Dr. Susan Szachowicz knows a thing or two about turning around troubled schools. The retired educator was still a teacher at her alma mater, Brockton High School, in 1999, when the campus was dubbed a “cesspool” by local media as one of the worst-performing schools in Massachusetts.
You can read more about how she helped transformed the campus into a place of “high standards, high expectations, and no excuses”—as well as why she thinks HISD is on the right track in focusing on literacy, in this related article.
Summer program gives rising sixth-graders a taste of middle school life
Hundreds of soon-to-be sixth-graders across the district are getting a jump on the sometimes difficult transition from elementary to middle school through Summer Bridge programs sponsored by eight HISD middle schools: Holland, Stevenson, Hamilton, Ortiz, West Briar, Revere, Thomas, and Deady.
Summer Bridge students not only gain a deeper understanding of core subjects, they also learn about their new schools and communities, and develop and refine their social skills.
Get the full story here.
Camp M.I. Way kicks off this year with the dedication of Phinny’s Field
T.H. Rogers student Phineas Armstrong was recognized recently in a somewhat unconventional manner: a baseball diamond was named in his honor—but next year, it might actually be in a different location.
The dedication of “Phinny’s Field” took place on the campus of T.H. Rogers last month during Camp M.I. Way, which provides students with multiple impairments with daily opportunities to practice their communication skills. And though that campus has consistently hosted the event every summer for the past decade, if the camp ever moves, the name will travel along with it to wherever it may be held in the future.
Get the full story and see a photo gallery here.
Hidden talents show determination, diversity of HISD’s bilingual instructors
What do a national judo champion and a member of an up-and-coming European band have in common? They’re both bilingual teachers in HISD!
The district has been hiring highly qualified bilingual teachers from Spain to fill critical shortage areas in HISD through a partnership with that country’s Ministry of Education since 1997—and Blanco “Miguel” Lopez (Law ES) and Juan Luis Alonso-Benito (Coop ES) are two of them.
You can learn more about them in this related story.
HIPPY families recognized for preschoolers’ year of learning
The Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program concluded last week with four meetings at schools across the district to congratulate parents on completing the year-long program. More than 1,800 parents and children from 50-plus school communities attended the four events to receive certificates of completion, and went home with literacy materials and activities to keep the kids learning throughout the summer.
Read the full story and see a photo gallery here.
HISD in the News
- More parents learning about virtual school option
- Westside HS grad is Astros’ fourth-round pick
- Game Changers: Castro’s Kids
- Lunch Super Hero Inspiration Takes Program to Houston ISD
- New principal ready to maintain Black MS’s momentum
- High school students earn HCC degrees
National News Links
- Is the one-room schoolhouse making a comeback?
- School districts act to ban e-cigarettes on campus
- How one Calif. ISD is buying local for its summer meal program
- Teachers: What’s your classroom’s plagiarizing potential?
- Free summer lunch programs go where children play, live
- Condition with funny name could be causing frightening symptoms
If you’ve been meaning to submit a request for mileage reimbursement for fiscal year 2013–2014, don’t delay any longer. The final date to submit travel reimbursements is Thursday, July 24, 2014.
Details can be found in this related online memo. The form to request mileage reimbursement is here (.xls) and can also be found on the private side of the Accounts Payable department website (login required) under Forms and Documents>>Accounts Payable Forms>>Indistrict Travel Packages (.xls).
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- July 16: Payday
- July 16: New employee orientation
- July 28-31: New Teacher Academy
- July 30: Payday
- Aug. 8-10: Tax-Free Holiday
- August 11: Teachers report for duty
- August 13: Payday
- August 13: New employee orientation
- August 14: Board meeting
- August 25: First day of school (students)
- August 27: Payday
- Sept. 1: Labor Day (holiday)
- Sept. 10: Payday
- Sept. 11: Board meeting
- Oct. 3: Fall Holiday
HISD’s efforts to embrace and advance digital content and curriculum have been recognized at the national level by the Center for Digital Education, a research and advisory institute specializing in K-12 technology trends, policy, and funding.
HISD was honored alongside other school districts at the organization’s Digital Content and Curriculum Achievement Awards, which took place during the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2014 conference in Atlanta.
Read the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Nicole Dupre, an assistive technology evaluation facilitator in the Office of Special Education Services, who was elected by her peers to serve as a member of the coordinating committee of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Special Interest Group 12.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Sauleen Rockett
Sauleen Rockett has been supporting HISD students indirectly for 15 years, first as a payroll clerk in Construction & Facility Services, and currently as the secretary of the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan, which she helped to open in 2013.
Along the way, she has also served in External Funding and Enterprise Resource Planning, but now, the longtime administrator wants to take her turn in the classroom—specifically, to teach kindergarteners.
“I want to be the first to help mold them and send them in the right direction,” said Rockett.
And the aptly-named Rockett is now poised to launch that dream, too. She has completed all but the testing portion of the district’s Alternative Certification Program, and she hopes to ace it and land a teaching position within the next few years.
“I was just passing by,” explained the 15-year member of Team HISD, who first came to the district from corporate America. “My undergrad degree is in business management, and my master’s degree in business administration. But I ended up loving it, and have been here ever since.”
