More than 200 refurbished laptops were given away at two events to our San Antonio ISD 2024 graduates who are attending college. Thank you to our partners Compudopt and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. for making these unique laptop giveaways possible.

With some students participating in the Dorm Room Giveaway in July and some visiting us at SAISD's Central Office in August, these devices are sure to help with students' journeys to complete their higher education goals.

One SAISD alum who received a computer shared, “Not having a laptop meant not having access to the same tools my classmates did. Getting this laptop will make me a stronger researcher, student and future employee."

When students have their own devices, they start on the same level as their counterparts to learn and achieve their academic goals. This is an important step in helping students reach college graduation. Thank you to SAISD Board Trustee Leticia Ozuna who was there at Quincy to help distribute the laptops! See the event recap below. 

We launched our Book Buddies Bus in September 2023 and visited 25 schools, giving 38,172 books to SAISD students to take home and build their home libraries. A total of 717 unique volunteers helped make all these school visits happen by sorting and cleaning books at the warehouse, assisting students at school visits and greeting visitors at community events. A first-grade teacher at Kelly Elementary told us, “My students loved [picking out] books. They chose six books each. What an incredible experience.”

Book Buddies Bus school visits are expanding to two days with extra time in the evening for a literacy event. Our efforts to be a part of ensuring more elementary students are reading on grade level will expand this year. From the addition of more book vending machines to increased access to books in the home, to all-grade tools for classroom teachers, there is more to come as we work to secure funding and strategic partners in this work. At the request of schools, we also invite ‘Star Readers” to volunteer by reading aloud at every Book Buddies Bus school visit. 

Our school leaders and teachers have reminded us how important modeling reading and the excitement of reading is for our students. We hope you will consider reading with us! Below are a few ways to get involved with our literacy program

- Volunteer with us on Saturdays at our Port SA warehouse to help sort, clean and box books as well as load the Book Buddies Bus for upcoming school visits (10am-12pm)

- Support students during Book Buddies Bus school visits by helping them by helping students select books or by reading aloud as a "Star Reader"

Volunteer opportunities are open now! Sign up by clicking a button below. School visits will begin in September, just in time for Literacy Awareness Month. 

This year's honorees include four distinguished San Antonio ISD alumni who have contributed significantly to the school district: Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark (Edison), Bobby Perez (Jefferson), Pablo Rodriguez (Lanier) and Honorable Xavier Rodriguez (Burbank).

"The Inspire Awards is a powerful annual event that celebrates the enduring legacies our San Antonio ISD graduates have woven into the fabric of our communities. These remarkable individuals show us what’s possible, igniting a spark in our students to reach for their own dreams and create their own path forward," said Judy Geelhoed, SAISD Foundation executive director.

The honorees will be celebrated at the SAISD Foundation Inspire Awards on Wednesday, October 23. The evening will begin with an outdoor reception at 5:30 p.m., during which students will welcome guests and showcase their learning through activities that involve STEM and arts programming supported by the SAISD Foundation and will feature the newly launched SAISD Foundation STEM Bus. The reception will be followed by the dinner and awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Table sponsorships and individual tickets are now available online. 

Ten volunteers from Accenture joined the SAISD Foundation and school staff at Woodlawn Hills to give the school black top a fresh look for the first day of school. Just before school closed in May, Accenture colleagues had joined volunteers from Woodlawn Hills and Huppertz Elementary to prepare the garden beds that were moved from the closing school to their new home and school community.

As many students from Huppertz transition to this new neighborhood school, we wanted to ensure that their important work continues seamlessly. We call these efforts "Blending the Familia." Additionally, with generous support from Accenture, funds were allocated to help Gardopia reset the gardens at the new location, and many dedicated volunteers stepped up to assist. This fall, they are also helping transition three other gardens to new school homes.

If your company or organization interested in supporting schools with these kinds of projects, we are happy to connect you to the right place. Contact Carrie Smith, our community engagement manager, at csmith@saisd.net to have your company join us for another opportunity like this one.

The SAISD Foundation was proud to offer a New Teacher Shopping Day. This special event welcomed 213 new teachers to SAISD and, for the first time, also included 64 Teachers of the Year who were recognized back in May. Each teacher was given a $100 shopping credit to use at one of four locations: H-E-B, Target, Learning Zone, or Lakeshore Learning. The goal? To help our educators stock their classrooms with the supplies they need to start the year off right.

One new teacher who was shopping shared, “This event was such an amazing experience for me! I very much appreciated the opportunity to have been a part of this!” Another teacher expressed their gratitude saying, “Everyone was very friendly and helpful! What a blessing to start out the new year and feel so welcomed in the process.”

The success of this event would not have been possible without the support of our volunteers and donors. Their dedication helped create a welcoming atmosphere for our educators as they prepared their classrooms for the new school year.

But the shopping didn’t stop there! Last week, our friends at Texas Cavaliers shared some exciting news: one of their generous donors, inspired by a recent report on the significant out-of-pocket expenses teachers face for classroom supplies, decided to offer a $250 grant to support teachers in purchasing essential items for their classrooms. From materials for science experiments to math and reading manipulatives that allow for hands-on learning, teachers picked up items that will enhance their classrooms. Teachers also stocked up on everyday supplies from composition books and EXPO markers to rulers and reams of paper that they often have to reach into their own pockets to fund. 

All the teachers at Margil Elementary, M.L.King Academy and Green at Riverside Park Elementary had the opportunity to shop on us at Lakeshore or H-E-B thanks to the heartfelt generosity of a member of our community. 

Ms. De Leon from M.L.King Academy was surprised when her colleague, Ms. Denver, mentioned the opportunity to shop. Ms. De Leon shared, “Thank you because this is an awesome opportunity to help our students learn and get them engaged.”

Ms. Denver’s class has now expanded due to rightsizing. With a mix of older students, she realized that they did not have the same items for them as her younger students and the shopping opportunity helped bridge that gap. “The stress of starting off the school year is a lot. To have this as a gift is really comforting and knowing we have all this stuff to take back to [our students] to engage with is great.”

We are inspired by the language our community donor used to describe why it is important to support our teachers. They shared, “Schools are struggling with budget challenges as Texas lags behind most states in teacher pay. Many teachers face using their personal income to supplement the provision of services for their students and to set up their classrooms. As Nelson Mandela said, 'Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world' but in order to accomplish this, teachers must be equipped with the necessary tools and supplies.” 

This afternoon of giving did just that - equip our teachers. Thank you to the Texas Cavaliers for saying yes and providing the opportunity to support teachers in this way, as well as to all those who invest in teachers. 

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