HERO offers two levels of membership. Basic membership is free and allows members access to the resource center and selected programs. Full membership is $35.00 per year. Membership begins on August 1st. There is no prorating of membership based on enrollment date. Membership in San Antonio Home Education Resources and Opportunities entitles you to the following:

Levels: Full only
Roundup Admission. Free admission to the Annual Homeschool Roundup Conference with pre-registration.

Levels: Full or Free
Resource Center. SA HERO is pleased to announce the start of a Resource Center. in order to provide San Antonio area homeschoolers with more resources. This center will provide members the opportunity to check out for free (or sometimes a small $3-$4 dollar donation) homeschool materials. You will be allowed to check out textbooks and teacher manuals for a period of one school year. Math manipulatives, puzzles etc. may be checked out for shorter periods of time. Currently the center has over 200 items in inventory among the many items we have Saxon Math, Easy Grammar, math videos, books on tape and more.

Levels: Full or Free
Mentoring.  As a new homeschooler or new to the area, you may request a mentor who will help you become acquainted with homeschooling in the San Antonio area.

Levels: Full only
San Antonio Homeschool Directory. The directory will include information on San Antonio area support groups and coops, state regulations, profiles of local homeschoolers, curfews, and other articles.

Levels: Full only
ID Card.  Each membership will receive one “teacher” ID card. Student ID cards may be purchased for an additional fee.

Levels: Full only
The following programs will be available if there is sufficient participation.

Levels: Full only
Beginning/Intermediate Band. Come have fun while learning and playing music! Band meets once a week for 90 minutes. Students will learn and practice making music as a group. There is at least one public performance per semester. Bring your own instrument. There is an additional fee for this program.

Levels: Full only
GEAR for Elementary and Middle School. GEAR started in 2001 with the goal of generating interest among students to pursue a career in engineering, science and technology related fields and also to show them that math and science can be fun. The game challenges are designed to encourage students to think at higher levels and to show them how everyday math and science apply to the real word in the relative safety of a classroom lab environment.

Using only the materials listed in the game rules/regulations, students have four weeks to design, build and test a robot that can surpass the competition. Along with the challenges of building the robot, students must also master a brand new game, and develop game strategies.

During the construction time, students face challenges that engineers and scientists face on a daily basis. Time management, conflict resolution and creative thinking are a critical part of the project. If the team is pursuing the young engineers’ award, students must also generate a report detailing how the team used the engineering process to design and build the robot. The program culminates with a daylong competition where students get an opportunity to try their design and see how they compare to other teams. Beside the tournament winners, additional awards are given for various categories

Levels: Full only
High School Robotics Team. The SA BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) competition is a contest held annually to inspire and interest students in the fields of science and engineering. With guidance from adult mentors, local teams of students design and build a remote controlled machine to accomplish a specific task. The students are given a box of raw materials from which to build the machine and 6 weeks to design and construct it. The task of the robot is kept secret until Kick-off Day, when all the teams are told what the robot is required to do. On Competition Day, all schools will compete head-on with each other in a thrilling science-fair-turned-sports-event.

Levels: Full only
Odyssey of the Mind. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving competition that requires kids to be responsible for all work and ideas. In other words, no parental assistance a la school science fair projects. Any help from non-team members, whether in building a structure or the providing the original idea for the structure, is considered "outside assistance" and can be penalized.

The way it works is that you form a team of five to seven kids in the fall. 3rd to 5th graders compete in Division I, 6th to 8th graders in Division II, and 9th through 12th in Division III. The team then selects a long term problem to work on and present at a regional competition in the spring. There are five problems to choose from and you can see a summary of the problem on the Odyssey of the Mind website. The problems range from the very technical balsa wood structure problem to the completely theatrical performance problem. The team works on the long term problem during the year and practice for a spontaneous problem that they will receive at the tournament.

Levels: Full only
SAHERO Science Club. Using the experts and resources in our community, students K-12 will learn about different aspects of science through classroom and field activities. We will meet once a month for group learning and interactions. During the month we will have various field trip opportunities for different abilities and interest levels. Non HERO members may attend selected activities for a fee.

Levels: Full only
PSIA. The Private Schools Interscholastic Association, PSIA, is an academic competitive program for private school students grades one to eight. PSIA is similar to public schools UIL contests. Students can test in the following categories:

 PSIA programs are designed to support the basic academic curriculum. Contests are easily implemented into daily studies and participation in academic meets serves to enrich skills. This past spring 26 HERO sponsored students placed at the regional competition including 12 first place finishes. Of those who progressed to state, six placed at the competition with David Chacko placing first in 7th Grade Spelling. HERO members may have to pay a tournament registration fee. Basic and Non-HERO members may participate for an additional fee.

We plan on offering more services and opportunities as volunteers and funds become available.  Therefore, we will post the number of members and volunteers on the website to keep members informed of the organization’s status. 

By submitting a membership form, you acknowledge that no services or products are guaranteed and all services and products are contingent upon the successful development of the organization.

Furthermore, you agree to follow the principles of SA-HERO’s mission which follows: 

Provide access to opportunities and resources for home educators of all races, religions, philosophies, and education styles for expanding and improving their home education experience.  Raise awareness of alternative educational choices and increase positive interactions within the San Antonio metro area community to foster a supportive atmosphere for home educators.