Category Archives: Elementary Schools

Walnut Bend blogs about journey to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

Students from Walnut Bend Elementary School earned honors at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames, Iowa. Walnut Bend, an Apollo 20 campus, competed against 800 teams along with seven other HISD schools: Bellaire High School, Pin Oak Middle School, and Horn, Poe, River Oaks, Roberts, and West University Elementary Schools. The student-driven problem-solving competition emphasizes teamwork and creativity.

From the Walnut Bend blog: Pictured is coach Michelle Dahlquist apprising the fourth-grade team of how they did on their long-term problem.

Along the way, the team chronicled the adventure on the Walnut Bend Odyssey of the Mind team blog.

Walnut Bend Principal Susan Shenker watched a live video stream of the awards ceremony on Saturday, May 26. “I am so very proud of our amazing, hard-working students and their incomparable coach, Michele Dahlquist,” Shenker said. “Competitions such as this are a reminder that real learning is about creating and problem-solving and that these types of experiences should be available to all learners.”

Walnut Bend earned third-place honors in the “You Make the Call” category, in which students were required to “design and build a structure made of only balsa wood and glue that will support as much weight as possible.” The school also ranked fourth in the “Ooh-Motional Vehicles” category, which required students to “design, build, and drive a vehicle that will travel a course where it will encounter three different situations. The vehicle will display a different human emotion for each encounter and one will cause it to travel in reverse.”

HISD Students Make History on the Space X Dragon

The Space X Dragon which is now headed to rendezvous with the International Space Station is carrying two experiments made by four Houston Independent School District students as well as two student-designed mission patches.  The Dragon launched Tuesday morning at 2:44 a.m. CST from Cape Canaveral, FL.

The National Center for Earth and Space Science (NCESSE) and NanoRacks, LLC, have developed the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), aimed at helping today’s students become the scientists and engineers of tomorrow.  The program gives the students the opportunity to be involved in a national space project with a focus on STEM education via the Nano-Racks payload.

Johnston Middle and Parker Elementary were two of the schools selected from 12 communities in the United States.   Hundreds of students in grades 5- 8 were given the opportunity to design and submit experiments to be performed in microgravity aboard the space station.  From 267 formal experiment proposals received, two were chosen to go to space.

Emily Soice from Johnston Middle School and Michael Prince, Maxx Denning and Aaron Stuart from Parker Elementary school had the winning proposals.  Both schools also held an art contest for the mission patch design. Fifth grade Parker Elementary student Christian Astorga and eighth grade Johnston Middle School student Sebastian Beil designed the winning mission patches.

The students conferred with STEM experts from Rice University, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), NASA, Pfizer, Texas A and M University, the University of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Southern University.    The students also had the opportunity to visit research facilities to prepare for their experiments for flight. 

The Student Space Flight Experiments Program (http://ssep.ncesse.org) is undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE; http://ncesse.org) in partnership with Nanoracks, LLC and is enabled through NanoRacks working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.  

During the Dragon’s 21-day mission it will dock with the space station where it will deliver about a half ton of supplies along with cargo from NanoRacks containing 15 student-designed SSEP experiments from around the United States.  Dragon will be the first privately-owned spaceship to dock at the space station.

HISD to Dedicate New Cunningham Elementary School

HISD Board of Education President Michael Lunceford will join community leaders, administrators, alumni, staff and students during the official dedication ceremony on Wednesday, May 23 at 9 a.m. for the new Cunningham Elementary School, 5100 Gulfton.

“This is a great new school for the community, and it can now adequately handle the number of children attending,” Lunceford said. “This new facility will also have more of a ‘campus’ feel with the trees and large green space for the children to enjoy.”
This new facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and is projected to have a 35 percent reduction in water use and a 25 percent reduction in annual energy use. Every major learning space and classroom has at least one window. The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards.

“Our kids are so excited about the new space and have taken true ownership,” said Cunningham Principal Nancy Mercado. “We are proud to show everyone in our community what we are doing here, which is providing a first-rate education for our students.”

The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made the project possible. The new school includes:
• New library;
• New science labs;
• New computer lab; and
• Smart Board technology in all classrooms.

For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org.

See photos from the official dedication of Robert C. Patterson Literature Magnet Elementary School

HISD Board of Education Trustee Manuel Rodriguez, Texas State Senator Mario Gallegos and Principal Jeannie Castano and a host of parents and community volunteers were on hand at the official dedication of Robert C. Patterson Literature Magnet Elementary School on May 18.    The new Patterson campus is certified LEED Silver(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), and uses 19% less energy than a non-LEED campus, and 37% less water.

See photos from the dedication ceremony below:

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HISD Leaders and Community to Dedicate Patterson Elementary School

HISD District III Trustee Manuel Rodriguez will join students, staff and community members for the official dedication ceremony of the new Patterson Elementary School (5302 Allendale) on Friday, May 18 at 9 a.m.

“The neighborhood deserves a new school and the dedication has been long time coming,” Rodriguez said.  “We know that the school staff is there to provide an excellent education for the children of the neighborhood.”

State Senator Mario Gallegos is among the elected officials expected to attend Friday’s event.

