement for students found in possession of, using, selling, giving, or delivering e-cigarettes or vaping devices on school grounds or at a school-related event.
This alternative school placement, required by law, is made regardless of whether the substance being vaped is a controlled substance or not.
Click here for more information: https://www.nisd.net/parents/vape-free
Safety
Here is the link for information related to district safety: Safety First, 2024-2025
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 notice anything unusual or a potential safety concern throughout the school year, please contact the NISD Safeline. The Safeline is anonymous and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Phone number: 210-397-7233
Email: safe@nisd.net
Adobe Access
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.
24-25 Bell Schedule
VOE
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.
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/
X: @NISDComArts




