ALA Community Update

Safety and Security

For the safety of everyone, we ask anyone visiting either ALA Euclid or ALA Tech campus to not open the front door (and also the gates at the Tech campus) for other parents or visitors when you are at school. All visitors need to buzz in and wait until they are let in by the front office. This ensures that we are following our security protocols to keep our campus safe. Thank you for helping maintain a secure environment at school for all of our students and staff!

2025-2026 School Year Recruiting & Applications

We are in recruitment season, and we are encouraging our current families to spread the word on the unique opportunities ALA has to offer! The application window is now open! Families interested in having their child attend ALA can apply for PK-10th grade HERE. The application window will close on January 31, 2025. Families can also learn more about the Choice School Application process by watching the videos found HERE and by reviewing this SAISD Choice Timeline. As a reminder, students will be asked to rank the schools in order of preference and receive a single best offer, therefore, if ALA is a family’s 1st choice, it is very important that it be ranked #1 when applying. Families interested in learning more about ALA have an opportunity to attend scheduled information sessions and school tours. The links below have more information about our tours:

25-26 PreK-3rd ALA Application andRecruiting Overview (ALA Euclid Campus)

25-26 4th-10th ALA Application and Recruiting Overview (ALA Tech Campus)

As a reminder for friends or family members who may be on the waitlist, the current waitlist will not stay active for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. If a child is NOT currently enrolled at ALA, you will need to submit a new application to be considered for a seat for next school year. Current ALA families do not need to re-apply. In the spring, you will receive information to register for the upcoming 25-26 school year.

December 6th: 8th Annual TamALAda & Theatre Chili Night!

Save the date for our 8th Annual ALA TamALAda celebration that will be held at ALA Tech on Friday, December 6th from 5-7pm. The TamALAda is a free annual PK-12 grade event that is a time for us to connect with families, view student performances and enjoy delicious tamales. Warm tamales will be provided! Following the TamALAda, our theatre department will be hosting their annual Chili Night from 6:30-8:30pm!

The Design Store @ ALA is open for Business!

Our ALA-Tech Design Students are proud to announce that the Design Store @ ALA is now Open! The Design Store is a student run business from our own 9-12 ALA-Tech Design Students. As the holiday season approaches, please consider us for your holiday gift ideas from woodworking to t-shirt making to photography! Click here to review all the amazing products we can make and get your order soon! All sales go to support our Design Programs and Makerspaces which includes equipment, college visits, STEM competitions, and industry certifications.

PTSA- Thanksgiving Luncheons

ALA-PTSA is assisting in this year's Thanksgiving luncheons for families at Euclid and Tech campus. If you would like to be involved with making decorations and volunteering opportunities, please email meganshaverrivera@alaptsa.org or info@alaptsa.org.

SAISD Food Distribution

San Antonio Independent School District, in partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank, is hosting a drive-through food distribution on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. at SAISD Sports Complex (1000 Edwards, San Antonio, TX 78204). All families are encouraged to pre-register online by visiting www.saisd.net/fooddistribution by Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Distribution is on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last. Reach out to familyengagement@saisd.net if you have any questions.

Individual Student Pictures

Picture day will be this Friday 11/15/24. If you would like to order pictures, please do so by using https://www.mylifetouch.com and Picture Day ID: EVTB6DSG8.

Thanksgiving Luncheon

Thank you to all parents who RSVP’d for the Luncheon coming up on Tuesday 11/19/24. Please remember our student’s lunches are only 30 minutes long. To ensure you have enough time to enjoy your meal, if you are bringing food, we encourage you to pick up it up early. The restaurants nearby will be experiencing high demands, and we want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to eat with their student(s) without feeling rushed.

As a reminder, here are the lunch times:

• Village A - 10:45 am (Please arrive at 10:30)

• Village C- 11:20 am (Please arrive at 11:05)

• Village B: 11:55 am (Please arrive at 11:40)

• Pre-K: 1:00 pm (Please arrive at 12:45)

Upcoming PBL Exhibitions

Our students have been hard at work and we have some PBL Exhibitions coming soon!

