Category Archives: Middle Schools

Achieve 180 kicks off with back-to-school events

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Back-to-school events aimed at strengthening partnerships with parents and community

Schools included in HISD’s Achieve 180 initiative are kicking off the 2017-2018 school year for their parents, students, and communities surrounding their campuses with everything from dance parties and parades to free school supplies, immunizations, and dental care.

Thirty-two schools are included in Achieve 180, a new district initiative launching during the 2017-2018 school year to support, strengthen, and empower underserved and underperforming HISD schools. A key component of the research-based initiative is family and community empowerment. Continue reading →

Get an up close and personal look at district construction progress

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High School for Law and Justice

Want an up close and personal look at the construction underway at 2012 Bond schools throughout the district? It’s now just a couple of clicks away. Follow the progress from the comfort of your own home thanks to cameras that have been installed at several bond schools.

The cameras, which are mounted on a pole or roof of a taller adjacent building, capture an image once every 15 minutes — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Go online and view individual images or check out a time-lapse video and watch as the building comes together. The views also can be zoomed into and panned for more detail. Continue reading →

Ask HISD Superintendent Carranza your back-to-school questions

Parents and community members can have their back-to-school questions answered by the superintendent and learn more about what’s new in the 2017-18 school year by tuning in to a live, interactive broadcast on Monday, Aug. 21.

Superintendent Carranza and his staff will take questions during a discussion that will be streamed live on HoustonISD.org, Facebook.com/HoustonISD, and on HISD-TV (Comcast 18 and Uverse 99).

There will be two opportunities to join in the conversation: from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for Spanish-speaking community members, and from 7 to 8 p.m. for English-speaking community members.

Parents can submit questions ahead of time by emailing Back2School@HoustonISD.org , posting a Tweet with the hashtag #Back2School, or posting a question at Facebook.com/HoustonISD. Questions can also be submitted during the live event.

The live broadcast will also provide an opportunity for the community to learn more about HISD’s initiatives for the new school year, including Achieve180, which is a plan to support the district’s 32 underserved campuses; restorative justice practices; wraparound services; and literacy. There will also be an update on the district’s new bond schools, nutrition in HISD, and fine arts.

HISD students see gains in state math, science, writing test scores

Seventy-six percent of Houston Independent School District fifth-graders passed the 2017 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness math test — a six-point boost over the previous year and a slightly higher gain than the state average.

Third-graders also saw a four-point bump on the state math test, bringing their average up to 71 percent, which is a four-point boost over last year and also a higher gain than the state.

The math passing rate for all students together in grades three through eight jumped by three percentage points, with almost every grade level seeing a boost. Only sixth grade remained flat. Continue reading →

Three classrooms added to Pilgrim Academy expansion

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Three new classrooms are being added to the current expansion of Pilgrim Academy as part of a plan allowing forecasted bond surplus funds to be used for outstanding needs at bond campuses across the district.

The new plan, approved last month by the HISD Board of Education, set aside an additional $842,000 for Pilgrim.

Continue reading →

HISD to honor teachers, principals at annual Educators of the Year banquet

The Houston Independent School District will honor its principals and teachers at a Hawaiian-themed Educators of the Year banquet on Friday, May 19, at the Bayou City Event Center.

During the event, the district will announce its 2016-2017 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, as well as the recipients of the Beginning Teacher of the Year honors for elementary, middle school, and high school. The Fan Favorite Teacher, who was selected by survey, also will be announced.

Earlier this school year, the 2016-2017 Elementary and Secondary Principals of the Year were named, and two instructional coaches were presented the first-ever Ann Sledge Instructional Coach Excellence Awards. Those award recipients also will be recognized at the event.

Fourteen finalists were named for the Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the year. The two winners will go on to represent the district in Region 4. The 14 finalists were selected from all 287 campuses based on performance data and other criteria. Continue reading →

May 10 is National School Nurse Day

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Celebrate the positive impact nurses have on school communities

National School Nurse Day on May 10 celebrates the vital role school nurses play in the health and well-being of students. They promote a healthy learning environment, connect families to health resources, and educate communities about immunizations, nutrition, health screenings, and disease prevention.

Schools and the community are encouraged to thank their nurses in person and on social media using #SND2017 and #HISD. Continue reading →

Wharton Dual Language Academy breaks ground on new facility

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Nestled in the middle of a dirt construction site, current and former Wharton Dual Language Academy students donning brightly colored dresses, sombreros, and mariachi suits danced in celebration of the school’s groundbreaking.

The students — part of MECA Ballet Folkorico — joined scores of Wharton parents, students and staff, all of whom gathered Friday to celebrate the start of construction on the renovation and addition project for their new school. Continue reading →

Citgo, Harris County Sheriff’s Office honor 56 HISD students for perfect attendance

CITGO Petroleum Corp., in partnership with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday gave away 56 Kindle Fire tablets to HISD students with perfect attendance this school year – part of “Kindling Young Minds,” a project in its sixth year that is designed to boost attendance.

Six students from each of HISD’s eight regions (two students per grade level) plus eight special education students were selected at random and received their Kindles at a ceremony held at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. HISD’s Dropout Prevention and Information Technology departments worked together to develop a random selection tool to ensure equity. Continue reading →

Finalists selected for 2016-2017 Teachers of the Year

The Houston Independent School District has announced the finalists for the district’s Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, as well as the recipients of the Beginning Teacher of the Year honors for elementary, middle school, and high school.

Fourteen finalists were named for the Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the year. The two winners, who will go on to represent the district in Region 4, will be announced during the Educators of the Year banquet on Friday, May 19. The 14 finalists were selected from all 287 campuses based on performance data and other criteria.