Transportation Services is continuing efforts to recruit new bus drivers, with monthly job fairs scheduled to begin next month.
The district has been working to address a bus driver shortage by adding more drivers to its roster. The job fairs will continue through July.
Continue readingGoing to the movies can be a magical experience and one that should be enjoyed by all. Last Friday, thanks to the autism advocacy group The Perfect Connection, six HISD students attended a free, sensory-friendly private screening of the newly released Disney-Pixar short film “Loop,” which follows the story of a non-verbal, autistic girl.
“We’ve partnered with some amazing vendors to premiere the Disney+ premiere of Loop,” Liza Bailey, founder of The Perfect Connection, said. “Through this movie, Disney has empowered the autism community by providing a wonderful example of autism representation in the media.”
Continue readingHISD will host its fourth Parent University workshop from 5:15 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at two district locations: Key Middle School and Lamar High School.
The theme for the session will be “Attendance Matters.” The workshop will begin with a dinner and resource fair and will include information on district programs, parent engagement, community resources, and how parents can become active partners in the successful education of their children.
Continue readingParents who would still like to apply for a school choice program for the 2020-2021 school year have until Friday, Feb. 28 to do so.
After all applications in Phase 1 have been offered, eligible Phase 2 students who meet a program’s qualifications will be considered in the order in which their application was submitted should the program have space available.
Any applications for students who live outside the HISD boundaries will not be considered until Phase 3, even if the application was submitted during Phase 2.
Continue reading
Before the morning bell rings at HISD’s Wilson Montessori, Yordana Bridger places a red hearing aid into the right ear of her five-year-old daughter Abbi and sends her off for another day of learning.
Communication is often key to learning, but for students like Abbi it can be just one of the many challenges they face at school. However, since enrolling at the age of 3 in the Region 4 Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (Region 4 RDSPD) housed at Wilson, Abbi has blossomed.
“We’d be lost without this program,” Bridger said. “Because of all of the services offered to Abbi and our family, we are able to make her life better.”
Continue readingCullen Middle School students made the holiday season a little brighter on Thursday for their community during the campus’ school market, where 150 families were provided with more than 2,000 pounds of free groceries.
The School Market, which is a bi-weekly food distribution run entirely by student volunteers, provides food assistance to community members, as well as families of students from Cullen and nearby Foster, Lockhart and Peck elementary schools. The provisions are especially beneficial to parents in need during the holidays.
“Here at our school a large percentage of our families live at or below the poverty line,” said Cullen Wraparound Specialist Nora Lemon, who oversees the entire operation. “This market provides the flexibility and sustainability they need to ensure their students are fed and eating healthy meals at home.”
Continue reading
Parents who want their child to attend one of the district’s choice programs for the 2020-2021 school year must apply by Friday, Dec. 6, to be included in the first round of consideration.
Any applications received after the Dec. 6 Phase I deadline will be considered only for schools where space is still available.
Parents who still aren’t sure which school they want their child to attend next year are invited to attend a final school tour this Thursday, Dec. 5. Arrive at 9 a.m. for elementary and K-8 schools, and at 1 p.m. for secondary schools.
Continue readingTransportation Services has eliminated more than two dozen routes as part of an ongoing comprehensive review of bus ridership at 15 select schools.
The review is focused on schools with low ridership, despite having a high volume of students who are eligible for transportation and have been assigned routes. Reviews have been completed at nine schools, with the remaining six to be finished before the end of the year.
The department has cut 25 routes since the start of the review, bringing the overall number of routes down to 775 — a five percent decrease.
Continue readingAll HISD schools and district offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 25 through Friday, Nov. 29 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Normal school and business operations will resume on Monday, Dec. 2.
The Houston Independent School District’s Ascending to Men (ATM) Project will host simultaneous roundtable discussions next week with students and community leaders to foster dialogue centered around issues impacting today’s male students.
The discussions will take place from 6 – 8 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at both Furr and Sharpstown high schools. Participants will discuss challenges for male students in the district, while sharing sustainable solutions to those challenges.
Continue reading