Category Archives: Elementary Schools

Community hears about plans for a new Relief Elementary

The new elementary school being built to help relieve crowding in the West Houston area will be located on a unique piece of land that offers views and an abundance of natural beauty.

“It’s a wonderful place to build a school,” Trustee Harvin Moore told a group of parents and community members who turned out Monday to learn more about the project.

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Students celebrate Read Across America Day

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Students throughout HISD celebrated Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss’ birthday on Monday.

HISD Food Services served Dr. Seuss-themed menu items, including Cat in the Hat Flap-tastic pancakes and Lorax broccoli trees.

Some of the activities at schools included:

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NBA legends to Crespo students: Ball is in your court to stay in school

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NBA legends visited students at Crespo Elementary Thursday to stress the importance of financial literacy and education.

Former Houston Rockets stars Clyde Drexler, who is a Sterling HS alum, and Elvin Hayes, along with former players John Lucas, Felipe Lopez and T.J. Ford, visited classes and talked to students about working hard on their studies and staying in school.

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‘Kids with Character’ mentoring program rolls out to 20 schools

Twenty students at Sherman Elementary School received their certificates and sticker badges Monday as they were recognized during a special lunch for being a “Kid with Character.”

Fourth-grader Alicia Sierra was recognized for her outstanding behavior. “I feel good and want to encourage my other friends so they can sit on stage with me,” she said. Continue reading →

Decisions, decisions: School Choice Week celebrates variety

Kolter ES students are excited about School Choice Week!

The fourth annual National School Choice Week (NSCW) kicks off its Whistle-Stop Tour across the nation in Houston at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at Union Station at Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St. The event provides an opportunity to learn more about HISD’s School Choice program and the portfolio of educational programs offered by the district’s many magnet and vanguard, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and early college high schools, Futures academies, and charter schools. Despite the December deadline for first-round consideration for magnet applications, there are still many openings in great schools across the district.

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Cornelius ES student wins Martin Luther King Jr. oratory competition

Amari Venzor of Cornelius Elementary School took home top honors in the 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Houston.

Every year since 1996, fourth- and fifth-graders from two dozen HISD schools have competed in this annual contest, which challenges students to write and present a short original speech on a subject related to the slain civil rights leader. The topic this year was, “If Dr. King were speaking at a March on Washington today, what would he say?”

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“If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking at a March on Washington today, he would say: As I consider the past 50 years of progress, I can’t help but wonder if for every two steps we have taken forward, we have taken three steps back,” Amari said. “Have we fought so hard to instill that pride that we fail to include words like integrity, self-respect, and even a simple hi? Have we allowed economic and social status to lull us into a crippling complacency and a sense of entitlement? Simply meaning, are we putting $200 sneakers on our children who can barely read or solve basic mathematical equations rather than teaching them how to invest the same $200 into the actual shoe company? Have we been so busy trying to give our children what we didn’t have that we forgot to give them what we did have?”

Byron Roberson of Dodson ES won second place and Bruce ES student Chrystyna Haywood won third place.

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The other 2014 finalists, in alphabetical order, were:
• Shahnoor Ahtesham, Sutton ES
• Reginald Brown, Pleasantville ES
• Chrislyn Brownlow, Anderson ES
• Kierra Hunter, MacGregor ES
• Robert Lane III, Valley West ES
• Amaria Maldonado, Wainwright ES
• Kennady Roberson, Lockhart ES
• Jayla Wright, Burrus ES
• Jacovia Young, Windsor Village ES

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Other participating HISD campuses include: Atherton, Crespo, Garden Villas, Golfcrest, Gregg, Gross, Park Place, Port Houston, Rodriguez, Thompson, Whidby, and Woodson.

District reviewing literacy plan in the new year

HISD will be reviewing and modifying the district’s literacy plan known as CLASS over the next several months and evaluating individual school programs for effectiveness.

“It really comes down to coherence at the district level,” said Chief Academic Officer Dan Gohl. “In math, there are very few programs and there is a great deal of coherence, so when a child moves from one school to another, they can quickly adapt. This is not true of our literacy programs.”

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Don’t miss the MLK Jr. Oratory Competition finals on Jan. 17

If you’ve never seen the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Houston, you’re in for a treat.

Every year since 1996, fourth- and fifth-graders from two dozen HISD schools have competed in this annual contest, which challenges students to write and present a short original speech on a subject related to the slain civil rights leader. The topic this year is, “If Dr. King were speaking at a March on Washington today, what would he say?”

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Kolter ES student gets (digital) face-time with former first lady

Kolter ES fifth-graders participate in the “Reading Discovery with First Lady Barbara Bush” teleconference on Jan. 14. At far right (wearing headphones) is Matthew Kalmans, who got to ask Mrs. Bush a question.

It’s not often that fifth-graders have a chance to ask questions of a former first lady, but that’s exactly what Kolter Elementary School’s Matthew Kalmans got to do recently, when the George Bush Presidential Library held a teleconference with Barbara Bush to promote literacy.

Only 18 schools from across the nation were chosen to participate in the “Reading Discovery with First Lady Barbara Bush” event on Jan. 14, and Kolter was one of them.

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