Trustees sell campus to St. Thomas High School for $60 million
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday authorized the sale of the campus housing the district’s High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
Monthly Archives: November 2013
First-Year Teacher: Benchmark Tests Measure Understanding
The window is closing in HISD Friday on two weeks of benchmark testing for grades and courses that are assessed by STAAR. The testing, which will be repeated in the spring, is a way to allow students, teachers and families to get a measure of performance along the way in those courses.
One of our new HISD teachers chronicling their experiences in the 177days.com blog made that her topic this week. Mariela Niland wrote:
Thousands of Families Turn Out For PowerUp Parent Nights
HISD parent Cecil Perry is thrilled that her daughter, Tamara, will soon have her own laptop to use while attending classes at Madison High School and at home. “She is going to need computer skills in order to be successful after high school when she goes on to college and eventually gets a job,” said Perry. “Hopefully she will teach me a thing or two along the way.”
Perry is one of several thousand parents who have turned out for PowerUp meetings over recent weeks to learn more about the districtwide one-to-one initiative that will eventually provide a laptop for every high school student at HISD. As part of phase one of PowerUp, nearly 18,000 students will receive laptops this coming January; but before they do, HISD wants to ensure that both they and their parents understand the responsible use of technology, good digital citizenship, and Internet safety.
Reagan and Hogg Celebrate New IB Status
Reagan High School and Hogg Middle School are officially celebrating their new status this week as International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools, the latest HISD campuses to receive official authorization. After receiving approval July 5, the schools were able to begin offering the rigorous IB program when the new school year launched, creating the first continuous IB feeder pattern in the historic Houston Heights. Students begin the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) at Harvard Elementary and progress to the Middle Years Programme (MYP) at Hogg and Reagan.
Milby Community Learns More About Initial Design Concepts for School
More than 150 parents, teachers, students and alumni of Milby High School turned out Tuesday night to learn more about the preliminary designs and concepts for the new school being funded by the 2012 bond program.
Milby is slated to be rebuilt into a 21st century facility while maintaining the campus’s architecturally significant building structure. On Tuesday, HISD staff and the school’s architects fielded many questions about the project, including size, classrooms and athletic fields.
HISD Asian-American College & Career Day scheduled for Nov. 16
What: HISD Asian-American College & Career Day, hosted by the HISD Asian Advisory Committee. Asian-American middle and high school students will hear about career options from prominent, successful Asian-American business representatives and learn what they should be doing to prepare for college. They’ll also learn how to navigate the scholarship and financial aid application process. Middle school students also will get tips on making the transition to high school. Parent sessions about the college preparation process will be offered in English, Mandarin and Vietnamese. Registration is encouraged: www.houstonisd.org/asiancareer.
Who: State Rep. Gene Wu will serve as the keynote speaker. Various other prominent, successful, Asian-American business representatives — including FBI Special Agent Gigi Joyner, US Secret Service Special Agent Kim Smith and KHOU News Anchor and Reporter Lily Jang — will speak.
When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, 8 a.m. to noon. Registration and Career Fair begin at 8 a.m. followed by an opening session at 9 a.m. Individual workshop sessions for students and parents begin at 9:30 a.m.
Where: Bellaire High School, 5100 Maple Road, Bellaire, Texas, 77401
Reagan High School to Host International Baccalaureate World School Induction Ceremony
School to be joined by students, parents and community members
What: Reagan High School will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday to celebrate its recent International Baccalaureate authorization with students, parents and community members. Reagan received official authorization to operate as IB campus in July along with Hogg Middle School, creating the first continuous IB feeder pattern in the historic Heights neighborhood. Founded in 1968, IB is a non-profit foundation that offers challenging educational programs for students aged 3 to 19 to help develop their intellectual, personal, emotional, and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.
Who: HISD Board of Education President Anna Eastman, Reagan High School Principal Connie Berger, HISD Lead Principal James McSwain, students, parents and community members
When: Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013 at 6 p.m.
Where: Reagan High School, 413 East 13th Street
Middle School Principal Raises Literacy Awareness by Reading From Atop His School
T.H. Rogers Middle School principal David Muzyka reads to students from the roof of his school
T.H. Rogers Middle School principal David Muzyka spent the entire day on the roof of his school reading to students in the courtyard below. Last year, BOOK IT! challenged every school principal in the country to “read your heart out” during National Young Readers Week. This year, the organization sent out a new Principal Challenge, and Muzyka accepted, braving gusty winds and an approaching blue norther, to show his students the value of reading aloud.
HISD Schools Thank Veterans For Service and Sacrifice
Lyons Elementary has a long-standing tradition of honoring veterans on Veterans Day. Everyone has a part to play, from Pre-K students who make thank-you cards for veterans to older children who make flags and educational history projects that are displayed in the halls.
About 25 veterans attend each year, so Lyons always adds something new to the program. This year it was a USO show, in which teachers in WWII-era clothing sang period songs and the Flamenco Dance Troupe – the boys dressed in service uniforms and girls in poodle skirts — performed the jitterbug. There was also a Little Miss Poppy Contest as well as a bugler.
12 HISD Football Teams Head Into Playoffs
Those Friday Night Lights will continue to shine – on Thursday and Saturday nights, too – for 12 HISD varsity squads that are extending their seasons into playoff games this week.
Pre-sale tickets are being sold at campuses at $4 for students and $6 for adults, but will cost $8 at the gate. The only exceptions are the Lamar-Morton Ranch and Madison-Katy showdowns at Katy ISD’s Rhodes Stadium, which will cost $5 for students and $10 for adults, and the Bellaire vs. Cinco Ranch game, which is $4 for students and $6 for adults in pre-sale but $5 for students and $10 for adults at the gate.
Here’s the rundown of this week’s playoffs. We’ll let you know next Monday who has made the second round.