Author Archives: HISD Communications

Summer School 2015: What parents need to know

SummerSchool2015_400The last day of class for the regular academic year was Thursday, May 28, and that means summer school is right around the corner.

Individual campuses have already begun sending out notices to the parents and/or legal guardians of students who will need to attend summer school due to promotion/retention standards, and to make them aware of any enrichment programs available. Continue reading

Twain ES student to appear in new TV arts program for kids

Take the Stage is a brand-new Houston-based performing-arts TV show for kids debuting on Saturday, May 30—and a student from HISD’s very own Twain Elementary School holds one of the lead roles.

Payne Houck (left) in character on the show

Payne Houck (left) in character on the show

Payne Houck, a second-grader, plays “Sawyer,” a high-spirited student with big dreams in an afterschool performing-arts class. In the show’s first episode, viewers take a ride inside Sawyer’s colorful imagination, where they see his fantasy of becoming an on-air talk-show host/comedian.

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No make-up day on Friday thanks to waiver from the state

Houston Independent School District students will not have to attend school on Friday thanks to a waiver granted by the Texas Education Agency.

HISD schools and district offices were closed today — Tuesday, May 26 — due to overnight storms that resulted in potentially dangerous driving conditions because of heavy flooding throughout the city.
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Seniors take D.C. by storm

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Lofty goals can make a traveler of anyone. Forty Wheatley High School seniors journeyed to Washington, D.C. May 12-15, 2015, for a leadership conference hosted by Close Up, an organization that encourages students to become engaged with democracy. Students applied for the trip by writing essays about Rosa Parks.

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Bond construction milestone: First wall goes up on new Sterling HS

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A large crane arrived at the Sterling High School construction site this week, and on Wednesday it lifted and placed the first three-story, concrete tilt wall panel.

Members of the Project Advisory Team and a handful of Sterling students were on site to celebrate the milestone and add their signatures to the wall before it was lifted.

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HISD athletes run to win at state track meet

Several HISD students achieved remarkable rankings at the Texas State Track and Field Meet held May 14-16.

Top sprinter Julia Heyman (Lamar HS) placed first in both the 3200-meter run and the 1600-meter run. Takyera Roberson (Wheatley HS) also gave an impressive performance with a first-place finish in the 400-meter run, as well as third and fourth place in the 100-meter run and 200-meter run, respectively.

Other high-ranking athletes include: Floyd Green (Wheatley HS) with second place in the 400-meter run; Isaac Brown (Washington HS) with third place in the 800-meter run; Tyreik Gray (Lamar HS) with fourth place in the 100-meter run; Holten Hill (Lamar HS) with fifth place in the 110-meter hurdles; and Mikaila Martin (Chavez HS) with sixth place in shot put.

The Lamar HS boys track team also placed fourth in the 4×100 relay.

Rice MBA award given to high school assistant principal

Keri Wittpenn

Keri Wittpenn

Keri Wittpenn, an assistant principal at the Jane Long Academy, has been named the winner of the Founders Award by the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program (REEP). The REEP Founders Award is given to one REEP Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree candidate each year. As a 2015 graduate of Rice’s MBA program, Wittpenn was chosen for this award by her fellow classmates due to her leadership in both the REEP and her educational community. Continue reading

HISD wins financial reporting award for 40th consecutive year

HISD’s Office of the Controller has won the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting award for the 40th consecutive year.

The district received the award for the exemplary quality of its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). The certificate is considered the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. Continue reading

Twain ES named national winner of DreamBox Math Challenge

TwainES_DreamBoxAttending a dual-language school has really paid off for one group of third-graders at Twain Elementary School.

Francisco Martinez’s Spanish immersion class at Twain has been named a national winner in the DreamBox Learning Math Challenge, a competition that requires students in grades K–8 to solve various math problems in Spanish. Continue reading

Three organizations team up to share the joy of reading

Students at Pugh Elementary School celebrated the joy of reading on May 18 with representatives from Books Between Kids, members of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Trailblazers Committee, and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation.

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