Author Archives: HISD Communications

Johnston MS student’s story published on Teen Ink website

Sandy Ramirez, an eighth-grader at HISD’s Johnston Middle School, became a published author recently when one of her short stories was selected for inclusion on the youth-driven website, Teen Ink.

“Isaac the Element” was the very first thing she wrote in teacher Mark Dostert’s unit on short fiction, and it was included in the “realistic fiction” category on the Teen Ink website. Sandy said she wrote it “to express my empathy to children whose parents argue and fight.”

You can read the full entry here.

Seniors invited to Texas College Night

High school seniors will be able to meet with representatives of public colleges and universities from across Texas in one place on Oct. 28, an early release day for most HISD high schools.

Texas College Night will be held at the University of Houston’s Cullen Performance Hall (4800 Calhoun Road, 77004). Students and their families will be able to talk with representatives from more than 30 Texas universities and local scholarship providers from 3:45 to 5:55 p.m. A formal program, scheduled for 6:15–7:15 p.m., will feature a panel of HISD graduates, and Texas State Sen. Rodney Ellis as the keynote speaker.
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HISD celebrates National School Lunch Week with middle school nutrition, cooking lessons

Houston Independent School District students are getting the chance to try Texas-grown squash and watermelon and make their own sweet potato muffins as part of National School Lunch Week.

National School Lunch Week was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as a way to recognize the federally-funded National School Lunch Program, which sets guidelines to ensure students have access to nutritionally-balanced, healthy meals every day.

Nutrition Services is celebrating the week by introducing the Nutrition Services Culinary Team, a group that will provide nutrition education classes and cooking demonstrations to middle school students on Thursday and Friday. Students will learn how to make sweet potato muffins during the classes. Continue reading →

Board of Education to vote on class-size waivers for 2015-2016 school year

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education is expected to vote Thursday on a plan to submit 875 class-size waivers to the state for fall 2015 – a 40 percent decrease compared with fall 2014.

State law requires kindergarten through fourth-grade classes to have no more than 22 students per classroom. Classes that exceed that number must request a waiver from the Texas Education Agency.  Continue reading →

Woodson K–8 awarded $100,000 Fitness Center by national foundation

Students at Woodson K–8 are exercising their bodies as well as their brains thanks to a brand-new, state-of-the-art fitness center awarded to them by the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC) and funded in part by Coca-Cola and Nike. The Live Positively fitness center was awarded to approximately three schools in each state for showing innovation in their fitness and nutrition programs.

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“I was a fat kid with a stutter growing up, and my dad bought me a set of weights.” said Jake ‘Body By Jake’ Steinfeld, chairman and spokesperson for the program. “Not only did weights build my body, but they built my confidence and self-esteem.”

Studies have shown that physical activity improves academic achievement and reduces discipline problems and absenteeism. The NFGFC hopes to build a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world. Continue reading →

PSAT Administration Day sets stage for National Merit Scholarships

Thousands of HISD freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will take the first step toward earning a National Merit Scholarship on Oct. 14, when they take the PSAT during the school day at their respective campuses.

The PSAT measures college readiness, and is offered to HISD students free of charge on the district’s PSAT Administration Day. Students will take the exam in the morning for up to three hours. The test includes sections on math, critical reading, and writing.

“It might be tempting to think that the PSAT stands for ‘Practice’ SAT, but it’s actually the preliminary SAT,” said Jharrett Bryantt with the HISD College Readiness Department. “It’s an exam given to HISD students in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades. What’s important about it is it’s the exam that qualifies you for the National Merit Scholarship.” Continue reading →

HISD recommending no increase in property tax rates for 2015-2016

Homeowners in the Houston Independent School District won’t see an increase in property tax rates for the 2015-2016 school year under a proposal being submitted Thursday to the Board of Education.

District administrators are asking trustees to maintain the current tax rate of $1.1967 per $100 taxable value. That rate includes two parts: $1.0267 dedicated to funding general maintenance and operations and 17 cents earmarked for debt service. Continue reading →

HISD proposal calls for ban on suspensions, expulsions for youngest students

Houston Independent School District students in second grade and below will no longer be sent home for disciplinary issues, according to a proposed policy update going before the Board of Education on Thursday.

Under the proposal, campus administrators would not be allowed to suspend or expel pre-kindergarten through second-grade students in response to behavioral or disciplinary issues — except as required by state law. The policy revision further explains that students in third through fifth grades should only be removed from the school setting as a last resort. Continue reading →

HISD observes National School Lunch Week with local produce, demonstrations

NSLWTo recognize the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the more than 215,000 students it serves each day, HISD Nutrition Services will be celebrating National School Lunch Week (NSLW) Oct. 12–16.

NSLW was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as an annual celebration of the National School Lunch Program. Nutrition Services’ theme this year is “Discover the Great Plate of Texas with a Healthy Lunch,” and the department will highlight its fresh fruit and vegetable program by offering two Texas grown items. Continue reading →

Westbury HS offering additional assignments to select students to ensure content mastery

Students enrolled last year in Reading 1B are eligible for the program

To ensure content mastery, additional assignments will be offered to Westbury High School students who were enrolled last year in a reading course that was the subject of grade integrity concerns.

The option for additional coursework was recommended by the Houston Independent School District’s Federal and State Compliance department as a way to ensure all students have the opportunity to prove content mastery and raise their grade.

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