HISD to Recognize the 2013 Librarian of the Year at Upcoming Banquet

Award-winning author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni to be guest speaker

For more than 25 years, the Houston Independent School District has been recognizing the dedication and efforts of all school librarians in the district.  The Librarian of the Year for 2013 will be announced at the upcoming annual banquet on May 18, 2013.

Aside from recognizing the outstanding work of HISD’s librarians, this banquet will also celebrate the many programs and events that librarians participate in throughout the year such as Name That Book, Houston Real Men Read and Millionaire Club Summer Reading in support of the district’s efforts to improve literacy among students.

The banquet’s keynote speaker will be award-winning author, poet and teacher Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

What: Librarian of the Year Banquet

Who: Award-winning author, poet and teacher Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, HISD librarians and community members

When: Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.

Where: Braeburn Country Club, 8101 Bissonnet St., Houston, 77074

HISD Statement on Texas Legislature Budget Proposal

The following statement is being issued in response to today’s announcement that the Texas Legislature has reached a budget agreement, which restores $3.4 billion of the previous $5.4 billion cut to public education and provides $530 million for the Teacher Retirement System.

“The Houston Independent School District commends the Texas Legislature for the significant restoration of public education funding this session. This increase, although positive, does not restore the $5.4 billion in education cuts that were made in 2011. We look forward to working with the Legislature and other leaders to address the obvious shortcomings in the current school finance system, which has been declared unconstitutional.  For Texas to remain at the forefront of America’s economic recovery, we need a school finance system that recognizes the costs associated with helping all children achieve the high academic standards we have for them.”

HISD’s Transportation Services Takes 2013 Top Fleet Sustainability Award

Awarded by nation’s leading fleet management association

The National Association of Fleet Administrators awarded the Houston Independent School District its Excellence in Public Fleet Sustainability award for 2013. 

“This award is a great recognition of the drive and determination of the entire transportation team, from the bus drivers who monitor engine idling, to the shop team members who reduce their waste stream,” HISD Transportation General Manager Nathan Graf said.  “Everyone in the department played an essential role in this award.”

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Special Education Meeting for Parents Scheduled for May 22

The Houston Independent School District’s Office of Special Education Services (OSES) would like to invite parents to the final meeting for the current school year on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

Parents will have the opportunity to share their ideas, successes and challenges, and learn about all the great initiatives the OSES has implemented this year to support students.

The event will take place in Room 3C10 of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St.) from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact Gregory Finora, Special Education parent liaison, at 713-556-7041 or gfinora@houstonisd.org.

HSPVA Selected For Jazz ‘Peer-to-Peer Education’ Tour

The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) is among two schools in the nation selected by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz to participate in a national “Peer-to-Peer Education” tour.

Six HSPVA students will be in Indianapolis May 20-24, 2013, to present jazz “informances” in public schools. Continue reading →

EMERGE Students Accepted to Prestigious Summer Learning Programs

Seven Eastwood Academy students and two Furr High School students have been selected to attend several prestigious learning programs this summer. All of the students are a part of EMERGE, an HISD program designed to help bright students from low-income families attend Ivy League and other top-tier colleges.

Eastwood students Jorge Garcia, Darryl Beronque and Nancy Aguilera have all been offered full scholarships to attend Cornell’s Catalyst Academy. Only 44 students nationwide were selected to participate in this prestigious summer engineering program held at the Ivy League College in Ithaca, New York.

Meanwhile Eastwood student Ivy Salinas and Furr High School students Sade Harnsberry and Karen Banda are headed to London, England this summer. They are three of only six students in the state to receive full scholarships from the British American Foundation of Texas to attend a summer course at the American Community School in London, England. Last week, over 200 people attended a special banquet that was held in their honor at the Houston Federal Reserve Building in Houston.

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HISD’s Washington High School Partners with British School to Build a Mission on Mars

Partnership possible thanks to KBR’s support

Students at HISD’s Booker T. Washington High School are collaborating with students at the Ormiston Victory Academy in Norwich, England to build a mission on Mars, thanks to KBR’s Discover Engineering Committee.

The SAMbassadors program is designed to engage students in science and engineering projects with a global perspective.  The students at both campuses Skype every other week to discuss the logistics of this project and share documents online.  Each school has 25-30 students in the program.

