Category Archives: Elementary Schools

Burbank Elementary staff team up for scavenger hunt

Teachers and staff at Burbank Elementary are gearing up for the first day of school by participating in team building activities. Earlier this week, they participated in a scavenger hunt where teams had to decipher clues at various locations around the city, including Discovery Green and the driving range at Memorial Park.  Burbank ES Teacher Robert Wiseman says the winning team members each received $70 to put toward the purchase of new school supplies.

Students attending Burbank ES and hundreds of other HISD schools begin classes on Monday, August 27. Earlier today, we posted links to some of the most frequently sought-after information by HISD parents. These will help make sure your student is ready for Monday and the rest of the 2012-13 school year.

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HISD Board of Education to Discuss Possible Bond Election

The HISD Board of Education will meet on Tuesday to discuss details of a possible bond referendum that aims to address facility needs at schools in neighborhoods across the district.
Forty-two schools across Houston, including 28 high schools, would be rebuilt, renovated, or renewed under a recommended bond package presented for the HISD Board of Education’s consideration last month.
The board must decide by August whether to seek approval of the $1.89 billion proposal from Houston Independent School District voters during the Nov. 6 general election.
The board will meet to discuss the plan at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 10, and at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 12. Both public workshop meetings will take place at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th Street.
While including nearly $224 million in recommended projects that would benefit students at all 279 schools in the district, the proposed bond package focuses heavily on the city’s high schools. HISD’s most recent bond programs approved by voters in 1998, 2002 and 2007 have primarily addressed needs at the elementary school level. The average age of HISD secondary schools now stands at 50 years, compared to 39 years for the district’s primary schools.
The proposed bond package would completely rebuild some of Houston’s most historic neighborhood high schools across the city, while others would undergo renovations and renewals. The proposal also includes new campuses for some of HISD’s prestigious specialty magnet schools, including the nationally renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The new HSPVA would be built downtown near Houston’s vaunted Theater District on land that HISD already owns at 1300 Capitol.

The proposal calls for $1.66 billion to be spent on improvements at 42 schools. This would cover:

• $577 million to completely replace 8 high schools

o Furr
o High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
o Lee
o Madison
o Sharpstown
o Sterling
o Booker T. Washington
o Yates

• $354 million to replace the inadequate facilities at 4 high schools

o Bellaire
o Lamar

o Sam Houston
o Westbury

• $259 million to replace inadequate facilities and renovate 5 high schools

o Austin
o Eastwood Academy
o Milby
o Waltrip
o Worthing

• $27 million to build 2 new early college high schools

o North Early College
o South Early College

• $61 million to renovate or renew 9 high schools

o Davis
o DeBakey
o Jones
o Jordan
o Kashmere
o Scarborough
o Sharpstown International High School
o Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy
o Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy

• $121 million to convert 4 elementary schools into K-8 campuses

o Garden Oaks
o Pilgrim Academy
o Wharton Dual Language
o Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School at Gordon

• $73 million to replace Dowling Middle School and expand Grady Middle School

• $126 million to replace 5 elementary schools

o Askew
o Condit
o Kelso
o MacGregor
o Parker

• $67 million to renovate and make building additions at K. Smith Elementary, replace inadequate facilities and renovate Tijerina Elementary, and build a new elementary school on the district’s west end to reduce overcrowding

The proposed $224 million in district wide projects would cover:

• Technology upgrades at all HISD schools ($100 million)
• District athletic facility improvements ($42 million)
• Middle school restroom renovations ($35 million)
• Safety and security improvements ($27 million)
• Land acquisition ($20 million)

The proposal was developed after a review of HISD’s facilities by Parsons, an independent firm that specializes in the assessment, design, and project management of education facilities. Click here to review documents that were used to develop the proposal.
Because of the district’s strong fiscal management practices, HISD has been able to maintain the lowest property tax rate of the 20-plus school districts in Harris County.
If an election is called, and voters approve the bond package, HISD would likely adopt a property tax rate increase in the future. This tax rate increase would have no impact on the homesteads of HISD residents age 65 and older, because their tax rates are frozen.
HISD estimates that the tax rate increase would be phased in over a 4-year period, beginning with an estimated 2-cent increase in 2014. This would result in an additional $29 in yearly taxes for the owner of a home valued at $200,000. By 2017, the total tax rate increase resulting from the bond’s passage would reach 6.85 cents, raising the average tax bill by $99 a year, or $8.25 per month.
School construction and renovation work approved by HISD voters in 2007 is nearing completion under budget. So far, HISD has opened 16 new or replacement schools under that bond program, 7 more new schools are under construction, and 2 more are in the planning stage. More than 100 HISD campuses have undergone renovations so far. Click here for more detailed information about the work completed under the 2007 bond program.

Student Spaceflight Experiments Program

 Two more Houston Independent School District student experiments will soon be headed to space.  The first experiments launched in May aboard the inaugural Space X Dragon commercial space flight and will return in July.   Two other experiments are now being prepared for the mission to the International Space Station in September.

Four HISD schools, E-STEM Middle School Academy West, Garden Oaks Elementary, Johnston Middle, and Pershing Middle Schools, participated in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 2 to the ISS. 

As part of the program, students worked with teachers and members of the community to complete research on a rigorous scientific proposal along with a design challenge for experimentation in microgravity aboard the ISS.   Students also helped design a mission patch that represents HISD and their work on this project.

 The team from Pershing Middle which took top honors and Johnston Middle school student Emily Soice will represent HISD on the SpaceX Falcon 9 flight in September.  Two HISD mission patches designed by E-STEM Middle School Academy West student Abilio Sanchez and Johnston Middle School student Sebastian Beil from Johnston Middle school will also be aboard the flight.   

 The program was made possible by donations from Advanced Metal Fusion, KBR, Lockheed-Martin, Minute Maid, and Texas Space Grant.

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. This on-orbit educational research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks, LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

HISD Awards Top Custodians and Plant Operators of the Year

The Houston Independent School District presented the Custodian and Plant Operator of the Year awards, and recognized the strong work ethic, dedication and commitment of the entire operations staff on June 7.

“We want to take the time to say – we see what you’re doing, we know what you’re doing, and most importantly, we appreciate what you’re doing,” Superintendent Terry Grier said.  “The work of these employees is vital for all our schools and facilities to be able to operate smoothly on a daily basis.”     

The Secondary Custodian of the Year award was given to Hortencia Garcia from Waltrip High School and the Elementary Custodian of the Year award was given to Maria Fuentes from De Zavala Elementary School.

Honorable mentions were also given to Vickie Newton from TH Rogers Middle School and Vilma Villatoro from Red Elementary School for excellence and innovation in service to their campuses.

“We are truly proud of these custodians, who exceed expectations in every area of plant operations, and who go to work every day with their most important customers in mind – the children of HISD,” said Leo Bobadilla, Chief Operating Officer.  “These awards serve as tangible recognition of their efforts, and our appreciation.”

Marili Vaquiz from Burrus Elementary School was awarded Elementary Plant Operator of the Year, and Gary Vaughn from Welch Middle School was awarded Secondary Plant Operator of the Year. 

Honorable mentions for excellence in plant operations were also given to Maria Cerda from JP Henderson Elementary School, Jerry Johnson from Waltrip High School, and Connie Broussard from McNamara Elementary School.           

HISD’s custodians and plant operators are tasked with ensuring all of the district’s schools and facilities are clean, safe and operating adequately.

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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