Monthly Archives: July 2013

HISD Teaches Newest Campus Leaders in Summer Workshop

Chavez HS principal Rene Sanchez (right) looks on during Day 2 of the New and Emerging Leaders Institute

Chavez High School principal Rene Sanchez (right) looks on during Day 2 of the New and Emerging Leaders Institute

After 18 years as an educator and nearly a decade as a principal, Rene Sanchez is still learning. Despite his previous experience, the new principal of Chavez High School still wants to learn how to become a better leader in his first year with HISD.

Sanchez joins more than 40 of the district’s newest leaders this month in HISD’s New and Emerging Leaders Institute (NELI). The group will spend July learning new tools and how to establish efficient work systems on their respective campuses.

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Summer School is Underway at Former North Forest ISD’s Hilliard Elementary

Hilliard ES principal Mike Walker on the first day of school.

Hilliard ES principal Mike Walker on the first day of school.

Looking sharp in a light grey suit, white shirt, and red tie, Hilliard Elementary Principal Mike Walker is working the room. Even though summer school officially began at 8 a.m., parents are still arriving with their children at 8:30. Despite some minor confusion, North Forest’s Summer School Program is officially underway.

Classes also are being held at Shadydale Elementary, Forest Brook Middle School, and North Forest High School Monday through Thursday until August 1. Buses are picking up students at their home campus at 7:10 a.m. and transporting them to one of the schools where summer classes are being offered.

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Millionaire Club Spotlight: What Are You Reading This Summer?

Browning ES librarian Danielle Norris reads The One and Only Ivan, written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Castelao.

Browning ES librarian Danielle Norris reads The One and Only Ivan, written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Castelao.

HISD’s Millionaire Club is a literacy initiative designed to encourage students to read for pleasure during the summer months. Each week, we’ll catch up with one HISD librarian to find out what’s on his or her reading list. This week, we spoke with Danielle Norris, a librarian at Browning Elementary School.

So, what are you reading right now?

Right now, I’m reading all of the Bluebonnet Books (recently released titles written by American citizens).

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Former North Forest employees can have questions answered

Former employees of the North Forest Independent School District can get information regarding employee service records, retirement options and more throughout the month of July.

For more information, please call (713) 633-1600 or visit the North Forest administration building at 6010 Little York Road. The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

North Forest Families Encouraged to Register for Summer School

Classes to be offered at four campuses in the North Forest community

The Houston Independent School District will offer summer school instruction for students in the North Forest community from July 8 through August 1 at the following schools: Shadydale and Hilliard elementary schools, Forest Brook Middle School, and North Forest High School.

HISD is sending notification letters this week to the households of students who should attend summer school.  The summer school session is intended for students who need to retake portions of the STAAR exam, students who have not met grade-level promotion standards, high school students who need to retake STAAR end-of-course exams, high school students in need of course credit recovery, certain English language learners, and certain students receiving special education services.

Classes will be held Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Transportation will be provided at eight different locations within the North Forest community.  For more information on bus pickup sites, call 713-613-3040.

Deadline to register for summer school is July 11.  Parents can visit their neighborhood schools to register for summer school or register online at www.houstonisd.org/nfsummer.

Rice U. Summer Camp Sparks Chávez HS students’ Interest in Science

A dozen female students from Chávez High School are spending their summer studying science and building new relationships, thanks to a new three-year program at Rice University.

The girls had to apply for acceptance to the program, and 80 percent of the 15 participating were selected from Chávez (the remainder are from a local charter school).

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HISD’s Free Summer Meals Program Available for North Forest Students

Click the image to read about the program in both English and Spanish.

Children in the North Forest community will be able to participate in the Houston Independent School District’s free summer meal program from July 8 to August 1.

Free breakfast and lunch will be available for children ages 1 to 18 at any of the participating campuses.

  • Forest Brook MS, 7525 Tidwell
  • Hilliard ES, 8115 E. Houston
  • North Forest HS, 10725 Mesa
  • Shadydale ES, 5905 Tidwell

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The Transition from North Forest ISD to HISD

Hilliard ES principal Mike Walker, left, works to prepare his new school for students, July 1, 2013.

Hilliard ES principal Mike Walker, left, works to prepare his new school for students, July 1, 2013.

Yellow HISD work vans fill the parking lot, and the smell of paint permeates the air inside Fonwood Elementary School, a former North Forest ISD campus. Dr. Kimberly Agnew-Borders, the new principal, is in the front office overseeing the school’s transition to Fonwood Early Childhood Center.

“We are getting ready to welcome a new class of four-year-olds to our campus,” said Dr. Agnew-Borders, who previously served as the principal of Wesley Elementary School. She is interviewing teachers, meeting parents who show up to enroll their children, picking Formica, and generally directing the re-purposing of the school.

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Principals Using Dashboard to Drive Decision Making

Much like a winning race-car driver, a successful school principal needs access to data so that he or she can tune, tweak, and make improvements. In a well-designed car, drivers can find most of the data they need by looking at the dashboard. Now HISD principals have their own dashboard to drive decision making on their campus. It’s called Analytics for Education (A4E).

“Not only is A4E saving our principals time, but it is helping them to be more efficient,” said Betty Garcia from HISD’s Information Technology Department. “Principals can go to their dashboard, grab the information they need quickly, make informed decisions, and then communicate it with their staff as they take the next step.”

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