Subject Expert: SAISD recognized with two sustainability awards

Expert: Chris Salley, senior executive director of Facilities Services

San Antonio ISD is being recognized this year at the state level – not once, but twice – for its work in sustainability. In March, SAISD was honored as the Outstanding School District at the Texas Energy Summit. On May 11, the district is being commended again with an Excellence Award in Innovative Operations and Management as part of the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards. Chris Salley, senior executive director of Facilities Services, can speak to how staff and students’ efforts on sustainability and conservation benefit the district and the community, both now and in the future.

Student voice: Students harvest and donate ton of cabbage to food bank

Students: Burbank High School students in agricultural sciences program

Students in the agricultural science program at Burbank High School will harvest and donate about a ton of cabbage to the San Antonio Food Bank on Thursday, May 12. Harvesting begins at 9:30 a.m. Students can speak to the process of tending to the plants this spring in preparation for the donation. 

Burbank opened in 19327 on the site of a farm with a focus on agriculture education. Today students in the agricultural sciences program have more than 200 career opportunities to follow, many with technology components, including business creation, farm animal management, crop management, and floral arrangement and management.

Calendar items

TODAY: May 6 (Fri) – STAAR pep rallies encourage students to do their best 
2 p.m., at schools listed below
Schools throughout SAISD are rallying students to do their best on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), which is being administered next week on campuses. The following schools have guest speakers attending their pep rallies: 
• 2 p.m., Foster Elementary, 6718 Pecan Valley Drive – Mayor Ron Nirenberg
• 2 p.m., Riverside Park Elementary, 202 School St. – Pro Wrestler Shawn Hernandez

May 11 (Wed) – Students recognized for the Do The Write Thing Challenge
5:30 p.m., Holy Spirit Hall at Healy-Murphy Center, 211 Nolan St., 78202
Three students from the Advanced Learning Academy will be recognized by 57th Civil District Court Judge Antonia Arteaga for their participation in the Do The Write Thing Challenge, a writing competition that asks students to write about youth violence and its affects on students’ lives. Mireya Castro and River Gabriel were among the top six finalists in the competition, and Maya Aparicio’s artwork was selected for the cover of the book. During the event, students will be presented with awards. 

May 12 (Thurs) – Students harvest and donate cabbage to food bank
9:30 a.m., Burbank High School Farm, 1002 Edwards St., 78204
Students in the agricultural science program at Burbank High School will harvest and donate about a ton of cabbage to the San Antonio Food Bank. This is an annual initiative of the students, which includes planting in February, and then tending to the cabbage throughout the spring semester until harvest time in April or May. 

May 14 (Sat) – Students experience culture during Book It Around the World Book Festival
9-11 a.m., Fox Tech High School, 637 N. Main Ave., 78205
Elementary school students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade will be participating in hands-on activities as they learn about and experience cultures and craft activities from around the world. As part of the event, students will select free books to add to their home libraries.

May 21 (Sat.) – SAISD to hold in-person Teacher Job Fair 
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Freeman Coliseum - Expo Hall C, 3201 E. Houston St., 78219
RSVP: tinyurl.com/SAISDMayJobsRSVP
San Antonio ISD is hosting a recruitment event for teachers and campus-based librarians, counselors, nurses, CTEs, speech language pathologists and speech language pathologist assistants. Limited pre-hire opportunities will be offered to qualified individuals. The district offers competitive salaries and multiple retirement plans including TRS, Social Security and annuity accounts (457, 403B and 457 Roth). Educators are encouraged to register in advance at tinyurl.com/SAISDMayJobsRSVP. (During online registration, job seekers unable to attend in-person may request to virtually connect with a recruiter at a later date.)