HISD’s Furr High School has won a $10 million Super School Project grant, beating out thousands of other schools who applied from across the nation.
The five-year grant, awarded by the XQ Institute, began with a call for innovative ideas for redesigning traditional American high schools to prepare students for college and the workforce. Only 10 schools were awarded grants. Continue reading
Fifty-two seniors from six Houston Independent School District high schools qualified as semifinalists this week in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
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 nearly $33 million in scholarships that will be awarded next year.
The students attend Bellaire, Booker T. Washington, Carnegie Vanguard, and Lamar high schools, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, and the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. Continue reading
Is your child Gifted and Talented? And if so, where should you send them to school?
HISD’s Advanced Academics department is offering two parent-information sessions on Gifted and Talented, often referred to as simply G/T, at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support, 4400 W. 18th Street, 77092, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, and Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016.
Know an outstanding teacher who deserves kudos and free Chick-fil-A? Then nominate them for Telemundo/Chick-fil-A’s Teacher of the Month program.
The partnership seeks to recognize HISD educators who inspire their students, are involved in the community, and routinely go above and beyond in the classroom. Continue reading
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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and a team of volunteers from Booker T. Washington High School walked the neighborhood on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, knocking on doors and talking to dropouts about returning to school. They were part of a team of volunteers from HISD high schools participated in the district’s annual Grads Within Reach walk and convinced students across the city to come back to school and continue their education.
This month’s Workshop Wednesday featured a presentation from Melissa Rascon, managing partner and founder of The Rascon CPA Firm, who discussed business strategies to grow a small business as well as tax updates and tips.
“When you start your business, it’s so important to have a passion for what you do and be very deliberate in your plans,” Rascon said. “A positive attitude and state of mind are essential.”
Rascon also discussed the pros and cons of various corporate structures, the importance of focusing on sales every day, and which numbers a business owner should keep an eye on.
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Foster Elementary partnered with the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation, Quanex, and EWI on on Wednesday for the school’s “Jungle Book Reveal.”
These organizations helped the school build a jungle-themed reading nook in the school library and also provided second-grade students with free books, backpacks and school supplies.
“The creation of this Jungle Nook is aligned with the Literacy by 3 initiative, as well as our push to ensure that all students become literate on our campus,” said Foster Elementary School Principal Eric Tingle.
Neil Bush was on hand address the second-graders, and speakers from each of the organizations also participated.
All second-graders also received a free copy of the book “The Day the Crayon Quit,” which was signed by Texans Cheerleaders in attendance.
Principals network with more than 120 city, county, and nonprofit service providers to help serve their students and families
HISD principals were able to connect with more than 120 different city, county, and nonprofit service providers available to their students and families as part of the district’s first ever Wrap-Around Services Summit.
The summit, held at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Sept. 7, was designed as a networking opportunity for campuses to identify resources available to their school communities in the areas of behavior and medical related services, parent education, vocational/workforce training, and other social services.
“Some schools may not even know what exists out there,” said District V Trustee Mike Lunceford. “There is an assortment of organizations who have the ability to help our children, and we need to reach out and make sure that all of our schools benefit from these services.” Continue reading
Connie Smith has been selected as the new principal of Thomas Middle School. She brings to the position more than 18 years of experience in secondary schools. She began her career as a high school biology teacher in the New Orleans Parish School System before moving to Houston and becoming a science teacher at Jackson Middle School. In 2010, Smith became assistant principal, and later she was the dean of instruction at Ortiz Middle School. In 2014, she was promoted to the principal of Kelso Elementary School, where she served the district for two years. Smith has a bachelor of science in biology from Dillard University and a masters in educational mid-management from Prairie View A&M University.
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Weekly campus tours also planned; applications accepted Sept. 30 through Dec. 9
The Houston Independent School District Office of School Choice will host five School Choice Fairs and offer weekly campus tours at all magnet campuses throughout the fall semester for families to meet with magnet representatives and learn about the 2017-2018 application process, which begins Sept. 30.
Families will be able to attend a fair to learn more about the district’s 119 Magnet programs, which specialize in areas such as fine arts, language studies, college and career readiness and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math).