Category Archives: Magnet/School Choice

Campus tours, open houses help families pick the right school

It’s almost that time of year – the time when you have to decide which school you’d like your child to attend next year. There are several steps involved in choosing an appropriate school for your child.

The first thing you should do is identify a handful of schools that meet your child’s interests. If your child has a love for fine arts, we have several schools at all levels. If science, technology, engineering, and math spark your child’s interests, a STEM school might be a great fit.

Next, map out a plan to tour all the schools on your list. Be sure to swing by your neighborhood school to see what it offers, too. All of our schools are offering tours every Thursday between Oct. 8 and Dec. 3 (except on Thanksgiving). Click here for details about tours. Continue reading →

HISD proposing changes designed to simplify magnet application process

School Choice tours to be held at campuses on Thursdays this fall.

The Houston Independent School District is aiming to simplify its magnet school application process by moving to a priority-based system that was unveiled Thursday to school trustees.

Under the new system, parents would be required to rank the schools to which they are applying. If students qualify for multiple schools, they would only be accepted to the one that was ranked highest on their application. Students, however, could remain on waitlists for any higher-ranked schools without immediate available space — as long as they were eligible and qualified to attend.

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Band students now required to get pre-participation physicals

HISD has long required its student athletes to obtain clearance from their healthcare providers before participating in extracurricular activities — and now, that same policy will apply to students in marching bands, too.

“Whether they’re wearing 20 pounds of padding or carrying around a 20-pound tuba, it’s important for students to have a physical examination before they start practicing or playing,” said Director of Athletics and University Interscholastic League band activities Marmion Dambrino. “At HISD, safety is our top priority, so we want to make sure all of our students have a clean bill of health before they get out onto the field, particularly in this heat.” Continue reading →

Seats still available in some magnet programs for 2015–2016 year

Parents who still haven’t decided where to send their children this fall are in luck, as several magnet programs still have space available for the coming school year.

Magnet schools offer students unique opportunities to develop specific career-oriented skills in particular fields, such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), maritime, or fine arts. Campuses with either open spots or short waiting lists include Scarborough High School, Austin High School, Marshall Middle School, M.C. Williams Middle School, Gregory-Lincoln K-8, and Carrillo Elementary School, all of which were featured in a series of magnet spotlights last fall. Continue reading →

Steady encouragement, support lead to success for HISD students with autism

This week marks the end of Autism Awareness Month, so we asked some of our parents of students with autism about their families’ experiences with HISD, to find out what they felt contributed the most to their students’ successes.

Noah poses with a trophy he won in a robotics competition.

Noah poses with a trophy he won in a robotics competition.

Kristi Anders, the parent of a 12-year-old who is finishing up his last year in elementary school, says her son has flourished at two different campuses due to the inclusive environments created there by caring staff members.

“Noah’s teachers and principal at Garden Oaks Montessori were so accepting and supportive of him,” she said. “He has had to learn his limits and figure out what works for him and what doesn’t, but we bought him noise-reducing headphones and he learned to tell people when they were in his personal space. His teacher would also send him on errands or to get a drink of water when she could see he was getting frustrated. In the third grade, Noah’s friends voted him class president.”

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Yates HS holds Elective Fair for future freshmen

Yates High School held an Elective Fair and Signing Day event on April 29 for Houston-area eighth-graders to see all that the school has to offer. Yates has two magnet programs—communications and maritime—and a Career & Technical Education program in health sciences.

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Magnet Spotlight: Scarborough HS preparing kids for careers in computer science

Campus is the sixth and last to be featured in a series of articles on magnet schools with space still available

Scarborough High School students tour the Houston ISD data center, March 12, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Scarborough High School students tour the Houston ISD data center, March 12, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

In today’s digital world, the value of technical computer know-how cannot be overstated.

That’s why HISD is giving students a leg-up in that industry by offering classes in networking and computer administration through the Futures Academy at Scarborough High School.

Scarborough is one of eight district campuses offering a specialized course of instruction designed to give students a strong foundation in traditional subject matter, as well as the technical knowledge they need to land jobs in high-demand fields right after graduation.

Continue reading →

Magnet Spotlight: Marshall Middle School offers top-notch art instruction

Campus is the fifth to be featured in a series of articles on magnet schools that still have space available

Members of Marshall Middle School Academy of Fine Arts Band perform during The Rusk School ribbon cutting ceremony, April 7, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Members of Marshall Middle School Academy of Fine Arts Band perform during The Rusk School ribbon cutting ceremony, April 7, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

HISD has six magnet campuses with a fine arts focus serving grades 6–8, and Marshall Middle School is one of them.

There, students can take classes in band, choir, dance, guitar, mariachi, orchestra, piano, theater arts, or visual art to develop their creative expression, and young artists work together to produce high-quality performances, exhibitions, and publications.

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Magnet Spotlight: Austin HS navigating maritime and teaching profession pathways

Campus is fourth in a series of articles on magnet schools with space still available

AustinHS_Tug_440x230Students who attend Austin High School have two enticing study pathways available to them. They can embark on a path to becoming educators themselves through the school’s well-established teaching professions program, or they can explore careers in the thriving maritime industry.

When the school’s teaching program was created in 1982, it was the first high-school teacher preparation program of its kind in the nation. Today, the program benefits from a partnership with the University of Houston that prepares students both for life on a college campus after graduation, and life in the classroom as professional educators afterwards.

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Magnet Spotlight: M.C. Williams Middle School – ‘STEM’-ulating innovation

M.C. Williams Middle School is preparing students for the most in-demand jobs of the 21st century.

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The school’s engineering academy, which serves students in grades 6–8, offers students three pathways related to engineering: science, mathematics, and technology. Key components of the program include offshore technologies, green energy, geosciences, underwater robotics, and environmental engineering.  Continue reading →