• 2nd Grade Disability Access at ALA will be on Monday, Nov. 18th from 5pm - 6pm in Village A B and C 2nd Grade Classrooms. View the flyer for more information!

• 3rd Grade PBL Exhibition will be held at San Pedro Springs Park on Thursday, Nov. 21st beginning at 9:30 am. More information to come soon!

Thanksgiving Luncheon for 4th-7th Grade Students

You are invited to our Thanksgiving Luncheon! We are excited to celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving with a special luncheon at ALA Tech on Thursday, November 21st. Join us for a delicious meal, great company, and a wonderful opportunity to express gratitude together. We encourage families to come and share in this festive occasion. RSVP by completing this FORM by Wednesday, November 13th , and Pre-Register to help us prepare accordingly. Please arrive 15 minutes before your child’s lunch time to provide time for check-in at the front office. Make sure you bring your ID and EXACT 5.50 in cash if you plan to purchase a lunch meal.

• 4th/5th: 10:30-11 AM

• 6th: 11:00-11:30 AM

• 7th: 10:50-11:20 AM

Updated Picture Day: December 6th

Our Fall picture date has been rescheduled for Friday, December 6. Be sure to come dressed to impress! This is the photo that will be featured in our ALA Tech yearbook. Ordering details will be sent out in the upcoming weeks.

Lockdown Drill at ALA Tech

On Wednesday, November 13, we will hold a lockdown drill at the ALA Tech campus to practice campus procedures. This exercise is only a drill, and students will be notified of this prior to beginning. We encourage you to take this opportunity to stress the importance of following procedures during emergency situations with your child. Thank you in advance for your support.

4th/5th Grade: Meet Mr. Ayala at STEM Night!

If your child is in Mr. Ayala’s class, be sure to swing by his table at the STEM Night on 11/15! He will be there to answer all of your questions, get to know you, and set up some goals for your students. He is looking forward to seeing you all!

10th Grade Chocolate Sales

10th grade is selling chocolates as a fundraiser for field trips! All 10th graders must sell at least one box of chocolates. Chocolates can be purchased directly from 10th grade students. Thank you for your support of our student learning experiences!

8th Grade Advisement Conferences

8th grade Advisement Conferences will be taking place throughout the month of November. Our counselors, Mrs. Martinez and Ms. Ontiveros will meet one on one with each 8th grader to review high school graduation requirements and course options for the 25-26 school year. Please be on the lookout for information coming home with your 8th grade student regarding this. Meetings will be taking place Nov. 4-19 during homegroup and “What You Need” time.

The high school course slip is linked here. You may either sign and return the hard copy coming home with your child or email a digital copy to the counselors; nontiveros1@saisd.net or imartinez6@saisd.net.

UTSA Opportunity for Current 11th Graders: Knowledge for Freedom Summer Seminar

SAISD will once again partner with UTSA to offer 15 juniors moving into their senior year the opportunity to participate in the Teagle grant funded Knowledge for Freedom Summer Seminar. Students selected to participate will live on campus at UTSA for five weeks, Sunday evening -Friday evening where they will take part in a seminar focused on the roots of our democracy. Students earn six hours of college credit, while also receiving mentoring and learning how to go to college effectively. Once the seminar is completed, students become eligible for the prestigious Terry scholarship, a full ride scholarship typically used to attend top tier Texas universities. Interested students should complete the Student Interest Form at this link no later than Friday, November 15.

Students will be contacted for an interview to take place on Friday, 12/6, Friday 12/13 and Saturday 12/14 at Quincy. We will provide shuttle bussing for the Friday interviews. Should you have any questions, please contact our ALA Lead Counselor Nicque Ontiveros at nontiveros1@saisd.net

STEM Night for 4th-8th Grade Students & 8th Grade Showcase!

4th-8th Grade Families are invited to attend our upcoming STEM Night at ALA Tech! This Friday, November 15th from 5-7pm, Communities in Schools (CIS) will host an event offering hands-on fun for the whole family, including a wide-range of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math activities. See this flier for additional details. We look forward to seeing our 4th-8th graders join us for this exciting event! 8th Grade is also wrapping up their PBL “Amusement Park Ride Engineering.” They will be showcasing their rides/rollercoasters at the STEM night as well. Stop by to see their designs!

