Category Archives: Middle Schools

Parent University to kick off for second year with districtwide workshops

The Houston Independent School District will kick off its second year of Parent University on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at all district campuses.

The workshops will connect parents and children to resources offered by the district to create successful academic careers as well as safe and healthy environments at home and at school. 

A variety of district and community program representatives and experts will be available for parents to connect with individually. After the districtwide event on Sept. 17, Parent University workshops will take place monthly at geographically dispersed locations at 5:15 p.m. as follows: 

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HISD to host Back to School Extravaganza for 2019-2020 school year

HISD’s Homeless Education Office will host a Back to School Extravaganza on Friday, Aug. 23 to help students get ready for the 2019-2020 school year. 

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Delmar Stadium (2020 Mangum Road 77092). 

Free assistance will be available for Medicaid applications, Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) renewal and recertification, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Health screenings also will be available. 

Also available for free, while supplies last, will be immunizations (must bring original shot record), fresh produce, backpacks, shoes, and school supplies. Students must be present to receive free items. 

For transportation assistance, contact the Homeless Education Office at 713-556-7237.

HISD students selected to share radiation-proof clothing design with NASA

Two teams of HISD students have been invited to NASA’s Langley Research Center in August to share their student-designed, wearable, radiation-proof clothing with NASA engineers and scientists as part of the 2019 NASA Wearable Equipment for Adverting Radiation (WEAR) challenge. 

The WEAR challenge tasks middle and high school students to design garments to help mitigate radiation exposure during deep space missions. The teams, made up of students and teachers from Milby High School and Deady Middle School, submitted design proposals for wearable anti-radiation garments via video for review by NASA personnel.  

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More than 30 HISD schools earn spot on 2018-2019 Texas Honor Roll

Thirty-three Houston Independent School District campuses have been named to the 2018-2019 Educational Results Partnership (ERP) Texas Honor Roll for their high achievement and student success rates. 

“We applaud our hard-working teachers, staff, and students,” said HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. “We are especially proud of our schools that despite the high-poverty levels, they still have high-achieving results.”

Schools can earn a spot on the ERP Honor Roll in three categories: Star – high-achieving, high-poverty campuses; Scholar – high-achieving, low-poverty campuses; or STEM – top 10 percent of high-poverty, high-achieving campuses in math and science.

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Spring STAAR testing begins April 8

HISD students in grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 will be taking portions of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) beginning Monday, April 8. 

Students in grades 4 and 7 will be taking the writing portions, while students in grades 5 and 8 will be taking the math and reading portions. High-school students who are currently enrolled in or have completed English I and II will be taking the end-of-course (EOC) exam associated with that subject. 

The first spring test administration concludes on Thursday, April 18. Additional testing will take place in May and June. 

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Special Olympics Field Days rescheduled for March; volunteers needed

Editor’s note: Due to the threat of inclement weather, the Special Olympics Field Days rescheduled for March have been postponed. When new dates are established, they will be communicated.

The sixth annual Special Olympics Field Days, which was postponed in November because of inclement weather, are now scheduled for March, and HISD needs volunteers for the upcoming event.

Field Days give students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance to showcase their athletic skills by taking part in fun athletic contests. The friendly competition includes basketball, tennis, soccer, and track and field for all ages, as well as flag football for high-schoolers.

Middle-school students will have their events on March 6, while high school students will participate on March 7. Then elementary students get their Special Olympics Field Day on March 5.

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Transportation Services to host Coffee & Conversations, add new stops

Transportation Services will host its third round of Coffee & Conversations on Wednesday — an opportunity for the department to share important updates and progress, as well as gather feedback to better identify ongoing challenges.

The bi-monthly meetings are normally held in the morning and evening at rotating locations. This time, the group will gather at Transportation Services’ Northwest Terminal and Eastwood Academy.

In the morning session, Interim General Manager John Wilcots IV will guide attendees on a tour of an HISD school bus to demonstrate the features of Zonar, a fleet management and tracking system implemented earlier this school year. Continue reading →

Transportation Services operating 41 fewer routes, addressing needs with TransFinder

When the spring semester starts in January, HISD’s Transportation Services will be operating 860 bus routes — 41 routes fewer than they did at the end of September.

The nearly five percent reduction is part of the department’s continued efforts to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and provide better service for students, Transportation Services Interim General Manager John Wilcots said. Continue reading →

Transportation updates routes ahead of new school openings, continues to recruit drivers

Transportation Services has updated all bus routes assigned to Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts in preparation for their relocation to their new campus in downtown Houston.

The school is moving out of its current campus in Montrose and into a new building located at 790 Austin St. during the upcoming winter break. The new facility, built as part of the 2012 Bond Program, will officially open its doors to students when they return from winter break on Jan. 7, 2019.

The updated routes take effect on Jan. 7, 2019. HSPVA parents and students were notified of the changes via phone and text message earlier this week and will receive reminders again next week. Continue reading →

Transportation Services to review afternoon routes

Transportation Services is conducting a comprehensive review of all afternoon bus routes to ensure all stops are scheduled appropriately and all routes can be completed safely in the time allotted.

This analysis comes on the heels of a similar review of all morning bus routes, which is wrapping up. Department staff are expected to complete the review and make any necessary route changes by February 2019.

“I want parents to know we hear them,” Interim General Manager John Wilcots IV said, noting that they focused first on morning routes to ensure students were getting to school on time. “They want us to get these afternoon routes reviewed and updated, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

As part of the review, stop times will be updated to accurately reflect the time needed to execute each route. This will help the department provide parents with accurate pick-up and drop-off times. Continue reading →