Yearly Archives: 2012

More fruits and vegetables on the menu at HISD schools

HISD students returning to school this year will be welcomed back with a greater variety of healthy food selections on their cafeteria’s menu. As part of the USDA’s revised nutrition standards for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program, the Houston Independent School District has further updated the school menu to incorporate the new meal requirements and offer students additional healthful menu items without impacting the cost of lunch for students.  

“We are committed to serving our students healthy, nutritious meals,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said.  “We have always set high nutrition standards for school meals. We support the USDA’s updated meal requirements and will continue to promote healthy eating habits among our students.”

This year’s school menus feature low- and non-fat dairy options, lean protein choices, a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, assorted whole grain products and 100 percent fruit juice with no sugar added.

Some of the specific menu changes for this school year include:

  • Availability of more whole grains
  • Increase in fruits and vegetables being offered
  • Offering flavored milk in fat-free or skim varieties while unflavored or white milk will be offered as skim or 1%
  • Decreasing the number of desserts offered to allow for an increase in higher nutrient foods

In addition to adding healthier menu items, HISD Food Services is serving locally grown foods, offering new made-to-order fresh food concepts, piloting healthy fruit and veggie stations, supporting school gardens, and increasing nutrition awareness in our schools and communities.

Houston ISD students receive more than $180 million in scholarship offers in 2012

Just received the latest numbers and the task of paying for higher ed is getting a bit easier for Houston ISD students.

HISD students have been offered more than $180 million in scholarships this school year, eclipsing last year’s total by more than $50 million. Digging a little bit deeper, students at 27 schools received more financial offers than in 2011. High schools such as Austin, Booker T. Washington and Eastwood more than doubled their 2011 scholarship offers, while Bellaire, DeBakey, HSPVA, Lamar and Westside reached or far exceeded more than $15 million each in offers. Westside HS also saw the largest overall increase in scholarship offers, receiving more than $34 million in offers, a total of $13 million more than the $21 million its students received in 2011.

Jordan and Worthing high schools eclipsed the $1 million mark this school year.

Congratulations to the class of 2012 for taking advantage of the millions available to continue their education. We encourage future graduates to not waste any time in seeking financial assistance in attending college, as higher education costs are rising and every bit of scholarship assistance now means less of a financial impact on students and their families.

HISD teachers gear up for beginning of 2012-13 school year

Teachers and staff across Houston ISD are decorating rooms, preparing supplies and finalizing their plans for the upcoming school year. There’s a little more than one week until school starts for most HISD students (Apollo 20  secondary students begin on Monday, Aug. 20), and while students are enjoying the last few days of summer vacation, our teachers and staff are working hard to be ready for the 2012-13 school year.

Many of us have been working over the summer to prepare for this year, too. Learn about some of our new schools and programs beginning in a few weeks.

What’s New at HISD for the 2012-2013 School Year

About 200,000 Houston Independent School District students are expected to return to school for the first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 27.  Students from five middle schools and four high schools in the district’s Apollo 20 school turnaround program will get a one-week head start on Aug. 20 when their school year begins.

The 2012-2013 school year brings many exciting improvements to Houston schools as HISD continues its work to offer a consistently rigorous education in a safe learning environment at all 279 campuses.

 New Schools

Four new school buildings funded by the 2007 voter-approved bond program will open on the first day of school. 

  • Carnegie Vanguard High School– (1101 Taft) – The Carnegie Vanguard Magnet program serves students who have been identified as gifted and talented in intellectual ability. In 2002, the Vanguard school moved to the former Carnegie Elementary campus which was originally built in 1963. The new building is located adjacent to the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center. 
  • Billy Reagan K-8 Education Center-(4842 Anderson Road) – The school will offer a two-way dual English and Spanish language program to its kindergarten class in an effort to develop full bilingualism and bi-literacy for all students.  The center will implement this program in one of the kindergarten classes during the 2012-2013 academic year and will add one grade per year until there is a complete two-way dual language program in grades K-8.
  • Lockhart Elementary School – (3501 Southmore) – The replacement school will now serve pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.  Students from the former Lockhart and Turner Elementary schools will attend the new campus. 
  • Neff Elementary School – (8301 Neff Street) – The replacement campus will serve students in grades 2-5.  The former Neff campus is being converted into an early childhood campus for students in pre-kindergarten through first grade.

New Programs

 Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School – (6300 Avenue B, Bellaire) This is HISD’s first Mandarin Chinese language immersion school. The school will initially serve students in kindergarten through second grade, with additional grades to be added in subsequent years. Core subjects including language arts, math, science, and social studies will be taught primarily in Mandarin Chinese with a certain amount of English language development instruction incorporated each day.

