Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson came with lots of toys during a visit to Bastian Elementary School on Dec. 2. Johnson, accompanied by Houston Texans cheerleaders, gave students bikes and toys and took photos with students as part of his annual toy giveaway event.
Photos by KHOU
Thanksgiving came a little earlier than usual for a dozen needy HISD students this year, but they were still delighted to receive free turkey dinners with all the trimmings from local members of the National Latino Peace Officers Association (NLPOA).
Community asked to spend at least 30 minutes a week reading to a child
HISD and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation encouraged Houstonians to volunteer for the Read Houston Read literacy program in honor of ‘Giving Tuesday’ — a day specifically established to celebrate generosity and give back.
Kolter ES one of 51 campuses across the country to win in random drawing
Kolter Elementary School is the lucky school from Texas to win $10,000 worth of laptops for registering to participate in the Hour of Code, through which millions of students will spend at least one hour learning about computer science next week.
Challenging program lets students work in the field, earn college credit
The Futures Academy of Petroleum Engineering Technology at Furr High School is preparing students to pursue college degrees in fields such as engineering and business administration at four-year universities.
The academy was designed to train students to work as engineering technicians in the downstream and midstream petroleum industry. Students complete coursework in areas such as hydrocarbon safety, oil exploration and drilling and receive career training as part of a partnership with the Houston Community College and companies in engineering.
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A new video released by HISD highlights the importance of community involvement in the planning and design process of the new Parker Elementary School.
Schools across district to take part in ‘Hour of Code’ Dec. 8-14
At HISD’s Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan (BCMA), proficiency in computer science is not just encouraged, but expected. The school offers a computer programming course on building web applications as part of the curriculum and as an elective.
“Our goal is to offer this course to every student between grades six through eight,” said BCMA Principal Jyoti Malhan. “A coding class is critical for my students, and the most important reason I offered it is the need for our kids to learn coding and programming to be better prepared for the workforce.”
A team of 40 school educators and district support staff recently traveled to California for a site visit of five schools that have successfully combined core academics with career-based knowledge and skills in collaborative and research-intensive learning environments known as Linked Learning. Continue reading
Fifth-graders use ‘Leader in Me’ principles to conduct annual ‘hot toy’ survey
Students at HISD’s Longfellow Elementary School have been polling their school-mates for the past 15 years to determine the hottest toys each holiday season, but this year, they took a slightly different approach.
Volunteer to read with an HISD first-grader in person or virtually
Would you like to volunteer for Read Houston Read?
Sign up for Read Houston Read by clicking here. Show your support by downloading the attached badge and add it to your Facebook page or share it on Twitter.
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It’s the time of year to give back, and as part of the national “Giving Tuesday” movement, HISD is asking Houstonians to sign up for Read Houston Read and give a struggling student some of their time—listening, caring, and sharing the joy of reading.
This year, Giving Tuesday, a national day of giving that encourages Americans to donate to a charitable organization, falls on Tuesday, Dec. 2. HISD is encouraging folks to spend a few moments of their time that day signing up to be a volunteer at www.readhoustonread.com. As part of the program, volunteers spend half an hour to an hour each week—either in person or virtually—mentoring a child and listening to them read aloud.
HISD is encouraging local businesses and corporations, as well as their central office employees, to sign up for the program. Many, like HISD Senior Executive Secretary Fatima Barnett, have already started mentoring students. Continue reading