Day: October 27, 2021

San Antonio Charter Moms hosts School Discovery Event Series

Promesa Academy will be one of the schools participating in the first Discovery Day event. Photo: San Antonio Charter Moms, used with permission.

As enrollment season for San Antonio’s choice schools gets underway for the 2022-2023 school year, San Antonio Charter Moms kicks off its first School Discovery Day of the series at Hemisfair’s Yanaguana Garden on Sunday November 7 from 11a.m. to 2p.m. School Discovery Days connect families with schools in an efficient, face-to-face format that enables them to interact directly with multiple school representatives in one convenient location. (San Antonio Charter Moms, 2021)

San Antonio Charter Moms’ first School Discovery Day in the series will include up to fifteen choice schools appealing to a wide range of learners. Families will have the opportunity to meet school representatives, ask questions, get on interest lists and learn about application processes and deadlines. Additionally, families can receive hands-on guidance from the San Antonio Charter Moms team on navigating the nonprofit’s online tools and resources designed to simplify the search and application process.

“Whether families are interested in a magnet program, a public charter school, or even a dual language school, the most direct way to decide if a school is the right fit for your student is to talk one-on-one with school representatives. We are thrilled to bring back our popular School Discovery Days after taking a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” – San Antonio Charter Moms Founder and Executive Director Inga Cotton.

Guests can enjoy the many fun, built-in amenities at Yanaguana Garden including a splash pad, sand play area, table games, swings, climbing structures, Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, and more. Future Discovery Days will follow a similar program with a focus on different sets of schools.

San Antonio is home to at least 150 choice schools offering a diverse landscape designed to accommodate a wide range of learners in every part of the city. Whether enrolling a child for the first time, making up for learning loss brought on by the pandemic, or seeking the best fit for unique learning styles, San Antonio Charter Moms help parents make informed decisions.

“Zip codes no longer dictate the quality of education our children receive. Many parents are surprised and overwhelmed by so many options and with figuring out the best fit for their child. We simplify that process.” – San Antonio Charter Moms Founder and Executive Director Inga Cotton.

San Antonio Charter Moms serves as a trusted one-stop shop for parents and caregivers on the hunt for high-quality schools. The nonprofit empowers parents to advocate for their children’s education regardless of where they live. The San Antonio Charter Moms website offers a wealth of education-based information, including an in-depth School Choice Guide with maps – also accessible via a mobile app – for open enrollment and in-district charter schools in and around San Antonio, a diverse and active online, Facebook Discussion Group for exchanging school choice stories, advice and more.

Participating schools for the first School Discovery Day include SAISD Choice Schools, KIPP Texas, Compass Rose Public Schools, Prelude Prep, School of Science and Technology, Brooks Academies of Texas, Anne Frank Inspire Academies, Promesa Academy, Lighthouse Public Schools, and Legacy Traditional Schools. Event updates and a complete list of participating schools are available online. 

Yanaguana Garden at Hemisfair (Rain or Shine)
Central Games Plaza
434 S. Alamo St.
San Antonio, TX 78205

San Antonio Charter Moms (SACM) began as a blog in 2012 when Founder Inga Cotton was inspired to help San Antonio families more easily find good information about high-quality school options. Starting with a focus on the growing local charter school offerings, the blog has evolved into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that shares fair information about all types of schools. Established in 2018 as a nonprofit, SACM can accept funding that enables it to grow in ways that support accomplishing its mission of being the most trusted information source on education in the region. This growth includes Spanish-language blog post translations, surveying target publics, holding meetings with decisionmakers, supporting public speaking, community outreach and enhancing mobile technology.

Photo: San Antonio Charter Moms, used with permission.

Pearl celebrates Día de los Muertos with community altar

Pearl’s community altar is dedicated to the San Antonio community. Photo: Pearl, used with permission.

Pearl continues its annual tradition of celebrating Día de los Muertos, celebrated November 1-2, with a community altar created by local artists and sisters, Manola and Maria Ramirez. The sisters are part of the all-female collaborative space, Lavaca Studios. Manola and Maria craft an altar dedicated to the San Antonio community and all their loved ones who have passed away. The artists will use ethereal elements in the space, such as cempasúchil (marigolds), papel picado, and strands of tinsel to give visitors the feeling that they are walking into a place of worship. The focal point and centerpiece of the altar will be a tinsel heart. The altar will be available from October 30 through November 7 for the public to view and share remembrances of loved ones. Visitors may also participate by lighting a digital candle for their loved ones who have passed. (Pearl, 2021)

