Category Archives: Elementary Schools

HISD recognizes Principals of the Year

Tonya Woods of Lewis Elementary, pictured with Houston ISD superintendent Terry Grier, is one of the district's Principals of the Year.

Tonya Woods of Lewis Elementary, pictured with Houston ISD superintendent Terry Grier, is one of the district's Principals of the Year.

HISD recognized eight of its most respected and effective administrators on May 1, as the Principals of the Year, First Year Principals of the Year, and Assistant Principals of the Year.

The administrators were nominated by colleagues, teachers, and students for their instructional leadership and efforts to boost student achievement, and the honorees were selected for their outstanding contributions to the district and their school communities. 

Here are the 2013 honorees:
Assistant Principals of the Year

Sonja Williams of Madison High School, pictured with Houston ISD superintendent Terry Grier, is one of the district's Principals of the Year.

Sonja Williams of Madison High School, pictured with Houston ISD superintendent Terry Grier, is one of the district's Principals of the Year.

  • Elementary: Maria Espinosa, Rodriguez ES
  • Middle: Inge Garibaldi, Williams MS
  • High: Opal Harrison, Milby HS

First Year Principals of the Year

  • Elementary: Abigail Taylor, Sinclair ES
  • Secondary: Geovanny Ponce, Hartman MS

Principals of the Year

  • Elementary: Tonya Woods, Lewis ES
  • Middle: Nicole Moore Morrison, Key MS
  • High: Sonja Williams, Madison HS

See photos of all the Principal of the Year winners.

Nicole Moore of Key Middle School, pictured with Houston ISD superintendent Terry Grier, is one of the district's Principals of the Year.

Nicole Moore of Key Middle School, pictured with Houston ISD superintendent Terry Grier, is one of the district's Principals of the Year.

Superintendent of Schools Terry B. Grier congratulated the administrators during a ceremony at the monthly principals’ meeting. “There’s no doubt that these administrators represent excellence in leadership,” he said. “But there are many other equally deserving principals in this room.”

HISD School Choice Fair Offers Parents Opportunity to Explore Education Options for Students

Representatives from more than 70 HISD schools will be on-site

April 25, 2013 – When it comes to selecting a school, parents and students at the Houston Independent School District have a multitude of options from magnet programs to preschool programs to career and technical education academies and early college high schools.  Houston families will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from more than 70 HISD schools at the upcoming HISD School Choice Fair on Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hattie Mae White Education Support Center (4400 West 18th Street).

“In HISD, we are committed to providing equity in access to quality educational programs for all students,” said Assistant Superintendent of School Choice Dave Wheat.  “We want to help families choose an ideal school for their children based on the students’ interests, talents, and needs.”

The schools at the fair are those that still have space for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year.  The representatives from these schools will be available to answer questions, provide detailed information about their campuses and help parents fill out the application on site.

Information will be provided about HISD’s magnet schools, early colleges, vanguard programs for gifted and talented students, preschool programs, multilingual programs and other specialty programs, including the district’s newest additions to its portfolio, the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan and The Energy Institute High School.   Parents and students have until May 16 to apply for these two new magnet schools that will feature a highly rigorous curriculum emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

For more information about the School Choice Fair, please contact the Office of School Choice at 713-556-6947.

Upcoming School Choice Fair Provides Options, Answers for Parents and Students

These students chose Young Women's College Preparatory Academy. Which school will your children be attending next year? Learn more about the options available at the School Choice Fair on April 27.

These students chose Young Women's College Preparatory Academy. Which school will your children be attending next year? Learn more about the options available at the School Choice Fair on April 27.

At HISD, parents and students have a multitude of education options. From Montessori and magnet programs to preschool programs and early college high schools, representatives from over 70 different HISD schools will be on-hand at the third annual HISD School Choice Fair from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 27, at the Hattie Mae White Education Support Center (4400 West 18th Street).

Schools that have space for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year will be available at the fair to answer questions and provide more detailed information about their campuses, answer questions about the application and student transfer process, and assist parents with making the best school choice for their children.

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Briargrove ES celebrates Earth Day with 1K Fun Run

All proceeds to be split between the school and The Berry Foundation

April 22 is Earth Day and campuses across the district are celebrating with a variety of fun and educational activities.

