Category Archives: Health/Wellness

Special Olympics Field Days rescheduled for March; volunteers needed

Editor’s note: Due to the threat of inclement weather, the Special Olympics Field Days rescheduled for March have been postponed. When new dates are established, they will be communicated.

The sixth annual Special Olympics Field Days, which was postponed in November because of inclement weather, are now scheduled for March, and HISD needs volunteers for the upcoming event.

Field Days give students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance to showcase their athletic skills by taking part in fun athletic contests. The friendly competition includes basketball, tennis, soccer, and track and field for all ages, as well as flag football for high-schoolers.

Middle-school students will have their events on March 6, while high school students will participate on March 7. Then elementary students get their Special Olympics Field Day on March 5.

Continue reading →

Parent University helps Wisdom HS mom lead the way for new PTO

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Armed with a fresh notebook and pens for jotting notes, Wisdom High School parent Erica Alvarado bounced from table to table at Thursday night’s second Parent University session, gathering as much information and resources as she could.

Alvarado’s mission was twofold: Learn as much as possible to help support her children’s education, and pass along resources to fellow parents serving on Wisdom’s newly minted PTO, for which she is president.

Parent University was designed to connect parents and children to resources offered by the district to create successful academic outcomes, as well as safe and healthy environments at home and at school. Continue reading →

FedEx and Operation Warm deliver new coats to N.Q. Henderson ES

As Houston temperatures dropped, the gift of warmth arrived just in time for hundreds of kids at Nathaniel Q. Henderson Elementary School in East Houston.

FedEx Cares teamed up with Operation Warm, a national nonprofit that provides brand new coats to children in need, to deliver coats to every student enrolled at N.Q. Henderson. Nearly 40 FedEx volunteers helped more than 300 students pick out a free, brand-new coat in their size and favorite color.

“I am so excited for our campus,” Principal Alana Holloway said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our scholars. We are very appreciative. I know that our parents and families will be extremely grateful.” Continue reading →

HISD to offer free flu shots to all students for 2018-2019 school year

The Houston Independent School District is partnering with Healthy Schools to offer free flu vaccines to students during the 2018-2019 school year.

A team of nurses and other staff from Healthy Schools will rotate to each campus for half-day clinics beginning in October through December.

Parents will be able to consent electronically or through a print copy. All parent consent forms and translations will be provided to campuses, and parents can either complete the form and submit to the campus prior to clinics or have their child bring the completed form on the day of clinic. Continue reading →

Nutrition Services provides good food with everlasting knowledge at ‘Camp Lit’

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Equipped with planters, soil, and seeds, HISD’s Nutrition Services workers had all hands-on deck as they taught nearly 9,000 elementary and middle school students various ways to dig into good nutrition.

The day’s festivities were a part of Camp Lit, a two-day festival designed to promote literacy throughout the district. Gathered in the parking lot of Delmar Fieldhouse, students participated in outdoor tailgate-themed literacy games hosted by various district departments, sponsors, and partners. Continue reading →

May 9 is National School Nurse Day

This week is National Nurses Week, and May 9 is National School Nurse Day, a time to recognize and honor nurses’ daily contributions to education. HISD school nurses provide invaluable services across the district every day to keep students healthy and ready to learn.

“School Nurses are trailblazers for children’s health,” said Gwendolyn Johnson, HISD’s manager of Health and Medical Services. “They find innovative ways to help students and their families deal with diagnoses of chronic illnesses like diabetes or asthma and manage symptoms and administer medication.”  Continue reading →

Milby’s Broadway Buffs advance to national culinary competition

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Six teams of student chefs clad in double-breasted white jackets and black-and-white houndstooth pants converged on the Art Institute of Houston last weekend, all aiming to slice and dice their way to a national title.

The six teams, which were made up of HISD culinary students from Westside, Northside, and Milby high schools, were participating in the annual Cooking Up Change competition. The contest challenges students to create healthy meals that meet the real-life nutritional and cost requirements of the national school meal programs. Continue reading →

High schools focus on good food at Spring Cookouts

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Standing in a line that snaked across the school courtyard, hundreds of Chavez High School students shuffled under bright blue tailgate tents, eager to enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken sandwiches.

“We got some really good food, and I wish I could grab seconds,” said Chavez senior Corinthia West regarding the recent Spring Cookout at her school. “I think the whole school came out, and we all enjoyed each other. This is fun!” Continue reading →

Personal stories exemplify how HISD is rebuilding, reimagining education

‘We could be anywhere, and we would still be Robinson’

If anyone could find a silver lining amid the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, it’s Robinson Elementary School Principal Paige Fernandez-Hohos. After being flooded with more than a foot of water, Robinson was relocated and students split between two adjacent campuses. Though not ideal, the situation made Fernandez-Hohos determined to give students a sense of normalcy. Vacant rooms and hallways sprung to life with decorations. Auditorium and gym spaces were transformed into cozy classrooms to accommodate more students. Fernandez-Hohos trekked back and forth between the two campuses. If she started the day welcoming students at one school, she ended it saying goodbye to students at the other. It was important, she said, that every class see her every day. Robinson students returned to their home campus in January, but Fernandez-Hohos said the storm taught her a valuable lesson about the spirit of her school: “When everything else is stripped away, all you’re left with is the bond between teachers and students. We could be anywhere, and we would still be Robinson.”