Author Archives: HISD Communications

HISD police chief and leadership team take oath of office

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Houston Independent School District Police Chief Paul Cordova and five members of his leadership team were publicly sworn in during a special ceremony held Wednesday at Crime Stoppers of Houston.

HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan administered the oath of office to Cordova and noted that, by taking the oath, the officers are publicly pledging their commitment to keeping students and staff safe.

“We live in a time where we can’t take things for granted,” Lathan said. “The officers that we are recognizing today are heroes. They are passionate not just about their jobs, but also about the safety of our students and staff.” Continue reading →

Interim superintendent welcomes district leadership back for 2018-2019 school year 

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More than 1,000 principals, deans, assistant principals and district leaders packed Delmar Fieldhouse on Aug. 11 for the district’s annual Welcome Back event.

Each year, campus and district leadership gather at the beginning of the school year to celebrate the successes of the previous year and outline the goals, initiatives and challenges for the 2018-2019 school year.

Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan outlined her strategic vision for the 2018-2019 school year, which spreads the message of putting all children first, regardless of their background, and ensuring they receive a high-quality education.   Continue reading →

HISD asking parents to complete socioeconomic form

The Houston Independent School District will provide free breakfast and lunch to students at no charge for the 2018-2019 school year, but parents will need to fill out a new form to ensure Title I funding for HISD schools.

All HISD schools are now qualified to operate under the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Community Eligibility Provision, which allows HISD to provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner at no charge to all students, eliminating the need for free and reduced-price meal applications.

While parents will not need to complete and return a free and reduced-price meal application, they will need to complete a socioeconomic form (see below), known as the blue form.

In order for campuses to receive their Title I funding, HISD is still required to collect and report the socioeconomic status of each students to the Texas Education Agency. Continue reading →

Richard Peña named new principal of Sherman Elementary School

Richard Peña, Tijerina Elementary (Houston Independent School District)Richard Peña has been selected as the new principal of Sherman Elementary School. Peña began his 20-year career with HISD as a second-grade bilingual teacher at Allen (now Kennedy) Elementary School, and has served as an instructional specialist, literacy coach and team leader. He most recently served as principal of Tijerina Elementary School. While at Travis Elementary School, he was nominated for Assistant Principal of the Year. Additionally, he served as an assistant principal for six years in Aldine ISD, HISD and Spring ISD. Peña holds a Master of Educational Leadership from Lamar University and a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies from University of Houston.

Incoming freshmen at South Early College HS get an early start 

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Over 80 incoming South Early College High School freshmen are participating in the school’s annual Summer Bridge program in which students focus on core academic subjects, team building, career and college readiness, collaborative learning, and field trips.

Over the course of two weeks, students attend mini-workshops from Houston Community College faculty and staff on topics about dual credit, library services, counseling, advising, campus safety and classroom etiquette. Students also take the Texas Success Initiative, which is the college entrance exam.  Continue reading →

Record-setting 13 HISD schools set to open for the 2018-2019 school year

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This month, more than a dozen schools will formally open to students for the start of the 2018-2019 school year – the largest number of building openings at one time in district history.

“We’re excited to turn these new buildings over to the schools,” HISD Construction Services Officer Derrick Sanders said. “I think we’ve created wonderful new 21st century learning environments for the students, and we can’t wait to see them enjoying the new facilities.” Continue reading →

HISD to provide meals to students at no charge for 2018-2019 school year

Parents of Houston Independent School District students soon will have one less expense, as Nutrition Services has announced that all students will eat meals at no charge during the 2018-2019 school year.

All HISD schools are now qualified to operate under the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Community Eligibility Provision, which allows HISD to provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner at no charge to all students, eliminating the need for free and reduced-price meal applications.

The program allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve meals at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Schools are eligible for the program if they have a certain percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced meals based on their participation in programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Continue reading →

HISD welcomes more than 1,000 new teachers to the district 

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With only three weeks left until the first day of school, HISD welcomed more than 1,000 new Team HISD members at Kingdom Builders’ Center for the district’s annual New Teacher Academy (NTA).

This year’s theme was “HISD New Teacher YOUniversity,” and offered training on effective instructional practices, curriculum resources, and networking opportunities for teachers and their campus coworkers.

“The purpose of New Teacher Academy is to serve as a road map for new teacher induction, development and support,” Senior Manager for Academics Gail McGee said.   Continue reading →

New principals gain insights at district’s annual New Leadership Institute 

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While students and teachers soak in the remaining days of summer, HISD welcomed principals at the district’s annual New Leadership Institute (NLI) during the month of July.

The 10-day intensive training for newly appointed principals was created to bridge the knowledge gap for the administrators as they prepare to take on the role of campus leader.

“It’s important for our principals to utilize NLI as a way to fill their toolbox with strategies and resources that will help them succeed in their first year as a principal,” Leadership Development Senior Manager Tanya Yeromenko said.  Continue reading →

HISD to offer free flu shots to all students for 2018-2019 school year 

The Houston Independent School District is partnering with Healthy Schools to offer free flu vaccines to students during the 2018-2019 school year.

A team of nurses and other staff from Healthy Schools will rotate to each campus for half-day clinics beginning in October through December.

Parents will be able to consent electronically or through a print copy. All parent consent forms and translations will be provided to campuses, and parents can either complete the form and submit to the campus prior to clinics or have their child bring the completed form on the day of clinic. Continue reading →