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.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Houston Astro Pitches In To Help With District Literacy Efforts
He may be a catcher for the Houston Astros, but Jason Castro is pitching in to help HISD with its comprehensive literacy efforts. Castro and his wife, Maris, have created a new literacy initiative called Castro’s Kids which will be providing funds, books and incentives to supplement HISD’s Name that Book competition and the district’s successful Millionaire Club Summer Reading Program.
“Maris and I couldn’t be more dedicated and excited to launch Castro’s Kids,” said Castro during HISD’s Name that Book Fair event on May 11, 2013 at the Bellaire Barnes and Noble. “We attribute not only meeting each other, but many of the opportunities we have been given throughout our lives, to education. By promoting literacy in the Houston school districts, we hope to make an impact in the area that we are proud to call our home.”
Board of Education Approves 11 More Contracts for Work Related to 2012 Bond
Selected projects include five more schools and athletic facility upgrades
May 9, 2013 – The HISD Board of Education authorized the district to negotiate design contracts with six firms on selected 2012 bond projects, including two of the district’s renowned specialty high schools – DeBakey High School for the Health Professions and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
Austin/Chavez Livestock Show auction raises more than $80,000
The seventh annual Austin/Chavez Livestock Show, held at Austin on March 20-23, shattered its auction totals, attendance and sponsorship records.
The auction raised $80,856.65 — approximately double the amount raised in previous years.
May 8 is National School Nurse Day
National School Nurse Day, May 8, celebrates the dedication each of HISD’s 280 school nurses has to the health and wellness of every student.
School nurses are not just there for students who scrape a knee or have a runny nose. They also promote disease prevention and, according to the National Association of School Nurses, spend about 32 percent of their time providing mental health services.
School nurses have specialized knowledge, skills, and judgment to manage complex medical conditions and chronic health illnesses to keep students healthy, in class, and ready to learn. The most common condition HISD school nurses treated last year was asthma.
Overall, less than 20 percent of the students who see a school nurse end up needing to go home.
Take a moment on Wednesday to say thanks to the nurse at your school. He or she is dedicated to keeping students healthy in and out of the classroom.
HISD Hosting Career Informational, Job Fair Events for North Forest ISD Employees
The Houston Independent School District is reaching out to North Forest school employees who are interested in applying for positions with HISD.
Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams has ordered HISD to annex North Forest ISD effective July 1.
The first outreach event is a job information session exclusively for North Forest ISD employees. The session will be conducted on Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Delmar –Tusa Athletics Center, 2020 Mangum.
May 7 is National Teacher Appreciation Day
Teachers pour their hearts and souls into everything they do for Houston’s children more than 170 days out of every year. Be sure to take some time on Tuesday, May 7, to say thanks to a teacher as part of National Teacher Appreciation Day. It’s a day to honor and celebrate a teacher that has made a difference in your life or in the lives of your children.
Title I funding, annexation at forefront of discussion at first budget community meeting
On Tuesday, community members gathered at Madison High School for the first of nine community meetings to learn more about Houston ISD’s budgeting process.
Briargrove ES celebrates Earth Day with 1K Fun Run
All proceeds to be split between the school and The Berry Foundation
April 22 is Earth Day and campuses across the district are celebrating with a variety of fun and educational activities.
Jennifer Levy, a kindergarten teacher at Briargrove Elementary School, took a novel approach this year by staging the school’s first annual 1K Berry Earthy Fun Run over the weekend. Continue reading
HISD Has Top Schools in Eight-County Region
Half of the top 30 schools in the Houston area are from HISD
For the second year in a row, Houston ISD schools have dominated the Children at Risk Greater Houston School Rankings.
HISD to Honor Top Six JROTC Cadets at Final Review and Awards Ceremony
The Houston Independent School District will honor the top six JROTC cadets from the class of 2013 during the annual Final Review and Awards ceremony. The top cadets were chosen among all graduating seniors in HISD’s 25 JROTC programs and have been promoted to the rank of Cadet Colonel, the highest rank in the JROTC program. Those cadets will be featured leading their respective command groups.
