Author Archives: HISD Communications

Mandarin Immersion Magnet School celebrates new building with grand opening ceremony

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The Mandarin Immersion Magnet School (MIMS) on Monday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the school’s new Galleria-area building.

The $32.2 million school, part of HISD’s 2012 bond program, is one of six new campuses that opened across the district for the start of the 2016-2017 school year.

More than 100 supporters of the school, including State Rep. Gene Wu and Houston City Council Member Mike Laster, turned out for the event, which featured student performances, special presentations, a reception, and a tour of the new 119,000-square-foot facility.

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With earlier opening date for FAFSA, roadshows planned to educate families on financial aid process 

The Department of Education has moved the opening date for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1 this year and is allowing students and families to use their prior-year tax return to complete their FAFSA.

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While the earlier opening date gives students more time to complete their FAFSA, many colleges have moved their priority deadlines for submitting the FAFSA to earlier in the year, with some as early as Dec. 1.

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Family fun awaits at HIPPY Fall Festival 

HISD’s Family and Community Engagement Department invites you to join the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program this Saturday, Oct. 29 for a fun family affair during its Fall Festival.

Attendees will be able to enjoy games, arts and crafts, snacks, prizes, music, educational resources, and are encouraged to dress up in their favorite costume.

Parents will also have access to a wealth of information from various community partners, including access to signing up for Ready Rosie, HISD’s newest partnership offering a free resource for parents of children 0-6 years old. Additional community resources, from early childhood information to other social services organization, will be available.

Location: Parking lot of Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church (2201 Tuam Ave., 77004)

Date: Saturday, Oct. 29

Time: 8 a.m. – noon.

Everyone is welcome, so come out and bring your family and friends.

Early voting begins on HISD Proposition 1 recapture payment

Early voting is underway in an election that includes a measure critical to HISD students and the community: Proposition 1.

Voters will be asked to decide whether to authorize a payment of $162 million in local property tax dollars from HISD to the state by purchasing “attendance credits.” The Proposition 1 ballot language will read:

Authorizing the board of trustees of Houston Independent School District to purchase attendance credits from the state with local tax revenues.

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Grand opening planned to celebrate new Mandarin Immersion Magnet School

Mandarin Immersion Magnet School will host a grand opening on Oct. 24 to celebrate the completion of its new building, which was built as part of the 2012 Bond Program.

The new school — the first of its kind in Texas when it was first launched in 2012 — formally opened its doors to students in August. Located just west of the Galleria on West Alabama Street, the $32.2-million, 120,000-square-foot facility is designed to accommodate up to 950 students.

The school was designed around a sun and moon concept. In accordance with the concept, bright colored learning spaces and academic areas are located in the sun wing, which represents energy. Common areas and community spaces — such as the cafeteria and gym — are in the moon wing, which represents reflection. The building also features a soaring, three-story atrium housing the central library and learning commons areas.

The grand opening will be held at the new school on Monday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.

Mandarin is among 40 schools — including 29 high schools — being renovated or rebuilt as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. By the end of 2016, construction will be underway on nearly three dozen campuses — more than at any other time in the district’s history. Once all work is complete, HISD will boast of one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the nation.

 

Transportation manager credited for saving bus driver’s life

Northwest Terminal Area Manager Terriel Price

Northwest Terminal Area Manager Terriel Price

When HISD bus driver Liliam Lemus fell ill shortly after returning from her route on Monday, Northwest Motor Pool Area Manager Terriel Price jumped into action.

Relying on training provided by HISD Transportation Services, Price performed CPR after Lemus stopped breathing.

“We called first responders and her relatives to let them know what was going on,” Price said. “While I had 911 on the phone, that’s when I performed CPR.”

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Program trains students with developmental challenges to thrive in office environment

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HISD has several programs to help young adults with significant disabilities transition successfully from high school to a productive adult life. In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month , we are featuring three of these programs. This is the second in the series. Read the first in the series, about students at the Houston Food Bank, here.

Eleven interns arrive at their classroom in the administrative offices of the Texas Children’s Health Plan at 8:30 a.m. every morning and spend an hour with their teacher, Lisa Mangum, before fanning out to work in various departments – collating documents, making phone calls, and manning copy machines.

These young adults, ages 18-22, attended HISD high schools before being accepted into a Project SEARCH program that is training them to work in an office environment.

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HISD and MD Anderson partner for youth tobacco prevention program   

Dr. George Wilding, Vice Provost, Clinical & Interdisciplinary Research MD Anderson; from left, Angela Borzon, HISD Director of Instructional Technology; Felicia Ceaser-White, HISD Manager of Health and Physical Education; Maureen Cagley, Vice President, Academic Operations MD Anderson (and HISD graduate and HISD parent); Dr. Grenita Lathan, HISD Chief Academic Officer; Dr. Dmitrovsky, Provost and Executive Vice President MD Anderson; Annie Wolfe, HISD Officer of Secondary Curriculum and Development; Dr. Alex Prokhorov, Professor, Behavioral Science; pose for a photograph after announcing a partnership during a Houston ISD Board of Trustee meeting, October 13, 2016.

All middle and high students will be provided with smoking prevention curriculum developed by cancer center

HISD and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have reached a first-of-its-kind agreement to provide access to an evidence-based, youth-oriented tobacco prevention and cessation program for all 110,000 HISD middle and high school students.

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HISD trustees accept $7.5 million gift for HSPVA

The HISD Board of Education on Thursday accepted a $7.5 million gift from the Kinder Foundation that will pay for construction upgrades and equipment for the new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

The vote was 7-2, with trustees Manuel Rodríguez Jr., Wanda Adams, Michael Lunceford, Anna Eastman, Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Harvin Moore and Greg Meyers in favor. Trustees Jolanda Jones and Diana Dávila were opposed.

The new campus, which is now under construction in downtown Houston, will be renamed the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in recognition of the gift.

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Students learn valuable life skills through H.E.A.R.T. internships at Houston Food Bank 

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HISD has several programs to help young adults with significant disabilities transition successfully from high school to a productive adult life. In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, we will be featuring three of these programs. This is the first in the series. Read the second in the series, about students thriving in an office environment, here.

Gracie, 19, is an outgoing Sharpstown International High School student. She gets up early, dresses in a purple or grey HISD polo shirt and khaki pants, and catches the school bus to the Houston Food Bank. She has a job to do.

Gracie is one of 17 HISD students with developmental disabilities working as interns at the Houston Food Bank through a partnership with H.E.A.R.T (Housing, Entrepreneurship, and Readiness Training). The students, ages 18-22, officially will graduate once their internships are complete.

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