The new Patterson facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and is projected to have an annual 37 percent reduction in water use and a 19 percent reduction in energy use.  This campus also has two high-capacity rainwater collection cisterns that are used for landscape irrigation.  The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards. 

“It’s much more than a new building.  It’s a source of pride for this close-knit community,” said Principal Jeannie Castano.  “Our new library is amazing, and makes it so much easier to teach the connection between everyday life and literature.”

The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made the project possible. The new school includes:

  • New library;
  • New science labs;
  • New computer lab; and
  • Smart Board technology in all classrooms.

For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org

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Seven HISD Schools Receive Generous Donation of 10,000 Books

Seven schools in the Houston Independent School District will receive 10,000 books because of a generous donation from Neuhaus Education Center.  The announcement was made today at the 3 Men Movers Warehouse on the Southwest Freeway.  Neuhaus Education Center received the books as part of the H-E-B Read 3 campaign. 

This afternoon, 3 Men Movers will deliver the books to Bonham Elementary, Garcia Elementary, Whidby Elementary, Gregory-Lincoln Elementary, Kashmere Gardens Elementary, High School Ahead Academy, and Worthing High School.

Several campuses plan to use the books to enhance their library collections, while others will use the books to supplement classroom libraries.  One school will also give some of the books to students to encourage summer reading.

“This generous donation of books will enhance the literacy of hundreds of HISD students”, said Dr. Alicia Thomas, HISD Deputy Chief Academic Officer. “One of the greatest gifts you can give a child is to teach them at an early age the importance of reading every day.”

Since 1980, Neuhaus Education Center (NEC) has been dedicated to the prevention of reading failure and provides teachers professional development in research-based methods of literacy instruction. Nearly 7,000 HISD teachers have received training at NEC on literacy intervention strategies.  Principals and teacher development specialists have also attended the professional development sessions.

The H-E-B Read 3 campaign was the brainchild of H-E-B CEO and Chairman, Charles Butt, a strong advocate for public education.  H-E-B launched the Read 3 program as part of its continued efforts to strengthen education in Houston and throughout the state.

H-E-B Read 3 is committed to helping parents shape a child’s mind by encouraging them to read to their children three times a week.  H-E-B’s goal is to collect 1 million books for children in need.

HISD Board of Education to Consider More Elementary School Class Time

The Houston ISD Board of Education today will consider giving preliminary approval to a policy requiring all elementary schools to adopt a minimum 7 hour and 15 minute daily schedule.

 The proposal is intended to provide schools more flexibility to meet their students’ academic and developmental needs.  Earlier this spring, the Board of Education approved a resolution encouraging all elementary principals to offer their students daily recess, and this proposal would further enable them to do so.

Currently, the length of school days at HISD elementary campuses ranges from 7 hours to 7 hours and 40 minutes, meaning no school’s day would be lengthened by more than 15 minutes under this proposal. Schools that already exceed the minimum time requirement would be able to continue doing so.

Other items on the agenda for tonight’s meeting include:

  • Adoption of a resolution calling on the Texas Legislature to “reexamine the public school accountability system in Texas and to develop a system that encompasses multiple assessments, reflects greater validity, reduces the number of instructional days affected by state-mandated standardized tests, and uses more cost efficient sampling techniques and other external evaluation arrangements, and more accurately reflects what students know, appreciate and can do in terms of the rigorous standards essential to their success, enhances the role of teachers as designers, guides to instruction and leaders, and nurtures the sense of inquiry and love of learning in all students.”
  • Expanding newcomer programs at Liberty High School and Las Americas Middle School.  These schools are designed to meet the unique needs of students who have recently immigrated to the United States.
  • Approval of a new set of performance criteria, the HISD School Leadership Framework, to be used in the appraisal instrument for principals, assistant principals, and deans of instruction. For more than a year, leaders from across the district have been working together to make recommendations about the design of this new appraisal system, including the appraisal process and timelines and the performance criteria used to assess school leader performance. With the right supports and standards, principals will be best positioned to improve the quality of instruction within schools and strengthen parent and community engagement.

The board’s regular monthly meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, 2012 in the board auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 West 18th St., 77092).

The board is scheduled to receive status updates on a number of projects and vote on several programs, contracts, and grants. For a full copy of the Board meeting agenda, click here.  The board meeting will be carried live on HISD’s website and on the HISD Channel, which can be found on Comcast Channel 18 or AT&T Channel 99.

See photos from the official dedication of James Berry Elementary School

Eco-friendly features were on display recently as former principals, teachers, parents, elected officials and community leaders joined HISD Board of Education Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Chief Elementary School Officer Sam Sarabia and Principal Deborah Silber at the official dedication of James Berry Elementary School.

Cick below to see photos from the ceremony and the interior and exterior of Berry ES.

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See photos of MATP Challenge Day with Memorial, Bush and T.H. Rogers ES

Once a year, T.H.Rogers holds a field day or special olympics for students enrolled in the Motor Activities Training Program (MATP) on campus. The fun-filled event gives students with severe disabilities a chance to demonstrate their personal best in a variety of sporting events. A tropical luau served as the theme for this year’s challenge which also included students and staff from Barbara Bush and Memorial Elementary.

Click through the photos below to see more from MATP Challenge Day.

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