Yearly Archives: 2013

New School Year Brings Excitement, Opportunities for HISD Students

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/73169755/ w=320&h=205]

Monday marked the first day of the new school year for the Houston Independent School District, and everyone—from parents to the superintendent—expressed excitement about what that would mean for students.

Superintendent Terry Grier visited several campuses to welcome students and teachers back to class, including Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan and Thurgood Marshall Elementary School.

Baylor is one of two new secondary campuses opening this fall to offer students a highly specialized curriculum. (See related article on the other one, Energy Institute High School.)

Continue reading →

Want to Foster International Relations? Host an Exchange Student!

Swiss foreign exchange student Stefan Burchard (third from L) poses with Trustee Anna Eastman's children: Abby, Ely and Daniel (from L).

If you’ve ever considered hosting a foreign exchange student for a year, this might be your chance.

But act quickly, as time is running out for dozens of hopeful students who want to come to Houston this fall to live and study.

More than 75 applicants are still waiting to be matched with host families before the Aug. 30 deadline. Twelve students are already here, including one junior from Switzerland matched with Board of Education President Anna Eastman.

Continue reading →

Lead Principal Initiative Helping Other Campuses Succeed

Ortiz Middle School Principal Noelia Longoria

HISD is launching a new program this year designed to increase student achievement “from the middle.” The Lead Principal Initiative pairs highly effective principals with other campus leaders at similar schools to spread the district’s best practices more effectively.

“‘Leading from the middle’ refers to influencing from among, rather than from above, below, or in front of one’s group,” explained HISD School Services Officer Lupita Hinojosa. “It implies positioning ourselves alongside of those we’ve empowered and working shoulder to shoulder with them.”

Continue reading →

HISD Opens School Year with New Campuses, New Programs, Thousands of New Students

Texas’ largest school district will open the 2013-2014 academic year on Monday with two new neighborhood school buildings, two new specialty magnet schools, and thousands of new students.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and members of the HISD Board of Education will visit with students, parents, teachers and principals at two campuses to personally welcome them to back to school on Monday, Aug. 26.

Continue reading →

Tour Gives an Up-Close Look at the New Atherton ES

HISD opened the doors on Friday for the media to get a closer look at Atherton Elementary School, one of the district’s new schools opening on Monday for the 2013-2014 school year.

Atherton, located in the city’s historic fifth ward, is an 86,000-square-foot facility that is nearly twice the size of the original school, built in 1957.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=’G0000HoxFBo1BwGo’ g_name=’20130823Atherton-MediaTour’ width=’600′ f_fullscreen=’t’ bgtrans=’t’ pho_credit=’iptc’ twoup=’f’ f_bbar=’t’ f_bbarbig=’f’ fsvis=’f’ f_show_caption=’t’ crop=’f’ f_enable_embed_btn=’t’ f_htmllinks=’t’ f_l=’t’ f_send_to_friend_btn=’f’ f_show_slidenum=’t’ f_topbar=’f’ f_show_watermark=’t’ img_title=’casc’ linkdest=’c’ trans=’xfade’ target=’_self’ tbs=’5000′ f_link=’t’ f_smooth=’f’ f_mtrx=’t’ f_ap=’t’ f_up=’f’ height=’400′ btype=’old’ bcolor=’#CCCCCC’ ]
Continue reading →

Media Tour of New HISD School

Atherton Elementary is one of two new HISD schools opening Monday

HISD officials will lead the news media on a tour of one of the district’s two new elementary schools for the 2013-2014 school year. Atherton Elementary, in Houston’s historic Fifth Ward, is an 86,000-square-foot school built with funds from the voter-approved 2007 bond program. It was built to Green Building standards and features modern science labs, and a fine arts wing with a dance studio, band and choir room, and a theater arts room. 

Continue reading →

Teachers Introduced to New Dashboard Tool at Rigor Institute

Teachers at Stevens Elementary School were excited about HISD’s new dashboard when Teacher Development Specialist Alicia Lewis showed them how to log in for the first time at the Rigor Institute. “This is going to save you all so much time that you will just love it,” Lewis said. A few voices around the room spoke out in agreement. Principals were trained in June and most have been using it ever since.

Continue reading →

Lockhart ES Dedicates School Built Under 2007 Bond Program

More than 300 people turned out to Lockhart Elementary on Thursday to formally dedicate the new building, which opened to students in Houston’s Third Ward last year.

The event drew students and families, as well as a long list of Lockhart supporters, including HISD Trustee Paula M. Harris and the Rev. William Lawson, pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.

Continue reading →

Food Services Preparing for First Day of School

HISD Food Services held an in-service training Aug. 19 to discuss new processes and recipes for the upcoming school year, and three days later the facility was booming. Production began in the bakery, where thousands of muffins and rolls were cooked and packaged for delivery during the first week of school. Work also began on preparing and cooking menu items for the return of students.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/53975431 w=320&h=205]

Continue reading →