Author Archives: HISD Communications

Superintendent outlines priorities at ‘Welcome Back’ event

Achieve 180, wraparound services, and restorative justice practices are priorities for 2017-2018 school year

Superintendent Richard Carranza outlined HISD’s top priorities for the 2017-2018 school year to school and district leaders at the annual “Welcome Back” back event on August 11.

Nearly 1,200 principals, deans, assistant principals, and district leaders packed Delmar Fieldhouse to hear Carranza’s message, which celebrated the successes of the previous year and outlined goals, initiatives, and challenges for the coming year.

Continue reading →

HISD Summer graduation ceremony set for Aug. 19 at TSU

Hundreds of students from as many as 42 HISD high schools will collect their diplomas as part of the district’s annual summer graduation ceremony.

There will be only one ceremony, and it takes place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, at Texas Southern University in the Health and Physical Education Building, which is located on Wheeler Ave. at Ennis St. in Houston, 77004.

HISD Chief Academic Officer Grenita Lathan will emcee the celebration.

The graduating students have successfully completed summer school and/or passed their State of Texas assessments.

Officers challenged to ‘make a difference’ at HISD Police awards luncheon

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HISD Police Chief Robert Mock encouraged his officers to get to know and build relationships with students, as he addressed the group at the department’s 20^th Annual Awards Luncheon on Friday.

“You have the ability get to know these students and intervene in their lives,” Mock said. “I challenge each one of you to choose to make a difference.”

HISD police officers, personnel, and family members gathered at Brady’s Landing restaurant for the event, which celebrates the achievements, contributions, and outstanding customer service provided by the department during the academic school year. Continue reading →

Community gathers to honor late Trustee Rodríguez at board auditorium naming ceremony

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The family of late District III Trustee Manuel Rodríguez Jr., along with elected officials, educators, and community members, gathered at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Thursday to dedicate the board auditorium in his name.

Rodríguez, who passed away July 19, was a lifelong public servant and a trustee for 14 years. He was also a product of HISD schools, graduating from Austin High School in 1970 after attending Franklin Elementary and McReynolds Middle schools. His wife and four children also attended HISD schools.

“Today is a day of joy as we leave behind a legacy for the Rodríguez family,” said HISD Board of Education President Wanda Adams. Continue reading →

Fifth Ward community members tour the new Mickey Leland

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Excitement and nostalgia filled the air as community members from the historic Fifth Ward flocked to the new Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men on Friday to get their first glimpse of the new campus.

Roughly 50 school stakeholders and community dignitaries — including Gaston Leland, brother of late Congressman and school namesake Mickey Leland — crowded into the robotics lab, eager to see and learn about the facility, which is set to open to students for the first day of school on Aug. 28. Continue reading →

Reliant Energy donates generator to Energy Institute HS during annual school supply donation event

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Each year, Reliant Energy donates school supplies to HISD schools in August, but this year the company added something extra—a Goal Zero Yeti generator valued at more than $2,000.

The lucky recipients are the students at Energy Institute High School, and they saw a demonstration of the small but powerful generator during their freshman orientation on Aug. 10.

“We’re confident that demonstrating our portable Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium generator will give the event a unique STEM focus,” said NRG Retail Charitable Foundation representative Leanne Schneider. “It will combine the school’s cutting-edge approach with the buzz of renewable energy.” Continue reading →

Eastwood Academy to open new CTE building by year’s end

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Students returning to Eastwood Academy this fall will see plenty of construction activity around the campus as crews work to finish the first addition — known as the blue wing — in time for a December move-in.

“We were hoping that the entire project would be finished by December, but we understand things can change for a variety of reasons,” Eastwood Academy Principal Brandi Lira said. “I see progress every day and will be happy to move into the blue wing in a few months.”

The project has seen delays due largely to unforeseen conditions, including the discovery of a large in-ground swimming pool, which had been filled with dirt and camouflaged with ground cover. Workers also found underground utility lines and storage spaces that were not documented on city site maps. Continue reading →

Ask HISD Superintendent Carranza your back-to-school questions

Parents and community members can have their back-to-school questions answered by the superintendent and learn more about what’s new in the 2017-18 school year by tuning in to a live, interactive broadcast on Monday, Aug. 21.

Superintendent Carranza and his staff will take questions during a discussion that will be streamed live on HoustonISD.org, Facebook.com/HoustonISD, and on HISD-TV (Comcast 18 and Uverse 99).

There will be two opportunities to join in the conversation: from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for Spanish-speaking community members, and from 7 to 8 p.m. for English-speaking community members.

Parents can submit questions ahead of time by emailing Back2School@HoustonISD.org , posting a Tweet with the hashtag #Back2School, or posting a question at Facebook.com/HoustonISD. Questions can also be submitted during the live event.

The live broadcast will also provide an opportunity for the community to learn more about HISD’s initiatives for the new school year, including Achieve180, which is a plan to support the district’s 32 underserved campuses; restorative justice practices; wraparound services; and literacy. There will also be an update on the district’s new bond schools, nutrition in HISD, and fine arts.

Magnet application deadline for Phase 3 is Aug. 11 

Parents who would still like to apply for a magnet school for the 2017-2018 school year or would like to reapply to a school at which their original magnet application was dropped or released have until Friday, August 11, 2017, to do so.

Applications from eligible HISD-resident students will be considered first. Parents who accept an offered seat are asked to return a signed entrance agreement and proof of residency to their Magnet program. Parents may accept an offer to only one program, and magnet applications submitted after the August 11 deadline will not be considered.

Parents who created online accounts can find the results posted on their dashboards, and letters were sent out by U.S. mail to all parents who submitted an application.

For a complete list of campuses with space available, see this link (PDF). For additional information, see the School Choice page here.

Parents should email Magnet@houstonisd.org with questions.

New construction at Garden Oaks makes great strides

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Construction at Garden Oaks Montessori is gaining ground as the school’s two new building additions are more than a quarter of the way complete and renovations to the existing building are underway.

The construction of the two new additions are a key feature of the $26.7 million project, which is part of the HISD voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. Roof installation is complete on the two-story addition, which is being outfitted with doors and windows. On the three-story addition, steel work is complete and roofing is underway.

Renovations to the library and installation of the steel framing for the cafeteria expansion also are underway, and the new circle drive is halfway done.