Students from Frost Elementary share some of the news from around the district in this HISD Current Events video.
If you would like students from your school featured in an HISD Current Events video, email hisdtv@houstonisd.org.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ERgVD5jTgk&w=560&h=315]
HISD administrators, staff and students will gather on Tuesday, April 3, for a ceremony to dedicate the new DeChaumes Elementary School (155 Cooper), one of 16 new schools designed with eco-friendly features. The school will feature new science labs, library and Smartboard technology in every classrom.
Take a look at the new DeChaumes Elementary in the gallery below:
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HISD Board of Education Trustee Anna Eastman and Deputy Chief Academic Officer Alicia Thomas will be joining administrators, staff and students for a ceremony to dedicate the new DeChaumes Elementary School (155 Cooper) on Tuesday, April 3 at 10 a.m.
“I know this campus was highly anticipated and means so much to the community! DeChaumes has soared academically in recent years,” said Eastman. “Having an energy-efficient facility with state of the art technology will only further enhance learning for our current students, as well those to come.”
DeChaumes Elementary is one of 16 new schools designed with eco-friendly features and leading technology that HISD has opened since 2011. The district will soon be opening eight more.
“Our commitment to quality education goes beyond the classroom to the overall campus environment,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said. “Providing a safe building and the latest technology are key factors in enhancing our students’ educational experience.”
The new DeChaumes facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and is projected to have an 18 percent reduction in energy consumption and designed to use 50 percent less water for landscape irrigation. The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards.
“Our school community is so proud of the way the school looks now, and all our students are using the latest technology,” said DeChaumes Principal Sandy Gaw. “I am also delighted that we now have space to offer special activities and clubs, like soccer and robotics.”
The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made this project possible. The new school includes:
• New library;
• New science labs;
• New computer lab; and
• Smart Board technology in all classrooms.
For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org.
All Houston ISD middle school soccer games and high school baseball and softball games scheduled for today are being cancelled because of rain.
Heavy rains are expected to render outdoor field unplayable.
A third-party audit of the Houston Independent School District’s contracting practices has found HISD’s conflict-of-interest policies are more stringent than those used by most other school systems, although there are several potential areas for improving business practices.
The HISD Board of Education requested the audit as part of an ongoing effort to ensure that the district is making the best use of taxpayer dollars when deciding which businesses will be awarded contracts with HISD. The findings were presented to the board during an open meeting today by Charles Yaple, a partner with Null-Lairson Certified Public Accountants. The firm conducted its audit by reviewing district purchasing records, and by interviewing HISD staff members, former superintendents, and all nine elected board members.
“Following your existing policies should work very well for you,” Yaple told board members. “We’re recommending that you continue your procurement improvement initiatives.”
Those initiatives, which began in fall 2011, are aimed at addressing problems with HISD’s procurement process to ensure greater transparency and consistency for the public and those who are seeking to do business with HISD.
The auditing firm also said HISD should:
• expand annual board training on existing conflict of interest and related procurement policies affecting board members.
• simplify policies, including internal staff policies related to monitoring board activities and activities of procurement evaluation staff.
• involve the Procurement Department in all purchases in some manner, even those that are being handled in other functional areas.
• require board members to communicate benefits that might be received from existing vendors to the superintendent and evaluate exposing these services to market competition
Melinda Garrett, HISD’s chief financial officer, said work is already under way to improve the way HISD documents its contract-awarding process. Those changes include giving advance notification to those bidding on HISD contracts of exactly how their bids will be evaluated.
Garrett today introduced school board trustees to HISD’s newly hired procurement manager, Christopher Gross. Gross, whose first day on the job is April 2, most recently worked as contract manager for the University of Texas System Supply Chain Alliance.
HISD staff will now take these audit findings, along with the findings of a recent review of HISD’s purchasing practices conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools, and develop more plans for improving the process. Those plans will be presented to the Board of Education for feedback.
The Sharpstown High School Band will receive the rare honor today of performing with members of the Houston Symphony.
The performance takes place at 2p.m. at Sharpstown High School (7504 Bissonnet). The Sharpstown students will perform one of the musical arrangements from the Symphony’s rendition of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets – An HD Odyssey”.
“The Planets” is one of the Symphony’s most celebrated pieces. It tells the story of NASA’s exploration of the solar-system while high-definition images of the planets are shown on a screen behind the orchestra.
Today’s performance is part of an ongoing partnership between the Houston Symphony and HISD. The Symphony is donating a DVD copy of its performance to each of the district’s 279 schools. Teachers will also receive the educational companion disc, which will provide interactive-cross curriculum lesson plans for all grade levels.
“We’re very excited that our band has been chosen to perform with the Houston Symphony. This is a tremendous honor for Sharpstown High which speaks volumes about the hard work of our teachers and students,” said Principal, Rob Gasparello.
HISD Board of Education Trustee Greg Meyers and Houston Symphony General Manager Steven Brosvik are scheduled to speak at today’s event.
“The Houston Symphony and the Houston Independent School District have had a rich and deep partnership and we are pleased to continue to grow these opportunities,” Brosvik said. “As music is needed to provide a complete education for our children, we hope this resource will provide a synergy for learning across the curriculum.”
The Symphony’s generous donation is being made possible because of a gift from Marathon Oil.
Watch a performance by the Marshall Middle School Band at a recent “Fine Arts Friday” event at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center:
Click image to view video. If unable to access YouTube, go to: http://houstonisdtx.swagit.com/play/03262012-512
You can watch a different school perform every Friday during lunchtime at the cafeteria located inside district headquarters at 4400 West 18th Street.
The Sunnyside community, volunteers, students and HISD Board of Education Trustee Lawrence Marshall were on hand for the the official groundbreaking for the expansion and renovation of Evan E. Worthing High School on Wednesday, March 21. See photos from the event below.
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The first administration of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam began today, and students and parents took to social media sites to talk about the test. Here’s what some of them had to say:
As students in Houston ISD begin taking the new State Assessments of Academic Readiness, HISD’s Richard Blair talks about some of the chief differences between TAKS and STAAR, and how parents can help their children get ready for the tests. For a complete schedule of testing dates, click here.
Click image above for video.
