Roosevelt’s annual Character Court Gifted and Talented Expo was held on Friday, March 30, 2012. Parents pushed the “On” button located on the floor to hear ethical debate between fairy tale characters like Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. Kindergarten and first grade vanguard students portrayed the story book characters.
Click below to view photos from the event.
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What: Dogs of Character is an anti bullying presentation taught by rescued dogs in which each dog in the cast is a working assistant in the award winning character education program, The Healing Species. Five dogs will be introduced to the Lockhart students during a school assembly and will provide them with living examples of perseverance, courage, hope and forgiveness.
Who: The Healing Species’ Dogs of Character
When: Thursday, April 19, 12:30p.m.
Where: Lockhart Elementary, 3501 Southmore Boulevard
HISD students were asked to “Name That Book” as part of the district’s annual contest sponsored by the HISD Library Services Department, which has been holding final rounds over the past several months. Avid readers were asked to identify books based on a popular quote from the tomes.
The competition is divided into four levels: lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school. Students at each campus who joined their school’s Name That Book team started preparing for the spring competition in August, reading 30 or more books that included everything from classics to new fiction and non-fiction. Click here to see the Name That Book winners for 2012.
Now, let’s see how much you know. Can you guess the following 5 book titles based on one quote? The answers are at the bottom.
1. “Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago, one of those who has a lance and ancient shield on a shelf and keeps a skinny nag and a greyhound for racing.”
2. “Mother died today.”
3. “Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it.”
4. “Call me Ishmael”
5. “124 was spiteful.”
Answers below:
1. Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
2. Albert Camus, The Stranger
3. Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
4. Herman Melville, Moby Dick
5. Toni Morrison, Beloved
Once a year, T.H.Rogers holds a field day or special olympics for students enrolled in the Motor Activities Training Program (MATP) on campus. The fun-filled event gives students with severe disabilities a chance to demonstrate their personal best in a variety of sporting events. A tropical luau served as the theme for this year’s challenge which also included students and staff from Barbara Bush and Memorial Elementary.
Click through the photos below to see more from MATP Challenge Day.
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An initiative that has significantly increased the number of college-level Advanced Placement exams passed by Houston ISD students won unanimous support from the Board of Education on Thursday.
Beginning in the 2009-2010 school year, HISD pledged to pay the AP and International Baccalaureate exam fees for all students enrolled in those college-level courses. That policy, combined with expanded professional development opportunities that have given more teachers the tools they need to teach the more rigorous courses, has brought the total number of passing AP exam scores in HISD to 6,657, a 35 percent increase over a two-year period. A score of 3 or higher on an AP exam is accepted by most colleges and universities.
This significant progress in AP exam achievement is among the many reasons why HISD was recently named among four national finalists for the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education. HISD’s senior class of 2013 is now guaranteed $150,000 in Broad scholarships. That figure would rise to $550,000 if HISD were to beat out the other three finalists.
“Efforts such as our AP initiative demonstrate the HISD Board of Education’s commitment to providing every student in every high school access to classes that will prepare them for success in college and in the workplace,” said Superintendent Terry Grier. “This $1.6 million investment is saving our graduates and their parents millions more dollars in college tuition bills that they won’t have to pay.”
Providing every student at every school with an academically rigorous education is one of the five Core Initiatives outlined in HISD’s Strategic Direction.
In addition to voting to continue paying students’ AP exam fees, the board agreed to spend as much as $338,800 on summer programs that will train more teachers to prepare students for the tests.
Board Shows Support for Recess
The HISD Board of Education unanimously adopted a resolution and policy brought forward by HISD parents that recommends elementary schools offer daily recess in addition to physical education classes (by muanza). The resolution and policy does not mandate that all schools follow this recommendation. However, all HISD elementary schools are expected to comply with a state law that requires elementary students receive at least 135 minutes per week of physical activity, which may include recess and/or PE.
HISD students had the opportunity to meet with admissions representatives from nearly 260 colleges and universities at the Houston National College Fair on Thursday, April 12 at Reliant Center. Info on financial aid, virtual campus tours, and advice on writing college essays was provided.
Click through the photos below to see more from the fair.
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Texas A&M junior Marquis Alexander, who graduated from HISD’s Barbara Jordan High School in 2007, will become commander of the university’s Corps of Cadets – the oldest student organization on campus. According to the Associated Press report:
Nearly a half-century after African-Americans were admitted to predominantly white Texas A&M University, a black student has finally reached the pinnacle of one of its signature organizations.
Marquis Alexander next school year will become commander of A&M’s Corps of Cadets, a high-profile post that involves establishing the cadets’ dress codes for their military-style uniforms and setting their daily schedule, including physical training that can begin before dawn.
