Yearly Archives: 2014

CFS gives thanks to its employees during appreciation luncheon

HISD Construction and Facility Services managers showed their gratitude for the hard work of each team member on Wednesday during the department’s annual appreciation luncheon. Employees were treated to a catered barbecue lunch served by managers and prizes, including gift cards and prize baskets, were handed out.

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Will you read to me? Read Houston Read mentors still needed

As a mother, HISD senior executive secretary Fatima Barnett remembers trips to the library and reading with her own children, who are now young adults and avid readers. That’s why she jumped at the chance to read to children at Woodson K-8 as part of the district’s Read Houston Read campaign.

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“Since we as employees are advocates for education, this should be an extension of all that we encompass,” said Barnett. “Volunteering for Read Houston Read is a great way to show our commitment.”

Barnett is just one of the many volunteers who are signing up to read to district first-graders through the program. By giving a child a half-hour to an hour of reading time, volunteers can encourage a lifetime love of literature. Continue reading →

Effective Teacher Fellowship looking for new recruits

Deadline to apply is Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015

Have you or someone you know ever thought about becoming a teacher? If you want to positively impact and influence a child’s life, then HISD’s Effective Teacher Fellowship (ETF) could be the program for you.

ETF is the district’s alternative certification program, which provides non-education majors with a different pathway to state certification and becoming a teacher. Recruitment is in full force, and ETF plans to accept at least 300 teachers for the 2015–2016 school year.  Continue reading →

Education Rainbow Challenge shows students the excitement of science and math

More than 500 students participate in annual event to boost their interest in STEM subjects, careers

Mathematics and science can be fun! Just ask any one of 500-plus students who participated in the Education Rainbow Challenge at Reagan High School on Saturday, Nov. 15. As part of HISD’s efforts to strengthen students’ skills in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), more than 500 students competed in two mathematics challenges and participated in science experiments at the annual event. Continue reading →

Sterling HS stakeholders hear about construction plans for new school

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Members of the Sterling High School community gathered Tuesday evening to review final design plans and hear about the construction timeline for the school’s new 21st century campus being built as part of HISD’s 2012 bond program.

Continue reading →

Fund for Teachers helps Garden Oaks educator renew her adventurous spirit

Deadline to apply for next year’s Fund for Teacher grants is Thursday, Jan. 29

When Shana Steinhardt applied for a Fund for Teachers grant earlier this year, she did so for a very specific reason.

Garden Oaks Montessori teacher Shana Steinhardt milks a camel (or a yak) while on a trip to Mongolia this summer. The trip was underwritten by a grant from Fund for Teachers.

Garden Oaks Montessori teacher Shana Steinhardt milks a yak while on a trip to Mongolia this summer. The trip was underwritten by a grant from Fund for Teachers.

“After 15 years of teaching, I risked becoming stagnant,” said the Garden Oaks Montessori social studies teacher. So to expand her knowledge of Asian culture, history, and ecology, Steinhardt traveled to the steppes of Mongolia, where she met with six different herding families living a nomadic lifestyle.

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Mock wedding ceremony joins math and reading at annual family night

Fleming Middle School recently hosted its annual Family Math Night for parents and students. This year’s event combined mathematics along with the district’s Literacy by 3 movement. The highlight of the evening was a mock wedding ceremony between “numeracy” and “literacy” in an effort to help parents and students understand how reading and math can be combined in the classroom to create academic success. Parents also got to actively participate in a variety of hands-on activities that reflected the daily work that their scholars are engaged in.

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Students learning how to pick ‘just-right’ books as part of Literacy by 3

HISD students learn the ‘five finger rule’ to ensure their selections aren’t too hard or too easy

HISD’s Literacy By 3 movement is now well underway, and teachers across the district are using fun and innovative methods to share critical concepts with students, such as the importance of choosing a “just-right” book to avoid frustration or lack of growth.

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HISD Police Department welcomes five new officers, promotes sergeant in ceremony

officersThe Houston Independent School District Police Department welcomed five new police officers to its family and promoted one of its own to the rank of sergeant on Monday.

Family members, friends and fellow law enforcement officers gathered at HISD police headquarters to celebrate the addition to the nation’s only accredited public school district police department.

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HISD’s Business Operations developing new customer service initiative

Courtney Franks, a business analyst in Risk Management.

Courtney Franks, a business analyst in HISD’s Risk Management Department.

HISD’s Business Operations Department is hard at work behind the scenes on its new customer service initiative, which is geared to maximize the positive impact district employees can have on their customers.

Over the past several months, the department has hosted Service Excellence training workshops for both managers and employees. During the sessions, employees learn key elements that affect the customer service experience and tools to improve the experience through the eyes of students, parents, teachers, administrators and the greater HISD community of businesses and neighborhoods.

Continue reading →