Author Archives: HISD Communications

The Transition from North Forest ISD to HISD

Hilliard ES principal Mike Walker, left, works to prepare his new school for students, July 1, 2013.

Hilliard ES principal Mike Walker, left, works to prepare his new school for students, July 1, 2013.

Yellow HISD work vans fill the parking lot, and the smell of paint permeates the air inside Fonwood Elementary School, a former North Forest ISD campus. Dr. Kimberly Agnew-Borders, the new principal, is in the front office overseeing the school’s transition to Fonwood Early Childhood Center.

“We are getting ready to welcome a new class of four-year-olds to our campus,” said Dr. Agnew-Borders, who previously served as the principal of Wesley Elementary School. She is interviewing teachers, meeting parents who show up to enroll their children, picking Formica, and generally directing the re-purposing of the school.

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Principals Using Dashboard to Drive Decision Making

Much like a winning race-car driver, a successful school principal needs access to data so that he or she can tune, tweak, and make improvements. In a well-designed car, drivers can find most of the data they need by looking at the dashboard. Now HISD principals have their own dashboard to drive decision making on their campus. It’s called Analytics for Education (A4E).

“Not only is A4E saving our principals time, but it is helping them to be more efficient,” said Betty Garcia from HISD’s Information Technology Department. “Principals can go to their dashboard, grab the information they need quickly, make informed decisions, and then communicate it with their staff as they take the next step.”

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Migrant Students Learn About History, Democracy in Capital

A group of migrant students from HISD schools traveled to Washington, D.C., recently to learn more about the United States and their role in democracy, thanks to Migrant Education Program federal funds (Title 1, Part C).

The six HISD students who participated were selected by the Migrant Education Program on the basis of their grades, attendance, an essay they submitted, and an interview. Steven Arteaga (Sharpstown HS), Andres Cendejas (Bellaire HS), Judith Guerrero (Sterling HS), Roxana Ramirez (Jordan HS), Keishla Rosales (Bellaire HS), and Jessica Vera (Madison HS) spent nearly a week attending workshops, visiting museums and monuments, enjoying performances, debating topics during a mock Congressional activity, and speaking with members of Congress.

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Emergency Response Committee Gets Ready for Hurricane Season

The Houston area hasn’t been affected by a tropical storm yet this year, but HISD administrators are already fine-tuning their preparations in case one does hit the Texas coast.

Members of the Hurricane Emergency Response Committee gathered at the district’s headquarters on June 27 to take part in a tabletop preparedness exercise. The exercise was designed to let them review their current plans of action and to identify ways of improving them based on lessons learned from previous storms.

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Energy Institute High School Still Accepting Applications

At least 80 people applied for entry into one of Houston ISD’s newest high schools, the Energy Institute High School, on Wednesday afternoon at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.

The Energy Institute High School will capitalize on Houston’s renowned energy industry, representing the fields of geoscience, alternative energy, and offshore technology. Corporate partnerships at the full magnet school will help provide a strong foundation in chemistry, engineering, science and mathematics. Students will be encouraged to see how professionals operate and are provided with numerous real-world experiences which provide an edge for future college coursework.

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Parents, Students Crowd North Forest Informational Meeting

Hundreds of parents and students gathered on Tues., June 25, to learn more information about the scheduled annexation of North Forest schools into the Houston Independent School District. The Texas Education Commissioner has ordered HISD to annex North Forest ISD on July 1. To make the transition as smooth as possible, HISD is holding a series of community meetings. The final meeting will be held on Thurs., June 27, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Eden Event Center, 7540 N. Wayside.

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Teachers Enjoy ‘Revolutionary’ Trip to Eastern Seaboard, Thanks to U.S. DOE Grant

HISD history teachers pose at the Bunker Hill Monument commemorating a battle in the American Revolution, a stop along the Freedom Trail in Boston, Mass.

Many teachers use the summer months as a time to deepen their knowledge of various subjects, but one group of 36 history teachers took that activity to the next level this year.

The educators, who came from 30 different HISD campuses, developed a new appreciation for this country’s origins and some of its most unconventional thinkers by exploring some of the most historically significant sites related to “revolutionary” activities June 9–15.

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All Positions Filled For North Forest Summer School Teachers

Houston ISD has filled all positions for summer school teachers in the North Forest community.

HISD began accepting applications for certified internal educators on July 1, and all positions were filled by July 2.
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