Category Archives: Middle Schools

HISD community celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week in creative ways 

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxAxwjkyiWs”]While we always encourage our community to tell teachers how much they’re valued, students, administrators, and staff have rallied around our educators for Teacher Appreciation Week to celebrate their tireless dedication.

Inspirational and emotional messages of thanks and encouragement flooded the district’s social media channels, including tear-jerking moments caught on video as students told their teachers how much they mean to them. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education adopts school funding formula

The HISD Board of Education on Thursday unanimously approved a school funding proposal that aims to minimize the impact of looming budget cuts on classrooms.

HISD must send a projected $165 million in local property tax dollars to the state because the Texas school finance systems considers the district wealthy. Nearly 80 percent of HISD students come from low-income households. The projected deficit was previously $107 million, but rising property values have reduced that amount to $95 million.

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HISD celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week, will host special ceremony for fellowship program

The Houston Independent School District will extend its thanks to nearly 12,000 teachers who serve in HISD classrooms during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2— May 6.

On Teacher Appreciation Day, scheduled for Tuesday, May 3, HISD will host a ceremony for seniors who were accepted into the district’s new Teach Forward Houston program. Through the Teach Forward Houston fellowship program, HISD graduates interested in obtaining a degree in education are eligible for free tuition at University of Houston in exchange for teaching four years in HISD after graduation.

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Who is your teacher hero? 

Teacher-Appreciation-Instagram-Banner-800px-800pxShare your photos, videos, and messages on social media 

While they may not wear capes, HISD teachers truly are real-life superheroes. As part of National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-6), HISD is asking students, parents, and staff to thank a teacher hero in their lives and share out on social media.

Take a picture with your favorite teacher (past or present) or take a picture of your child with his or her favorite teacher and post on social media using the hashtags #HISDHero and #ThankATeacher. If your favorite teacher is not nearby, take a selfie holding a piece of paper with a simple message thanking that teacher who made a difference in your life.

Or better yet, surprise an HISD teacher using your camera cell phone and tell them why they are your teacher hero. Check out the video below and watch as Westbury High School students give a surprise thank you to their teachers and even their principal.

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HISD will be sharing the posts on its own social media channels, so be sure to follow us on Twitter @HoustonISD and like us at Facebook.com/HoustonISD.

 

 

State releases preliminary STAAR math and reading results for grades 5 and 8

The Texas Education Agency today released preliminary math and reading scores for fifth- and eighth-grade students on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR).

Students were required to answer more questions correctly this year in order to pass. Continue reading →

Lemonade Day gives students the opportunity to envision themselves as entrepreneurs

More than 4,000 Houston Independent School District elementary and middle school students will set up shop this weekend with creative lemonade stands to learn more about how to start, own and operate their own business.

Lemonade Day, officially scheduled for Sunday, is a citywide hands-on learning program sponsored by Prepared 4 Life, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of middle-school-age children. The organization aims to teach students how to become successful entrepreneurs with a strategic 14-step process, which encompasses the ideas of spending, saving, and sharing with the community. HISD students will participate in Lemonade Day activities on Friday and Sunday.

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JJ Watt surprises Jane Long Academy students at pizza party 

Watt_JaneLongLast week, the JJ Watt Foundation made Jane Long Academy Principal Marci Baez take a vow of secrecy.

She was invited to bring 10 of her students to a pizza party on Saturday where they would meet the Houston Texans superstar, but Baez couldn’t tell them any details prior to the event.

So she told 10 students on the football team where to go with their parents and only said it involved a pizza party.

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HISD interim superintendent calls for school finance reform as district aims to build on literacy gains

HISD Board President Manuel Rodriguez announces district’s first-place win of prestigious Magna Award for literacy efforts

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Speaking before a packed ballroom, HISD Interim Superintendent Ken Huewitt urged the community to rally around its most struggling schools, while Board of Education President Manuel Rodriguez announced the district has won a national Magna Award for its literacy efforts.

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33 HISD schools earn spot on 2015 Texas Honor Roll

 List includes schools that exhibit high academic achievement and have reduced achievement gaps

Thirty-three schools from across the Houston Independent School District have been named to the 2015 Texas Honor Roll by the Educational Results Partnership, a nonprofit organization that showcases schools with high academic achievement.

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‘Girls in Engineering’ event broadens horizons for students at six schools

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Students from six HISD middle schools—Cullen, Gregory-Lincoln, Hogg, Holland, Stevenson, and Williams—spent the morning exploring engineering, thanks to an ExxonMobil event for national “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.”

ExxonMobil provided engineers and supplies for a day of events, which included testing the girls’ problem-solving skills by challenging them to create marshmallow-launching catapults. While the marshmallows flew, other groups of girls got to speak with current University of Texas engineering students about their field, and with college admissions officers about getting into college.

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