Middle school can be a tough time for many children, especially overage students who are one or two grades behind their peers. That’s why HISD offers a special school to get these youngsters back on track.
It’s called High School Ahead and it is essentially a campus for over-age middle-school students that provides an accelerated curriculum, compressing two years of instruction into one.
Ernie Vita, who just finished the ninth grade at CVHS, nocks his arrow in P.E. class
Jamie Scott, a science teacher at Carnegie Vanguard High School (CVHS), has been demonstrating various principles of physics to her students this year using archery sets purchased with a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) grant.
The $11,000 grant from TPWD’s Community Outdoor Outreach Program also allowed Scott to buy camping equipment for the school’s ECO (Environment, Community, and Outdoor) Club, and purchase tools and plants to convert the school’s green roof into a “pocket prairie,” with help from the Katy Prairie Conservancy.
HART member Judy Harwell, dressed up as Mickey Mouse from “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” hands out books at Burnet ES.
Aside from current educators, there is probably no group of people more passionate about the need for developing literacy skills in children than retired teachers. That’s why the Houston Association for Retired Teachers (HART) has been selecting one HISD school per year since 2000 to receive free books.
This year, Burnet Elementary School was the lucky beneficiary, and members of HART dropped by on May 15 to distribute one free book to each student.
“Studies show that when kids read for fun, they have a better chance of becoming strong readers,” said Principal Ana Cantu. “HART has helped our students have that opportunity by giving them brand new books of their own.”
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All year long, caring volunteers from across Houston have been helping HISD students read by simply going online. But on May 29, students at Paige Elementary School got to meet their mentors in the flesh.
TutorMate is a web tool that allows mentors to tutor students via the internet. It was incorporated into HISD’s Read Houston Read program as a part of its Literacy By 3 initiative, which aims to have every child reading well by the end of Grade 3.
It’s been a little over a year since HISD launched its “EMERG-ing Voices” blog to highlight five talented students from underserved communities on their journey toward higher education, and in that time, students’ blog posts have explored a wide—and often entertaining—range of topics.
This year, thanks to generous donations from the HISD Foundation and Smart Financial, HISD’s Cool To Be Smart program was able to award two lucky students – one junior and one senior – with a car.
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The Houston Independent School District is opening up more than 200 school cafeterias this summer to provide free breakfast and lunch to children in the community.
The Summer Meals Program, offered every year by HISD’s Nutrition Services Department, is designed to ensure all students have access to healthy meals — even when school isn’t in session. Continue reading
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Sometimes you just need to dance to a Taylor Swift song. Special Education students and staff at Halpin Early Childhood Center acted on such an urge last week. During their Special Education Awards Day on May 22, they debuted a video of the whole community dancing to Swift’s single “Shake It Off.”
Roberts Elementary School English teacher Jennifer Heemer was recently “Caught in the Act” of great instruction during a lesson on how to compose an essay. An HISD video crew, along with Chief Elementary Curriculum and Development Officer Lance Menster, surprised Heemer and her students and captured the video below.
The “Caught in the Act”—or CIA—video campaign was started by HISD to recognize highly effective teachers who are delivering instruction that will lead to students become Global Graduates: young men and women who possess the skills necessary to ensure success in college and the ability to compete in today’s global workforce.
Katherine Miranda cited for her leadership, compassion, and generosity of spirit
Sharpstown International School (SIS) has among its students an exceptional eighth-grader who epitomizes the quality of character that the Luby’s Achieving Character Together (ACT) program is looking for. Katherine Miranda was recognized on May 28, 2015, during the final assembly of the school year, as Luby’s ACT grand prize winner. Continue reading