Monthly Archives: March 2015

Hispanic Parent Summit connects families with the resources they need most

“My child wants to be the president of the Unites States of America. How can I help her?”

That was just one of the many questions asked this past Saturday at the Hispanic Parent Summit held at Anderson Elementary School. The summit connected parents from schools all over District IX to representatives from HISD’s Literacy, College and Career Readiness, and Multilingual departments, as well as Houston Community College, University of Houston, Catholic Charities, Houston Public Library, and many more.

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HISD Board of Education postpones vote on plans to reduce classroom overcrowding

[su_box title=”UPDATE” style=”soft” box_color=”#CA602C” title_color=”#ffffff” radius=”5″]Proposals to reduce classroom overcrowding have been withdrawn from HISD board agenda and won’t be voted on tonight. More details to come.[/su_box]

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider making adjustments to a handful of elementary school attendance boundaries in an effort to reduce classroom overcrowding.

The trustees will review a modified proposal that gives all currently enrolled students — and incoming kindergarten students — the option to attend the school to which they are currently zoned. All other students who are enrolling for the first time for the 2015-2016 school year will fall under the newly drawn boundaries. Continue reading →

Construction ramps up at Sterling HS and other Group 1 schools

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The building site at Sterling High School is buzzing with activity these days as construction is progressing on the school’s new 21st century building.

To date, the drilled foundation piers are 95% complete; the underground electrical, plumbing, storm and sanitary sewer installation is in progress; and the building pad is complete and ready for concrete to be poured in the coming weeks.

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Students create exhibit in honor of Selma anniversary

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Eastwood Academy’s Student Leadership class created an exhibit in honor of the 50th anniversary of the march on Selma Bridge. They went to see the movie and were inspired to set up an area at the school where students and staff could reflect on social injustices while listening to Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech. See a quick video here.

St. George Place featured in governor’s new video

When Gov. Greg Abbott outlines his emergency items as governor in a new video, early education takes the top spot, along with one of HISD’s elementary schools. Abbott toured pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade classrooms at the School at St. George Place on Feb. 26, 2015, and met with district leaders afterward. Read more about his proposal to allocate $200 million to fund half-day pre-K programs throughout Texas here.

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STAAR EOC tutorials available online for high school students

Students can access 24-7 via the HUB

Every student in Texas must pass five end-of-course exams in order to graduate, and HISD has created a series of online tutorials to help students prepare for the state exams. HISD high school students can access the tutorials — including videos, handouts, and helpful links — through the HUB, which is the district’s online teaching and learning platform.   Students can click here (.pdf) for a tip sheet on how to access them or they can go directly to the HUB at www.houstonisd.org/hub and use their district login and password.

The tutorials were created and designed by a team of HISD teachers, teacher developments specialists, and representatives from curriculum, academics, and the schools’ office.  They are designed to be self-paced and can be accessed by students 24-hours a day—at school, home, or anywhere with an Internet connection through a computer, tablet or smartphone. The material can also be downloaded and viewed offline. Quizzes are also provided to assess mastery of the coursework.

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Student wins recognition, concert tickets through Reliant

Front row (L to R): Elizabeth Bandercan, German Lerma's soccer coach at Johnston, and one of his teachers, Kristen Aust. Back row (L to R): Rainatu Gabisi, Yolanda Guillory, and Sid Evans from Reliant; winner German Lerman; nominating teacher Lanena Berry; Johnston teacher William Aust; and Johnston MS Assistant Principal Claran Johnson.

Front row (L to R): Elizabeth Bandercan, German Lerma’s soccer coach at Johnston, and one of his teachers, Kristen Aust. Back row (L to R): Rainatu Gabisi, Yolanda Guillory, and Sid Evans from Reliant; winner German Lerma; nominating teacher Lanena Berry; Johnston teacher William Aust; and Johnston MS Assistant Principal Claran Johnson.

An HISD student recently was named a grand prize winner in the Reliant Student Recognition Program. Johnston Middle School student German Lerma was selected for his academic achievement, outstanding citizenship, and improved academic performance.

Lerma was nominated by his principal, teachers, and parents. For this honor, he received four premier tickets to see the Fallout Boys in concert at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo on March 8.

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Certification brings success to companies that do business with HISD

Workshop Wednesday this month featured “Being Certified, Brings Success” presented by Kelly Knez, client engagement manager with KellyMitchell, a women-owned IT consulting and staffing company. Attendees received valuable advice and information on the benefits to qualified companies associated with becoming M/WBE certified.

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eNews Highlight: Playing the waiting game

Earlier this year, Olaide Sode put the finishing touches on the last of 23 separate applications she submitted to various colleges and universities.

She has already received acceptance letters from two in-state schools, but the others remain a tantalizing mystery.

Read more about how the Carnegie Vanguard High School is dealing with the suspense of not knowing in the March 6, 2015, edition of eNews.

Other stories in this week’s edition include:  Continue reading →