We are in need of parent volunteers. If you would be interested in helping, reach out to Candace Jackson, our ALA CIS Site Coordinator, at cjackson5@saisd.net. We also made an opportunity using our App Garden. Approved volunteers can sign up when you log in here.

Congratulations to the Tech Swim Team, who competed in the SWISD Pentathlon Swim Meet with over 400 swimmers and 22 teams on Friday, Nov. 1st. Tech was represented by more than 35 athletes and, as a team, had over 65% best times.

Congratulations to Noah Ruiz (ALA) for their new campus records:

• 50 Breastroke 31.66

• 100 IM (breaking their previously set campus record this year) 1:06:51

Congratulations to Ariyeon Washington (FT) for their new campus record:

• 50 Butterfly 33.25

Congratulations to our Tech Girls Golf teams on their first, full 18 hole tournament on Nov 4th. The team made up of Isabella Barrera (CAST), Aundrea Cortez (ALA), Jakelyn Guzman (Fox Tech), Corinne Martinez (CAST), and Isabella Ramirez (ALA) finished Second Place.

Congratulations to the MS GIrls Soccer Team. The A Team ended the season with the ASL Championship Trophy and clear score sheet- no goals scored against them the entire season. This is the second year our MS Girls Soccer team has accomplished this amazing accomplishment. Thank you Coaches Sanchez and Coach Mc Donald.

Middle School Athletics

• • Boys Basketball: will play at Mission Concepcion Sports Complex , 714 E. Theo 78210

  • Tournament: Sat.11/16- Game One @ 9:00 am

  • Parking is $5 per vehicle, no entry fee.

  • Cross Country (Co-Ed.):

  • Join the MS Cross Country SportsYou HERE.

  • Contact Coach Proscelle @ bproscelle1@saisd.net

High School Athletics

• HS Golf:

• Monday, Nov. 18 @ 7:30 am- Mission Del Lago (Boys Team).

• Contact Coach Morgan @ kmorgan1@saisd.net

• HS Girls Basketball:

• Tuesday, Nov. 12 vs Pleasanton @ Tech; 5:00 (FR), 6:15 (JV), 7:30 (V)

• Contact Coach Martinez @ rmartinez36@saisd.net

• HS Boys Basketball:

• Tuesday, Nov 12 vs Bandera @ Bandera; 5:00 (JV), 6:30 (V)

• Contact Interim Coach Maldonado @ imaldonado@saisd.net

• HS Swimming:

• Friday, Nov. 15 @ SAISD Natatorium.

• Contact Coach Willing @ lwilling1@saisd.net

• HS Track and Field

• All 9th-12th students interested in competing in track and field this spring should attend our Athlete Informational Meeting on November 20, 2024 from 4:15-4:45 in Cast Tech Room C2203. Click here for more information and to sign up for our Sports You Channel!

• Contact Coach Maney @ rmaney1@saisd.net

• Tech Archery Team:

  • 4-12th grade students interested in Archery should join the Tech Archery Team SportsYou HERE.

  • Contact Coach Birmingham @ jbirmingham@saisd.net

Tech Dance

• Please see the upcoming Tech Dance events flier HERE. Contact S. Trevino @ strevino9@saisd.net

All athletic tickets for SAISD venues will be purchased through Hometown Ticketing. NO CASH will be accepted at the gate.

Each link below has a drop down at the top to select the menu view (either breakfast or lunch). Dinner is offered but not pictured in either menu.

ECE = PreK menu

Academy = Kinder - 8th grade menu

Special Campus = High School menu (9th-12th grade only)

If an ALA family is not receiving the Community Update, please ensure they have not unsubscribed to School Messenger (the SAISD communication platform used to send out messages and emails) and also check their junk email. Families are also welcome to email their campus Operations Clerk for additional assistance, Brenda Cantu (bcantu2@saisd.net) at ALA Tech or Ce’nese Wooten (cwooten1@saisd.net) at ALA Euclid.