Author Archives: HISD Communications

Grady MS community gets update on construction of building addition

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With signs of construction already visible on campus, Grady Middle School community members gathered at the school on Wednesday evening to hear from the architect and contractor working on a new building addition. Stakeholders expressed enthusiasm for the project, which will complete a multi-phase master plan for the campus.

Continue reading →

Will you be a reading mentor?

Houston ISD and community partners issued a call Thursday for 1,500 volunteers to join HISD’s Read Houston Read program, to mentor first-graders at more than 50 selected elementary schools as part of the district’s Literacy By 3 movement.

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“All along, as we devised our master plan to attack this literacy crisis, we have said that this is not a problem that will be solved in the classroom or the school alone,” said Superintendent Terry Grier at the news conference at Garcia Elementary, one of the participating schools. “It is a community crisis, and the community’s help is needed to solve it. This is a very important — if not the most important — district initiative since I’ve been here.”

Read Houston Read volunteers can sign up for a weekly one-hour mentoring session at a school, where they will work with two first-graders in half-hour sessions — listening to them read, doing an activity related to the book, and reading another book to them. Continue reading →

Sharpstown HS to host food drive Sept. 6 with 97.9 The BOX

Almost 90 percent of the student body at Sharpstown High School qualifies to receive free or reduced price lunch, but that hasn’t stopped them from noticing that others are also struggling to keep food on the table.

That’s why students and administrators at that school are hosting a campus food drive on Saturday, Sept. 6, in partnership with 97.9 The BOX.

On-air personalities will be broadcasting live from the school from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. that day, thanks to the generous support of Godsey-Martin P.C. The law firm will also make a $10 contribution for every 10 food items donated, up to $10,000. Continue reading →

Manager of Health & Medical Services named School Nurse Administrator of the Year

Gwendolyn Jonson poses for a photograph, May 5, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Gwendolyn Johnson

Earlier this year, Manager of Health & Medical Services Gwen Johnson was honored for her work at the local level by the Houston Chronicle during its annual Salute to Nurses. Now, she is getting recognition at the state level as the Texas School Nurse Organization’s 2014 School Nurse Administrator of the Year.

Johnson was nominated for the award by Lisa Blackmon-Jones, a nurse specialist in Health & Medical Services. Continue reading →

N.Q. Henderson ES reveals library renovation

Nathaniel Q. Henderson Elementary School has a newly renovated library, thanks to Lakewood Church.

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The church also donated more than $1,000 worth of library books and 10 iPads.

“We anticipate a great impact in the closing of the reading gaps for our scholars,” Principal Rosa Cabrera said.

In addition, Lakewood donated equipment for a multi-sensory room for the Champions Club, which was designed specifically for the school’s special needs students.

“We had over 500 volunteers work on this school and in this community this past year,” said Craig Johnson, Lakewood’s director of ministries. “It’s a way for them to give and then see the difference they’ve made in the lives of students.”

CenterPoint volunteers go to the phones for Grads Within Reach

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Taking time off from supplying the Houston area’s energy needs, 25 CenterPoint Energy employees spent Wednesday calling HISD students who have yet to report to school this year. The Grads Within Reach volunteers reminded the students how important it is for them to complete their education and encouraged them to return to school.  Continue reading →

September is National Attendance Awareness Month

September is National Attendance Awareness Month, and Houston ISD wants you to know how important it is for students to attend school every day.

A child is considered chronically absent if they miss two or more days a month. Missing more than 10 percent (or 17 days) of school a year can lead to a student not receiving a grade or being retained.

Visit our attendance website for information about HISD’s attendance policy, state truancy and attendance laws, myths about school attendance, and more.

HISD Police Department accepts the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

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Staff and personnel from the Houston Independent School District Police Department got cold and soaked on Friday after participating in the popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

With the help of students from Lanier Middle School and a donation of buckets from Home Depot, members from the department gladly accepted the challenge from the neighboring Spring ISD Police Department. Continue reading →

Students get a taste of what’s to come in cafeterias this fall

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Students at Stevenson Middle School got a first taste Friday of several new foods being added to the HISD Nutrition Services menu in the coming weeks.

The tasting event involved dozens of students, who were encouraged to submit their feedback after sampling the menu items, which included apple muffins, vegetarian chili, and sweet potato muffins.

Continue reading →

Austin HS Algebra I team produces its own version of the ‘Khan Academy’

Maria Rios, the content manager for the mathematics department of Austin High School, knew that there was already a multitude of resources available online—such as the Khan Academy—to help kids master various math concepts. But something about that just set wrong with her. So she and the school’s Algebra I team produced an online library of web-based instructional videos.

“What we were interested in is continuing to build relationships with our students,” said Rios, “to personalize our instruction by having our voices—the voices of the students’ actual teachers—and our style of delivery available at any time to learners.”

The video library was created both to complement students’ in-class lessons and to maximize the benefits of the PowerUp initiative, but another benefit was that it allowed teachers to “flip” the traditional classroom model on its head. Continue reading →