Category Archives: Bilingual

Arabic Immersion Magnet School holds grand opening celebration

HISD marked the formal debut of its Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) with a grand opening celebration on Wednesday.

“When Dr. Grier mentioned the possibility of opening this campus a little less than two years ago at the State of the Schools luncheon, I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” said Principal Kate Adams. “At the time, I was dean of instruction at an international studies early college high school in HISD, but I had also just recently become a mom. The idea of opening an Arabic immersion school seemed exciting, because it’s exactly the kind of school I wanted for my own daughter, one that’s preparing her to be a competent member of the global economy.”

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HISD kicks off 2015-2016 school year with emphasis on producing global graduates

The Houston Independent School District will begin the 2015-2016 academic year on Monday with the opening of the nation’s first public Arabic language immersion school, significantly expanded dual language opportunities and a continued shift to digital learning.

The Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) is among 283 HISD campuses that will throw open their doors on Monday and welcome back nearly 215,000 students from across the district. Bus drivers will begin transporting nearly 34,000 students to and from school, and cafeteria workers will begin cooking the 288,000 meals that they serve each day. Continue reading →

Twain ES named national winner of DreamBox Math Challenge

Attending 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 →

HISD sweeps ESL Teacher of the Year category at HAABE awards

The Houston Area Association of Bilingual Education (HAABE) announced its selections for the 2015 Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers of the Year on May 9 at its annual banquet, and the Houston Independent School District swept one entire category by winning ESL Teacher of the Year distinctions at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Osias Mendoza

Osias Mendoza, who teaches at Love Elementary School, was honored as the HAABE Elementary ESL Teacher of the Year. He knows the struggle of learning in a second language and navigating a new culture first-hand, because he came to Houston from the Philippines as a young man.

Tanya Thompson

Tanya Thompson, who teaches at The Rice School, was honored at the HAABE Secondary ESL Teacher of the Year. She has taught for 31 years, most of which have been in the area of ESL, and she is known for her commitment to creating a classroom in which all students are valued and challenged.

“These awards demonstrate the high quality of HISD’s teachers and the success of its bilingual/ESL programming,” said Assistant Superintendent of Multilingual Programs Gracie Guerrero. “I am very proud of both of them.”

Register now to attend May 13 teacher job fair

District seeking highly effective educators to produce global graduates

Join Team HISD and help us produce global graduates. The district is hosting a job fair on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, and we’re seeking effective teachers to join our team.

Please note: You must first apply for a teaching position using our online application system by clicking here.

If you are a Texas certified teacher, please be prepared to provide evidence of your credentials
If you are an Alternative Certification Program candidate, please upload your Letter of Acceptance, Statement of Eligibility, and university transcripts

Interested teachers who have completed the online application and been approved by the Talent Acquisition team will receive additional details about the job fair, including its time and location.

Principals will be on hand to interview highly qualified candidates and will be prepared to extend on-the-spot job offers.

The district strongly encourages bilingual, secondary math and science, and special education candidates to apply and attend.

If you have any questions, please email teacherselection@houstonisd.org.

HISD adding 21 campuses to dual language program in 2015–2016

HISD is expanding its successful dual language program to 21 more campuses in 2015–2016, launching thousands of additional pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students on the road to learning a second language. Currently, 31 HISD schools offer a Spanish dual language program.

Starting in August, kindergarten students — and pre-kindergarten students, at some schools — will be learning in both English and Spanish. One grade will be added to the program each year until it reaches school-wide.

[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/116680573″ ] Continue reading →

Strong classroom support promotes success for HISD dual language expansion

When Houston ISD doubled its dual language programs to include 28 schools this August, that was just the beginning of district’s commitment to making sure students on those campuses become bilingual and biliterate.

Representatives of HISD’s Multilingual Programs Department have visited each school to evaluate instructional practices and to offer support for principals and teachers to embed language instruction into strong academic content. Native Spanish-speakers learn English, and English speakers gain a second language through immersion. Continue reading →

Changing district demographics lead to hiring of Arabic translator

For many years, the second most-commonly spoken language among HISD students who were learning English (after Spanish) was Vietnamese.

But a recent influx of families from the Middle East has resulted in a surge of youngsters whose first language is Arabic—and that shift has resulted in a number of changes in HISD.

In December of 2012, for instance, the district hired its first-ever Arabic translator, Assim Omran, to provide interpretative assistance during parent-teacher conferences, community events, and Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings. It also began translating documents such as the Code of Student Conduct, HISD ReCONNECT (formerly “Welcome to HISD” or “Back-to-School”), and STAAR communications into Arabic.

“Right now, he’s doing lots of interpretations for families and students at Bonham ES, Revere MS, Lee HS, and Westside HS,” said Manager of Translation Services Liliana McKean. “He also translated the International Baccalaureate @home materials for Twain Elementary.” Continue reading →

Hidden talents show determination, diversity of HISD’s bilingual instructors

What do a national judo champion and a member of an up-and-coming European band have in common? They’re both bilingual teachers in HISD!

The district has been hiring highly qualified bilingual teachers from Spain to fill critical shortage areas in HISD through a partnership with that country’s Ministry of Education since 1997—and Blanco “Miguel” Lopez (Law ES) and Juan Luis Alonso-Benito (Coop ES) are two of them. Continue reading →

2014 Bilingual Teacher of the Year now serves at the first U.S. campus she attended

Sharon Samuel discusses life cycles with her second graders.

When Sharon Samuel first moved to the United States as a nine-year-old, she was terrified that her limited English skills would prevent her from making friends and succeeding in school. But a positive experience with her very first teacher here not only helped to quell her anxieties about fitting in but also set the stage for her own career in education.

“Mrs. Barrientos is the reason why I became a bilingual teacher,” said Samuel, who was named the Bilingual Teacher of the Year for 2014 by the Houston Area Association for Bilingual Educators. “She consistently went out of her way to make me feel comfortable, not only as a student in her classroom, but also as a young girl living in the U.S. for the first time.”