Connect with us

Community

School Resources For All Ages 

Published

on

The Best Back-to-School Supply: A San Antonio Public Library Card! 

San Antonio Public Library offers school resources for students of all ages 

As the hustle of a new school year begins, theSan Antonio Public Library (SAPL) reminds students and their families of the many free resources available with a library card. Throughout the year, the Library serves as a beacon of knowledge, offering educational resources that support children, teens, and adults in their learning. To help you or your child kick off the schoolyear, SAPL offers access to Homework Help in English and Spanish, practice tests, free public Wi-Fi, FAFSA assistance, and more! 
 

Visit http://mysapl.org/cardsignup or stop by your local library branch today to register for a free San Antonio Public Library card. 

 
SAPL is also now open on Mondays at most locations from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. With this addition, SAPL locations will be open six days a week. For details on current library services and hours, please visit: http://mysapl.org/currentservices  


Here are the top five free educational resources available for all ages from your San Antonio Public Library: 
 
1) Free Indoor & Outdoor Public Wi-Fi 

Available at most San Antonio Public Library Locations  

You’ll always have the Wi-Fi password at SAPL! Wi-Fi is available at most locations daily with the exception of locations undergoing building improvements or other projects. Indoor Wi-Fi is available during normal service hours and outdoor Wi-Fi is available daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.  

2) Ask a Librarian 
Call (210-207-2500) or chat online (ask.mysapl.org) 
Librarians are secretly teachers in disguise! They are available to make book recommendations for your next research project or help with account questions. Connect with them by phone at 210-207-2500 or chat with them online at ask.mysapl.org 

3) Homework Help 

guides.mysapl.org/backtoschool 

Daily | 11 a.m. – Midnight 
Connecting you to Homework Help heroes is what we do! Free online homework help from professional tutors is available in a variety of subjects for students in kindergarten through college. Available 11 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week in English and Spanish. 

4) SORA App 

soraapp.com/welcome 

No library card? No problem! SAPL has partnered with nearly every school district in the area to offer students unlimited access to age-appropriate materials in our Digital Library even if you don’t have a SAPL card. Thanks to the Sora app by Overdrive, San Antonio students at participating schools can easily browse our extensive library. Head over to soraapp.com to see if your school is participating! 

5) FAFSA Assistance 

www.brainfuse.com/highed/fs.asp 

Monday – Thursday, 1 p.m. – 10 p.m. 

College preparation just got a little bit easier! Brought to you by Brainfuse, FAFSA tutors are available for live assistance Monday through Thursday, 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  
 
For more information on Back-to-School resources provided by SAPL, visit mysapl.org/backtoschool

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Art

Downtown SA Lights Up for the Holidays

Published

on

Downtown San Antonio will sparkle this holiday season with an array of lights and holiday events. 

Set against the backdrop of one of the city’s most historic and charming walkways, five blocks of Houston Street will buzz with twinkling lights, decorations, entertainers, and vendors from Nov. 24 and runs through January 2. 

 Additionally, on Nov. 24, kick off the holiday festivities with the Annual H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Travis Park. Festivities begin at 4 p.m. and include live entertainment, food trucks, letters to Santa, giveaways, holiday crafts, a special visit from Santa, and a movie screening of “The Grinch.” The tree-lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m., followed by the movie at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. 

Get front-row seats to the 42nd Annual Ford Holiday River Parade, which offers a spectacular one-hour parade along the San Antonio River Walk starting at 6 pm at the Tobin Center. This year’s theme, “Holiday Stories,” will kick off the San Antonio tradition. Always held the day after Thanksgiving, the parade and river lighting ceremony will feature 28 illuminated floats and over 100,000 lights (2,250 strands) illuminating the River Walk. The lights turn on from sundown to sunrise every day until the weekend following New Year’s Day. Seating ranges from $15 to $40. It is broadcast live at 7 p.m. at the Arneson River Theatre.

The Rotary Ice Rink, presented by Valero, will also return this fall at Travis Park in downtown San Antonio. Since 2019, nearly 200,000 people have enjoyed the rink and surrounding festivities. For more information, including hours of operation, pricing, and specials, visit (rotaryicerink.com).

For more events, go to (VisitSanAntonio.com).

Continue Reading

Black Life Texas

Carver Annual Fundraiser Dec. 2

Published

on

The Carver Development Board presents the Cavalcade of the Stars on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Center. 

This annual fundraiser benefits the Carver’s School for Visual & Performing Arts’ Artist Residency/Master Class Program, summer camps, Youth Matinee Series, and supports the education programs of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The title fundraiser is Valero.

The night will start with a reception and silent auction at 5:30 pm. Dinner is served at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm featuring Kiland Kyham, also known as Mr. Houston. Kyham is a gifted and powerful author, singer, and songwriter. He has performed and produced with such music legends as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Johnathon Butler, and Smokey Robinson. He has written over 400 song jingles and has produced numerous projects. 

For over 75 years, The Carver Community Cultural Center (“The Carver”) has served as the San Antonio Eastside’s foremost gathering place of cultural exchange and performance arts. It was originally erected in 1918 as a community center for African-Americans. By the 1930s, the building was repurposed as the Colored Library and renamed the Carver Library and Auditorium in honor of Dr. George Washington Carver. From the 1940s through the Civil Rights Era, prominent African-American entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong played at the Carver. 

Individual tickets for the Cavalcade of the Stars are $250 or $2,500 per table. For more information, visit (TheCarver.org).

Continue Reading

Black Life Texas

Free Native American Festival at the Briscoe

Published

on

Highlighting the continued vibrancy and artistic traditions of Native American communities – and the local tribes who helped shape San Antonio – the Briscoe Western Art Museum invites everyone to enjoy its annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 10 am to 4 pm. 

The event is free and includes admission to the Briscoe, making it a perfect way to celebrate the vital role Native Americans played in shaping the West while enjoying art and artifacts that highlight Native American history.

The community festival features live performances, storytelling, artist demonstrations, pottery and carving, as well as Native American-inspired food, including REZR’vation Only, a food truck featuring Native American-inspired cuisine that is owned and operated by a registered member of the Navajo Nation. The event starts with a Native American spiritual blessing, followed by a ceremonial drum circle that invites everyone to join. 

The annual event is named in honor of the Payaya people, who were indigenous to the San Antonio area. “Yanaguana” was the word they used to describe what is now known as the San Antonio River. The festival has been held annually since the museum opened, with 2020’s event taking place virtually. 

To learn more, visit (BriscoeMuseum.org). 

Continue Reading

Hot Topics