Category Archives: Parents

Shelters available throughout city for families displaced by Harvey

Per the request of the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, the Houston Independent School District has closed all of its Refuge of Last Resort locations due to accessibility and safety concerns.

The Army National Guard is picking up the last of the evacuees from Westside High School and Revere Middle School. HISD police have locked down the remaining schools that were originally activated and per orders of the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, anyone who was planning to make their way to one of our schools should go to one of the listed multi-service centers or directly to the George R. Brown Convention Center (1001 Avenida De Las Americas).

These multi-service centers have been activated by the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management:

Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center
6402 Market Street
Houston Texas 77020
832.395.0895

Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center
4014 Market Street
Houston, Texas 77020
832.393.3800

Sunnyside Multi-Service Center
9314 Cullen
Houston, Texas 77051
832.395.0069

Third Ward Multi-Service Center
3611 Ennis Street
Houston, Texas 77004
832.393.4051

West End Multi-Service Center
170 Heights Blvd
Houston, Texas 77007
832.393.5950

The following Centers are also open:

John Peavy Senior Center
3814 Market Street
Houston, Texas 77020

Kashmere Gardens Branch Library
5411 Pardee
Houston, Texas 77026

The following non-profit partners have offered to assist in staging survivors until they can moved to a shelter:

Fallbrook Church
12512 Walters
Houston, Texas 77014

Lyndale United Church
503 Reeid
Houston, Texas 77002

MD Anderson YMCA
705 Cavalcade
Houston, Texas 77009

Trotter Family YMCA
1331 Augusta Drive
Houston, Texas 77057

Community of Faith Church
1024 Pinemont Drive
Houston, Texas 77091

UPDATED: HISD cancels classes Monday due to threat of inclement weather 

District events, activities for Friday and Saturday canceled or postponed

Weather Alert

All HISD campuses and administrative offices will be closed on Monday, Aug. 28 and all campus and district activities are canceled due to the threat of inclement weather. Currently, all campuses and district offices are closed and inaccessible.

Classes are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, Aug. 29. However, the district will continue to monitor developing weather conditions and will determine whether classes can safely resume on Tuesday. The district will make that decision by noon on Sunday, Aug. 27.

All HISD campus-based activities and district events – including professional development and recruiting sessions – are canceled. In addition, the Houston ISD Athletic Department is canceling all athletic activities for Friday, Aug. 25 and Saturday, Aug. 26. This cancellation includes, practices, scrimmages and any scheduled games.

HISD Facilities Services will stage personnel and first responders throughout the night on Friday through Sunday to monitor potential building flooding at eight campuses: Kashmere, Northside, Heights, and Liberty high schools; Meyerland Middle School; and Elrod, Kate Bell, and Kolter elementaries. Lovett Elementary, Fondren Middle, Red Elementary and HISD’s McCarty complex also will be monitored.

For additional updates, please monitor HoustonISD.org or call the HISD Inclement Weather Hotline at 713-556-9595. We also encourage HISD staff and parents to sign up for text alerts to receive the most up-to-date information on school closures or delays by texting YES to 68453. Please ensure your number is updated with your school. You can also follow the district on Twitter and Facebook: Twitter.com/HoustonISD and Facebook.com/HoustonISD.

Attend a parent information session on HISD’s Gifted and Talented programs

HISD provides two program options for Gifted and Talented (G/T) students – Vanguard Magnet and Vanguard Neighborhood programs. The Vanguard Neighborhood programs are designed to meet the needs of G/T students at the school to which they are zoned, and the Vanguard Magnet program provides an environment where G/T students can work with their peers at a Vanguard Magnet School.

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Back-to-school immunizations and health screenings

It’s time to get ready for the first day of school, and we have prepared a list of of resources to ensure your children are ready for the 2017-2018 school year.

