Keeping Up with Comm Arts
~ April 1, 2025 ~
Hello Comm Arts Family and Friends!
Wednesday, April 2nd, is a busy day for the Comm Arts community.
Wednesday morning is a Professional Learning Time for teachers. They will be in a meeting before school and unavailable for tutoring.
It's also the Awards Night for BexarFest. We have three teams with submitted videos. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the event begins at 7 p.m. For more information or to reserve your seats, click here. Don't forget to vote for the People's Choice Award! Head to the link below and vote for your favorite team. Feel free to share the link with family, friends, and supporters. Voting closes at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. People's Choice voting link: https://forms.gle/96fMLZDc7v4i25Hu7
Lastly, several of our students leave Wednesday to compete at State for SkillsUSA. Good luck and best wishes!
Grades are due for progress reports on Friday, April 4th. Progress reports will be available on HAC on Monday, April 7th.
Campus Highlights
Educator of the Year 2025
Last Thursday, March 27th, NISD proudly celebrated our campus Educator of the Year. Congratulations to Ms. Wanda Navarro Rivera! She embodies the spirit of excellence in education and shows a genuine care for our students. We are deeply appreciative of all her efforts to make Communications Arts an inspiring place.
AP Review Session #1
Forty-five sophomores participated in the first AP World History review sessions.
Esports Competition
We have some thrilling news! Our Marvel Rivals team has secured a spot in the Championship Tournament! Meanwhile, our Mario Kart team put up an incredible fight, finishing in 9th place and coming so close to advancing to the next round. They gave it their all and should be proud of their amazing effort!
Announcements
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)
NISD Student Ambassador
The 2025-2026 Student Ambassador Application opened on Monday, March 3rd. Northside ISD seeks passionate students eager to lead, represent, and make a difference in their schools and community. This program provides a unique opportunity to amplify student voices, develop leadership skills, and contribute to meaningful initiatives. The Student Ambassador program is open to junior and senior students during the 2025-26 school year. Applications close on April 14th. To apply and for more information, click here.
Annual Chicken BBQ on April 12th
Support our amazing band
Congressional Art Competition
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors an art competition to showcase student talent.
Below are important dates to keep in mind:
- Friday, April 18th, 2025 – Art Submission Deadline: All entries must be submitted by 5:30 p.m. to the San Antonio district office located at 727 E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd, Suite B-128, San Antonio, TX 78206.
- Late Spring - San Antonio Reception
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.
Counselors' Corner
Courses
Please check your 2025-2026 course requests in HAC. Email your counselor directly if you have any changes to request or if you have any questions.
March Madness Coping Skills Champion
Our bracket is complete! For the 2nd year in a row, our CAHS students have determined that Listening to Music is their preferred coping skill when managing emotions and stressful situations! We will see if Listening to Music can bring a threepete in the 25-26 school year. Thank you to our students who participated in voting weekly!
Parents & Students:
Grades
As you may already know, the end of the school year is near. Students have only one marking period remaining in the year, which means they must dedicate all their efforts to passing all their classes to move on to the next grade level.
As parents, you play an essential part in their schooling, so please encourage them to stay on track with assignments/projects and tests/quizzes for the remainder of the year.
We encourage you to have meaningful conversations with your students about the courses they are currently struggling with so you can help them be a support source for them during this time. We also encourage you to reach out to their teachers to schedule a conference with them to discuss how your student can have a successful outcome this school year. You can monitor your student's grades and attendance on HAC.
In addition, resources are available to students to help them finish the year strong. The resources are free online tutoring services, such as Varsity Tutors, on their NISD portal. Students are also encouraged to seek in-person tutoring before school, during lunch, and/or after school. They just need to reach out and communicate with their teachers.
We are all striving for the same goal, which is to keep your child on track for graduation.
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.
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
SAT School Day
On Wednesday, April 16th, 2025, the SAT will be administered to all 11th-grade NISD-enrolled students at high school campuses. Our campus handles registration. All eligible testers in attendance will be expected to participate. There are several practice SATs on Bluebook. Just log into the Bluebook app using your College Board account.
It's never too early to prepare for the SAT. 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.
College Board's Student Study Guide - https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/sat-school-day-student-guide.pdf
Pictures & Yearbooks
Our 2024-25 yearbook strictly features Comm Arts students, so why not get one! Don't forget about purchasing ads. Any student, parent, or business can purchase an ad!
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
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.
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




