Campus News

Finance Made Easy: Seniors Take on the Challenge & Educate Pearce 4th-Graders

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The 12th-grade Personal Finance students, led by Mrs. Velas, have developed and introduced their very own Intro to Financial Literacy books for Pearce Elementary. 

Designed with the 4th graders in mind the high school students tailored content to be easily read and understood by the Pearce kids. Topics included savings accounts, interest rates, taxes, and so much more. The seniors presented their books to the Pearce students in a reading & discussion session where they encouraged critical thinking and comprehension. 

This project was created to help foster a sense of responsibility and mentorship as the seniors introduced complicated ideas in a simplified manner.

Thank you Mrs. Vela, Mrs. Brenda Gonzalez and Mrs. Scott for your support of our personal finance program and allowing our seniors the opportunity to engage with their younger peers. 

Senior students who participated included: Alyssa Garcia, Alexis Cantu, Giselle Sanchez, Jasmin Apolinar, Alyza Garza, and Gavin Martinez.

(Update)Help your child earn a $1,000 scholarship by joining us for free virtual workshops starting Oct. 30th!

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These workshops, hosted by Texas A&M San Antonio, are a 6-week commitment of one-hour-long virtual sessions held every Wednesday starting October 30th until December 11th, 2024 at 6 pm.

Built to cover the steps towards higher education and the resources available to families this bilingual program exists to empower parents and help make the conversation of going off to college easier to plan and understand. This is a great opportunity for parents whose students are the first to go to college and need guidance on where to begin the college process plus what to expect.

A few topics that will be covered in the workshops include supporting your child through the college admissions process; from choosing a school & applying to gaining a better understanding of how FAFSA works.

We are excited to share that parents who complete the workshops are automatically awarded a $1,000 scholarship for their student to Texas A&M – San Antonio!

Use this link https://bit.ly/LaFamilia_ASPIRE to register or if you have any questions feel free to reach out to Texas A&M Program Manager, Elizabeth, at ealanis@nulltamusa.edu.

Please note the meeting for Nov. 27th will not be held due to the holiday break.

Update – Texas A&M has let us know that they are unable to offer scholarships this year for students whose parents completed the workshops. 

Southside High School Breaks Scholarship Record

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Class of 2023 Seniors have been awarded more than five million in scholarships and the award season is just getting started. This is the highest the high school has been awarded since the Class of 2018 where the school was awarded $4.4 million in scholarships. Ms. Rosemary Rodriguez is our Career and College Readiness Facilitator housed in the Go Center where she assists students with making their dreams become a reality. She is a Southside Alumni and proud to give back to the community that is her home. She believes, “It doesn’t matter where you attend a community college or university, your success will follow you.”

One student has raised more than $500,000 alone. Alexandra Romero Piceno has been accepted to eight universities where she’s been awarded a total of $576,000 in scholarships. We have several students who have been awarded more than $200,000 and Ms. Rodriguez is determined to raise our goal even higher this year because the students deserve to see what possibilities are out there when they put in the effort. 

Representatives from colleges, industry partners and military recruiters will arrive May 22, 2023 for Southside High School’s Annual Decision Day. On this day, seniors gather in front of their families and friends to announce where they will be attending after graduation. This event will be the second year the high school has included a career component to celebrate those who will be going into apprenticeships after high school to further pursue employment. Many are surprised with additional scholarships and awards from non profit organizations and colleges. Several hundred students participate in this event and we look forward to another successful school year.

 

New Student Information System: Ascender – Parent Portal

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Southside ISD switches to new student information software Ascender – Parent Portal.

The parent portal will be live for use after Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Links work but will be undergoing maintenance until August 4.

Ascender – Parent Portal provides online access to school-related information about your students, including enrollment, attendance, grades, discipline, assessments, immunizations, and more! Parents can access the parent portal from the campus websites, the parent page, and the district homepage.

The Ascender Parent Portal will replace the student information software Skyward.

The Parent Portal is available for parents and guardians of Southside ISD students. Returning and New parents will need to create an account, find out how by visiting southideisd.org/ascender.

ASCENDER by TCC
For more than 50 years the Texas Computer Cooperative (TCC) has been the leader in delivering products and services that support Texas LEAs in managing Student and Business information. WHAT’S OUR MISSION? Provide comprehensive administrative software to school districts, charter schools, and education service centers throughout the state of Texas. WHO USES ASCENDER? Of the approximately 1250 local education agencies (LEAs) in Texas, 19 Education Service Centers support 885+ LEAs across Texas. That is nearly 75% of  Texas LEAs! WHY ASCENDER? • Professionally designed user experience • Integrated reporting tools • Robust third-party software integration • Powerful parent and employee communication tools