Charter Moms Chats

The Nature of Art is an education series hosted by the San Antonio River Foundation and its partners at Confluence Park to provide hands-on environmental education for students. Recently, the Nature of Art series has gone virtual. Today, we are featuring a guest post by Sara Ramirez, Park Program Coordinator, showing students how to build a water purification system using household materials—part...

BASIS San Antonio Northeast is the newest BASIS Charter Schools campus in San Antonio. Chris Ferguson, Head of School, and Stacey Schouten, Subject Expert Teacher, join us to talk about the co-teaching model at BASIS San Antonio Northeast, and how the school provides accelerated early learning with a liberal arts curriculum. BASIS San Antonio Northeast is taking applications at enrollbasis.com for...

San Antonio Preparatory Community School — known as SA Prep — is a new charter school on the East Side students can express themselves and feel affirmed in their identities. Stephanie Hall Powell, CEO/Superintendent of SA Prep, joins us to talk about how she and her team have established a new school during a pandemic and created an environment that feels like family. She also talks about enrollme...

Which schools are going to be the best fit for YOUR children? Register for the San Antonio Virtual School Fair, and on January 30 you’ll be able to log in via Zoom and meet with many different schools of choice, including charter schools, private schools, magnet schools, traditional public schools, as well as community organizations. Ayla Dehghanpoor, Marketing and Communications Manager at Famili...

Founders Classical Academy of Schertz is blooming into a successful campus with strong academics and a close-knit school community. Oscar Ortiz, Headmaster, joins us to talk about the classical education curriculum, as well as progress on initiatives like the butterfly garden and college counseling for high school students. He also offers advice about enrolling your students at Founders Schertz—th...

Kids naturally ask a lot of questions, and as parents, we don't always know the answers. How do we use that curiosity as a starting point for guiding our kids towards inquiry-based learning? Justin Johnston, Head of School at Anne Frank Inspire Academy, describes how they support students at school, and offers tips for parents to use this approach at home.

David's Legacy Foundation is leading the effort to prevent cyberbullying through education, legal action, and legislation. During this school year, cyberbullying is a greater danger than ever: many students are still participating in distance learning, and children and teens are having less face-to-face interaction and spending more free time online. Maurine Molak, founder, joins us to talk about...

Character is goodness in action. Tamra Nast, Director of Training and Coaching for Character.org, joined us to discuss how the 11 Principles Framework is a guide to cultivating a culture of character in a school, and how the School of Science and Technology Alamo (SST Alamo) became certified as a National School of Character. She also shares advice for at-home learning activities to support famili...

CAST Schools is a nonprofit organization that partners with school districts to develop and support public high schools that get students ready for in-demand careers in San Antonio. Jeanne Russell, Executive Director for CAST Schools, along with a student panel representing CAST Tech High School, CAST STEM High School, CAST Med High School, CAST Lead High School, and the Advanced Learning Academy,...

International Baccalaureate (IB) programs are known for academic rigor and supporting students' personal development. San Antonio ISD offers FREE IB programs at SAISD Choice Schools from elementary (Pre-K) to high schools (12). Learn more about SAISD's IB programs, its benefits for students, and how families can enroll in IB programs at SAISD Choice Schools.

San Antonio ISD has a wide range of choice schools, serving grades pre-K through 12, and offering diverse education models such as dual language, project-based learning, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, and career-focused programs. Tricia Baumer, Ph. D., Executive Director of the Office of Access and Enrollment Services at San Antonio ISD, joins us to share updates about SAISD’s in-distric...

Harmony Public Schools offers STEM education and project-based learning for students who want a rigorous education that will prepare them for college and careers. Marcy Andrade, District Director of Communications and Outreach, Harmony San Antonio Cluster, joins us to share about how Harmony students engage with robotics, solar cars, anatomy, coding, and more on their paths towards understanding t...

Great Hearts Online is a new, full-time online school offering classical education to students in grades K-6 starting in January 2021. Great Hearts Online Executive Director Kurtis Indorf and Headmaster Heidi Vasiloff join us to share updates as the virtual school builds their team and pins down details like class schedules and instructional technology.

