Author Archives: HISD Communications

New bond schools to be built to sustainability requirements under LEED

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At HISD,  energy conservation and smart environmental design are important considerations in every new school. That’s why all new building projects under the current bond program are expected to meet certification requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and is used to measure the sustainability of design, construction, operation, and maintenance of buildings, homes, and neighborhoods. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED certification provides independent verification of a building’s green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of resource-efficient, high-performing, healthy, cost-effective buildings.

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HISD seeking home instructors for HIPPY program

HISD’s Family and Community Engagement department is recruiting 15 part-time home instructors to work with the HIPPY program for the 2015–2016 school year.

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a school readiness program for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children that helps parents prepare their preschoolers for academic success. Instructors visit parents in their homes for an hour a week over a 30-week period during the school year, and model research-based learning activities designed to help Pre-K children develop skills in reading, math, and science. Parents then practice the activities with their children over the week until they learn a new activity during the next lesson. Children whose parents participate in the program consistently outperform their peers in reading and math in kindergarten and first grade. Continue reading →

Most HISD offices and schools to be closed July 2 and 3

Most HISD schools and offices will be closed on Thursday, July 2, 2015, in observance of Independence Day.

The federal holiday is being observed a day early this year because many campuses and facilities (including the district’s headquarters, the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center) are currently operating on a condensed, four-day summer work week, and were already scheduled to be closed on Friday, July 3.

Please note that any campuses or offices which opted out of participating in the condensed summer schedule will be observing Independence Day on Friday, July 3. Parents with students in summer school classes should check with their childrens’ campuses if they have any questions.

Team HISD wishes everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July. Click here for a list of possible ways to celebrate.

 

Hands-on STEM camp gets students excited about careers

Dozens of HISD elementary and middle school students spent the first month of the summer break at a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) camp at M.C. Williams Middle School.

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Campers, who are in grades 2–8, had daily team-building sessions during the program, which ran from June 2–26. They also learned how to code video games, and built rockets that they launched on the last day of camp. Continue reading →

First female Carnegie Vanguard student president wins leadership award

Mai Pham

Mai Pham, a 2015 graduate of Carnegie Vanguard High School (CVHS) has been awarded a scholarship from The Texas Lyceum, a program dedicated to fostering youth leadership.

In May, the Lyceum distributed $35,000 in scholarships to seven students. The winners were selected from a pool of 900 applicants from all over Texas based on their leadership, academic accomplishments, personal essays, and letters of recommendation. Continue reading →

HISD principal declared best in Region 4

Angela Lundy JacksonAngela Lundy-Jackson, principal of North Houston Early College High School (NHECHS), was awarded the Region 4 Secondary Principal of the Year on June 25. She is now a candidate for the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals’ Principal of the Year award.

Lundy-Jackson was selected to represent HISD in the Region 4 segment of the competition based on her school’s academic ratings, overall student performance, Advanced Placement and SAT participation, and her leadership skills. Region 4 consists of 50 school districts across seven counties.  Continue reading →

NFL player brings excitement, equipment to his alma mater

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On June 24, the Lamar High School football team received a generous donation and a dose of inspiration from Chevron’s Fuel Your School, a program that seeks to provide educators with useful supplies and materials.

The players received new equipment as well as a surprise visit from 2004 Lamar graduate and NFL player Brian Orakpo. Continue reading →

Jones Futures Academy freshmen tour Prairie View A&M for insight into nursing, architecture

A group of 70 freshman students from the Jones Futures Academy traveled to the campus of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) on June 25 to learn first-hand what it takes to  become future construction, architecture and nursing students.

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Educators using grants to expand their classrooms’ horizons

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Once a topic becomes personal, all learning barriers are shattered. Or so Bellaire High School English teacher Matt Olsen and Bradley Quentin of Sinclair Elementary School believe.

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Incoming freshmen dive into the world of STEM

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While some students are vacationing, incoming freshman at South Early College High School (SECHS) are preparing for long careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through a Summer Bridge Program with Houston Community College.

SECHS is HISD’s only STEM magnet early college, aimed at increasing student awareness of and preparation for careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, all while earning an associate’s degree tuition-free from Houston Community College.

The Summer Bridge Program allows freshman to get a head start on building relationships, developing study habits, and improving critical reading, writing, and math skills. The students also had a chance to tour the Houston Community College campus and see where STEM studies might lead them. Back in the classroom, students have been exploring the range of the STEM world by completing virus and yeast labs and learning computer programming to operate robots.

“We are excited about STEM at South Early,” said Summer School Coordinator Cedric Starks. “I wanted the students to experience working in the science lab, conducting tests and experiments, and using codes to program the robots.”