Completing your FAFSA is the first step toward getting many different types of financial aid for school, and finishing the FAFSA early is the best way to maximize college-award packages.
Even though the federal government doesn’t have a firm deadline as to when FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) applications need to be completed, all 50 states do, and for Texas, the priority deadline is Jan. 15, 2020.
Continue readingWhile many have entered the new year with resolutions to get healthier, a group of students at Rucker Elementary School are taking time each day to put their hands to their hearts and close their eyes.
“Hands up, deep breath, stretch, and now let’s swing our bodies to the left and now the right,” HISD Social Worker Manager Nicole Batiste said.
For the next few minutes, students are led through a series of deep breathing and movement exercises designed to help participants be more mindful of their emotions and responses to have better self-control and ultimately better self-esteem.
Continue readingHouston Independent School District leaders on Thursday announced Yates High School’s new status as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, becoming the district’s fifth high school campus to receive official authorization to offer the Diploma Programme.
Yates will begin offering the IB Diploma Programme to juniors and seniors at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. The IB Diploma Programme is for students ages 16 to 19 and is currently offered at Bellaire, Chávez, Heights, and Lamar high schools.
Yates is one of nine HISD schools supported by the district as part of Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan’s initiative to expand the number of IB campuses in geographically diverse areas across the city.
Continue readingAgriculture Specialist Kierra Goosby spends much of her day outside, surveying and preparing school gardens for students to grow vegetables from seed to harvest.
Goosby’s passion for nutrition education began when she was teaching her family about healthy eating practices. Now, she shares with students what she’s learned over the years.
“It’s hard to explain in words the level of excitement they feel about planting seeds or watching them sprout,” Goosby said. “They’re excited about each step of the process. It’s very rewarding.”
Continue readingEach year, students across the district show off their oratory skills in the annual Martin Luther King Oratory Competition.
This year’s theme, “What would Dr. King’s vision be for America in 2020?” will be tackled by fourth- and fifth-graders from several HISD schools during the competition semifinals at 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 10 at Thompson Elementary School.
Continue readingSix star players with the Houston Texans, along with mascot Toro, surprised Blackshear Elementary School third-graders on Tuesday with a playoff pizza party.
Just five days before a divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Texans hosted the playoff celebration with safety Justin Reid, wide receiver DeAndre Carter, running backs Buddy Howell and Taiwan Jones, linebackers Tyrell Adams and Peter Kalambayi, who all enjoyed pizza and cookies with the students.
Continue readingHISD will host its fourth Parent University workshop from 5:15 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at two district locations: Key Middle School and Lamar High School.
The theme for the session will be “Attendance Matters.” The workshop will begin with a dinner and resource fair and will include information on district programs, parent engagement, community resources, and how parents can become active partners in the successful education of their children.
Continue readingGrowing up during the late 1970s and 1980s in Houston’s South Park neighborhood, Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby and his childhood friends could never tell that anyone around them was going without or in need.
It wasn’t until he was an adult, he said, that he came to understand more about some of the choices that his family had to make — like always cooking at home and never eating out — to stay within their budget.
“There are a lot of families that go without food during the holidays,” Busby said. “It’s important for us to do what we can do address their needs, especially during the holiday season.”
Continue readingThe meals served to HISD students undertake a unique journey before arriving at school cafeterias, and Research and Development Chef Christopher Keegan is an essential part of that process.
Keegan is responsible for producing tasty creations that are nutritious, cost-effective, easy to prepare at the school level, and have accessible ingredients.
“I enjoy coming up with dishes that don’t look like school food,” said Keegan, who works for HISD’s Nutrition Services. “I’m constantly looking through magazines and cookbooks. We’re starting to do more international dishes, and we’re also looking at some vegan recipes.”
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District’s 2019 Winter break begins on Friday, Dec. 20 for all students. Campuses and district offices will be closed for the break starting on Monday, Dec. 23.
Students will be on winter break from school starting on Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, through Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. Students will return to school on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020.
HISD central and administrative offices will be closed beginning Monday, Dec. 23, 2019, and will reopen for normal business hours on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020.
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