November is Native American Heritage Month, and that is a great reason to do activities at home to help your kids appreciate Native cultures in our country and in Texas. Ryan Badger, Curator of Collections at the Briscoe Western Art Museum, has prepared a set of activities for kids of all ages, including games, storytelling, gardening, cooking, and more—part of our Charter a Voyage of Learning gui...

School of Science and Technology (SST) is a network of charter schools that focus on STEM subjects and character education. Abel F. De Leon, Director of Marketing and Communications, joins us to talk about what motivated him to work in education and how SST prepares students for lives filled with opportunities to do meaningful work. We will also talk about open enrollment, which began on November...

KIPP Texas—San Antonio offers a rigorous education based on values of championing equity, bringing joy, and rising together. Allen Smith, Regional Superintendent of KIPP Texas—San Antonio, joins us to talk about how KIPP Texas—San Antonio is caring for its Team and Family, from basic needs like food and technology, to keeping high morale among teachers and leaders, and equipping students with the...

While Halloween may look a little different this year, there is still plenty of freakishly good fun to scare up, like making a spectacularly spooky snack board from Chef Dave Terrazas and the Foodie Classroom. So ghoulishly good, your little ghosts and goblins won’t even notice it’s frightfully healthy, too. No tricks, just treats! Check out the blog post to find the recipes for our spooky snack b...

Compass Rose Public Schools is a growing network of charter schools that commits to educate all students through a well-rounded curriculum and access to technology. Ryane Burke, Executive Director of Compass Rose Public Schools, joins us to talk about how they help students reach high levels of academic achievement while also experiencing personal growth. Also, we'll discuss open enrollment and ex...

What's driving the growth of high quality charter schools in San Antonio? From an entrepreneurial idea hatched in 2012, Choose to Succeed has helped its partner schools—including BASIS Charter Schools, Great Hearts Texas, IDEA Public Schools, Compass Rose Public Schools, and the School of Science and Technology—to add thousands of seats that provide students with improved educational opportunities...

Did you know that you can actually improve your children's learning experience by using insights from standardized testing data? Nathan Balasubramanian, Ph. D., an expert on school improvement and accountability, will walk us through reading a STAAR report and using the data to find resources that are personalized for our students' needs. These techniques are more important than ever when our scho...

Great Hearts offers students a classical education at free, public charter schools. Since 2014, Great Hearts in San Antonio has grown to five brick-and-mortar schools, and is adding an online school, while staying true to its purpose of shaping students into great hearted young men and women. Andrew Ellison, Executive Director of Great Hearts Texas in San Antonio, joins us to talk about the Great...

BASIS Charter Schools are some of the best schools in the world, and we are lucky to have four campuses here in San Antonio, including a new campus, BASIS San Antonio Northeast. These schools have maintained their culture of excellence while providing remote learning and welcoming some students back on campus. BASIS schools in Texas will soon begin accepting applications for enrollment for the 202...

The mission of IDEA Public Schools is to prepare students from underserved communities for success in college and citizenship. This charter school network, with 28 schools on 14 campuses across San Antonio, is currently accepting applications for enrollment for the 2021-22 school year. We are privileged to speak with JoAnn Gama, Co-Founder, CEO, and Superintendent of IDEA Public Schools, about how...

Over the past eight years, Pre-K 4 SA has given thousands of four-year-old children across San Antonio a strong start at its four education centers. In addition, the Pre-K 4 SA grants program and professional development for educators have expanded access to high quality prekindergarten. Dr. Sarah Baray, CEO of Pre-K 4 SA, joins us to explain how the program is helping to build a world-class workf...

What is a charter school? What kinds of students go to charter schools, and how well do they perform? Where does the money come from, and who decides when a charter school can open or has to close? Learn the basics about charter schools in Texas in this "Charters 101" session with Starlee Coleman, CEO of the Texas Public Charter Schools Association.