Monthly Archives: February 2013

Peck ES Students Plant Trees Donated by Trees for Houston

Peck Elementary School students plant five live oak trees in front of their school on Friday.

With shovels in hand and smiles on their faces, fifth-graders at Peck Elementary School planted 13 trees donated by Trees for Houston at their school on Friday, including five live oaks and eight elm trees.

In October, HISD announced a partnership with Trees for Houston to plant trees at 27 campuses as part of the Trees for Schools program. Like Peck Elementary, 22 of those schools are part of the district’s $805 million 2007 bond project that included more than 180 construction and renovation projects across the district.

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HISD Seeking Grant for 8 New STEM Magnet Schools

The HISD Board of Education voted Thursday to move forward with a plan to compete for $12 million in federal grant funding to open eight new magnet schools emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instruction.

The measure passed with a 7-1 vote with Board President Anna Eastman opposed.

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Berry Elementary School Wins Design Awards

Berry Elementary School's new building features 90 percent natural light in highly occupied areas.

Houston Independent School District’s Berry Elementary School was recently awarded the Sustainability Design Excellence Award by the Texas and Oklahoma chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and was named a runner-up for the Best of the Year award by Interior Design Magazine.

The awards come just a year after construction was completed on the $15.6 million campus as part of the HISD’s 2007 bond program. That $805 million in funding has helped build 19 new schools so far, with another three slated for completion by the end of 2014.

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U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Coming to HISD to Discuss Apollo 20 Turnaround Program

Who: U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, HISD Board of Education President Anna Eastman, Superintendent Terry Grier, and Lee High School students, parents, teachers, tutors, and administration

What: Secretary Duncan is visiting Lee High School to learn about HISD’s innovative Apollo 20 school turnaround program.  HISD partnered with Harvard EdLabs to launch Apollo 20 at Lee and eight other secondary schools during the 2010-2011 school year.  The program, which now includes 11 elementary schools, employs research-based best practices inspired by America’s top charter schools.  By emphasizing effective teaching and campus leadership, high-dosage tutoring, data-driven instruction, extended learning time, and a no-excuses culture, Apollo 20 schools are providing a roadmap for other urban school districts in need of a reliable turnaround model for persistently struggling schools.  The project is funded in large part by $16.8 million from private donations.  More information about Apollo 20 is available here.
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HISD News Blog is Moving (and Improving)

The HISD News Blog is just over a year old and it’s time for us to upgrade. This morning, we will be moving the blog to https://blogs.houstonisd.org/news. You will notice a much cleaner, ad-free look that is consistent with the recent redesign of houstonisd.org, as well as more photos in blog posts to better illustrate the stories about the district.

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Plenty of Time To Join Project Advisory Teams for 2012 Bond Program

PAT_coverWant to help guide the 2012 bond project at your school?  There’s no better way than getting involved with your school’s Project Advisory Team, which will help lead the planning and design of new facilities across the district.

Sharpstown High School Principal Rob Gasparello wasted no time recruiting members for his PAT, which is typically made up of parents, teachers, community members and students. His school is among the first group of 17 schools to be built as part of the 2012 bond program.

“We want the final product to be the sum of its parts,” Gasparello said. “We want to gather as much input of what a 21st century school really needs to look like — we don’t want just one point of view.”

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Harris County Behavioral Health Task Force Offers New Recommendations Prioritizing Emotional and Behavioral Health in Schools

What:

Mental Health America of Greater Houston and members of the Harris County School Behavioral Health Initiative will announce on Thursday new attainable and needed recommendations that prioritize emotional and behavioral health in Harris County area schools.  Due to recent national tragedies, renewed attention has been given to the importance of meeting the behavioral health needs of children and youths.  The recommendations will establish both the urgent need for, and the advantages of, a paradigm shift on the part of the education and behavioral health systems.

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Community Meeting at Booker T. Washington Draws Big Crowd

Booker T. Washington High School

More than 150 people turned out Tuesday evening at Booker T. Washington High School where they learned more about the district’s plan to build a new school at the site under the $1.89 billion bond program approved in November.

District officials held the meeting to review site needs, as well as the planning and design process for the new school.  “We’re going to be working very closely with the community planning the facility,” said Dan Bankhead, HISD general manager for facility design.
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BBVA and NBA Cares Partner to Bring Books, NBA Legends, Fitness and More to Two HISD Schools

What:  

BBVA Compass and NBA Cares are teaming up for two Team Works in Schools events on Thursday, February 14 at Franklin and Eliot elementary schools.

  • NBA legends and BBVA Compass volunteers will catalog and shelve more than 500 new books in the library and read with students at Franklin Elementary.
  • NBA legends will guide students at Eliot Elementary through fitness and basketball activities
  • Each school will each be receiving 30 tablet computers and a laptop.
  • Pre-Kindergarten – 2nd grade students at both schools will select a book of their choice to take home as part of the initiative.
  • A basketball court will be refurbished and new outdoor gym equipment will be installed at both schools.
  • New furniture will be provided and set up in the Parent’s Alliance section of Eliot Elementary.
  • BBVA Compass volunteers will join fifth-grade students in the computer lab as they interact with a new web-based financial education program developed by EverFi, Inc.

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Board of Education to Consider Contract Recommendations on 2012 Bond Projects

HISD Administrators recommend eight firms for selected projects; more recommendations to come

Administrators are recommending that the Board of Education authorize the district to negotiate contracts with eight firms on selected 2012 bond projects, including four schools and middle school restroom renovations.

HISD officials spent several weeks reviewing qualifications submitted by 85 architectural and engineering firms seeking to do work with the district under the 2012 bond program, which will build or renovate 40 schools across the district. The $1.89 billion bond program, approved by voters in November, will also fund middle school restroom renovations, technology upgrades, and safety and security upgrades.

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