Immunizations and health screenings 

City of Houston Health Centers

http://www.houstontx.gov/health/HealthCenters/

Harris Health Troubleshooters

https://www.harrishealth.org/en/our-community/outreach-services/pages/troubleshooters-immunization.aspx

Texas Children’s Mobile Clinics

http://www.texaschildrens.org/departments/mobile-clinics/services

HISD FACE Community Resource Guide

Visit the Family and Community Engagement Resource Guide at www.houstonisd.org/communityresource and search for these resources:

  • Back-to-School Supplies
  • Clothing Assistance
  • Healthcare

HISD Board President Wanda Adams to host 4th annual back-to-school haircut event

Adams partners with community to help students with free haircuts, supplies for new school year

HISD Board of Education President Trustee Wanda Adams of District IX, along with Kut N Zone Barber Shop and Diamonds and Pearls Mothers, will host a special back-to-school event on Sunday with free haircuts, school uniforms, backpacks, food, fun and other giveaways.

The fourth annual event will be held at Kut N Zone Barber Shop (2919 Westridge 77054) from 3 to 7 p.m. The event is sponsored by HISD, Houston Health Department, Kut N Zone Barber Shop, and a long list of other sponsors. For more information, call 713-412-0707.

Hurricane Harvey Parent Summit Sat. Sept. 16

HISD has heard from its families needing help recovering from Hurricane Harvey and various district department are teaming up with local, state, and federal agencies to provide families with assistance at a Hurricane Harvey Parent Summit on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Delmar Fieldhouse, 4400 West 18th Street, Houston, 77092.

HISD Board of Education President Wanda Adams, the Special Education Board Ad Hoc Committee, and various HISD departments, including the Office of Academics and the Office of School Support are joining forces to organize the FREE event which will include the following items on a first-come, first-served basis:

  • Free lunch and breakfast
  • Immunizations
  • School supplies
  • Hygiene items
  • Sessions on special education & inclusion

The summit starts at 9 a.m. and lasts till 3 p.m. Please register at www.Houstonisd.org/psregister or call 713-556-7042.

HISD also wants to remind its families and students that if they are living in a shelter or with a friend or relative, they can qualify for homeless assistance and college scholarships. HISD staff will be on hand at the Parent Summit to assist them.

 

Superintendent outlines priorities at ‘Welcome Back’ event 

Achieve 180, wraparound services, and restorative justice practices are priorities for 2017-2018 school year 

Superintendent Richard Carranza outlined HISD’s top priorities for the 2017-2018 school year to school and district leaders at the annual “Welcome Back” back event on August 11.

Nearly 1,200 principals, deans, assistant principals, and district leaders packed Delmar Fieldhouse to hear Carranza’s message, which celebrated the successes of the previous year and outlined goals, initiatives, and challenges for the coming year.


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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.

Magnet application deadline for Phase 3 is Aug. 11  

Parents who would still like to apply for a magnet school for the 2017-2018 school year or would like to reapply to a school at which their original magnet application was dropped or released have until Friday, August 11, 2017, to do so.

Applications from eligible HISD-resident students will be considered first. Parents who accept an offered seat are asked to return a signed entrance agreement and proof of residency to their Magnet program. Parents may accept an offer to only one program, and magnet applications submitted after the August 11 deadline will not be considered.

Parents who created online accounts can find the results posted on their dashboards, and letters were sent out by U.S. mail to all parents who submitted an application.

For a complete list of campuses with space available, see this link (PDF). For additional information, see the School Choice page here.

Parents should email Magnet@houstonisd.org with questions.

Don’t miss Texas’ annual Sales Tax Holiday on Aug. 11–13

Most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks exempt

Parents have the opportunity for some extra back-to-school savings during Texas’ annual Sales Tax Holiday on August 11–13, 2017.

The holiday provides exemptions from state and local sales taxes on most clothing and footwear priced at less than $100, saving shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend. Many retailers offer sales and special promotions over the weekend, so shoppers can maximize their savings. For complete details, please visit TexasTaxHoliday.org.