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Families & Students Fill Southside Stadium for Lighting of the S

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Happy parents, family members, and students filled Southside Stadium on Wednesday, September 28,making the Lighting of the S one of Southside ISD’s signature events. From Menchaca Early Childhood Center’s pre-K3 to the Southside High School Class of 2023, dozens of students represented every campus and so many clubs during a parade leading up to the big event. Students in the parade cheered and jumped, some yelling, “We are Cardinals,” as they walked passed the stands. Family members, for their part cheered back yelling, “Go Cardinals!” The event idea came from Superintendent Rolando Ramirez who sees a direct correlation between student pride, student behavior, and academic performance. While so many of the groups in the parade showed enormous spirit, the group of judges from Amerigroup, selected the Mighty Cardinal Band as the 2022 spirit winners. “We had such a great time seeing all of the students,” said Amerigroup’s Erika Salazar. “Southside ISD is such a warm place and we’re proud to be a part of the District’s success.”

For pictures of the event please click here.

TEA Confirms Southside ISD Ranks Among San Antonio Region’s Best Public School Districts

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District rankings released by the Texas Education Agency show Southside ISD is now among the region’s best performing traditional public school districts in the San Antonio Region. Southside ISD has an official score of 88 or a B-rating on the TEA’s A through F ratings system. Southside ISD now ranks among the area’s top five school districts.

SCHOOL DISTRICT             RATING

  1. Boerne ISD                      94
  2. Alamo Heights ISD          91
  3. Somerset ISD                  90
  4. Northeast ISD                  89
  5. Southside ISD                88
  6. Southwest ISD                 86
  7. San Antonio ISD              85
  8. Northside ISD                  84
  9. Harlandale ISD                83
  10. Harmony ISD                   83
  11. Floresville ISD                 83
  12. Judson ISD                      81
  13. Uvalde ISD                      80
  14. South San ISD                72
  15. Edgewood ISD                70
  16. East Central ISD             68
  17. Seguin ISD                      67

The TEA also reported that Southside ISD’s Heritage Elementary is one of just two campuses in the entire state of Texas to soar from an F-rated campus to an A-rated school. “It’s just incredible to have a 36-point gain from a 59 to a 95 is unheard of. There are only two campuses in the state of Texas to do that; Heritage Elementary being one of them,” said Southside ISD Superintendent Mr. Rolando Ramirez. “They’ve just done an amazing job. They’ve taken it a step further and have shown our other campuses that anything is possible. Students were held to those high expectations and because of that, they were able to attain that A-rating.” All of Southside ISD’s other campuses taking the state assessment tests were elevated to B-ratings including Southside High School, Matthey Middle School, Losoya Middle School, Freedom Elementary, Pearce Elementary, and Gallardo Elementary.

Toyota Donates $50,000 to Southside ISD for STEM Education

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The Toyota Motor Manufacturing Plant of Texas unveiled it’s all new 2022 Tundra and announced a $50,000 donation to Southside ISD. In its announcement, Toyota said It wants to expand access to STEM education and workforce development with a specific focus on San Antonio’s South Side. Southside ISD is one of six San Antonio-area school districts who will each receive the $50,000 donation. Additionally, Toyota also made a $100,000 donation to the San Antonio Food Bank which is a major partner of Southside ISD.

New Southside Tradition: Lighting of the S Unites the Cardinal Community

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The Southside ISD’s first Lighting of the S celebration turned into a large-scale and successful community event. Student groups from every campus marched in a parade that wound its way into Southside Stadium. Family and friends filled the home-side and cheered on the students. For their part, students waved to the cheering crowd and soaked up the excitement. The entire purpose of the Lighting of the S and parade was to showcase our students, highlight their accolades, and bring in the community. “Everyone from students, staff, and the community thoroughly enjoyed this event,” said Superintendent Mr. Rolando Ramirez. The night ended when the Southside High School Senior Class of 2022 took to the field and watched the S light up while the Mighty Cardinal Band played the Alma Mater. “One faculty member told me this should have happened years ago,” said Mr. Ramirez. The Lighting of the S is on the books to become an annual tradition at Southside ISD.  Click here to see pictures.

Student Incentives – STAAR Testing

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staar-flyer-5x7Southside Independent School District students who perform well on the  STAAR exams, which begin this week, will have a chance at winning:

  • PlayStation 5
  • Air Jordan tennis shoes
  • mini iPads
  • smart TV
  • 50 Cardinal bucks per exam passed for use at Cardinal Stores
  • special release to a movie and popcorn
  • special release to a field day at Southside Stadium complete with air castles

In order to qualify, students will need to pass all STAAR exams or increase their scores by 10 percent over the beginning of the year results. Students who qualify will automatically be entered to win the big-ticket prizes.

Superintendent Mr. Rolando Ramirez said donated funds will be used to purchase the student incentives.