Author Archives: HISD Communications

Parents encouraged to register for 2019-2020 pre-K programs

All HISD campuses serving pre-kindergarten students are participating in a common registration window during the week of April 29 through May 3 for families to register children for pre-K classes for the 2019-2020 school year.

Offering a common week for registration allows the district and campuses to communicate and advertise to all school communities. However, parents do not have to wait for this window as schools are ready to register students right now.

HISD provides full-day pre-K programs focused on the development of literacy, math, and social skills that serve as the foundation for children’s success in their educational careers.

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Summer Student Leadership Program accepting applications for high school students and district alumni

HISD is currently accepting applications for its 2019 Summer Student Leadership Program, a six-week paid summer internship and leadership development program for HISD high school students and alumni currently enrolled in college.

In line with HISD’s mission to provide students with the tools to reach their full potential, the program addresses the need to expose students to fulfilling careers and skills employers demand in a rapidly changing world. Participants will gain valuable employment experience and have the opportunity to test-drive career pathways before choosing a college major or entering the workforce.

[su_document url=”https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/4/2019HISD Summer Leadership Program Flyer.pdf” height=”840″]

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Spring STAAR testing begins April 8

HISD students in grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 will be taking portions of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) beginning Monday, April 8. 

Students in grades 4 and 7 will be taking the writing portions, while students in grades 5 and 8 will be taking the math and reading portions. High-school students who are currently enrolled in or have completed English I and II will be taking the end-of-course (EOC) exam associated with that subject. 

The first spring test administration concludes on Thursday, April 18. Additional testing will take place in May and June. 

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City of Houston hosting recycling cart decorating contest

The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department in collaboration with Houston First and Discovery Green is hosting the seventh annual Cart Art Decorating Contest on Sunday, April 14.  

The Solid Waste Management department is challenging local Houston area schools to decorate a green, 96-gallon recycling cart with recycled materials and art supplies in the “Protect the Species” cart art decorating contest. The contest is open to local area elementary, middle and high schools.   

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All HISD 11th-graders to take School Day SAT on April 23

All HISD juniors will take the SAT during the regular school day on Tuesday, April 23.

To help them prepare for the test, Khan Academy has collaborated with CollegeBoard, the makers of the SAT, to create free, online personalized practice.

Students across the district have seen point increases of more than 500 points if they dedicate just 45 minutes to an hour each day on Khan Academy. According to CollegeBoard, 20 hours of SAT preparation with Khan Academy is associated with an average score increase of 115 points (nearly double the average score gain compared to students who do not use Khan Academy).

Student SAT scores are required by most two- and four-year colleges. Doing well on the SAT can secure both admission and a major scholarship—maybe even a full ride—for college. 

To begin preparing for the SAT on Khan Academy, students need to link their Khan and CollegeBoard accounts. Once the two are linked, students will be directed to the areas of study on which they need to focus. Students should visit http://houstonisd.org/khanacademy and follow the steps to create and link their accounts.


For questions or more information, contact Jennifer Ertel at JErtel@HoustonISD.org / 713-967-5231. Students, click here to begin.

HISD students to compete for scholarships during third annual Together with Tech contest

More than 250 high school students will present technology-based projects they have developed throughout the school year at HISD’s third annual Together with Tech Student Conference this weekend. 

Teams will compete by presenting the project to a panel of judges from companies such as Baker Hughes, ExxonMobil and Code Park Houston. 

The students’ projects must offer a tech-based solution to a defined problem for the communication, transportation, and justice fields. Products presented to the judges must fall into one of the following categories: mobile/web app, multimedia production or working model/prototype.

The top team in each category will receive $1,300 in scholarship money. 

The conference will also feature an expo where non-competing teams will showcase their projects, as well as interactive activities for attendees.

Students of all ages are invited to participate in activities that include a Learning.com Tech Playground, Adobe Spark Photo Booth and a STEM Hacking Workshop hosted by Microsoft. 

The competition and awards ceremony will be live streamed on HISD’s Instructional Technology YouTube channel starting at 8 a.m., Saturday, April 6. 

Port Houston ES students learn big life lessons in Dolphinville

At most schools, running in the halls is not permitted, but in Dolphinville – a student-run community within the walls of HISD’s Port Houston Elementary School – running is like speeding, and it can have costly consequences. 

“If a student is caught running by one of our Crimestoppers, then they are issued a speeding ticket,” said Port Houston Assistant Principal Shelby Smith. “And if you don’t pay off your ticket, you only get a portion of your paycheck.” 

Those “paychecks” help drive the Dolphinville community, which is part of IBC Bank’s Minitropolis Program, and is the first of its kind in Houston. The East Houston minitropolis mirrors a functioning, real-life city, complete with its own bank, grocery store and, of course, police department.  

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Strong sense of dedication to school community prompts Gallegos ES mom to spread the word

The rain held off just long enough this past Saturday for one Gallegos Elementary School parent to complete her mission of promoting her beloved neighborhood school.   

“I have loved this school ever since my oldest started here in pre-K. It feels like home,” said Amy Ortega, who has four children enrolled at Gallegos. “My kids are always happy to come school.” 

Ortega and group of parent volunteers and staff from Gallegos Elementary School came together for a door-to-door effort to help regain students whose parents have chosen non-district schools and to encourage first-time enrollment at the campus.  

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HISD Police Department K9 Sasha receives donation of body armor

HISD Police Department K9 Sasha has received a bullet and stab protective vest, thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.  

The vest was sponsored by Jason Dale, Black Forest Motorsport of Cheektowaga, N.Y. and embroidered with the sentiment “Born to Love-Trained to Serve-Loyal Always.” 

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) charity located in East Taunton, Mass. with a mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 3,300 protective vests in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a value of $5.7 million dollars.  

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