Board of Education swears in HISD’s new District IX trustee
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education is expected to vote Thursday during its regular monthly meeting on the second reading of a policy update that would prohibit offensive or culturally insensitive school mascots.
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Last October, thousands of HISD freshmen, sophomores, and juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT college-readiness test, and campus staff began distributing the results this month.
Parents are strongly encouraged to discuss these scores with their children, as they can not only help gauge a student’s readiness for college but also identify good candidates for Advanced Placement (AP) classes next semester and, in some cases, determine a student’s eligibility for scholarships.
If you are the parent of a young child who is not currently enrolled in preschool, then you’re in luck.
HISD’s Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is currently accepting applications, and families who are zoned to attend any of more than four dozen elementary schools are eligible to participate.
If you’ve never seen the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Houston, you’re in for a treat.
Every year since 1996, fourth- and fifth-graders from two dozen HISD schools have competed in this annual contest, which challenges students to write and present a short original speech on a subject related to the slain civil rights leader. The topic this year is, “If Dr. King were speaking at a March on Washington today, what would he say?”
More than 200 subcontractors and minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) had the opportunity on Monday to build relationships with the 14 firms HISD has selected to provide construction manager at risk (CMAR) services on school building projects.
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Kolter ES fifth-graders participate in the “Reading Discovery with First Lady Barbara Bush” teleconference on Jan. 14. At far right (wearing headphones) is Matthew Kalmans, who got to ask Mrs. Bush a question.
It’s not often that fifth-graders have a chance to ask questions of a former first lady, but that’s exactly what Kolter Elementary School’s Matthew Kalmans got to do recently, when the George Bush Presidential Library held a teleconference with Barbara Bush to promote literacy.
Only 18 schools from across the nation were chosen to participate in the “Reading Discovery with First Lady Barbara Bush” event on Jan. 14, and Kolter was one of them.
Maria Elena Galán teaches fractions to her third grade class at Scroggins Elementary School, January 14, 2014.
Maria Elena Galán, a third-grade teacher at HISD’s Scroggins Elementary School, has been named the 2014 Bilingual Teacher of the Year by the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE).
“This award acknowledges your work as an exceptionally skilled and dedicated teacher in a bilingual program,” read the notification letter from NABE. “Your application contained outstanding testimonials and descriptions of your professional role as a bilingual teacher.”
Galán was selected for her ability to inspire students in two languages and her dedicated service to the school and its surrounding community.
HISD released two videos Thursday that showcase the progress in the planning and design of Booker T. Washington High School and The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Both schools are being rebuilt under the district’s 2012 $1.89 billion bond program.
The videos highlight community feedback on the projects and the work being done by the schools’ architects and Project Advisory Teams, which include students, faculty and parents.
Last year, almost two dozen HISD students became members of the city’s inaugural group of “Posse Scholars,” after a national non-profit called The Posse Foundation expanded its programming to Houston.
That organization will be sending its second group of students off to higher education this fall—and the majority (70 percent)—come from HISD.
The Houston branch of the Posse Foundation announced the 61 members of its Class of 2014 at a special celebration held on Jan. 6, and 43 of those students will be graduating from 18 HISD high schools this spring.
HISD’S Food Services department has unveiled a new page on its website that features fantastically yummy and healthy recipes from district Chef Ryan Ng for families to try at home.
Working alongside Nutrition Education Dietitian Jennifer Griffin Lengyel, Ng spent about four weeks developing an initial database of ten recipes and collecting them on a page dubbed the Chef’s Corner.
“I wanted to give families some healthy items they could cook at home, together,” said Ng. “These will not be the same old boring recipes. They will use different flavors and textures to create a unique and healthy experience.”