News

Deputy Superintendent Oliver's End of Year Remarks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Deputy Superintendent Oliver’s End of Year Letter

Thursday, June 1, 2023

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Greetings Somerset Families, 

I am so honored to have finished my first year here in Texas with our amazing students, families, teachers, support staff and administrators. It is great to see so much dedication to our schools and families.  I have been honored to meet so many great community leaders and stakeholders that really want to see Somerset Academies of Texas continue to grow and create opportunities for students and families within the City of San Antonio and beyond!  Our students have grown so much, and I am happy to see such a dedication to education coming from them.  Typically, that means they are hearing how important education is at home as well.  Families and schools are a team and only together can we have the greatest impact.  Academics must come first, before anything else, but often it is Activities, Clubs, and Athletics that give students that extra boost of motivation so they will continue to succeed in the classroom.  Below you will see some of the changes for next school year.  I wanted to provide some feedback on some of the changes so families had a better understanding of the process.  Please enjoy your summer and hopefully we will see some of you in our Summer Boost program.  

Calendars

In an effort to really maximize our communication to families we will be releasing full calendars over the summer that will be broken into four main calendars: the School Day calendar, the Athletics calendar, the Activities calendar, and the Academic/Testing calendar.  The goal is to set these dates and keep them from changing.  There will be things that come up beyond the scope of our control, and of course we plan on winning more athletic championships, so playoffs and championship dates are subject to change.  GO SOMERSET!!! 

School Safety and Security

There have been many changes in recent years to school safety.  School Safety is something I have been continuing to educate myself and my communities on for many years now.  It is important to find that line for our schools where policy and procedure, training, and hardening protect our students and families, and at the same time continue to maintain the feel of a school as a place of learning and enrichment.  We have already implemented trainings, school safety meetings, weekly door checks, armed security, the active emergency application LifeSpot, additions to the Raptor system, and have RFPs in process for intercom systems, radio upgrades, ballistics film, fencing wind screens, and fencing.  School hardening is only so useful given the statistics on school violence.  What is more important than anything for us is training, building community, going through de-escalation professional development programs, mentoring, counseling, and communication.  The school safety and security process will continue to expand, and I am always available to discuss further.  It is important for all children to attend a safe school with security at the forefront of what we do. 

Athletics

Somerset Academies of Texas has won so many championships this year!  We have them in football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, soccer, and on and on and on!  It is so amazing to see how well our programs are competing.  I want to shout out our school leaders and our athletic directors for making all these possibilities happen, but also for making Academics their number one priority.  Athletics open so many doors for students, but those doors do not stay open forever.  It is important to send our athletes off with as many academic tools as possible for success after athletics.  

After Care

 I would like to provide a brief history and perspective regarding after care fees for families.  After care is an additional program provided by schools to help working families.  We are not funded for after care in any way by state or federal programs.  During the pandemic, however, the Federal ESSER grant allowed for after school tutoring programs to be covered and so many school districts around the nation were able to either reduce or eliminate after care fees.  These monies are no longer available, and we must be fiscally responsible for the school to continue to grow and meet needs during the school day.  This funding will affect every school in the U.S. in the next couple of years.  It is because of these changes that Somerset Academies of Texas raised its aftercare fees back to $40.00 per week, $35.00 per week if you have more than one child.  Each of our schools have sent out a message on their school platform (Remind or Parent Square) on the details for their campuses.  While I understand this is not great news for families, I did a lot of research to ensure we were highly competitive in pricing and tried to keep costs as low as possible. 

Lunches  

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is also a federally regulated program with oversight from the Department of Agriculture.  This program has very strict guidelines of what we must charge, what food we may serve and what activities can occur during the day regarding snacks and the serving of food.  For next year, we are going to be hit with the USDA inflation costs.  While this will not affect families that qualify for Free and Reduced (minimal changes), we will see some rise in costs for those that purchase breakfast in lunches due to these inflationary demands on the market.  

Curriculum

There will be only minor curriculum changes this school year.  iReady will continue to be the focus for K-8 academic monitoring.   I’ve seen this program work so many times and it really can function as a private tutor for your student, and iReady meets them where they are academically.  Then it gives them a road map for how to grow to their next level.  Math and Science are areas where I would love to focus our energies for next year.  Many career opportunities that are coming online are math and science focused.  I am an advocate that all students should graduate from Somerset with some college already taken, preferably all students would earn an Associates of Arts Degree (AA) or a Certificate of Completion from one of our local college partners.  I do, however, believe that the trades are fundamentally important to our success as a nation.  The amount of opportunity available in skilled trades right now is skyrocketing!  iReady is the key for K-8 to build those necessary mathematics skills, however, it is also important for us to work towards building a Lab Based science curriculum, as well as building some STEAM labs for K-12.  This is where creativity, ingenuity, engagement, and computation combine to create real, hands-on learning experiences.  

Attendance, Dress Code and Discipline 

Engagement should be our priority.  When we are creating engaging environments, students do not want to miss school.  It is extremely important for us to continue the Mission and Vision of what it means to be a Somerset Academy school. Our true mission is to offer rigorous education to low-income students and provide opportunities to pursue their best life.  We breakdown stereotypes of poverty and help students excel.  I am a child of poverty that with a little luck, and the help of some amazing educators, I was able to meet my goals.  Engagement is the most important ingredient, but accountability is also part of this process.  We are going to adhere to the policies already in place in our handbooks and ensure an equitable environment so all students can learn.  I urge you to pay close attention to expulsion policies, bullying policies, attendance policies, and vaping/controlled substance policies.  

It is in our DNA to implement dress code.  Dress codes lower discipline rates, empower students to feel a sense of belonging, and they provide a greater focus in the classroom.  Dress code will he back fully next year, however, it is important to note we have new partner, French Toast Uniform company.  They will be building custom websites for each of our school sites so you can order from their stores directly.  We will keep all sizes available on campus for you to try on and we will provide some feedback on how things fit as we get the items in.  There is typically a 7-day turnaround for clothing, apart from the busy months from July to September where it may take 15 days.   

Attendance is so very important.  We know things happen, but we only get one shot at education.  The effects of the pandemic are essentially behind us, and we need to get back to focusing on education every day.  Students, staff, admin, and teachers all need to be present for us to meet our academic goals.  We will be following strict attendance guidelines moving forward.  We want all our Somerset Academy family together every day.  

Facilities

We have some great BIG GOALS!  We ultimately need to grow a bit.  Our goal is to build some new facilities at, at least three of our campuses.  This will require a bit of growth and a bit of planning, but as we continue to grow and prosper, we want to ensure our students are in the best facilities possible.  We currently have some upgrades coming in for both Brooks and Collegiate including new LED signage out front, gym floor renovations, audio/visual additions, some isolated restroom upgrades, etc. I enjoy facilities and it is a vital part of our daily operations.  Sound facilities also increase school safety. 

Ready, Set, 2024

As we close out this school year, I want to remind everyone to stay connected to our socials and school messenger accounts. We will be sharing all the great things we are working on for the next school year over the summer.  We would like to encourage all of our families to post on our sites, and San Antonio Charter Moms all of the amazing things our students are doing this summer.  Share your stories with everyone and don't forget to brag about being a Somerset Academy family.  We have big things coming!  It is time to take our communities to the next level!!!!!  Go Lions, Bengals, Bears, and Owls!! 

Sincerely, 

Cory Oliver, M.Ed.

Deputy Superintendent of Schools

Somerset Academies of Texas