Author Archives: HISD Communications

Business Assistance team recognized as ‘Top 25 Supplier Diversity Champion’

D-marsHouston’s monthly African-American magazine, Subcontractors USA, recognized HISD’s Business Assistance team Wednesday with the 2015 Top 25 Supplier Diversity Champions award during the 2015 Top 25 Prime Contractors, Engineers, Architects, Construction, Transportation and IT for Diversity Awards at the HESS Club in the Galleria area.

“Subcontractors USA is proud to be a minority business journal that inspires, informs and educates,” said Subcontractors USA magazine president Keith “D-MARS” Davis. “Recognizing and celebrating the community is one of the things we are known for. We are especially proud to celebrate agencies and companies that put forth effort and resources to provide minority and women-owned companies with opportunities.”

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Road construction impacts area around HISD’s central office

Beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, the West 18th Street exit ramp from I-610 West Loop northbound will be closed. The exit will reopen at 5 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8.

During the closure, motorists will be detoured to the T.C. Jester exit, directed to U-turn and continue on U.S. 290 westbound frontage road to Dacoma, and then turn left to the 290 eastbound frontage to W. 18th. Continue reading →

Mandarin Chinese school community gets update on construction progress

On Tuesday, parents and community members met for the third time to discuss updates for the new Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School being built under the district’s 2012 bond program – with a particular focus on the construction portion of the project and upcoming vertical steel.

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NCAA donates backpacks to 6,800 HISD students

About 6,800 HISD third-grade students will get free backpacks full of supplies, thanks to the NCAA.

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“Each student will get a notebook, pencils, pens, crayons, rulers, and other school supplies,” said Doug Hall, president of the Houston organizing committee for the 2016 NCAA Final Four. Continue reading →

Security breach at HISD vendor compromises some employee data

The Houston Independent School District recently learned of a data breach that affected one of the district’s vendors, Medical Informatics Engineering (MIE). MIE is a medical records company that works with Concentra, which operates the district’s two onsite health clinics.

MIE has mailed letters to affected employees about the security breach, along with information about how to sign up for two years of free credit monitoring and identity restoration services.

Below is information employees need to know about the data breach and next steps to take. Continue reading →

North Houston Early College HS reaches building project milestone

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Construction crews work on the new North Houston Early College High School.

HISD’s North Houston Early College High School (NHECHS) reached a major milestone last week in the construction of its new building, as work crews began erecting steel columns and beams, taking the project into the vertical phase of construction.

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Wow! cards recognize Business Operations employees who put customer service first

HISD employees can receive Wow! cards for displays of excellent customer service.

HISD employees can receive Wow! cards for displays of excellent customer service.

HISD’s Business Operations department remains committed to spreading the culture of exceptional customer service across the district—so much that its employees are now being rewarded for going above and beyond.

As a part of the Service Excellence initiative, the department is now handing out WOW! cards to district employees who spread the message to promote a safe and caring learning environment. Through the initiative, the district is improving the customer service experience for students, parents, staff and community members.

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STEM fields come to life for ELL, migrant students at Rice

Twenty-eight students in HISD’s English Language Learner and migrant programs spent two weeks of their summer participating in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities at the STEM Leadership and Design Fabrication Academy at Rice University.

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The students, who attend Austin, Chávez, Davis, Furr, Kashmere, Liberty, Lee, Sam Houston, Sharpstown, and Waltrip high schools, got a taste of what careers in a STEM-related field could be like. Continue reading →

Come one, come all: Lanier MS opens debate camp to all middle-schoolers

Lanier Middle School’s debate team consistently is one of the top teams in the nation, and the team’s coach hopes to see the program expand to more middle schools.

Each year, Franz Hill holds summer camps for middle-school students interested in being a part of the debate team. This year, Hill opened the camp to students from all of the district’s middle schools, and the response was bigger than he expected.

“I let in about 34 kids each session, and had to turn people away,” Hill said. “The whole reason we opened it up to more students is because we want to see speech and debate grow in the Houston area. It shouldn’t be something that only students who go to a certain school get to do.” Continue reading →

Nutrition Services turning food waste into rich resource

HISD Nutrition Services is piloting a composting program to help local agriculture by recycling food leftovers. Last fall, the department selected the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, Garden Oaks K-8 Montessori, and Briargrove Elementary to pilot the program, which will help HISD become even greener.

Dietitian Jennifer Lengyel manages the new initiative and is excited about Nutrition Services’ involvement in the program. “Compost soil has super nutrients,” said Lengyel. “Instead of food waste going to the landfill, now it will help grow more food.” Continue reading →