Yearly Archives: 2016

HISD to celebrate College Signing Day as part of White House education initiative

The Houston Independent School District will commemorate national College Signing Day on Tuesday, April 26 by encouraging high school seniors to tout their college acceptance letters and wear college paraphernalia as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Better Make Room and Reach Higher initiatives to celebrate education.

HISD will host its College Signing Day event at Austin High School, where more than 300 high school seniors will be recognized for their academic excellence. The event will bring together students, administrators, teachers, school counselors and parents to celebrate seniors who are headed to college, thanks to academic scholarships. Many of the students will be the first in their families to attend college. Continue reading →

Nutrition Services jumps into action to help schools affected by flooding

nutrition_services

Maria Aristondo prepares emergency sack lunches for HISD kitchens affected by recent flooding.

During the recent heavy storms that swept the Houston area and the resulting flooding, Nutrition Services staff members were quick to respond.

Some HISD schools were left soggy and unable to prepare student meals in their school’s cafeterias. Cue the Nutrition Services shipping kitchen, 800 sack lunches were prepared in fewer than 15 minutes.

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Construction on the new Lee HS moves forward despite heavy rains

Heavy rain and flooding throughout the Houston area may have slowed down many this week, but construction at the new Lee High School work site continued to move forward.

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Located on Houston’s west side, the $73.8 million, 240,000-square-foot facility is being rebuilt as a modern learning environment that will accommodate 1,700 to 1,900 students.

“The school looks like it’s going up pretty fast, and I’m really happy given the weather lately,” said Lee Principal Jonathan Trinh. “The community appreciates having a new school. With the neighborhood surrounding the school going through renovations now, we’re hoping the new campus will kick start and revitalize the area.”

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Wharton renovation, expansion plans presented to community; construction to start soon

Once construction is complete, the new Wharton Dual Language Academy will feature new learning spaces and labs, a new gym and library, an interior courtyard preserving heritage trees, and a grand, three-story, glass entryway.

Designs plans for the school’s renovation and new addition were detailed to nearly 100 Wharton parents and community members Thursday night during  community meeting at the Wharton campus.

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The project is part of the Houston Independent School District’s 2012 Bond Program, which calls for renovation or replacement of 40 schools across the district. Construction at Wharton is expected to start later this year, with the Montrose-area school expected to re-open its doors in fall of 2018.

The project will expand the school’s capacity up to 900 students and eliminate all the temporary buildings from the site.

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Author shares her book series, its canine inspiration with Askew and Bush ES students

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Students at Askew and Barbara Bush elementary schools on Thursday got a special visit from children’s book author Susan Edwards and her four-legged muse, Otto.

Edwards, who goes by the pseudonym Grace Birch, treated the students to readings from her book series “The Adventures of Otto Von Schnoodle,” including the latest installment, “Otto Goes to the Dentist.” Students also were delighted to see Otto the schnoodle, who is a schnauzer-poodle mix.

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Upcoming School Choice Fair extends options for families

Despite recent heavy rains, schools that still have open seats will be available to discuss options with parents at the annual School Choice Fair on Saturday, April 23. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St.), and offers a glimpse of the many enrichment and highly focused programs still waiting for students after the magnet deadline.

Some Vanguard programs with available seats include Read to the Final Four finalist Carillo Elementary School, and De Zavala Elementary School. Also with seats available, Eastwood Academy offers classes that focus on college and career readiness.

Parents looking for programs that offer dual language or language immersion should look into the Arabic Immersion Magnet School, Wainright Elementary School, or Roosevelt Elementary School. And if STEM is a top priority, Blackshear Elementary School and Fondren Middle School might be an option.

Jones and Long Futures Academies offer students a chance to earn an associate’s degree while they work toward a high school diploma. The options are endless, and parents should take advantage of the opportunity to learn more.

Here’s a list of the schools currently scheduled to participate in the fair:

AIMS

Black Middle School

Blackshear Elementary

Burbank Middle School

Burnet Elementary

Carrillo Elementary

Crespo Elementary

Crockett Elementary

Davis High School

De Zavala Elementary

Dowling Middle School

Energized for Excellence Early Childhood

Energized for Excellence Elementary

Energized for Excellence MS

Energized for STEM HS

Energized for STEM MS

Fondren Middle SchoolGarden Villas Elementary

Gregory-Lincoln K-8

Hamilton MS

Hartsfield Elementary

 HSLECJ

Inspired for Excellence Academy

Jones Futures Academy

Long Academy

Marshall Middle School

MC Williams Middle School

Mickey Leland YMCPA

Middle College at Felix Fraga

Middle College at Gulfton

Ortiz Middle School

Roosevelt Elementary

Ross Elementary

Scarborough High School

Texas Connections Academy

The Rusk School

Wainwright Elementary

Welch Middle School

Westbury High School

Whidby Elementary

 

Jordan HS student chefs take top honors at Houston’s Cooking Up Change competition

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The temperature and emotions were high as seven culinary teams chopped, sliced, sautéed and baked for top culinary honors at this year’s Houston Cooking Up Change competition. Students from four HISD high schools participated in the contest for a chance to represent the district at the national finals in Washington, D.C. Barbara Jordan High School juniors Lilian Morua and Rocio Morin won the competition that was held April 16 at the Art Institute of Houston.

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Help determine the ‘Fan Favorite’ for HISD’s Educators of the Year banquet

HISD will honor teachers and principals at a superhero-themed ceremony on Friday, May 20. HISD’s Educators of the Year banquet, sponsored by Cigna, will reveal the district’ elementary and secondary Teachers of the Year, but back by popular demand, will also be the announcement of the “Fan Favorite.”

The districtwide elementary and secondary Teachers of the Year are determined using performance data and other criteria, but last year the Fan Favorite category was created so the HISD community could vote on social media for their favorite elementary and secondary teacher.

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JJ Watt surprises Jane Long Academy students at pizza party 

Watt_JaneLongLast week, the JJ Watt Foundation made Jane Long Academy Principal Marci Baez take a vow of secrecy.

She was invited to bring 10 of her students to a pizza party on Saturday where they would meet the Houston Texans superstar, but Baez couldn’t tell them any details prior to the event.

So she told 10 students on the football team where to go with their parents and only said it involved a pizza party.

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