Monthly Archives: May 2015

Hearing student to attend advanced ASL summer workshop at Gallaudet

NathanBrunell_300Nathan Brunell, a junior at HISD’s Westside High School, will be immersing himself in deaf culture this summer after being selected to attend an exclusive American Sign Language (ASL) program at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Nathan is one of only 48 high-school students chosen from across the country to participate in the 10-day program, which is for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students. Gallaudet is the only university in the world designed specifically to serve deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and only experienced signers at the intermediate level or higher were considered for the workshop.

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Help pick the ‘Fan Favorite’ among HISD campus Teachers of the Year

Winner to be announced May 15 at Celebration of Excellence

New this year at the HISD Celebration of Excellence is the Fan Favorite award. Over the past week, HISD staff, students, and alumni have been voting for their favorite campus-based Teacher of the Year, as designated by schools across the district. More than 25,000 votes were submitted and tallied—and the top two elementary, middle, and high school teachers are moving on to round two of voting. The top six finalists are:

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Briargrove ES students learn about connecting with environment

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The Briargrove Elementary School community celebrated Earth Day this year with plenty of activities, including their fifth annual Earth Day Picnic for the Planet on May 1.

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Register now to attend May 13 teacher job fair

District seeking highly effective educators to produce global graduates

Join Team HISD and help us produce global graduates. The district is hosting a job fair on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, and we’re seeking effective teachers to join our team.

Please note: You must first apply for a teaching position using our online application system by clicking here.

  • If you are a Texas certified teacher, please be prepared to provide evidence of your credentials
  • If you are an Alternative Certification Program candidate, please upload your Letter of Acceptance, Statement of Eligibility, and university transcripts

Interested teachers who have completed the online application and been approved by the Talent Acquisition team will receive additional details about the job fair, including its time and location.

Principals will be on hand to interview highly qualified candidates and will be prepared to extend on-the-spot job offers.

The district strongly encourages bilingual, secondary math and science, and special education candidates to apply and attend.

If you have any questions, please email teacherselection@houstonisd.org.

Middle school students win Target shopping spree

The Moran Norris Foundation is treating 150 students from six HISD middle schools to a shopping spree on Friday, May 8, 2015, at Target South Central, 6500 South Main, 77025.

In the “Shopping for Good Character” program, students from Cullen, Dowling, McReynolds, Marshall, and M.C. Williams middle schools, as well as Woodson Leadership Academy, were selected by their teachers for excellent attendance, great character, and the ability to make good choices. Each student receives $100 to purchase items for themselves and family members. They are also treated to lunch, courtesy of the foundation.

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Parker ES stakeholders hear about plans for new school

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Parker Elementary parents and community members gathered at the school Tuesday evening to hear the project team present the latest design plans and timeline for construction of a new school.

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Trustee Wanda Adams to host District IX community meeting May 7

HISD Board of Education member Wanda Adams, who represents District IX, will be hosting a community meeting to discuss STAAR and promotion requirements from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2015, at Hines-Caldwell Elementary School (5515 West Orem 77085).

The meeting will feature a presentation on the STAAR exam, followed by a panel discussion, and a question and answer session. Special Assistant to the Superintendent Dan Gohl and Director of District Testing Julia Amponsah-Glider will lead the presentation and panel.

“I want all the parents in District IX to understand what their child needs to do in order to be successful in their educational pursuits, which includes understanding the STAAR test, and promotion standards,” said Trustee Adams.

For more information about the meeting, contact the HISD Family and Community Engagement Department at 713-556-7290.

Hamilton MS ‘Scratch Off’ contest gives students a taste of coding careers

The team from McGowen ES, who won first place in the beginner division

The team from McGowen ES, who won first place in the beginner division

About 50 teams of students from various HISD elementary and middle schools came together on the campus of Hamilton Middle School May 2, and all were eager to test their mettle as coders in the school’s inaugural “Scratch Off” contest.

Named in honor of the free programming language developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the competition challenged students to complete 20 tasks using Scratch, such as making an animated character called a “sprite” change color or move in particular ways on the screen.

By the time the competition was over, Pin Oak Middle School had nailed down the victory in the advanced division, while a team of students from McGowen Elementary School took home the laurels in the beginner division. Continue reading →

Books Between Kids expands its efforts to include Pre-K students

Children at five HISD early childhood centers to receive free books for summer reading

Pre-kindergarten students at Gabriela Mistral Early Childhood Center giggled with happiness as they picked out books to keep for their very own.

The children were digging through some of the 2,000 gently used books donated to that campus by Books Between Kids, so that each child could take home six books to start their at-home libraries. Continue reading →