 

Houston Innovative Learning Zone program- Students at six HISD campuses (Furr, Kashmere, Scarborough, Sterling, and Booker T. Washington high schools and Long middle school) will have the chance to earn associate’s degrees and career training in high-demand technical fields.  The HILZ program was created in partnership with Houston Community College. In addition to taking the standard core credits required of all high school students, HILZ students will take courses taught by college professors using a blend of face-to-face and online instruction. In addition, credits earned by HILZ graduates will transfer to any public Texas university.

More Tools for Principals and Teachers

 Curriculum Changes- HISD has a new and improved curriculum designed with the input of thousands of teachers. The new curriculum is aligned with state and national standards and will prepare students for the rigor of STAAR and other standardized tests.  The new curriculum also places an emphasis on every child reading at or above grade level.

  • New literacy plan- The new literacy plan serves as a guide for teachers and leaders as they prepare students to be proficient readers, independent thinkers, and effective communicators. The plan is called CLASS (Curriculum and instruction, Leadership, Assessment, Support for families and communities, and Sustainability).
  • Revamped K-5 English Language Arts curriculum: The curriculum was designed in partnership with teachers and training provided by the Neuhaus Education Center.   Teachers at all grade levels have received Neuhaus training on literacy intervention strategies.  In the 2012-2013 school year, sixth and ninth- grade students who are reading below grade level will receive an extra daily class period of reading instruction using a specially designed curriculum from Neuhaus.

 

  • Continuing Leadership Training for Principals:  HISD has formed new partnerships with Rice University, the University of Texas, and St. Thomas University to help develop skills of current principals and to help train new talent. New and aspiring principals can attend an intensive four-week Emerging Leaders Institute.  Ongoing monthly training is available for first-and second-year principals and assistant principals.  There are also six new courses for principals related to decision-making in the area of staffing.

 Bond Election Proposal in November

Houston voters will decide in November whether to approve a proposition to build modern high schools in neighborhoods across Houston, and improve safety and technology district-wide. The $1.89 billion plan would address facility needs in 38 schools. For a complete overview of the proposal and the schools that would be rebuilt or renovated, click here.

HISD Transportation Puts Counter-Terrorism Training to the Test

[slideshow]While parents prepare their children for back to school, HISD’s Transportation Department is preparing all of the district’s bus drivers and attendants with training and tools to safely drive the students to and from school every day.  This year, HISD’s Transportation Department is adding counter-terrorism training which will include a mock disaster drill on Thursday, August 9 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.at 6351 Pinemont Drive.    

“We can never prepare our drivers and attendants too much to be successful on the road,” HISD Transportation Senior Manager Chester Glaude said.  “It is important that our team is fully prepared for all situations to make sure that HISD children feel comfortable and safe on our school buses.”

The mock disaster drill involves an overturned school bus.  To add a touch of realism, an older model school bus has actually been overturned on its side and will be used as a hands-on learning lab for all district bus drivers and attendants.  This drill will allow staff to incorporate previous trainings such as student management, emergency evacuation, and counter-terrorism.  In addition, this mock disaster drill will also involve staged human injuries which will allow district bus drivers and attendants to utilize the first-aid training they recently received in May.

 In addition to the technical skills the transportation team will learn and practice during this event, they will also be reminded of the basics such as:

  • The importance of performing pre-trip and post-trip inspections of the bus
  • Looking for suspicious items such as canisters, metal boxes, or containers
  • Immediately reporting suspicious items

 In May 2012 the HISD Transportation Department was selected as one of two districts in the nation as a finalist for the prestigious Larson Quality Award.  The Leland E.G. Larson Quality Student Transportation Program was developed to spotlight school bus operations that provide high-quality customer service in safety-centered operations. 

Each day, about 875 HISD school buses travel 80,000 miles as they transport 30,000 students to and from school.

Program Kicks Off on Main Stage

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and Houston Mayor Annise Parker have kicked off the Back to School Fest’s official program, thanking primary sponsors Shell Oil and Motiva Enterprises.

Dr. Grier thanked the army of 400 volunteers here this year.

“We’re so excited to be back this year,” Grier said. “I enjoy spending time getting to know (HISD) families. Welcome and have a good school year!”

Mayor Parker also thanked the volunteers and sponsors, highlighting the many services and supplies available to families today.

“Everything you need to start the school right you can find right here — whether it’s school supplies, vaccinations or access to city services. We even have lunch!”