Yearly Archives: 2016

HISD Trustee Anna Eastman wins public elected official award

Houston Independent School District Board of Education Trustee Anna Eastman has been honored as the 2016 Public Elected Official of the Year by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Houston ISD District 1 Trustee Anna Eastman

Houston ISD District 1 Trustee Anna Eastman

The award recognizes outstanding service and contributions of an elected official who has shown leadership in the formulation of public policy, particularly areas that affect social justice, health care, education, civil and human rights, and social practice. The award is bestowed by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which has nearly 6,000 members and is committed to advancing the social work profession across the state.

The organization recognized Eastman for her role in supporting the expansion of a non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity within HISD, only the second district in Texas to do so. Eastman also introduced the Human Rights Campaign Welcoming Schools program to the district to provide educators with professional development tools to support LGBT youth and prevent bullying. Continue reading →

Dan De León named new principal of Sharpstown High School

Dan De León has been selected as the new principal of Sharpstown High School. He is currently the principal of The Rusk School, where he has served since 2015. De León began his career with HISD in 1988 as a teacher and has been the principal at Carrillo Elementary, Edison Middle, and Chavez High School. After graduating from HISD schools, De León earned a bachelor’s degree from Houston Baptist University and a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has completed graduate work at the University of Houston and Texas A&M University.

Organizations team up to offer reading incentive for Sherman ES students

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LyondellBasell and Changing Young Children’s Lives through Education (CYCLE) led Sherman Elementary School students in a pep rally to celebrate the organizations’ donation of $30,000 to the school.

CYCLE rewards students with new bicycles for achieving better academic performance in the classroom. The donation will support Sherman’s early childhood reading program, and the students will participate in CYCLE’s reading program throughout the 2016 fall semester. Students who reach their reading goals will be awarded one of several bicycles in December donated by LyondellBasell.

Barrick ES shows appreciation for HISD police officers with ‘Hug an Officer’ day

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Houston ISD police officers stopped by Barrick Elementary School on Friday to give students hugs as part of the school’s “Hug an Officer” day.

The event was created to show appreciation for local law enforcement and to encourage positive interactions between students and police officers. Officers visited various classes, offering hugs and answering questions about police work.

The HISD Police Department has nearly 210 police officers and is the only accredited public school district police department in the nation. The department responds to more than 81,380 calls per year across 300 square miles in the Houston area.

Lawson Middle School celebrates groundbreaking for new campus

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Nearly 500 students, staff, and school supporters attended a groundbreaking ceremony for Lawson Middle School on Friday to officially mark the start of construction on the new campus and to honor the dedicated educator for whom the school is now renamed.

Lawson is among 40 HISD schools being renovated or rebuilt as part of the 2012 Bond Program. The three-story, $59 million facility will be designed to accommodate up to 1,500 students and showcase their fine arts magnet program.

Continue reading →

A message from HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza 

The following is a message for the community from HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza in which he shares his excitement about joining HISD and a few of his goals for the district.

At the start of every new school year, I would get “butterflies,” whether I was a parent sending my child off to a new grade, a teacher meeting my next crop of young scholars, or a principal in charge of an entire campus. It’s no different as superintendent, but I promise you these are good butterflies – they signal excitement and anticipation about the great possibilities of what’s ahead.

The 2016-17 school year has begun, and my first act as your new superintendent was visiting several HISD campuses across this vast and diverse district on the first day of classes.

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Continue reading →

Attendance Awareness Month kicks off today, highlighting impact of absences on student achievement

attendance-facebook-bannerSeptember is National Attendance Awareness Month, and HISD’s goal this year, and every year, is to ensure every HISD student attends school regularly.

If students miss too much school – regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically.

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student success, starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. If a student misses just 10 days a year, by the time they graduate they will have missed more than a year of school!

Continue reading →

Volunteers needed for Grads Within Reach Walk on Sept. 10

HISD’s Drop Out Prevention Office is looking for volunteers to help with HISD’s annual Grads Within Reach walk, which will take place 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016.

Please help us visit the homes of students who have not returned for the 2016-2017 school year. These students must re-enroll in high school to complete the basic requirements for a high school diploma.

If you can help, fill out this form to register to walk with a group from the HISD high school of your choice. You will be able to select a high school when you complete the form.

For training materials, please email CSantos2@HoustonISD.org and a packet will be sent to you. For more information, click here.

For questions, please contact the Drop Out Prevention Office at 713-556-7017.