One group of students has been determining environmental conditions on Mars such as wind speed, temperature, atmospheric gases, sunlight and shade, radiation and soil conditions. Another group is designing the living conditions.  Meanwhile, the British students at Victory Academy are creating 3D CAD drawings.

The students from both campuses will Skype immediately following the press conference on Monday, May 20, 2013.

What: SAMbassadors, program to a build mission on Mars

Who:  Aimee Yuan, KBR-DEC chairperson; Patrick Harkin, KBR-DEC outreach chair; Jack Kramer, KBR engineer; Dr. Nghia Le, engineering teacher, Washington High School; LaShonda Bilbo-Ervin, principal, Washington High School; Elizabeth Nolazco, student, Washington High School

When:  Monday, May 20, 2013; Press conference – 9:30 a.m.; Skype interview – 10 a.m.

Where: Washington High School, 119 East 39th Street, Houston, 77018

North Forest Non-Instructional Job Fair To Be Held May 18

HISD is hosting a non-instructional job fair for North Forest employees interested in working in HISD’s transportation, food services, police and facilities departments. The fair will be held Saturday, May 18, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the HISD Food Services Administration building, 6801 Bennington St., in Houston. Those attending are asked to bring two forms of identification.

Current North Forest teachers can apply for positions at HISD for the 2013-2014 school by visiting www.houstonisd.org/careers. The deadline to apply has been extended to May 22.

The Texas Education Commissioner has ordered HISD to annex the North Forest ISD effective July 1, 2013. Approximately 7,000 NFISD students will become HISD students on the annexation date. North Forest parents and students are encouraged to learn more about HISD by visiting www.houstonisd.org/northforest.

HAIS Student Wins Prestigious Scholarship To Study Abroad

Erik Herrera of the Houston Academy of International Studies. (Web Team)Erik Herrera, a junior at the Houston Academy for International Studies, has been awarded one of 625 National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarships. The NSLI-Y program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs. NSLI-Y offers overseas study opportunities in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish.

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Baylor College of Medicine Academy, Energy Institute extend application deadline

The first-round application screening deadline for two new magnet schools, the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan and the Energy Institute High School, has been extended to May 23.

Both schools will hold meetings to give parents and students more information about the opportunities that are available.

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Houston ISD Police Commits to Participate in National Click It or Ticket Campaign

National Campaign to Boost Seat Belt Use

The Houston Independent School District Police Department is joining other state and local law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates across the country for the 2013 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization to crack down on motorists who are not belted.  The campaign will run from May 20 to June 2.

“We are committed to ensure the safety of all our students and staff and that means enforcing seatbelt use,” said HISD Police Chief Jimmy Dotson.

Seat belt use saves thousands of lives across America each year. In 2011 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives nationwide.  On the other hand, lack of seatbelt use led to a devastating number of deaths that same year.  More than half of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide were not wearing seat belts.

“It only takes a couple of seconds to buckle up, and that alone can save someone’s life,” Dotson said.  “We urge all of our students, staff, parents and community members to buckle up and help us advocate the importance of seatbelt safety.”

While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 20 through June 2, motorists should remember that officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round.

For more on the national Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov.

HISD to Recognize District’s Top Volunteers at VIPS Recognition and Awards Program

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier to deliver remarks

The Houston Independent School District is recognizing the efforts of thousands of volunteers and awarding the top volunteers of the year at the upcoming VIPS Recognition and Awards Program on May 22, 2013.

The Volunteers in Public Schools Program (VIPS) started in 1970 and to date, HISD has more than 30,000 volunteers district-wide who have dedicated countless hours to schools, programs and events across Houston.

During the VIPS Recognition and Awards Program, HISD will be giving numerous awards including the Jean Davis Meyer and Special Lifetime Achievement awards recognizing the most outstanding volunteers.

What:  VIPS Recognition and Awards Program

Who:  HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, HISD Board of Education President Anna Eastman, Trustees Rhonda Skillern Jones and Michael Lunceford and VIPS volunteers

When:  Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9a.m.

