Category Archives: HISD @ HOME

HISD welcomes back district leadership for 2020-2021 school year

Cars covered with colorful banners and balloons lined up to participate in the district’s annual Welcome Back event this week, which took on a different format from previous years due to COVID-19 precautions.

Each car held an HISD principal and was decorated to represent their respective campus. District leadership, including HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan, danced to the music played by the DJ on site.

“This is the kickoff to the 2020-2021 school year, the Year of Flexibility,” Lathan said. “We are excited to receive over 210,000 students back to HISD. My goal is for all HISD students to be within reach and able to obtain a quality education.”

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HISD to launch Parent Virtual Learning Course

The Houston Independent School District will soon launch an online course designed to provide parents with the tools needed to support their child’s transition to the online classroom this fall.

The Parent Introduction to Virtual Learning online course will be available on Monday, Aug. 10 at HoustonISD.org/ParentCourse. It is designed to introduce virtual learning and provide guidance to parents on the HISD @ H.OM.E platform. The course should be completed no later than Friday, Sept. 4.

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HISD launches ‘Students Within Reach/Return Strong’ campaign to ensure all children engage academically

District seeks to reach students who have not participated in at-home instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Houston Independent School District will launch its Students Within Reach/Return Strong campaign on August 3 with the goal of re-engaging children who have not participated in at-home instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The campaign will be a targeted effort to reach students who have not connected with their schools since virtual instruction began in March. The district will also seek to connect with a smaller group that disengaged after May 1.

“It’s important as a district to ensure all students are engaged in meaningful instruction and learning at all times,” HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “We will be persistent in our efforts to reach all of our children, and when we do, we will ensure they have the resources and support needed to navigate virtual coursework.”

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HISD suspends uniform policy for 2020-21 school year

HISD has announced the suspension of the student uniform policy for the upcoming school year.

The district understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has created or increased the economic challenges that some families face. Relaxing the uniform requirements will hopefully provide some relief for parents as they prepare for the school year.

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HISD to host Camp Spark for academic enrichment leading up to new school year

The HISD Academics Department is hosting a virtual interactive Academic Enrichment Camp designed to provide students with enrichment leading up to the first day of the 2020-21 school year while reinforcing academic skills. 

Camp Spark, which will be held Aug. 24 through Sept. 4, is free of charge for all HISD students in pre-K through 12th grade.

Students will participate in interactive engaging activities in science, math, literacy, technology, and art. Ninth-graders will participate in a high school overview boot camp. A College and Career Readiness Series will be available for students in grades 10th through 12th. Other student camp activities include:

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HISD to launch HISD @ H.O.M.E. Hotline to support fall distance learning

The Houston Independent School District will soon launch the HISD @ H.O.M.E. Hotline to provide timely answers to questions from students and parents about fall distance learning.

Starting on Monday, Aug. 3, students and parents can call the HISD @ H.O.M.E. Hotline at 713-556-INFO (4636), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Operators will be on hand to answer questions in English and Spanish pertaining to HISD @ H.O.M.E.

HISD launched HISD @ H.O.M.E. (Home-based Online Mobile Education), a distance learning plan, in the spring to ensure students’ academic and non-academic needs were met as the district campuses and offices physically closed due to COVID-19 precautions.

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HISD to reconnect safely, return strong for 2020-2021 school year

All students to return to school virtually for six weeks; families may choose all-virtual learning

With the health and safety of students, families, and staff as the top priority, all HISD students will begin the 2020-2021 school year virtually on September 8, 2020. Virtual instruction for all students will continue for six weeks through Friday, October 16, 2020.

The decision to begin the 2020-2021 school year virtually and delay the start of the school year for two weeks was due to the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases in the area.

On Monday, October 19, 2020, face-to-face instruction for students will begin. This date is subject to change based on COVID-19 conditions across the City of Houston and guidance from local, state, and federal health officials.

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HISD launches Virtual Student Leadership Program

In response to the unique challenges presented by COVID-19, the Houston Independent School District hired nearly 100 interns to tutor students remotely this summer.

HISD quickly pivoted its traditional Summer Student Leadership Program, in which students are hired for in-person internships in a variety of departments, to providing high-quality academic instruction virtually.

The district is committed to ensuring that students have access to competitive summer employment opportunities. This comes at a time when companies across the country are rescinding previously slated student job and internship offers. Despite the circumstances, HISD students can gain paid real-world work experience, develop their soft skills, and become more competitive applicants for colleges, scholarships, and jobs.

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Campus, district leaders share best practices at first-ever all virtual PLS 2020

Nearly 2,000 district and school-based employees gathered online for HISD’s first-ever all virtual Professional Learning Series (PLS), three days of professional development, team building, and preparation for the upcoming 2020-21 school year.

The theme of this year’s event, which took place June 15-17, was “Virtual Learning and Beyond: Bridging Gaps with Strong Systems.” A major focus of the series included preparing for a virtual school system, as well as management best practices and guidance for schools and teachers on how to support students engaged in online learning.

“We are embracing the virtual learning space across HISD, and PLS this summer is no exception,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said during the recorded general session. “It is our goal that our leaders rejuvenate, renew and reimagine the possibilities for the upcoming school year.”

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High school fine arts students use dance to connect

Students from Bellaire, Lamar, Madison, Milby, Westbury, and Westside high schools collaborated on a dance piece performed in response to a strong poem written and recited by Andrea Minotti, a senior dance student at Westside High School.

“This situation will fade, but we can’t run away from it,” he writes, “so as the days go by, sitting inside, what you will make of it?” Minotti’s powerful message inspired the dancers to express their emotions during this difficult time.

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