Yearly Archives: 2013

Furniture Expo Sets Stage for 21st Century Learning Spaces

Sitting down at flexible tables with swivel chairs and tablet compartments, students, teachers and parents moved quickly from one piece of furniture to the next to see which ones were the most comfortable and collaborative.

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More than 70 people tested out furniture on display Tuesday at Houston ISD’s first furniture expo showcasing 21st century learning environments. The event allowed Project Advisory Teams (PATs) to explore different learning spaces and provide feedback to help guide the design for the new schools being built and renovated under the district’s 2012 bond program.

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EMERGE Students See Significant Gains in SAT Scores

Although HISD will not receive SAT results from the College Board until later this year, individual seniors who retook the SAT in October after attending the EMERGE SAT Boot Camp in July are getting their scores and seeing significant improvement – more than 300 out of 2,400 possible points in some cases.

“We are very pleased with the results,” said Assistant Superintendent for College Readiness Richard Cruz, who launched EMERGE in 2011 and continues to oversee it. “We are about to expand the program from 100 to 300 students.” EMERGE is a districtwide initiative aimed at getting high-achieving HISD students in underserved communities into Ivy League and other Tier 1 schools.

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HISD’s Terry Grier Chosen as Texas’ Nominee for National Superintendent of the Year

Dr. Terry Grier

Dr. Terry Grier, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, will represent Texas in the American Association of School Administrators’ (AASA) National Superintendent of the Year Program.

Under Grier’s leadership, Houston ISD was awarded the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education, an award that recognizes gains in student achievement and comes with $550,000 in college scholarships for its high school seniors. Houston is the only district in the country to receive the award twice, winning the inaugural Broad Prize in 2002. The district was one of four national finalists in 2012.

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School Choice Open House Kicks Off Magnet Awareness Week

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HISD conducted its annual School Choice Open House on Nov. 2, and thousands of parents and their children attended the event at Northwest Mall to learn more about their options for the coming fall.

Parent Andradie Walker came to the fair with her seven-year-old daughter, who currently attends Benbrook Elementary School. “She really likes to learn, and she’s interested in music, dance, and art,” she said, “so I’m looking to expand her learning experience.” Walker said that she is also very interested in Whidby Elementary, which has a health science magnet program.

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Photos: T.H. Rogers School Celebrates Diwali

T.H. Rogers School celebrated Diwali (also known as the Hindu “Festival of Lights”) on Nov. 1.

T.H. Rogers is a diverse school that serves children from more than 65 countries, and all students participate in the annual festival, which featured a cultural dance program, traditional foods, and Mehendi (temporary henna tattoo designs applied to the hands). The grand finale was the Bollywood-style dance performance by teachers and staff.

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Harvard ES Makes Video to Celebrate Author’s Visit

Students and staff at Harvard Elementary School put together an energetic video to celebrate Katherine Applegate, author of the 2013 Newbery Medal winner The One and Only Ivan, visiting the school on Oct. 29. Applegate read from her award-winning book and discussed it with students. Her visit is the highlight of the school’s annual “One Book, One School” project, which strives to create a sense of community among all Harvard students through the shared experience of reading a work of literature.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/78169939 width=”600px” height=”330px”]

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Seven Students and One Coach Recognized by Positive Coaching Alliance

Lamar HS student Lyndsey Lafitte (center) with her parents

Seven students from six HISD high schools were honored recently as finalists in the Positive Coaching Alliance of Houston’s “Triple-Impact Competitor” scholarship program.

Five of those students — Leticia Adamut (Furr HS), Rafael Ameloza (Jones HS), Henry Ho (Lee HS), Lyndsey Lafitte (Lamar HS), and Rachel Smith (Bellaire HS) — walked away with $2,000 each after being named winners, while two Leslies — Leslie Cundiff from Bellaire HS and Leslie Pompa from East Early College HS — took home $500 as finalists.

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Open House to Showcase HISD’s Portfolio of School Choices

Options include magnet programs, Montessori, early colleges and Futures academies

The Houston Independent School District provides families with a vast portfolio of educational programs, and parents and students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from many of them this weekend.

Representatives from more than 100 schools will be on hand during the HISD School Choice Open House on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Northwest Mall, 9500 Hempstead Highway.

“Our goal is to ensure parents can select the right school to adequately meet their child’s unique needs and talents,” said HISD Assistant Superintendent for School Choice Dave Wheat. “We are committed to providing all students a high-quality education that prepares them to be college-ready, regardless of which program they choose.”

Representatives from HISD’s Magnet programs, Vanguard Magnet programs, Montessori, early colleges, Futures academies and charter schools will be ready to assist parents in making the best school choice for their children. Parents will also have the opportunity to learn more about the online option to submit their applications. Applications for Magnet programs will be accepted from Nov. 4 to Dec. 20, 2013, for guaranteed consideration in the first round.

“At this event, parents will find all the resources and assistance they need to explore their options for the next school year,” Wheat said. “The representatives will be there to assist them with every step of the application.”

HISD’s school choice options are available to all children, including those who live outside HISD.

For more information about the HISD School Choice Open House, contact the Office of School Choice at 713-556-6947.

HISD Senior Gets Unexpected Halloween ‘Treat’ from Nordstrom

Halloween brought a special “treat” to one student at HISD’s North Houston Early College High School. The Nordstrom Prize surprised senior Evelle Young on Oct. 31 with a scholarship check for $10,000 in front of dozens of family members and cheering classmates. Young, who also accepted a MacBook Air laptop from Nordstrom representatives, was one of only 80 students from across the country to be selected as a prize recipient this year through the retailer’s TEN4U program.

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Texas to Practice Medicine Distribution During Mock Emergency

HISD schools to host three distribution sites

The Texas Department of State Health Services will host an exercise Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 in the Houston area to test the ability of state and local partners to work together to provide medical supplies during an emergency.

The exercise focuses on the distribution of medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile, a store of large quantities of medicine and other items that can be deployed quickly to help protect the public in an emergency. Three HISD campuses — Jones, Scarborough and Westside high schools — will serve as distribution sites on Saturday, Nov. 2, the final day of the exercise.

Exercise activities may include the movement of large trailers, law enforcement vehicles and volunteers across multiple sites in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers and surrounding counties. These activities are for exercise purposes only and do not represent a real emergency.

Formally called the Regional Allocation, Dispensing, and Distribution Strategic National Stockpile Full-Scale Exercise, the event will test public health and hospital preparedness during a mock widespread public health emergency. The exercise will include coordination with 19 regional and local health agencies, 50 hospitals and 17 dispensing sites.