Yearly Archives: 2015

Sign up now to participate in Green Apple Day of Service

GADOS_WebBadge_2015-07For the fourth year in a row, students and staff throughout HISD will participate in environmentally friendly activities for Green Apple Day of Service on Sept. 26, and the district is encouraging all schools and departments to participate.

The event, sponsored by HISD’s Energy and Sustainability department and the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, give students, teachers and community members the opportunity to create a healthy and productive school environments through local service projects.

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HISD Board of Education approves signing/retention bonuses for teachers in struggling schools

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday voted to expand the current signing and retention bonus program to include teachers in core subjects at struggling schools.

The $5,000 annual bonus is part of a pilot program proposed by district administration. Eligibility is based on campus, as well as grade and subject taught. Teachers must be assigned to subjects in third through 12th grades that are tested by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. This includes high school level STAAR End-of-Course exams. Continue reading →

Dr. Terry Grier stepping down as HISD superintendent

Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier on Thursday announced his decision to end his six-year tenure as the leader of Texas’ largest school district, effective March 1, 2016. Dr. Grier assumed the superintendency with unanimous school board approval in September 2009, promising to improve student academic achievement, slash the dropout rate, and re-establish HISD as the best urban school district in America.

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Through student-centered innovation and an unwavering focus on equity, Dr. Grier opened doors for students that had previously been closed: to Ivy League schools, advanced coursework, project-based learning, and millions of dollars in scholarships. Continue reading →

Arabic Immersion Magnet School holds grand opening celebration


HISD marked the formal debut of its Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) with a grand opening celebration on Wednesday.

“When Dr. Grier mentioned the possibility of opening this campus a little less than two years ago at the State of the Schools luncheon, I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” said Principal Kate Adams. “At the time, I was dean of instruction at an international studies early college high school in HISD, but I had also just recently become a mom. The idea of opening an Arabic immersion school seemed exciting, because it’s exactly the kind of school I wanted for my own daughter, one that’s preparing her to be a competent member of the global economy.”

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Leaders issue call-to-action for parents: Stay involved in education

In many ways, parents act as their children’s first teachers, and local leaders want that influence to continue even after young people start school.

Representatives from HISD, Children at Risk, Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, Early Matters, and Collaborative for Children joined forces during a press conference at Cunningham Elementary School on Sept. 3 to promote that message and encourage parents to make the most of the resources available to them.

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HISD Chamber of Commerce and schools partnering to create ‘global graduates’

Members honored for their commitment to prepare students for the workforce

Ever wonder what qualities employers are looking for in today’s workforce? High school principals got a chance to hear that first-hand from local industry and business leaders during a recent HISD Chamber of Commerce meeting. The chamber, which is made up of members from Houston’s key industries, provides the district with guidance on how to improve school-based career programming in order to better meet our area’s workforce needs.

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HISD Board of Education to consider signing/retention bonuses for select teachers

Bonuses would go to teachers in core subject areas at hard-to-staff schools 

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider expanding the current signing and retention bonus program to include select teachers in core subjects at certain hard-to-staff schools.

The $5,000 annual bonus is part of a pilot program proposed by district administration. Eligibility is based on campus, as well as grade and subject taught. Teachers must be assigned to subjects in third through 12th grades that are tested by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. This includes high school level STAAR End-of-Course exams.

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63 HISD students named National Merit semifinalists

Sixty-three seniors from six Houston Independent School District high schools qualified as semifinalists this week in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. HISD had 56 semifinalists last year.

The HISD students are among 16,000 from across the country to earn the semifinalist designation, allowing them the opportunity to continue in the academic competition and vie for more than $32 million in scholarships that will be awarded in the spring.

They attend Bellaire, Carnegie Vanguard, and Lamar high schools, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Eastwood Academy, and the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. Continue reading →

School supply donation excites students at Windsor Village ES

HISD community partner Kroger helps 48 HISD schools

School children always look forward to Fridays, but the students at Windsor Village Elementary School had an exceptional Friday on Sept. 4, when they received some much-needed school supplies. Kroger, a valued HISD community partner, donated the supplies to the school, which was one of 48 HISD schools chosen as beneficiaries this year.

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‘Support Our Science’ initiative kicks off at Sherman ES

Campus is one of only two in America selected to receive comprehensive STEM program

Students and faculty at Sherman Elementary School got a sneak preview of the numerous fun and fascinating activities that await them this year on Sept. 9, when representatives from Discovery Education and the Science Channel came to the campus to kick off the year-long Support Our Science initiative.

Discovery Ed Curriculum Specialist Patti Duncan led a number of entertaining demonstrations to illustrate various science concepts, such as an explosive combination of Diet Coke and Mentos that brings gas out of solution.

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