Monthly Archives: June 2015
Workshops helping teachers become better writing instructors
A series of writing workshops for HISD educators is giving teachers new tools for showing students how to become better writers.
In the June 11 workshop, participants practiced the technique of selecting a “seed topic” to inspire students’ writing through personal memories and experiences.
“When something is meaningful and important to you, you can tell a better story,” said Thompson ES teacher Lenora Green. “Just a prompt can be anything and may not be meaningful to you, but…if it means something, you’ll do a great job at it.”
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Read Sunnyside Read helps students develop financial literacy skills, too
Students at one school in Houston’s Sunnyside community got a chance to build a foundation of financial savvy alongside their reading skills recently, during a four-day literacy camp sponsored by Capital One and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
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About 50 children in grades 1 through 3 took part in the “Literacy for Life – Choices, Character, Careers and College” program at Woodson K–8 during the week of June 11. Activities in math and reading were combined to help students learn basic financial concepts, such as how to set up checking and savings accounts, what a “bounced” check is, and how credit cards work.
Yates HS grad wins her second Daytime Emmy
In this week’s I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Daytime Emmy winner (and Jack Yates School of Communications Class of 1982 member) Kim Gagne discusses when she realized a career in television was her destiny, how she landed her first job in TV, and the journey that took her from covering crack houses on crime beats to producing “The Steve Harvey Show.”
Kim Gagne as a fresh Yates HS graduate in 1982…
You have been in the television business for more than 20 years and are now the supervising producer of “The Steve Harvey Show.” How did you get your start and how did that lead to where you are now?
Well, after graduating from the University of St. Thomas in ‘86, I got an internship at FOX 26 in the Community Affairs Department. The news director, Will Wright, got sick of me begging him for a job. I literally begged him to put me in the newsroom. Every time I saw him in the cafeteria or anywhere, I would ask him when he was going to put me in the newsroom. Finally, one day he told me he had a spot on the assignment desk and that was my start. I knew I had to get a job in that building and I had to get that job or any job at FOX.
HISD schools, offices closed Tuesday as precautionary measure due to pending weather conditions
| Offices to re-open, classes to resume Wednesday
Houston Independent School District schools and offices will be closed Tuesday, June 16 as a precautionary measure because of pending inclement weather and the related potential for dangerous road conditions. HISD officials have been closely monitoring the weather forecast and have determined that storms and heavy rains predicted for parts of the Houston area may make for dangerous driving Tuesday afternoon. As a result, all HISD schools and district administrative offices will be closed Tuesday as a precautionary measure. All district events — including professional development and recruiting sessions — also will be canceled. Schools and offices are expected to re-open at their regularly scheduled time on Wednesday, June 17. Should that change due to deteriorating weather conditions, we will notify you. For additional updates, please visit www.houstonisd.org, or call the HISD Inclement Weather Hotline at 713-267-1704. You also can follow the district on Twitter and Facebook: twitter.com/houstonisd and facebook.com/houstonisd. |
Nutrition Services now hiring warehouse drivers, attendants
HISD’s Nutrition Services Department will be hosting a job fair for warehouse drivers and attendants on Tuesday, June 23, 2015.
The fair will take place from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. at the Nutrition Services Support Facility (6801 Bennington, 77028).
Summer Bridge program preparing Futures Academy students for success
Rising sophomores get tips from former Futures Academy students and EMERGE fellows
The journey from high school to college to a career can be challenging, but HISD’s Futures Academy is helping students develop the skills they’ll need to get there.
The Summer Bridge Program is arming rising high school sophomores with critical knowledge in the areas of time management, team building, communication, and money management. Four sessions are scheduled for June and feature classes taught by Futures Academy and EMERGE alumni.
“One way we thought this message would resonate with students is by having former HISD Futures Academy and EMERGE students returning from their first year in college lead the sessions,” said Michael Love, assistant superintendent of the Futures Academy. “This allows the students to learn directly from peers who recently walked the same hallways as them.”
Linked Learning gives recent grads a jump on public works careers
Students from Furr and Chávez high schools tour largest wastewater facility in the city
The source of our water is becoming the source of a career for several HISD graduates. Fifteen students who just graduated from Furr HS and Chávez HS were selected to partake in a three-week class on water maintenance that will result in them gaining Class D water operator licenses as well as eligibility for employment with the City of Houston Public Works Department.
The class is a part of HISD’s Linked Learning initiative, which combines academics and hands-on learning to prepare students for real-world experiences and career pathways.
HISD Board of Education votes to continue offering maximum local homestead exemption
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education voted Thursday to give homeowners an additional tax break by continuing to offer a local homestead exemption that goes above and beyond the standard state exemption.
This year, the state Legislature raised the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000 through Senate Bill 1, which is subject to voter approval in November. In addition to the state’s exemption, HISD homeowners take an additional 20 percent off the appraised value of their property, the highest homestead exemption allowed by the state.
Last year, this local homestead exemption saved HISD homeowners more than $134 million in property taxes. That is an additional annual savings of about $667 for the owner of a $278,637 home, which is the average home value in HISD.
Trustees are scheduled to meet again next week to consider the budget for the 2015-2016 school year. The board will meet June 15 to review the budget and again on June 18 to adopt the budget. Trustees must formally approve the budget before it can go into effect for the 2015-2016 school year.
HISD Transportation hosting mobile recruitment event to hire bus drivers
The Houston Independent School District is kicking off a weeklong mobile recruitment event to hire additional bus drivers for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. Four HISD mobile hiring buses are scheduled to make appearances at 18 locations throughout Houston, where qualified candidates may be hired on the spot.
All new school bus drivers will receive at least 30 hours of paid training throughout the school year and are eligible for financial incentive payments, including a $250 sign-on bonus and a $900 attendance incentive.