Rockett officially marked her 15th anniversary with the district on July 6, but a few other employees are also marking theirs early this month (July 1–12). See if you know anyone on this list:
35 years
- Sheryl Craft, teacher, Hobby ES
30 years
- Arthur Vallejo, senior plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
20 years
- MacIen Joseph, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
15 years
- Felicia Cartwright, clerk, Food Services
- Joseph David, teacher, Lamar HS
10 years
- Aline Baldwin, librarian, East Early College HS
- Eretta Batts, teacher, Reagan HS
- Quentrella Joyce, web designer, Communications & Publications
5 years
- Edward Sissom III, teacher, Bellaire HS
- Earl Smith, teacher, Wheatley HS
| Check back next Friday for more July Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
Rony Canales
This week’s Shout Out goes to web designer Rony Canales, who was praised by business analyst Victoria Cortez for being “effective, efficient and responsive.”
“There are not many times that I have issues with the website,” said Cortez, “but when I do, I send a ticket to the Help Desk. And almost always, it is Mr. Canales who not only addresses, but resolves the issue immediately. He is truly a key support in our communications, and he does it with such ease.”
| Know someone who deserves a shout out? Send an email to info@houstonisd.org with the subject line “Shout Out for eNews!” and tell us why. |
Deborah McDonald
Deborah McDonald tried her hand at a number of different occupations before becoming a teacher. In addition to freelancing as an artist, she has also worked in the accounting, insurance, and grocery industries.
“None of them really suited me,” said McDonald. “When I was in college, people told me I should be a teacher. I guess I should have listened, but I made it eventually.”
The Massachusetts native first came to HISD in 1999, and she has been teaching art at Stevenson Middle School ever since. “I enjoy teaching,” she said. “I like figuring out the best way to teach the concepts to the groups of students I have.”
McDonald will officially mark her 15th anniversary with the district on June 28, but a few other employees are also marking theirs this week (June 22–28). See if you know anyone on this list:
20 years
- Maria Silva, teaching assistant, Port Houston ES
15 years
- Martha Lewis, teacher, Worthing HS
- Fred Moore, repairer, Construction & Facility Services
- Joe Ward, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
5 years
- William Vampran, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
| Check back next Friday for more Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
Thousands of adults have benefited from Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People since that book was first published more than 20 years ago, and now, HISD students are starting to benefit from it, too.
Over the years, that self-help classic has been refined and reimagined to help young people cultivate a sense of personal responsibility and leadership skills, and the result is “The Leader in Me (LIM),” which is currently in place at Longfellow Elementary School and two other HISD campuses.
Get the full story here.
Dowling MS community hears about plans for new school
Dowling Middle School community members and staff on June 17 had a chance to learn about some of the beginning steps in the design process for the new fine arts school, which is being built under the district’s 2012 bond program.
Harrison Kornberg Architects presented preliminary designs and a site plan for the south Houston school, which will begin construction in mid-to-late 2015 and will be built for 1,300 to 1,500 students. The school will be built on fields adjacent to the school to the north and will retain its main entrance on Stancliff Street.
Get the full story here.
Plans for Eastwood Academy discussed during community meeting
Members of the Eastwood Academy community turned out Thursday night to learn about proposed site plans for a new building, which is being funded by the 2012 bond program.
The new 32,000-square-foot building for the college preparatory charter high school will be built on a field adjacent to the school and will connect to the school’s existing two-story classroom wing, funded by the 2007 bond.
Get the full story here.
Public meetings on HISD’s redistricting plan to begin July 1
As a result of the annexation of North Forest ISD in 2013, HISD’s trustee district boundaries must be realigned to reflect the newly annexed area and rebalance the population distribution throughout HISD.
A series of public meetings on HISD’s redistricting plans are slated to begin on Tuesday, July 1, after the Board of Education approved a draft of the plan for redrawing the district’s trustee boundaries.
You can read the full story and see a meeting schedule in this related article.
HISD’s new Literacy By 3 (LX3) movement was the focus of this year’s Summer Leadership Institute, and principals are already getting energized about what this will mean for their students.
We asked our campus leaders for their reflections on the event, and many of them graciously shared their thoughts with us. Below are some of their responses:
Q: What has you most excited about Literacy By 3?
The most exciting thing about the LX3 initiative is the potential. Literacy supports and ties all content together. We’ve already been seeing some great data coming back on our kids. This will just take it to the next level.
—Roy de la Garza, Milby High School
We’re most excited that LB3 is a districtwide initiative that will focus on the top literacy components: reading, vocabulary, and writing. Having this effort cross content areas will highly benefit our ESL and Special Education students. They will be exposed to literacy-based skills in every classroom.
—Noelia Longoria, Ortiz MS
The opportunity for students to have appropriately leveled books in their hands has got me most excited.
—Rupak Gandhi, Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center
Q: What will a major part of your campus’ literacy plan be?
We will have a family reading challenge and share ways in which parents can actively participate in reading activities with their children. Additionally, we will have college nights throughout the year to encourage parents to start planning now for college and career paths.
—Dr. Lindsey Pollock, Garden Oaks Montessori
We will be creating a literacy culture across content areas and including all stakeholders in the process.
—Felicia Adams, Lockhart Elementary
To learn more about the district’s comprehensive literacy plan, please see this related article.
Due to the “40 in 4” work schedule HISD adopted again this summer, the district’s Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center will be closed not only on Friday, July 4, but also on Thursday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day.
The building will reopen for business at 7 a.m. on Monday, July 7.