Jennifer Levy, a kindergarten teacher at Briargrove Elementary School, took a novel approach this year by staging the school’s first annual 1K Berry Earthy Fun Run over the weekend. Continue reading →

HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language School To Share Virtual Classroom With Elementary School in China

Bryan Bordelon (L) and Zheng Ruifang, shake hands following the signing of a Sister School Agreement between their campuses.

Bryan Bordelon (L) and Zheng Ruifang, shake hands after the signing of a Sister School agreement between their campuses.

Students at HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School (MCLIMS) may soon be completing their projects with more than just their classmates a few desks over.

MCLIMS and The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China officially entered into a Sister Schools agreement on April 16, marked by a ceremony at the Bellaire area school. The partnership will enable students and teachers from both countries to share ideas and further develop language instruction in both English and Chinese, using technological resources to increase communication.
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HISD Schools Add Some Pep to STAAR Prep

HISD schools across the district are doing their part to get students prepared and pumped up for the upcoming STAAR exam. At Neff Elementary, Principal Rupak Gandhi and his teachers have been practicing their dance moves for an upcoming STAAR pep rally that they hope will encourage students to do their best. Over the past few weeks, members of the school’s fine arts team have spent their ancillary periods and after-school hours creating a fun “Gangnam Style” video that they will show at the campus rally on Monday, April 22, 2013. Students in grades three through eight will take STAAR April 23–26.

“We wanted to do something fun that would not only motivate our students to do well, but would involve the entire staff,” said Gandhi. In the video, entitled “Neff STAAR Style,” Gandhi breaks out his best dance moves and so do the school’s custodians, food services workers, and students.
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Nine HISD Schools Win at State Odyssey of the Mind Competition

Students from Horn Academy pose as pirates for part of their Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Students from Horn Academy pose as pirates for part of their Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Fourteen schools participated in the state Odyssey of the Mind competition on Saturday, April 13, 2013 and students from nine of those schools will advance to the World Finals in May.

Odyssey of the Mind has become the largest international creative problem-solving competition worldwide, and HISD teams have been working hard to on their projects and presentations since October.
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HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School Forms Sister School Relationship with Beijing Campus

Partnership to expand international exchange programs and learning opportunities

April 15, 2013 – In an effort to expand international exchange programs and learning opportunities for the students of both countries, HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School is forming a sister school relationship with The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China during an official signing ceremony on Tuesday, April 16, 2013.

This partnership will enable the students to use their knowledge of both cultures to think and act globally and become responsible and successful global citizens. Meanwhile, the educators will develop their language and teaching abilities to a high global standard that will maximize learning opportunities for their students.  By signing this agreement, both schools commit to work together to improve the quality of education for all students and explore ways in which the two campuses can share a variety of resources, expertise and learning opportunities.

What:              Official signing ceremony between HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School and The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China

Who:                Harvin Moore, HISD Board of Education Trustee;  Bryan Bordelon, Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School principal;  Dr. Andrew Houlihan, HISD Chief School Officer for Major Projects; Zheng Ruifang, The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China principal

When:              Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 1:30 p.m.

Where:             Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School, 6300 Avenue B, Bellaire, TX 77401

Team HISD discusses partnerships with NAACP and HCC to promote literacy

Team HISD and members of the Houston Branch of the NAACP discuss HISD’s literacy initiative at B.K. Bruce Elementary School.

Team HISD and members of the Houston Branch of the NAACP discuss HISD’s literacy initiative at B.K. Bruce Elementary School.

Representatives of the Houston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Houston Community College recently toured Lora B. Peck and B.K. Bruce elementary schools to discuss partnerships with the district to promote HISD’s literacy initiative.

Bruce Principal Trealla Epps and two teachers described how partnerships affect student achievement. The educators noted that the United Way of Greater Houston’s partnership with the school has motivated students about reading by pairing first-graders with volunteers who read to them and help them complete literacy exercises.

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April 5 Deadline Approaching for Magnet School Entrance Agreements

Students who have been accepted to a magnet school program for the 2013-2014 school year must sign and return the school’s entrance agreement postmarked by this Friday, April 5. On Monday, April 8, school magnet coordinators will begin making phone calls to offer spots to waitlisted students. Student positions on each school’s wait list were determined by a lottery.

Students who are still looking at school options, including waitlisted students, those who have recently moved into the district, students in private or charter schools and students who may want to apply to different types of magnet programs, are invited to attend the third annual Houston ISD School Choice Fair from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, April 27, at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, located at 4400 West 18th Street.
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