HISD’s biweekly radio show this Wednesday, Oct. 30, on KCOH (1230 AM) will highlight the district’s efforts to build and renovate 40 schools and provide contract opportunities to small and minority-owned businesses for projects under the 2012 bond program.
The 30-minute segment on KCOH will air at 11:30 a.m. The urban news/talk station broadcasts HISD news every other week.
Feedback from students and parents who sampled more than 150 foot items from 44 vendors at HISD’s first annual food show will be used by HISD’s Food Services Department to help determine which items will show up in school cafeterias next school year.
About 500 people attended the show on Oct. 24 at the Sheraton Houston Brookhollow Hotel, where the Waltrip High School Jazz Band performed, and raffle tickets were handed out to attendees.
Banquet tables were full of families tasting food, comparing notes, and filling out evaluation forms. “Mom, try this!” could be heard as students brought samples to parents and siblings.
HISD Team Lead for Supplier Diversity Bernard Willingham told a group of small and minority business owners to remember one number: $1.89 billion.
“Every one of you in this room should want to know how you can get your hands on that for your business,” said Willingham, who spoke about the district’s 2012 bond program Thursday at a Doing Business with HISD workshop held at Houston Community College’s Southeast Center for Entrepreneurship.
The event, which drew about 30 attendees, offered small and minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) guidance on responding to contract proposals and forming joint ventures that can help improve their business capacity for HISD projects in the 2012 bond program, which will build or renovate 40 schools across the district. Continue reading
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office, (HCSO) in partnership with the Houston Independent School District (HISD), is launching iWatch Harris County, a new tool that allows Houston students to report crimes in and around their campuses via an application on their mobile phones.
i-Watch Harris County, now in its second year, is a free mobile app that lets users send anonymous tips, images and videos reporting crimes or suspicious activities directly to law enforcement. HCSO has formatted the app to support HISD as it monitors reports made specifically about any of the district’s 282 campuses.
“We are excited to be partnering with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to make iWatch available to HISD’s students,” HISD Chief of Police Jimmy Dotson said. “iWatch will allow students to report any suspicious activity they see while maintaining their anonymity.”
In addition to HISD, the HCSO is also collaborating with other school districts within Harris County to roll out this app on their campuses within the next six weeks.
What: Press conference to launch iWatch Harris County at HISD schools
Who: Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, HISD Chief of Police Jimmy Dotson, iWatch Harris County App Developer Dan Elliott
When: Monday, Oct. 28 at 10 a.m.
Where: Austin High School, 1700 Dumble St.
The Houston Independent School District paid tribute on Friday to four of its long-standing, dedicated partners during the Annual Partnership Appreciation Breakfast.
The Houston Astros, Houston Food Bank, IPAA/PESA Education Center and Target each received a 2013 Hall of Fame award for their exemplary service to HISD students. The award is presented to businesses and organizations that have an impact on multiple schools and serve as a model for other partnerships.
What: The Houston Independent School District will pay tribute to four of its long-standing, dedicated partners during the Annual Partnership Appreciation Breakfast. The 2013 theme — HISD Partners: Becoming Great All Over — serves to recognize the importance of our partners and the role they place in students’ success. Each of the four honorees will receive a 2013 Hall of Fame award for their exemplary service to HISD students. Winners will be announced during the ceremony.
Who: HISD Board of Education Trustees Juliet Stipeche, Rhonda Skillern-Jones and Michael Lunceford, HISD Chief Business/Community Relations Officer Michele Pola and many district partners.
When: Friday, Oct. 25, 2013 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. with the program following at 8:15 a.m.
Where: Kingdom Builders Center, 6011 Orem Drive
The Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum honored the HISD supplier diversity team as an advocate of minority businesses with a merit and outstanding community service award during a breakfast event Oct. 22 in celebration of Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. Continue reading
It might seem a bit premature to be thinking about the 2014–2015 school year, but parents who want to learn about the vast array of options HISD has to meet the needs, talents, and/or interests of their children should begin the process now.
The district will begin accepting applications for Magnet programs for the coming school year on Mon., Nov. 4, and parents must submit those applications on or before Fri., Dec. 20, 2013, for guaranteed first-round consideration.
To assist families in choosing a school, HISD will be hosting its annual School Choice Open House on Sat., Nov. 2, at Northwest Mall (9500 Hempstead Hwy., 77092). The event will take place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., and representatives from many of HISD’s schools of choice will be on hand to answer questions and offer information about their programs.
What: District MENtor Orientation for Houston Real Men Read, a mentoring program that allows men from across the Houston area to volunteer to read to second-, fifth- and seventh-grade students for one hour per month for five months — November December, January, February and May. In addition to reading, the volunteers also spend time discussing the book with the students. Books also are provided to both students and volunteers. Launched five years ago by HISD Trustee Paula Harris and Sen. Rodney Ellis, the program has roughly 300 volunteer mentors working at 45 HISD schools. The district orientation provides an overview of the program and allows mentors to network with each other and share ideas.
Who: HISD Chief Academic Officer Daniel Gohl, Chief Elementary School Officer Karla Loria, Director of Literacy Carol Bedard, longtime Red Elementary School volunteer and mentor Jonathan Randle and many other program volunteers.
When: Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Peck Elementary School, 5001 Martin Luther King Blvd
Students at Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy received their laptops in mid-October
In today’s world of cell-phone texts, social media posts, and online videos, what a student says or does in the digital world may come back to haunt them in the future. That’s just one of the lessons students are learning during a special PowerUp digital citizenship class happening at all 11 high schools participating in the district’s one-to-one laptop initiative.
“Today’s world is full of technology, and it’s important that students know about good ethics and what is proper and improper behavior when using technology,” said HISD junior Charlie Barrio, who recently attended the class with his peers at Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center.