Author Archives: HISD Communications

Leland College Prep caps another banner year in robotics

Leland_YWCPA_robotics400For the fourth year in a row, the robotics club at Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men has turned out dominant teams at district, state, and national competitions. Coming off of last year’s third-place finish in the SECME VEX Robotics nationals, this year, the Knights of Engineering’s high school team won the first annual NSBE VEX National Championship in Anaheim, Calif.

On a joint team with impressive young ladies from the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy, the ninth-graders not only won the tournament championship, but also the Excellence Award. Doing so qualified the joint team to participate in the VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, Ky., where they competed against the best robotics teams in the world. This was the second year in a row that the boys have been invited to the World Championship. Continue reading →

Norris Foundation helps Madison HS freshmen start the year off right

Entering the ninth grade can be an intimidating experience for some students, as they move from a familiar middle school environment onto a new campus.

To support Houston’s young people as they made the transition, retired NFL player Moran Norris gave away backpacks and other school supplies to students at his alma mater, Madison High School, during freshman orientation on Aug. 18.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000BdY2btLwMig” g_name=”Moran-Norris” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

Each year, Norris’s foundation sponsors a number of activities designed to help youth meet higher standards in education and character. Norris is a former Houston Texans player who attended Montgomery Elementary, Dowling Middle, and Madison High schools. His wife, Tamara, attended Mading Elementary, Hartman Middle, and Jones High schools.

13 candidates file to run for HISD school board

Thirteen candidates will vie this fall for a spot on the Houston Independent School District Board of Education.

Monday marked the last day candidates could file for election and be included on the ballot. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting will run from Monday, Oct. 19 to Friday, Oct. 30. Winners will serve a four-year term that starts in January 2016.

The four seats expiring at the end of the year are Districts II, III, IV and VIII. Candidates for these seats include: Continue reading →

Arabic Immersion Magnet School opens on first day of school

The first public Arabic language immersion school in the country opened its doors Monday to 132 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students who will learn Arabic along with English. The new Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) is among 283 HISD campuses that welcomed back nearly 215,000 students from across the district. In HISD, Arabic is the second most common foreign language spoken at home.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000tq2YWkAoBjY” g_name=”20150824-AIMS” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

“There are children from 40 different Houston-area zip codes here,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said. “The Arabic school is a very demographically diverse school, with about 30 percent Hispanic, 30 percent Anglo, and 30 percent African American. This year is especially exciting, as we continue to set our sights on making sure our students have access to a truly global education.” Continue reading →

Nutrition Services offers up new menu options for 2015-2016 school year

HISD Nutrition Services dietitians and chefs worked over the summer to perfect the new recipes to provide their primary customers with healthy and delicious meals.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000Eyxg3m.xO9o” g_name=”20150821-MenuItems” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

Continue reading →

Transportation: What you need to know for the 2015-2016 school year

As the first day of school quickly approaches on Monday, HISD Transportation is gearing up for another safe and smooth ride to kick off the start of the school year.

HISD Transportation employees are available in the department's customer call center to answer any bus route question.

HISD Transportation employees are available in the department’s customer call center to answer any bus route questions.

Parents should receive a postcard in the mail and at least two telephone calls with their children’s bus route information.

For a quicker response, a customer call center has been set up again this year to answer any bus route questions. Parents and schools can now call 713-613-3040 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. for assistance with transportation-related issues. The call center will remain open for at least 30 days. Spanish translators also will be available to assist.

For information about eligibility for transportation and bus stops, contact your child’s school or go here.

Reliant gets HISD students off to a great start

Students at the Bellfort Early Childhood Center not only met their teachers this week, they also received school supply packs from Reliant, an NRG company. Reliant employees distributed 400 back-to-school supply packs during the school’s Pre-K Open House on Aug. 18.

“It’s really great that Reliant is making this donation to our Bellfort family, because it helps to ease the financial burden of our parents a little,” said Bellfort Early Childhood Center Principal Cheryl Lewis. “It shows our parents that the community members care about their child’s education.”

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9XfT1KOf7I”]

Reliant is helping students from 39 HISD schools get off to a great start for the 2015–2016 school year, with a $16,780 donation that will provide 4,000 K–12 students with the supplies they need for the first day of classes. In addition to early childhood centers and K–8 schools, some high schools will also receive supplies. The kits are grade-specific and include items such as notebooks, pencils, pens, folders, crayons, and erasers. Continue reading →

HISD kicks off 2015-2016 school year with emphasis on producing global graduates

The Houston Independent School District will begin the 2015-2016 academic year on Monday with the opening of the nation’s first public Arabic language immersion school, significantly expanded dual language opportunities and a continued shift to digital learning.

The Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) is among 283 HISD campuses that will throw open their doors on Monday and welcome back nearly 215,000 students from across the district. Bus drivers will begin transporting nearly 34,000 students to and from school, and cafeteria workers will begin cooking the 288,000 meals that they serve each day. Continue reading →