According to the AP, Alexander grew up in Houston’s Third Ward. He applied to Texas A&M but enrolled in the Marines while waiting for his acceptance letter to arrive. (He was accepted, but found out after committing to the Marines. He enrolled in the university a year and a half later.) Michael Graczyk writes:
He acknowledges becoming the “face of the university” and he hopes to participate in efforts to encourage people from areas like his at home to make something positive of their lives. … “I hope to serve as a beacon of hope that: Hey, you can do this too.”
For the complete story and photos of Alexander, click here.
To learn more about Barbara Jordan High School and HISD’s other magnet programs, click here.
HISD Board of Education Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones will address a crowd of students, parents, community members, alumni, and HISD staff at the dedication ceremony for the new Berry Elementary School (2310 Berry Road) on Monday, April 16th at 9 a.m.
“I am so thrilled for the Berry Elementary community! This lovely new school was designed to create a positive learning environment and to inspire students to want to learn and to grow,” said Skillern-Jones. “With these excellent teachers and this beautiful, technology-driven environment, I know we will see more great leaders emerge from Berry Elementary.”
Berry is among many schools taking part in the Houston Independent School District’s Green School Challenge in which students track how much energy is used on campus and suggest ways to make us even more energy efficient.
“Our students are studying the connection between the environment and they way we live, and this new energy-efficient campus is a huge part of the learning process,” said Principal Deborah Silber, referring to the school’s environmental science magnet program. “It is no accident that we are dedicating our campus during National Environmental Education Week.”
The new Berry facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards – Gold level and is projected to have a 38 percent reduction in water use, and a 24.5 percent reduction in energy use. The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards.
The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made the project possible. The new school includes:
For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org.
Houston ISD students are earning more college credits through tough Advanced Placement exams than ever before thanks to an initiative that the Board of Education is set to consider continuing during its regular meeting scheduled for today, April 12.
Beginning in the 2009-2010 school year, HISD pledged to pay the AP and International Baccalaureate exam fees for all students enrolled in those college-level courses. That policy, combined with expanded professional development opportunities that have given more teachers the tools they need to teach the more rigorous courses, has brought the total number of passing AP exam scores in HISD to 6,657, a 35 percent increase over a two-year period. A score of 3 or higher on an AP exam is accepted by most colleges and universities.
This significant progress in AP exam achievement is among the many reasons why HISD was recently named among four national finalists for the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education. HISD’s senior class of 2013 is now guaranteed $150,000 in Broad scholarships. That figure would rise to $550,000 if HISD were to beat out the other three finalists.
“Efforts such as our AP initiative demonstrate the HISD Board of Education’s commitment to providing every student in every high school access to classes that will prepare them for success in college and in the workplace,” said Superintendent Terry Grier. “This $1.6 million investment is saving our graduates and their parents millions more dollars in college tuition bills that they won’t have to pay.”
Providing every student at every school with an academically rigorous education is one of the five Core Initiatives outlined in HISD’s Strategic Direction.
In addition to voting on whether to continue paying students’ AP exam fees, the board is expected to vote today on a proposal to spend as much as $338,800 on summer programs that will train more teachers to prepare students for the tests.
The HISD Board of Education will also consider a resolution and policy brought forward by HISD parents that recommends elementary schools offer daily recess in addition to physical education classes. As written, the resolution and policy would not mandate that all schools follow this recommendation. However, all HISD elementary schools are expected to comply with a state law that requires elementary students receive at least 135 minutes per week of physical activity, which may include recess and/or PE.
The board’s regular monthly meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, 2012 in the board auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 West 18th St., 77092).
The board is scheduled to receive status updates on a number of projects and vote on several programs, contracts, and grants. For a full copy of the Board meeting agenda, click here. The board meeting will be carried live on HISD’s website and on the HISD Channel, which can be found on Comcast Channel 18 or AT&T Channel 99.
Who: The April 2012 edition of HISD Up Close hosted by HISD Board of Education President Michael Lunceford features an interview with fellow board Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones about community efforts in District II to revitalize Frank Black Middle School. The show also gives viewers a tour of the Bellfort Early Childhood Center, a successful school renovation project completed as a result of the $805 million bond referendum approved by Houston voters in 2007, and a look at how state and federal budget cuts are affecting the development of HISD’s 2012-2013 school year budget.
What: Monthly HISD UP Close television show hosted by Board President Michael Lunceford.
When: Throughout the month of April at www.houstonisd.org and on HISD-TV (Comcast channel 18 and AT&T U-verse channel 99) on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
Why: HISD Board President Michael Lunceford is committed to showcasing some of the amazing things happening at HISD schools across the district, in addition to highlighting district initiatives and accomplishments. His monthly show will regularly feature a tour of a bond construction school, an interview with one of his colleagues on the HISD Board of Education, and a segment showcasing the academic accomplishments of HISD students and the dedication of HISD staff.