Author Archives: HISD Communications

Dowling MS holds second community meeting to provide update on new school

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Dowling Middle School held its second community meeting on Tuesday evening to brief stakeholders on the design process for a 21st century learning environment, which is being built under the district’s 2012 bond program.

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Schools: Want to start/expand a garden? Apply for a grant!

Does your school want to start a garden or expand an existing one? The National Gardening Association is taking applications for Youth Garden Grants!

Interested schools must fill out an application that details how many children will participate in the garden program, if the school’s garden program faces any special needs or challenges, the educational goals of the garden, and more. Schools can visit this website see all of the questions they need to answer before they begin filling out the application. Continue reading →

Experience the benefits of yoga on Nov. 7

About 25,000 students in 51 HISD schools participate in yoga-style classes twice a week, and on Nov. 7 you can get a taste of the program that’s helping students personally and academically.

The Wanderlust 108 Festival features a large-scale, 90-minute yoga class and guided mindfulness exercise led by top teachers. There will also be a 5k run, musical performances, and more.

The event, which will be held at Buffalo Bayou Park from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., normally commands a $60 entry fee, but HISD parents can get an 83 percent discount! Visit this website and use the code “sonimalove” to get a reduced price of $10. Students can get in for free by using the code “HISD.” (Note: You will need to make separate transactions to use both discount codes.)

HISD has partnered with the Sonima Foundation since 2013. The yoga-style classes held in 51 campuses include stretching, relaxation techniques, and lessons about nutrition. The curriculum is designed to minimize stress, reduce bullying and violence, increase attendance, and improve academic performance. By the 2018–2019 school year, the district plans to have the program in place at 273 schools.

Upcoming HISD football games to be rescheduled due to weekend storms

Four Houston Independent School District varsity football games planned for this weekend are being rescheduled as a result of schedule conflicts caused by the recent storm. The schedule conflicts were created when two games on Saturday, Oct. 24 — Yates vs. Davis and Washington vs. Wheatley — had to be moved to Monday, Oct. 26 because of inclement weather. Continue reading →

Muralist’s artwork across HISD recognized during city’s annual Proud Partner Awards

The Houston Independent School District on Monday received a Proud Partner Award from Mayor Annise Parker, honoring the murals of Israeli expatriate Anat Ronen, who has work featured at nearly a dozen HISD schools.

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From left: Kim Urban, Accounting Manager for HISD’s Construction and Facilities Services, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and HISD Energy and Sustainability Senior Manager Kellie Williams.

The 31st annual Mayor’s Proud Partner Awards, hosted by Keep Houston Beautiful, recognized outstanding work by local organizations and individuals who work to create, enhance, and maintain the landscape of Houston through environmental and beautification projects.

Read more about artist Anat Ronen

The district also received honorable mentions for two other initiatives: The Green Schools Challenge and Houston ISD Recycle. Under HISD’s Energy and Sustainability Department, the programs aim to implement environmental awareness and energy efficiency projects throughout the district.

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HISD project-by-project analysis shows 2012 Bond could need additional $212 million

The Houston Independent School District could need up to $212.4 million in additional funding for 2012 bond projects, according to a comprehensive, project-by-project analysis completed by district officials.

[su_box title=”Download” box_color=”#ededed” title_color=”#000000″ radius=”5″]2012 Bond Project-By-Project Analysis[/su_box]

The review was done to outline how much additional funding the district potentially could need to ensure all work is completed as initially described in the 2012 bond election. Continue reading →

HISD, Houston Symphony, BBVA Compass announce new music program at Crespo ES

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Houston Independent School District, Houston Symphony and BBVA Compass announced Friday a joint partnership that will integrate the Houston Symphony and orchestral music into the lives of students in grades 3-5 at Crespo Elementary School in southeast Houston.

The Houston Symphony School Residency at Crespo Elementary presented by BBVA Compass, in its pilot phase during the 2015-16 school year, will be structured around lessons, instrument demonstrations and performances. Continue reading →

Service Excellence ‘Employees of the Month’ recognized for October

Four HISD employees were selected as October’s Employee of the month for Service Excellence and recognized during a special breakfast on Wednesday morning.

Each month, HISD’s Business Operations department hosts the event to celebrate employees from the areas of Transportation, Police, Nutrition Services, Construction and Facilities Services, and Business Assistance who provide exceptional customer service throughout the district. Continue reading →

Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) set the stage for student success

This year, in nearly 200 classrooms at nine HISD elementary schools, parents are experiencing a new kind of parent-teacher conference that gives them the tools both to expand their children’s learning and to monitor their progress.

Schools in their second or third years of implementing the Academy Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT) program are continuing to perfect and expand the new model of meetings to empower parents to help their children learn outside of school.

Eliot, Gallegos, Kennedy, Mitchell, Piney Point, Shadowbriar, and Tijerina elementary schools, as well as Fonwood Early Childhood Center and the Wharton Dual Language Academy, all recently completed their first round of fall APTT meetings.

The model replaces traditional parent-teacher conferences with three 75-minute group meetings involving all parents in the class, and one 30-minute individual session with the student, teacher, and parents. During group meetings, teachers share student performance data and expectations for the class, review skills, and model hands-on activities parents can do at home to help their children master skills. Parents practice the activities at home with their kids over a 60-day period until their next meeting, when they can again review the data and see how their child has progressed. Continue reading →