Monthly Archives: August 2014

The art of engaging parents through ‘old-fashioned, grass-roots organizing’

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More than 500 teachers and principals from 30 HISD campuses are learning how to get greater numbers of parents involved in their children’s education this year during a series of two-day trainings being offered by the district’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department.

The topic of the training is the district’s Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT), whose expansion from the nine pilot schools was approved by the Board of Education earlier this year. The mission of those teams is even more critical now, with the district’s focus on Literacy By 3. Continue reading →

NCAA donates 4,000 backpacks for third-graders

Third-graders at 40 Houston ISD elementary schools will start off the new school year with brand new backpacks and school supplies, thanks to a generous donation from the NCAA.

Volunteers from Target spent Tuesday getting everything ready, and then on Wednesday volunteers from the beneficiary schools stuffed the backpacks full of notebooks, pencils, glue sticks and more.

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The elementary schools that will receive the backpacks include: Continue reading →

Countdown to 2014-2015: What’s new in HISD #8 — Cybersafety website unveiled as part of PowerUp expansion

This is the third in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year.

As 21 more HISD high schools gear up to become part of the PowerUp one-to-one laptop initiative in the 2014-2015 school year, HISD has unveiled a powerful new companion — an all-encompassing cybersafety website to make sure students’ cybercitizenship matches their technological knowledge.

Developed for use by students, parents, and educators at all grade levels, the new site offers updated and user-friendly information about safe and sensible use of the Internet and social media. The site, which includes content from Common Sense Media, features resource links, tip sheets, videos, learning resources, parent information, and a model media agreement for families to use to set down guidelines for use of cell phones, tablets, laptops, and gaming devices. Continue reading →

Self-assessment identifies strengths, weaknesses in HISD’s community engagement efforts

Analysis of district’s effectiveness at communicating with stakeholders is part of new HB5 requirement

One of the requirements House Bill 5 now makes of public school districts is an annual assessment of their efforts to reach out to parents, students, employees, faith-based leaders, corporate partners, taxpayers, and any other group of community stakeholders who might have an interest in their students’ success.

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HISD celebrates AP ‘Ramp Up’ by honoring those who teach advanced courses

More than 500 Advanced Placement (AP) teachers shouted ‘I AM AP’ at HISD’s inaugural AP Ramp Up Celebration, which recognized AP teachers for helping students get a head start on college.

“This is not just about the kids who are able to go to college, but those who get to college and are so much more prepared because they already have college credits through our AP program,” said Carolyn Klein, who teaches AP environmental science at Westside High School.

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The program was held at Westbury High School, which the district recently announced will be its first school to focus heavily on AP curriculum. The decision comes after the school community recently expressed a desire to raise student academic expectations as the school welcomes a new principal on board. Students in all grade levels will be urged to enroll in at least one pre-AP or AP course. Students who receive a 3 or higher on AP course exams are eligible to receive college credit. Continue reading →

Countdown to 2014-2015: What’s new in HISD #9 — Lunch is free at 169 campuses

This is the second in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year. For online Nutrition Services, including information about school meal benefits, managing your child’s cafeteria account, menus, nutritional information, healthy recipes and the latest news, go to www.HoustonISD.org/NutritionServices.

Expansion of a federal pilot program is enabling Houston ISD to offer free lunches to students at 169 campuses in the 2014-2015 school year, regardless of family income — no applications required. Continue reading →

‘Workshop Wednesday’ event offers strategies for local businesses

HISD’s Business Assistance Supplier Diversity team joined Jamail and Smith Construction recently to help 20  local business professionals pitch their products and services during August’s Workshop Wednesday event.

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Countdown to 2014-2015: What’s new in HISD #10 — Big changes in high school

This is the first in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year.

For some students, high school planning used to involve plotting a college path, and for others a vocational path. Starting this August, under a package of state legislation known as House Bill 5, all ninth-grade students will be charting a personalized course that will combine academic rigor with potential career choices.

Ninth-graders — working with their parents and counselors — will be required to pursue a 26-credit Distinguished Level of Achievement basic graduation plan, including Algebra II. HISD opted for the more challenging plan because it makes students eligible for automatic admission into state universities, if they graduate in the top 10 percent of their class, and prepares them more fully for higher education or workforce training. Continue reading →

Furr freshmen focus on science, technology, team-building

Solar powered cars, goldfish surviving below soil, wind turbines that generate enough energy to light a house — these aren’t scenes from an environmental film. These student projects were on display as part of a STEM exhibit during the last week of the summer bridge program at Furr High School.

Students and teachers culminated nearly two weeks of activities to prepare incoming ninth-graders for high school by showcasing projects centered on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

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Israel trip delivers powerful life lessons to eight HISD students

Rising senior Mai Pham (CVHS) wades in the Sea of Galilee.

Rising senior Mai Pham (CVHS) wades in the Sea of Galilee.

Eight current and former HISD students got the trip of a lifetime recently, after spending four weeks in Israel courtesy of the Mickey Leland Kibbutzim Internship.

Students from Carnegie Vanguard High School (CVHS), the Houston Academy for International Studies (HAIS), Reagan High School, and Yates High School won eight of the ten spots available in the program, which is open to both rising seniors and recent graduates from Texas’ 18th Congressional District.

Continue reading →