Monthly Archives: August 2014

Giving high mobility students the ‘Home Field Advantage’

Living up to a promise made by Superintendent Terry Grier during February’s State of the Schools address, HISD is enacting “Home Field Advantage,” a program to create educational stability among highly mobile student populations.

Students at 13 elementary schools where families are most transient are being offered transportation to continue to allow them to make that school their home, even if their families move. General mobility rates in the selected schools is about 30 percent annually, according to Susan Kaler, Student Services officer. Continue reading →

Togetherness at Jones: Three separate schools start the 2014-2015 year under one roof

“Morning. How’s everyone doing?” asked HISD Superintendent Terry Grier as he made a tour of the Jones Futures Academy on the first day of school Monday. “We are proud of you guys — you’re going to work hard this year?”

The enthusiastic students responded with a resounding, “Yeah!”

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Jones High School is experiencing a renaissance this school year. While it is now the official home of the Jones Futures Academy, the South Early College High School continues to hold classes on campus, and 10th- through 12th-grade students from Milby High School will go there for the next three years. Both of those schools have new campuses being constructed. Continue reading →

‘Early Matters’ to HISD, part of new coalition advocating for preschool learning

On this day when hundreds of thousands of Houston-area youngsters began the new school year, six local superintendents took time out for a news conference at HISD’s Rodriguez ES focusing on a segment for whom education is often hard to come by — low-income, preschool children.

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HISD Superintendent Terry Grier joined his fellow educators and a broad coalition of community, business, education, philanthropic, and nonprofit organizations operating as “Early Matters.”  The more than 50 members have pledged to fight for increased funding, access, and quality of the area’s early childhood education programs over the next decade. Continue reading →

CFS employees recognized at appreciation breakfast

HISD Facilities and Operations employees received a warm welcome back to school on Friday, as they were treated to breakfast and special recognition by General Manager of Facility Services Brian Busby and HISD District 9 Trustee Wanda Adams.

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Surprise! Shearn ES students find new program, meet the superintendent

Shearn Elementary School is one of 14 HISD schools launching the school year today as a dual-language campus, with instruction in both English and Spanish, and students had a special visitor this morning.

Dr. Terry Grier dropped in as the school day began to greet students and parents, and to pump up their enthusiasm for dual-language. “I sure wish we had this when I was in school,” Grier told a trio of fifth-grade school leaders who guided him on a tour of Shearn.

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Marques Foster was delighted to hear about the new program. “I really want to learn Spanish,” she said. “I know it’s important to have more than one language.” Continue reading →

Share your first day of school photos

We’re welcoming students back to school at all of 283 campuses in Houston ISD! We love seeing so many smiling faces, and we want to share that joy with you! Take a look below at the back-to-school photos that have been sent to us, and yours can be included by emailing them to hisdphotos@yahoo.com.

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Literacy By 3 aims to turn around crisis with districtwide movement

This is the tenth–and final–entry in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year.

Literacy By 3 — which launches in every school on the first day of classes — is HISD’s movement to turn around and end the literacy crisis in Houston — not a mere initiative or program. Its mission is to have every child reading and writing with fluency by the end of Grade 3 — but Literacy By 3 will reach students at every level who are struggling with reading mastery. Continue reading →

Brrrrr: HISD staff, board members take Ice Bucket Challenge

The Ice Bucket Challenge has been popular around the world, including with Houston ISD staff and the Board of Education.

The Ice Bucket Challenge is a fundraiser for the ALS Association, which supports people diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). People are challenged to dump a bucket of ice water on their head, and they can either accept the challenge, make a donation to an ALS charity of their choice, or both. As of Aug. 22, the association had raised more than $53 million.

Five high school principals – James McSwain of Lamar, Michael McDonough of Bellaire, Peggi Stewart of Westside, Jason Catchings of Westbury, and Connie Berger of Reagan – accepted their challenge, along with HISD Athletics Director Marmion Dambrino, on Friday.

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