Saturday, October 30 – Sunday, November 7

Pearl District
303 Pearl Parkway
San Antonio, TX 78215

Pearl is a dynamic neighborhood built around the historic Pearl Brewery, which operated from 1883 to 1999. Located just north of downtown San Antonio on the banks of the San Antonio River, it is home to architecturally significant buildings like the brewhouse and stable—both built in 1894—and numerous plazas. Today, Pearl is home to dozens of unique culinary concepts, one-of-a-kind retail, weekend markets, residential communities, innovative office tenants, the San Antonio campus of the Culinary Institute of America, and the award-winning Hotel Emma. Pearl is a vibrant district where community gathers to play, work, and live; it is a place where things are made and celebrated with purpose and sincerity. We invite all to gather and experience the best of what San Antonio has to offer.

Agarita continues to bring the arts to the community through mobile concerts

Agarita was founded by Daniel Anastasio (piano), Marisa Bushman (viola), Ignacio Gallego (cello), and Sarah Silver Manzke (violin). The new mobile concert hall is scheduled to complete its season run through all ten city districts. Photo: Agarita

Agarita, San Antonio’s innovative chamber ensemble, has announced that it will be performing six more of its unique Humble Hall mobile concerts during the remainder of the year. The outdoor, open-air concerts, featuring classical and contemporary music, are part of a series taking place in all the city’s 10 districts. (Agarita, 2021)

“At a time where classical music and the arts are needed even more to connect, we’re thrilled to continue to bring free concerts to San Antonio and throughout South Texas. Our theme is bringing the music to you without financial barriers and without the extra expense of traveling to a concert hall or venue. We’re excited to have fulfilled our goal, by the end of year, to have performed in every district in San Antonio, exposing our live music and artist expression to new audiences.” – Marisa Bushman, viola and Agarita executive director.

All ages are welcome and attendees are invited to bring a chair or blanket. The concerts, which are outdoors, are sponsored by the Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts. Performances will be held at the following times and locations:

Saturday, October 30
1p.m., Castle Hills, The Commons, 207 Lemonwood Drive
4p.m., District 4, Christus Santa Rosa, 2827 Babcock Road

Sunday, November 7
11a.m., District 4, Pearsall Park, 5102 Old Pearsall Road
3p.m. District 5, Roosevelt Park, 331 Roosevelt Ave.

Saturday, December 18
11a.m., District 6, location TBD
3p.m., Districts 9 and 10, McAllister Park, 13102 Jones Maltsberger Road

Agarita’s Humble Hall, the first of its kind in Texas, debuted in December 2020 and provides easy public access to world-class performances while reinventing the traditional concert experience. The concerts are bilingual and open to the public. They last approximately 45 minutes, with no intermission, and include members of Agarita discussing their art with audiences, thereby forging a deeper connection with them.

Other sponsors for The Humble Hall series include Blossom Storage Ltd., US Signs New Braunfels, Humble House Foods, Terra Nova Violins, Chula Boyle, Marco Chalaby, Angela Pfeiffer, Wine Guys, Alexander Vineyards, Pulmonary Consultants of San Antonio, San Antonio Symphony League, H-E-B, and the Paulena F. Mitchell Testament Trust.

An innovative chamber ensemble dedicated to producing bold, collaborative musical events, Agarita offers a new way to experience classical and contemporary music. Rooted in San Antonio and founded by Daniel Anastasio (piano), Marisa Bushman (viola), Ignacio Gallego (cello), and Sarah Silver Manzke (violin), Agarita nourishes the local community through artistic collaborations, community engagement and free, adventurous programming. With concise, eclectic performances that are “splendid – unified, spirited, [and] well prepared” (Greenberg, Incident Light), the young chamber group offers a new, open-armed experience for listeners.

Agarita was recently named San Antonio Magazine’s Best of the City 2021: Culture winner for its collaboration with area partners. It collaborates intimately with local artists of various genres to weave cross-artistic narratives for each concert. Agarita’s past collaborations have included the McNay Art Museum’s Pop América exhibit, lighting artist Chuck Drew, Cameron Beauchamp from the Grammy Award-winning vocal group Roomful of Teeth, chef Elizabeth Johnson and Pharm Table restaurant, poet Laura Van Prooyen, sculptor Danville Chadbourne, educational arts institution SAY Sí and the Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival for a concert inside San Antonio’s historic Mission San José.

As a nonprofit organization, Agarita believes that the arts should be accessible to everyone in its community. Agarita presents free public concerts, performs at local schools, and offers opportunities for other artists through its collaborations.