Category Archives: HISD: Our Story

Garden Oaks Montessori welcomes students into new facilities

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The first day of school after Spring Break is always busy, but for Garden Oaks Montessori students and staff, the day was marked with even more excitement thanks to the opening of new building additions.

Teachers worked through Spring Break to ensure classrooms were ready for students, while some parents even stopped by last week to give their children a chance to get acclimated early.

Garden Oaks Principal Lindsey Pollock said the first day had been hectic, but exciting. Continue reading →

Wilson Montessori opens doors to new building addition

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When Wilson Montessori students came back from spring break on Monday, they returned to a new three-story building addition specifically designed to evoke a sense of nature and the environment.

Soft earth tones color the walls and floors, different types of tiles provide a sense of texture and expansive windows help connect students to the outdoors.

“Montessori goes back to the environment and taking care of the environment,” Wilson Montessori Principal Beth Bonnette said. “As a part of our environment, the concrete hallways are painted brown and blue like land and water, and the students like the ebb and flow that goes with that.”

Continue reading →

Westbury High School opens new addition ahead of schedule

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Westbury High School students and staff looked right at home in their new building addition on Monday — the official opening day of the school’s two-story building expansion.

The new wing was completed and furnished ahead of schedule, which enabled the school to move in two weeks early for a “soft opening” before spring break.

Westbury Principal Susan Monaghan said the move was seamless, with crews and teachers working over the weekend to prevent any disruption to instruction time. Continue reading →

Parker ES students mark first day in new school

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Roaring applause and cheers of joy echoed throughout the Parker Elementary School cafeteria on Monday as Principal Lori Frodine welcomed students to the first day of school in their new building.

To mark the first day, students gathered by grade level for assemblies in the cafeteria, where Frodine excitedly introduced the students to the new facility and its features and answered their questions.

“You guys have the coolest music rooms ever,” Frodine said to the eager students seated before her.

Continue reading →

Report shows HISD has taken steps to improve special education program

 The American Institutes for Research (AIR) released a comprehensive new report that finds HISD has already taken specific action that will enable the district to improve outcomes for students with disabilities and implement the report’s recommendations more effectively.

The report, Special Education Program Review, was commissioned by the Houston Independent School District. The HISD Board of Education contracted AIR to assess the district’s strengths and areas in need of improvement with respect to its special education program. The results of the review were presented at the March HISD Board of Education meeting by experts from AIR. Continue reading →

March Teacher of the Month is Fleming MS science educator

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What started off as an ordinary day for Fleming Middle School teacher Sha’rell Webb on Tuesday morning turned into a surprise of a lifetime, when Area Superintendent Julia Dimmitt interrupted class to announce Webb as the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for March.

“Mrs. Webb is more than deserving of this recognition,” Dimmitt said. “She not only puts her students’ educational needs first, but those of the entire campus, which shows in their academic achievements.”  Continue reading →

HISD Board joined by mayor, lawmakers with message of unity for Houston’s children 

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HISD Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones said Tuesday that the departure of Superintendent Richard Carranza does not change the vision and mission of the district, which remains committed to delivering a quality education to all children “in a unified way.”

“We are one vision, and that is to ensure IR (Improvement Required) schools come off IR, that we don’t have any additional schools go into IR, and that we can use our use limited dollars in a way that does the least harm to impact our classrooms,” Skillern-Jones said.

Superintendent Carranza accepts new role in NYC

She delivered the message standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow trustees, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, state Rep. Alma Allen, and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. All emphasized that the city, state, and federal government have a role to play in ensuring the success of the district, and that the district is more than one person.  Continue reading →

HISD’s 2018 Principals of the Year are from Braeburn ES, Jones Futures Academy 

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It was a day full of surprises on Thursday as Superintendent Richard Carranza, Chief Academic Officer Grenita Lathan and school board members, made their rounds to name the district’s 2018 Principals of the Year at Braeburn Elementary School and Jones Futures Academy.

Braeburn Elementary School Principal Santos Reyes was crowned as HISD’s Elementary Principal of the year, while Jones Futures Academy Principal Geovanny Ponce was named HISD’s Secondary Principal of the Year.    Continue reading →

Chavez Chess Academy recognized by governor, mayor  

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The Chavez Chess Academy, under the direction of instructor and coach Robert L. Myers, has been busy. In a couple of weeks, the team will travel to compete in Tokyo, and in June, they are headed for Greece and Italy.

The team has won five state chess championships in a row, and team member Anateresa Hipolito is now rated one of the top 100 girls in America. Consequently, the students were recognized by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Governor Gregg Abbott.

Last summer they competed and won in London, Paris, and Rome and were featured twice on the cover of “Texas Knights,” the official publication of the Texas Chess Association.

 

3 HISD teachers, 1 principal named finalists for 2018 HEB Excellence in Education Awards 

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Three HISD teachers and one principal have been recognized as finalists for the 2018 HEB Excellence in Education Awards, one of the largest monetary programs for educators in Texas and the nation.

Kellie Karavias of Gregory-Lincoln, Amber Neal of Almeda Elementary School, Jennifer Chase of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Principal Diego Calderon of Burbank Elementary School, are among eight educators from across Houston who were surprised in their classrooms and presented the awards.

Each teacher finalist received a $1,000 check for themselves and a $1,000 check for their schools. The principal was presented a $1,000 personal prize and a $2,500 prize for the school at a surprise pep-rally-style student assembly.

HEB will be surprising 40 finalists over the next two months. Finalists across the state will be invited to Houston on May 5-6 to compete for the chance to win additional cash prizes totaling $430,000.