‘Your Voice’, the largest survey in HISD history, set to begin May 1
On May 1, 2013, the Houston Independent School District will begin the largest customer satisfaction survey in the district’s history. The Your Voice survey will allow more than 160,000 students, parents, staff and community members to give honest feedback about the district in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. 
Board of Education Approves Two New Magnet Schools
New campuses will expand options for students seeking specialty schools with academically challenging courses
The HISD Board of Education on Thursday approved creating two new magnet schools that will offer a highly rigorous curriculum emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The newly created Energy Institute High School and the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan will now begin enrolling students for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. The Energy Institute High School will begin with ninth-grade students and add a grade level each year to eventually serve students in grades 9-12. The Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan will open with a sixth-grade class and eventually serve students in grades 6-8. Earlier this year, the Houston Independent School District Board of Education authorized the district to apply for $12 million in federal magnet school funds for these two new magnets and six others (click here for more information).
Westside Students Win Big at Shell Eco-marathon Americas
Allison Falender, Technology Manager Shell Global Solutions, and Niel Golightly, Vice President of Communications, Upstream Americas present Westside student Timothy Huang with the Eco-design Award at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2013 on Sunday, April 7, in downtown Houston.
The WEGA Gents take eco-design seriously. So seriously that the student team from the Westside Engineering and Geosciences Academy (WEGA) at Westside High School won the Best Eco-design Award for the second year in a row at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas this past weekend.
Booker T. Washington High School Celebrates School Namesake and Oldest Living Graduate
Ruby Lea Pope is recognized during a April 5 celebration at Booker T. Washington High School honoring the birthday of its namesake. Pope, one of HISD's oldest living alumna, will turn 104 years old on April 9.
Students and staff at Booker T. Washington High School gathered for a special school assembly on April 5 to celebrate the life and legacy of the school’s namesake, along with a living legend—Ms. Ruby Lea Pope. Pope is 103 years old and is the school’s oldest living graduate. In her lifetime, Pope has traveled to Europe and the Middle East, earned two college degrees, founded an area chapter of a sorority, worked with the city to get safety measures installed near schools and still found a way to teach in Houston ISD for 24 years.
Continue reading
Students and Staff Gearing up for STAAR
Schools holding tutorials and competitions to prepare for exam
Westside High School students prepare for STAAR testing. Click photo to see Austin High School's STAAR efforts.
HISD students and teachers across the district are getting the word out about the upcoming STAAR exam, and some are using their creative and artistic side. Over at Austin High School students and staff formed teams to compete in a hallway decorating contest to see who could create and design the best STAAR display. Some of the themes included Godzilla, Mario Brothers and even Hollywood.
HISD Named One of Houston’s Healthiest Employers by Houston Business Journal
Brad Bailey and Susan Jenkins from the HISD Benefits Department accept the award on behalf of the district.
The Houston Independent School District was named one of the top 25 healthiest employers in Houston on March 26 at a luncheon hosted by the Houston Business Journal. HISD ranked fourth in the large employer category. The district also had the biggest improvement with a score of 77.498 — up 19.9 points from last year. Forty-four companies scored 50 points or higher to make HBJ’s 2013 Healthiest Employers list, compared to 26 companies last year.
HISD Job Fair Attracts Over 200 Experienced Teachers to Envision ‘Becoming Great All Over’
More than 200 experienced teachers from across the nation lined up Saturday to learn about HISD job opportunities at an informational session and job fair Saturday at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.
Spring Edition of Within our Walls with Terry Grier
Superintendent show highlights district’s focus on “Becoming Great All Over”
The latest edition of HISD’s half-hour television program Within our Walls with Superintendent Terry Grier takes a look at some of the amazing things happening within the walls of HISD’s 276 schools.
The Spring 2013 TV program features some of the district’s efforts toward “Becoming Great all Over” including the progress of HISD’s career academies at six schools, efforts to place an effective principal at every campus and provide a consistent and rigorous education in a safe environment to all students, including those with special needs.
32 HISD Schools Now Serving Free Dinner to Students
With more students spending most of their day at school, HISD’s Food Services has partnered with the 21st Century Community Learning Center program to serve dinner at various campuses to ensure students have access to healthy meals each day.