Where:  Kingdom Builder’s Center, 6011 West Orem, Houston, 77085

More Than 350 “Bikes for Excellence” Awarded to HISD Students

Bikes donated by the Lester and Sue Smith Foundation, Martha Patricia Jaimes and the Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club

More than 350 Houston Independent School District students at Garden Oaks, Looscan, Garcia, and Coop elementary schools will receive bicycles, helmets, and bicycle locks as part of the “Bikes for Excellence” program.  This program, founded in 2006 by Park Place Elementary teacher Martha Patricia Jaimes, rewards fifth-grade students who have excelled in academics, personal conduct, and attendance.   The Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club and the Lester and Sue Smith Foundation help by donating bikes to the program.

During the final ceremony on Friday, May 17 nearly 100 students at Coop Elementary will receive their bikes.

What:              95 fifth-grade students will each receive a bicycle, a helmet, and a bicycle lock

Who:               Coop Elementary students, staff and parents; Bikes for Excellence Founder Martha Patricia Jaimes; Sue and Lester Smith; and Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club  

When:             Friday, May 17 at 12:30 p.m.

Where:            Coop Elementary School, 10130 Aldine-Westfield, 77093

Early College HS Seniors Give Back to Community

Click the photo to see more pictures from the Senior Summit

Students from Houston ISD’s early college campuses showcased a few of their senior service projects to their peers on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 during the annual Senior Summit.

Approximately 200 seniors from North Houston Early College, East Early College, Challenge Early College, Empowerment College Prep and the Houston Academy for International Studies watched as groups presented projects focusing on issues such as feeding the hungry, mentoring younger students, preventing bullying and promoting safe physical activity, among others. While the service projects are a requirement for graduation, college access coordinator for East Early College High School Lisa Green said many of her students laid groundwork for their projects to continue after they graduate.

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HSPVA designated Exemplary School by Arts Schools Network

The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts has been designated a 2013-2015 Exemplary School by Arts Schools Network, the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized art schools.

The designation signifies that HSPVA has successfully completed a self-evaluation in the areas of strengths, areas for improvement, consistency with school-wide or program purpose, aspirations, and future challenges.

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Bellaire, Westbury students win scholarships from Youth Business Institute

Several students from two Houston ISD schools were recently recognized for completing the Youth Business Institute, an 11-week professional development program.

Students from Bellaire and Westbury high schools were mentored by TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods associates to learn job and life skills, including budgeting, resume building, interview preparation and attire, merchandising, goal setting and career exploration through job shadow days.

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District Program Locates, Evaluates, Identifies Students With Disabilities

Do you suspect your child has a disability or do you know a parent that suspects their child might have a disability? HISD’s Child Find locates, evaluates, and identifies students with disabilities from 3 to 21 years of age. Anyone can start the process: a parent, doctor, teacher, relative or friend.

“HISD has a responsibility to evaluate and serve students who may need special education and related services regardless of whether or not the student is enrolled in an HISD school,” said Child Study Manager Michael Webb. “If services are needed enrollment in HISD for children with disabilities can begin as early as age three.”

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Revere MS Chosen For Middle School Matters Institute

Revere Middle School has been selected to participate in the Middle School Matters Institute, a program launched in February 2011 as part of the Bush Institute’s Education Reform Initiative in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin’s Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk.

“When we found out that we were selected, and that we were the only school in HISD that was selected, we were ecstatic,” Revere MS Principal Hafedh Azaiez said. “We look forward to sharing in the experience and gaining insights and support to continue to move Revere forward and to represent HISD positively.”

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HISD Board Members Encourage Parents, Teachers and Principals to Return Survey by May 20

Who: The May 2013 edition of HISD Up Close hosted by HISD Board of Education President Anna Eastman features an interview with fellow trustee Manuel Rodriguez Jr. on the importance of the district’s customer satisfaction survey called Your Voice. All HISD parents, principals and teachers are encouraged to complete and return the survey by May 20. Students will fill out the questionnaire during the school day from May 20-31. The survey is the largest of its kind in the history of the district and is being conducted by an outside company to assure confidentiality.

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Board Members Encourage Participation in Districtwide Survey

Parents, teachers and principals need to fill out ‘Your Voice’ survey by May 20

HISD Board President Anna Eastman and Board Trustee Manuel Rodriguez Jr. are encouraging HISD parents, teachers and principals to fill out and return the Your Voice customer satisfaction survey by May 20, 2013.  The survey is the largest of its kind in the history of the district and is being conducted by an outside party so all responses will remain confidential and anonymous.  Continue reading →