Dear ISA Families,

Happy New Year!

We hope this break has provided time to rest, reflect, leave the experiences of 2023, and take the learning forward as we grow in 2024!

On Wednesday, January 3, 2024, we will officially kick off the first day of the second semester! Students should plan to report to their regular 1st period class. Students who have a change in their schedule for this new semester should check their Skyward: Student Access account for new classes and classroom locations!

As we begin the second semester, Model United Nations San Antonio XXVIII: Unity will open session! On Thursday, January 4th, at 10:00 a.m. the conference will begin with a traditional opening ceremony in Laurie Auditorium at Trinity University! We invite the whole ISA community to join us and guests interested in attending the opening ceremony are welcome to park in the Laurie Auditorium parking garage. This year MUNSA welcomes nearly 1,400 high school delegates and staff. Our two-day Model United Nations conference will conclude on Friday, January 5th, with the closing ceremony beginning at 7:00 p.m. also in the Laurie Auditorium!

The ISA Amigos will continue their support of MUNSA this year by hosting the hospitality room for school sponsors attending MUNSA! We are looking for volunteers to host the hospitality room and to chaperone some student committee rooms.  If you are interested in volunteering click HERE! If you are unable to volunteer, but want to help support MUNSA through a donation click HERE! MUNSA is a whole school event, and each year we benefit from support from the entire ISA Community!!

Nearly every ISA student will participate in MUNSA XXVIII. ISA ninth-graders will attend MUNSA on Thursday, January 4th, to cover the conference as part of the ISA Press Corps. MUNSA Press Secretaries have prepared our 9th graders in journalistic writing techniques through our English I classes, and our 9th graders will write press releases about what they see and hear at MUNSA. ISA sophomores serve as delegates to the conference and attend both days of MUNSA XXVIII. Sophomores will live the experience by representing the perspective of various countries that participate in the United Nations. They will debate global topics and seek diplomatic solutions using skills they learned in English II classes. Additionally, a large portion of ISA juniors and seniors run the conference serving as co-chairs, peace-keepers, press secretaries, secretaries, and technology support staff. Finally, there are thirteen senior members of the MUNSA XXVIII Secretariat who lead the event. The Secretariat have spent countless hours over the last six months preparing to host the conference. The MUNSA experience is the kind of learning that helps ISA students connect classroom instruction with the real-world. The entire ISA community celebrates this work and the efforts of every student, teacher, sponsor, and parent whose effort has led to this week! 

Looking ahead, the ISA Senior Team will host a final Washington D.C. Travel Open House on Wednesday, January 10th, from 5:30 p.m to 6:30 p.m. in the ISA Flex Space (S-103). We encourage senior families to attend this meeting to learn more about travel logistics, itinerary, and student expectations. Families will also be able to submit/finalize travel payments at this meeting. Families who wish to submit payment online can access School Cash Online HERE or by pasting this URL into the browser of your choice: https://rb.gy/8dlfoa. 

Student application deadlines for CIEE’s High School Summer Abroad program approaches on January 24, 2024. Students who apply by January 5th will be entered for a chance to win a free flight! To help them complete their application, share our application guide with your students. 

The ISA Lottery Application for prospective members for the ISA Class of 2028 is still open! ISA will host three more on-campus Shadowing experiences including Friday, January 26, 2024! A sign up for this new date and a link to the lottery application can be found HERE!

Monday, January 1, 2023 is a student/staff holiday and Tuesday, January 2, 2023, is a student holiday. All classes will resume at ISA on Wednesday, January 3, 2023. Friday, December 15, 2023, marked the end of the second grading quarter and the first semester. Report cards will be available in Skyward this week!

Finally, we would also like to remind students and families that the school cafeteria begins FREE breakfast service at 8:00 a.m. and school begins at 8:50 a.m. and dismisses at 4:15 p.m. HERE is a link to the campus expectations for daily operations at school.

Welcome back, and we look forward to MUNSA XXVIII, and the start of the second semester!

Sincerely,

Steve Magadance and the ISA Faculty