The HISD Board of Education is saddened by the unexpected death of its longtime District III Trustee Manual Rodriguez two years before his term of office is set to expire in December 2019. Trustee Rodriguez represented District III since 2003. The Board plans to fill the vacancy by appointment at a duly posted meeting on or before August 17, 2017. Qualified candidates residing within District III should submit resumes/letters of interest by email to the HISD Board Services Office, Attention: Veronica Mabasa, at Vmabasa@houstonisd.org not later than Friday, August 11, 2017 at 5 p.m. Continue reading
Author Archives: HISD Communications
HISD Trustees to host ceremony naming board auditorium after Trustee Manuel Rodríguez Jr.
The HISD Board of Trustees continues to mourn the loss of longtime Board of Trustees member Manuel Rodríguez Jr. In an effort to celebrate his life and memory, the board voted unanimously during its monthly agenda review session to name the board auditorium at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center the Manuel Rodríguez Jr. Board Auditorium.
Prior to the monthly Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, Aug. 10, the board will host a reception to commemorate the renaming. That celebration is open to the public and will include a proclamation by Trustee Rodríguez’s longtime friend, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and other presentations.
“Trustee Rodríguez spent 14 years fighting in this auditorium for the students in District III and across the district to have access to the highest quality education HISD could provide for them,” says Board President Wanda Adams. “We remain saddened by his loss, but it was only fitting that we do this small gesture to remind everyone of the warrior that fought here for so long.”
“The decision the board made to name the auditorium after Trustee Rodríguez shows the level of respect they all have for the work he did throughout his tenure to make HISD a better place for all students,” said Superintendent Richard Carranza. “From now on, every time anyone walks into the board auditorium, they will be reminded of a man who dedicated years to helping our students.”
The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. in the lobby of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. There will be a ribbon-cutting around 4:30 p.m., and a brief video presentation inside the newly-named auditorium. The board will proceed with its regularly scheduled meeting immediately following the ceremony.
Please RSVP to ywences@HoustonISD.org by Aug. 8.
Read Houston Read volunteers needed for 2017-2018 school year
HISD’s Read Houston Read program will soon kick off its fourth school year, and volunteers are needed once a week to read to a first-grade student — either in person or online.
The goal of Read Houston Read is to instill a love of reading in children, while giving Houstonians an opportunity to give back to their community. The program is part of the district’s Literacy by 3 movement, which aims to have all students reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade.
If you have friends or family who might be interested in volunteering, encourage them to sign up at this link. All volunteers are required to pass a background check each year and attend a training session, which is online. From there, volunteers can pick a participating school and schedule weekly sessions with a student.
Optional Experienced Volunteer Refresher Trainings will be held on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Please click here to sign up for the 1:30-2:30 p.m. session or the 3-4 p.m. session. Volunteers will receive an email as soon as campus volunteer opportunities are available, which should be the beginning of October.
Former Gov. Mark White, HISD school namesake, passes away
Former Texas Gov. Mark White addresses the crowd during a dedication ceremony at Mark White Elementary School on December 13, 2016.
Former Texas Gov. Mark White, namesake for HISD’s Mark White Elementary School and a longtime champion for the district and public education, passed away on Saturday at the age of 77.
White, a former chairman of the HISD Foundation, was deeply involved in the planning of the $23.4 million French dual language school, which bears his name and opened for the 2016-2017 school year.
At the grand opening celebration for the school last year, White acknowledged the significance of having the new building dedicated in his honor. Continue reading
New structure to strengthen student interventions
Campus-based Intervention Assistance Team liaison to train teachers during pre-service
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The HISD Office of Interventions is implementing a new initiative and new structure for the 2017-2018 school year aimed at directly helping campuses strengthen student interventions.
Part of the new initiative is the appointment of campus-based liaisons at all schools who will work directly with the district’s Intervention Assistance Team (IAT) managers to better serve students with tiered instruction. The IAT manager structure has also been reorganized to align with the regions of the seven chief school officers and a new position, Director of Interventions, has been created. Continue reading
Procurement takes home top award for second year
National Purchasing Institute recognizes HISD for excellence
For the second year in a row, HISD’s Procurement Services Department has taken home top honors from The National Purchasing Institute.
Just last month, the NPI awarded HISD the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award, which is earned by organizations that have demonstrated excellence through an evaluation that measures innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement, and leadership. Continue reading
Workshop Wednesday: Protecting your business from loss
Workshop Wednesday this month featured Dane Bubela, vice president at Frost Insurance, who discussed how carrying the proper insurance can protect your business from unexpected loss.
Bubela told the group of about 25 attendees that obtaining appropriate coverage can give business owners peace of mind from knowing that their assets, from the building and its contents to employees and inventory, are protected. Continue reading
Wilson Montessori construction passes the halfway mark
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The Wilson Montessori K-8 campus is beginning to take a new form as crews continue building a three-story addition and gymnasium, both of which are now more than halfway complete.
The Montrose-area school is receiving $18.9 million under the voter-approved 2012 Bond program. The project includes construction of a new three-story addition, as well as renovations to the existing facility, which was built in 1924.
The renovation work, which includes updates to the library, reception area, and other rooms, could be completed as early as this summer. Work on the new addition will continue into the next school year.
Teach Forward Houston fellows meet at UH Summer Bridge
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A new cohort of Teach Forward Houston students just wrapped up Summer Bridge 2017 at University of Houston, where they lived in the dorms and attended orientation and classes for four days.
The week began with an opening ceremony with last year’s fellows, who will be sophomores this fall. Summer Bridge exposed the new UH students to Cougar Culture, best practices for studying, advice regarding health and wellness, and financial planning to ensure they survive college life. Summer Bridge 2017 ended with a celebratory lunch with family, HISD officials, and UH College of Education (UHCOE) representatives. Continue reading
New teachers join Houston Food Bank to help feed local kids
A group of teachers new to HISD for 2017-2018 school year kicked off their introduction to the district on a very positive note Monday by volunteering at the Houston Food Bank.
The new teachers, a few from as far away as Spain, joined an assembly line process to sort and pack food supplies for the HISD families and many surrounding counties.
“The children deserve all of our efforts and all of our hours together to put together the food they need to have the nutrition that they need to learn,” said Idrisa Abdul-Hamid, HISD senior manager for Onboarding.
For more information on volunteering with the Houston Food Bank, go to HoustonFoodBank.org/Volunteer