Category Archives: Health/Wellness

HISD observes National School Breakfast Week March 7–11

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The Houston Independent School District encourages students to start their day with a healthy breakfast. That’s why HISD’s Nutrition Services Department is observing National School Breakfast Week March 7–11, with the theme of “Blasting off with Breakfast.” The districtwide effort highlights the many benefits of HISD’s free breakfast program.

This year, Nutrition Services invited two local heroes to show students the importance of breakfast at school. On March 8, the Houston Texan’s mascot Toro pumped up students for a day of learning in the breakfast line at Montgomery ES, courtesy of Dairy MAX. And on March 10, NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke will be on a mission at Grissom ES to talk about the importance of healthy eating for space travel.

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School Meal Challenge improving student health through competition

Kennedy ES students enjoy a pizza party after achieving 100-percent participation in HISD's breakfast program.

Kennedy ES students enjoy a pizza party after achieving 100-percent participation in HISD’s school breakfast program.

HISD’s Nutrition Services Department is supporting students in achieving high scores on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) by working with schools to adapt, promote, and reinvigorate their meal programs for the upcoming testing season.

The department launched a friendly competition on Feb. 10 to see which schools could increase their on-campus meal consumption by students by at least three percent. The School Meal Challenge, which runs through April 4, is designed to improve students’ academic performance and health by encouraging children to eat district-provided breakfast and lunch.

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New multiservice center to provide HISD students quality access to food, healthcare

Kashmere High School will celebrate the opening of a campus-based multiservice center that provides health, education, counseling, and workforce development services to students and their families.

The Kashmere Success Center was launched in January by ProUnitas, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering communities by connecting social service organizations and resources to students and families with unmet needs. Continue reading →

Girl Scout project brings Lamar HS senior state, national attention

Kianna Hawkins

Kianna Hawkins

A project taken on as one Girl Scout’s quest for the Gold Award has earned her additional recognition at the state and national levels.

Last year, 17-year-old Kianna Hawkins led an initiative called “EyeCare4TeenVision” to provide basic eye-care services and corrective lenses to needy young people. As a part of her project, she joined forces with various local organizations to coordinate a vision screening event for teens and collected more than 300 pairs of gently used eyeglasses. Those efforts led to Kianna earning the Gold Award, which is the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive (see related local newspaper story here).

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Payoff for social worker’s career in education: watching students heal

In this week’s “I Am HISD,” which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Sugar Grove Academy social worker Elba Ruibal talks about why she began working in public schools, what compelled her to move from a high school to a middle school setting, and one of the biggest challenges of serving refugee students.

Let’s start with a little background. How long have you been a social worker, and when did you first join Team HISD?

Elba Ruibal

Elba Ruibal

I’ve been in social work for about 25 years. I started out working with domestic violence victims at the Houston Area Women’s Shelter and was there for two and a half years. I also worked at the Women and Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, in the children’s emergency room. I came to HISD five years ago, and was at Westbury High School for four of those. This is my first year at Sugar Grove.

What made you decide to move into public education?

When I had my own child, I wanted to be with him in the summers. But I also dealt a lot with victims of domestic violence at the hospital, and I had to report abuse to Children’s Protective Services. Once those children left the ER, I never knew what happened to them, and thoughts of their welfare lingered. But in a school setting, I get to see those children every day and know that they’re alive. I get to follow up, make sure they’re safe, and in the best cases, watch them heal.

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First Class Breakfast expands to middle and high schools

A student at Jackson Middle School enjoys breakfast at her desk through the First Class Breakfast program.

A student at Jackson Middle School enjoys breakfast at her desk through the First Class Breakfast program.

HISD has been serving healthy, nutritious breakfasts for free to all students every school morning since 2010, and many of them receive it right in the classroom through First Class Breakfast.

Now, even more secondary students are taking advantage of this option. First Class Breakfast was already in place at 40 middle and high schools, but Nutrition Services recently added two more schools to the program and continues to add schools weekly.

Offering breakfast to students in the classroom eliminates many of the obstacles that get in the way of students eating the first meal of the day. Kenya Davis, a student at Washington High School, noted that some of her classmates ride the bus and get to school just as the bell rings. “I love the idea of breakfast in the classroom,” she said. “It gives students who are on time for school — but late for breakfast — an opportunity to eat.”

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New inspection app simplifies food quality assurance in HISD schools

HISD Nutrition Services Quality Control Representative Jeffery Chenier conducts food inspections in school kitchens using a new web-based inspection application.

HISD Nutrition Services Quality Control Representative Jeffery Chenier conducts food inspections in school kitchens using a new web-based inspection application.

Every day, HISD Nutrition Services quality control representatives visit school cafeteria kitchens to ensure that food is safe to serve and kitchens meet the city’s safety standards.

Nutrition Services recently upgraded its quality control inspection process with a new mobile application that allows for faster food-safety assessments. The new application helps quality control representatives inspect more schools and share more information with other departments.

“The application easily tracks scores for each school and we are able to send the reports directly to the operations team,” said Quality Assurance Manager Heather Kohn. “We can also attach pictures, giving a better understanding of the issues that need to be addressed.” Kohn added that Nutrition Services puts great emphasis on food safety and the prevention of foodborne illnesses in the district’s school kitchens.

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HISD joins U.S. Departments of Education, Health & Human Services to announce new initiative supporting healthy students, communities

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The Houston Independent School District and the U.S. Departments of Education and Health & Human Services joined forces Friday to encourage communities to link health and education services to better support students.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier welcomed acting U.S. Secretary of Education John King and Health and Human Services Acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield to Sharpstown High School, a model for health and education collaboration.

While there, they toured the campus-based Memorial Hermann clinic and Apollo Market — which provides free food, health screenings, and community resources to students and their families — and participated in a roundtable discussion. Continue reading →

Parents: Get kids enrolled in health insurance now

The month of November is the time that many U.S. workers select their families’ health insurance benefits for the coming year — and parents of HISD students are no exception.

The Open Enrollment period for 2016 coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) runs from Nov. 1, 2015, through Jan. 31, 2016, but did you know that eight out of every ten people who enrolled in health coverage plans through HealthCare.gov qualified for financial help to make their monthly premiums more affordable?

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K. Smith Elementary celebrates opening of new cafeteria

After months of eating meals in temporary buildings, students and staff at K. Smith Elementary School celebrated the opening of a brand new cafeteria and kitchen this past week, and the new facility is getting thumbs-up from both.

Smith Elementary School opened its new cafeteria and kitchen to give students healthier meals.

Smith Elementary School opened its new cafeteria and kitchen to give students healthier meals.

“We were in temporary buildings for the longest time,” said Nutrition Services attendant Maria Mireles, who has been with Smith for 10 years. “There’s nothing better than to have our own kitchen to prepare meals for the kids.”

Smith Elementary School Principal Gloria Salazar is happy her students are dining in a permanent facility and are able to relax and enjoy a hot, healthy meal.

“We are now having fresher choices in food,” Salazar said. “The combination of meals and new cafeteria is a morale booster for our students.”

“The food is great and my friends and I get more space at lunch time,” said student Andrea Medina.