In many ways, parents act as their children’s first teachers, and local leaders want that influence to continue even after young people start school.
Representatives from HISD, Children at Risk, Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, Early Matters, and Collaborative for Children joined forces during a press conference at Cunningham Elementary School on Sept. 3 to promote that message and encourage parents to make the most of the resources available to them.
Members honored for their commitment to prepare students for the workforce
Ever wonder what qualities employers are looking for in today’s workforce? High school principals got a chance to hear that first-hand from local industry and business leaders during a recent HISD Chamber of Commerce meeting. The chamber, which is made up of members from Houston’s key industries, provides the district with guidance on how to improve school-based career programming in order to better meet our area’s workforce needs.
Bonuses would go to teachers in core subject areas at hard-to-staff schools
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider expanding the current signing and retention bonus program to include select teachers in core subjects at certain hard-to-staff schools.
The $5,000 annual bonus is part of a pilot program proposed by district administration. Eligibility is based on campus, as well as grade and subject taught. Teachers must be assigned to subjects in third through 12th grades that are tested by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. This includes high school level STAAR End-of-Course exams.
Sixty-three seniors from six Houston Independent School District high schools qualified as semifinalists this week in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. HISD had 56 semifinalists last year.
The HISD students are among 16,000 from across the country to earn the semifinalist designation, allowing them the opportunity to continue in the academic competition and vie for more than $32 million in scholarships that will be awarded in the spring.
They attend Bellaire, Carnegie Vanguard, and Lamar high schools, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Eastwood Academy, and the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. Continue reading
HISD community partner Kroger helps 48 HISD schools
School children always look forward to Fridays, but the students at Windsor Village Elementary School had an exceptional Friday on Sept. 4, when they received some much-needed school supplies. Kroger, a valued HISD community partner, donated the supplies to the school, which was one of 48 HISD schools chosen as beneficiaries this year.
It took 60 games, but the Scarborough High School Spartans finally broke their five-and-a-half-year losing streak on Sept. 4, 2015, when the football team defeated the KIPP Sunnyside Senators with a score of 18-14.
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The victory was particularly gratifying to Scarborough Coach Keith Alex, who is only in his first year as coach of the Spartans. “We are just delighted to get that monkey off our back,” he said. “It’s giving the kids such a huge momentum boost. We’re really excited.” Continue reading
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Stakeholders of Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center were briefed this week on initial design plans for the school’s new building.
HISD teachers have been partnering with Donors Choose to support student learning since that organization first launched in 2000.
Now Chevron Products Company, a division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc., has offered to donate up to a million dollars through Donors Choose to fund eligible classroom projects at public schools in Harris County.
Regular meetings of the HISD Board of Education usually occur on the second Thursday of every month, but next month’s meeting will be taking place a week later than usual. Continue reading
Sometimes, HISD students and families have needs that go beyond classroom instruction. To help school principals, teachers, and staff meet those needs, the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department has created the 2015 Community Resource Guide. The guide is designed for use by schools, parents, community organizations, and partners to locate the most requested resources and services in the Houston area.
This year’s guide features 454 resources and services entries on 36 different topics. Besides location and contact information, each entry includes information on ages and grades served, eligibility for participation, cost, a description of services provided, language availability, and whether the service can be provided onsite at a school. Just a few of the topics include: Continue reading