Monthly Archives: March 2014

I Am HISD: ‘Granola boy’ comes of age; Lee HS alum talks tenacity, transitions

Justin Anderson

Justin Anderson has come a long way since launching a granola-manufacturing company while still a junior at Lee High School.

Since 2003, he has graduated, earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University, and rebranded his entire business.

Anderson talks about what lessons he has learned along the way in this week’s “I Am HISD” profile. You can check out the full edition of eNews online.

Other highlights from the latest edition include:

• Breakthroughs—Learn how Dr. Traci Duck has improved her students’ performance at Deady MS by breaking assignments down into their smallest components.
• HB 5 Spotlight—Find out why it’s never too early to start contacting colleges and universities in this article.

To have eNews delivered to your inbox automatically every week, just visit www.houstonisd.org/subscribe.

Skillern-Jones participates in school board leadership program

Rhonda Skillern-Jones

Board of Education District II Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones recently met with school board members from across the state to learn the latest on 21st century challenges to leadership and the implications of those trends for educators.

The Texas Association of School Boards hosted several training sessions in Corpus Christi. The school board members heard from Randolph Carter, the director of the Eastern Educational Resource Collaborative, who encouraged them to see today’s public school classroom as a kaleidoscope of differences.

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Perfection earns Lockhart ES first place in K-2 ‘Name That Book’ contest

Lockhart Elementary's "Name That Book" team

Six second-graders from Lockhart Elementary School brought home the gold in the HISD K-2 “Name That Book” contest in their second year of competition. Students received medals and certificates for their win.

The annual K-2 competition prepares younger students for upper-level competition, which includes all grade levels and continues through April 17. Each school can enter only one team.

“Name That Book” is an HISD reading incentive program that encourages teamwork and ongoing reading, which is critically important in meeting HISD literacy goals.

“Literacy is a cornerstone issue for HISD,” said district Superintendent Terry Grier in his 2014 State of the Schools address. More specifically, that means that getting every HISD student to read on grade level by third grade is a major priority for the district.

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Initial designs for a new Milby draw enthusiasm from school community

Alexis Reyes acknowledges she was initially skeptical of plans to rebuild Milby High School as a 21st century learning environment under the 2012 bond program.

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Teachers at YWCPA go to the pros for technology know-how – their students

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/88799570/ w=320&h=205]

As a teacher at one of the HISD’s 11 pilot PowerUp schools, Mariela Niland is working to include more technology in her classroom at the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy. Recently, the first-year teacher took part in a unique training that had her and her students swap roles to learn more about the latest and greatest tech tools and web applications. “I want to hear from them what I can do to make my lessons more interesting,” said Niland. “I want to know what digital tools and resources they enjoy using.”

Niland and her YWCPA colleagues got an earful from students who were excited to take part in the table-turning after-school exercise. The format allowed the girls to become the teacher, show off their tech savvy, and share some of their favorite websites.

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Board of Education to consider school closures, graduation plan

Proposal would close Jones, Dodson; new graduation plan under HB 5 would include Algebra II requirement

The Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees will review proposals to close Jones High School and Dodson Elementary School, and vote on new policies associated with House Bill 5 during a board meeting planned for Thursday, March 13.
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Buster the Bus schools elementary kids on school bus safety

Elmore Elementary School second-graders bubbled with excitement as an animated mini school bus with a stop arm, flashing headlights, and big blinking eyes rolled into the auditorium.

Soon they were getting an important lesson on bus safety – thanks to HISD transportation team members and Buster the Bus, an interactive tool that is traveling around the district to teach children about being safe.

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Campus meetings put families in-the-know about upcoming changes in high school

Reagan, Washington HB 5 sessions show what’s in store for next year’s ninth-graders

High school is changing in a big way for next year’s ninth-grade students, and dozens of HISD families got a jump on finding out how at two community meetings Monday night at Reagan and Washington high schools.

The changes are coming as a result of state legislation known as House Bill 5 – and HISD has rebranded the process for its students and their families as “Plan Your Path.”

“Plan Your Path” is all about guiding students to “dream big,” explained Alejandro Morua, HISD’s general manager of Family and Community Engagement, by combining career awareness and selection with a rigorous academic curriculum from pre-K through graduation.

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Lemonade Day kickoff highlights youth entrepreneurship

Lemonade Day is more than just putting up an impromptu neighborhood stand – and Monday’s kickoff at HISD’s DeZavala Elementary School highlighted all the strategy and business skills that go into creating successful young entrepreneurs.

DeZavala students, along with Lemonade Day Founder Michael Holthouse, State Sen. Sylvia Garcia, HISD Chief Middle Schools Officer Michael Cardona, and Telemundo Houston News Anchor Martin Berlanga, kicked off the event, which started in Houston in 2007 and has since gone nationwide.

Lemonade Day, which is scheduled for May 4, is a free, hands-on learning program that teaches youth how to start, own and operate a lemonade stand. The young entrepreneurs benefit from a strategic 14-step process that walks them from a dream of owning and operating their own business to creating a business plan.

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