School is officially over for SAISD for the 2019-2020 school year! Although, learning continues digitally, one would be remiss to not state the incredible poise and grace that educators have shown their communities of students and families through this global crisis. The SAISD Class of 2020 graduation ceremonies continue to  be live streamed from Alamo Stadium through June 18. Schools with graduating classes include Advanced Learning Academy, Brackenridge, Burbank, Cooper Academy, Edison, Fox Tech, Highlands, Jefferson, Lanier, Sam Houston, St. Philip’s ECHS, Travis ECHS and the Young Women’s Leadership Academy. Each graduation ceremony will be web streamed live by SAISD on the SAISD.net website, You Tube channel, Facebook and Twitter pages. As an added bonus this year, KSAT.com will also web stream each graduation ceremony. See full schedule here! 

Congratulations SAISD Class of 2020!

Additional congratulations to 73 new SAISD scholars for the 2020-2021 school year that have been awarded to date with scholarships through the SAISD Foundation! Annually, the SAISD Foundation supports students scholarships to pursue higher education and Emergency Gap funding awards to reduce our students’ barriers in starting their first semester. The SAISD Foundation accepts donations, planned gifts and bequests from alumni, businesses, and community donors to support the dreams and aspirations of SAISD students pursuing all forms of post secondary education. New scholarships this year include the Joan Fischer Comer Memorial Scholarship, St. Philip’s Early College High School Alumni Scholarship, Detective Cliff Martinez Memorial Scholarship, Colonel Marjorie Ann Ferrandino Scholarship, and the Joe A. Gamez Scholarship. Interested in starting a scholarship? Learn more HERE!

Derrick Brown, Principal, Young Men's Leadership Academy in San Antonio ISD shares the value of the SAISD Foundation in this short video.

SAISD Nation, our new alumni-facing platform, recently launched two pilot programs. In May, the SAISD Foundation and the SAISD Office of Postsecondary Initiatives partnered to launch the SAISD Nation Mentorship pilot program, pairing 20 new graduates with 20 alumni and professionals. As our students transition from high school into college, mentors will help our students persist to and through college. We know how great the need is in the wake of COVID-19, so this launch comes at a critical time. Mentors will check in with mentees twice a month for the next 8-10 months and provide feedback so that the program can be expanded to serve more graduates next year. 

In June, Jefferson alumnus Ricardo Rosales invited SAISD students to enroll for free in an intensive virtual test prep program, offering a cohort of students the opportunity to learn critical testing strategies to prepare them for SAT/ACT success. 75 students in total have signed up to learn tips and tricks to ace their exams. Learn more about Rosales and his work here.

We are excited to continue to deepen alumni engagement, building a deep network of passionate individuals who want to give back to current SAISD students. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, please join SAISD Nation and indicate your areas of interest:

HERE!

We're proud to announce that Book Buddies is now a program of the SAISD Foundation! Book Buddies provides engaging, grade-level appropriate reading materials for SAISD students in grades PK-8 at critical times, including before summer break. Last year, Book Buddies served children in 20 SAISD schools, distributing 65,000 books to nearly 11,000 students - that’s 6 books that each child hand-picked.

Last month, we delivered 15,000 books to campuses for end of school year distributions, and beginning June 16 SAISD's Rolling Readers Summer Tour kicks off. Over the course of a month, two Harry Potter-themed mobile buses will visit the 70 neighborhood stops that offer summer food distribution. We are excited to be partnering by providing these students with 8,500 free books through the Book Buddies Program. 

View Schedule Here!

Donor Advised Funds Support the SAISD Foundation - Learn More

Alicia and Ron Thomas, both former educators, utilize a Fidelity Charitable donor-advised fund to support the charities they care most about – we are glad the SAISD Foundation is one of those. For the Thomas’s, using a donor advised fund helps track their donations in one place and simplifies their giving. To make a donation, with just a few clicks, a check is sent automatically to the charity of choice, in this case, SAISD Foundation and can be put it to use quickly. Donations can also be designated as a “one-time gift”, or a regular monthly donation. Additionally, as an investment fund that is focused on charitable giving, their fund grows tax free, giving them more money to grant to those they want to support. Read full story here!