Category Archives: Magnet/School Choice

Student transfers analyst moonlights as a beekeeper

Anthony Dickerson poses in his beekeeping suit with a jar of his own honey.

Anthony Dickerson poses in his beekeeping suit with a jar of his own honey.

In this week’s edition of I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Student Transfers Analyst (and 20-year HISD team member) Anthony Dickerson talks about the buzz over his beekeeping, Colony Collapse Disorder, and advice for new members of Team HISD.

So tell me about the beekeeping. How did it start?

Well it’s kind of complicated. We have a house out in the country, and I noticed there was a buzzing in the walls. We found out there was a colony of bees that had infiltrated the house. I did what most people would do and called an exterminator.

Continue reading →

HISD teacher receives state humanities award

Rebecca Ryan

Rebecca Ryan

Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men teacher Rebecca Ryan is among 12 recipients from across the state to receive the 2015 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award.

The award is among several bestowed annually by Humanities Texas — a National Endowment for the Humanities affiliate — to encourage excellence in teaching and recognize Texas classroom teachers who have made exemplary contributions in teaching, curriculum development and extracurricular programming. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education approves resolution beginning process of renaming certain schools

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday approved a resolution that formally begins the process of renaming four schools in order to represent the values and diversity of the school district, in accordance with the district’s non-discrimination policies.

The resolution affects Henry Grady, Richard Dowling and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson middle schools, and Lee High School. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education to consider resolution beginning process of renaming certain schools

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday is expected to consider a resolution that would begin the process of renaming schools in order to represent the values and diversity of the school district, in accordance with the district’s non-discrimination policies.

The resolution was brought forward by Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones. It would affect eight schools: Henry Grady, Richard Dowling, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Albert Sidney Johnston, and Sidney Lanier middle schools, and Jefferson Davis, John Reagan, and Lee high schools. Continue reading →

Last school choice open house on Saturday and first magnet deadline approaching

One of the great things about HISD is that parents have a wide variety of choices regarding where to send their students to school, but time is running out to be in the first round of consideration. Parents who still aren’t sure which school they want their child to attend should go to the final school-choice open house this weekend from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, at Northwest Mall. Representatives from HISD magnet schools will be there, and attendees can even get help submitting their application.

The deadline to apply is Dec. 18 for guaranteed consideration in the first round. Any applications received after the Dec.18 deadline will be considered only for schools where there is still space available.

Completed applications can be submitted in the following three ways:

* Submit it online at hisdchoice.com (online applications provide more options for tracking and staying up-to-date)

* Hand-deliver or send by U.S. mail to the Office of School Choice at 4400 West 18th Street, Houston, TX 77092

* Scan the paper application and e-mail it to magnet@houstonisd.org, along with the required documents

The big day is March 24, 2016. That’s when parents will learn the status of their application – results will be available online and also sent by mail. If a child has been offered a seat in a program, the parents have two weeks to provide proof of residence and sign an entrance agreement.

If their student is placed on a waiting list, parents can monitor changes in application status throughout the summer, at which time they may be able to submit additional applications to programs with available seats.

For more information on the magnet application process, please contact HISD’s Office of School Choice at 713-556-6947.

Next School Choice Open House set for Nov. 14

Parents who have not yet decided where to send their children for the 2016–2017 school year still have time to make up their minds, and HISD is helping them narrow the field with a series of four School Choice Open Houses scheduled through mid-December.

The first two Open Houses took place on Oct. 3 and 24, but if you missed those, don’t worry. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, at Yates High School (3703 Sampson, 77004), and there will be one more before the deadline for guaranteed first-round consideration of magnet applications on Dec. 18. Continue reading →

New tool determines which magnet schools students qualify to attend

Parents who are looking to choose a magnet school for their children now have a new tool to help them make their selections. The Magnet Matrix Calculator determines whether a student is qualified for inclusion in the lottery for some magnet secondary non-vanguard and fine arts schools. The calculator is based upon the matrix many schools use to determine student eligibility.

Continue reading →

Next School Choice Open House set for Oct. 24

Parents who have not yet decided where to send their children for the 2016–2017 school year still have plenty of time to make up their minds, and HISD is helping them narrow the field with a series of four School Choice Open Houses scheduled through mid-December.

The first Open House took place on Oct. 3, but if you missed it, don’t worry. The next one is this Saturday, Oct. 24, at Sharpstown High School (7404 Bissonnet, 77074), and there will be two more before the deadline for guaranteed first-round consideration of magnet applications on Dec. 18. Continue reading →

First School Choice Open House helps parents fine tune their campus selections

HISD hosted the first of four School Choice Open Houses on Oct. 3, 2015, and hundreds of families came out to Jordan High School on Saturday to explore their options.

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“My main interest is the gifted and talented (G/T) program,” said parent Linda Le, who has two daughters. “These sessions are helpful, because you can look at all the different schools and talk to someone right away to get as much information as you need.”

“As a teacher myself, I’m able to see the different schools and what they offer, ask questions, and then decide what’s best and look at locations,” added Dominique Broomfield, a teacher at Eliot Elementary School with three children. Continue reading →

HISD offering school tours, open houses to help families select schools for next year

The Houston Independent School District Office of School Choice will host four open houses and offer weekly campus tours throughout the fall semester to help families make more informed school selections for the next year.

Families will be able to explore their neighborhood schools, as well as the district’s 100-plus magnet programs, specializing in areas such as fine arts, language studies, college and career readiness and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math).

The weekly tours will be held at all HISD campuses every Thursday from Oct. 8 through Dec. 3. Elementary and K-8 school tours are scheduled for 9 a.m. Middle and high school tours begin at 1 p.m. Continue reading →