Category Archives: Parents

Remember: Early dismissal, student holiday this week

Two days this week will be different from a normal school day.

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, is an early dismissal day for most schools. Campuses may choose to opt-out and hold classes all day, so please check with your school directly to see if it is participating. View the full 2015–2016 academic calendar here.

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, is the district’s fall holiday for students and most employees. Check your duty schedule available here to see if you must report to work. Those employees who must report to work will work their normal hours, unless a supervisor has approved their request to use personal time.

Community Resource Guide links HISD schools and parents with resources they need most

Sometimes, HISD students and families have needs that go beyond classroom instruction. To help school principals, teachers, and staff meet those needs, the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department has created the 2015 Community Resource Guide. The guide is designed for use by schools, parents, community organizations, and partners to locate the most requested resources and services in the Houston area.

This year’s guide features 454 resources and services entries on 36 different topics. Besides location and contact information, each entry includes information on ages and grades served, eligibility for participation, cost, a description of services provided, language availability, and whether the service can be provided onsite at a school. Just a few of the topics include: Continue reading →

Parent Leader Summit helps families arm themselves with information

Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones presents a certificate of recognition to keynote speaker John Robinson.

Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones presents a certificate of recognition to keynote speaker John Robinson.

Dozens of parents came to the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on May 16 for the District II Parent Leader Summit. The event connected more than 80 families from 46 different schools with HISD departments and community organizations to share information on parent advocacy, special education, school choice options, and more. The event also featured several organizations that provide parents with options on how to raise money for their children’s schools.

Continue reading →

Board president to host District II Parent Leader Summit on May 16

HISD Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones has partnered with the Family Learning Academy to host the District II Parent Leader Summit on Saturday, May 16.

The free event will take place at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092) from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will connect families with resources to help parents navigate HISD’s programs and services, become leaders in their school community, and support student success.

The event will feature a panel of HISD principals and administrators, parenting workshops, and a community resource fair with information for parents on building a parent organization, fundraising, and services for parents. John Robinson, director of Family Support Services for the Houston Area Urban League, will give the keynote address.

“In a district as large as ours, it is not always clear who parents can turn to when they have a question or need help for their child,” said Skillern-Jones. “I want to help empower our parents to seek out these resources and share them with their school communities.”

Registration and a light breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m. The panel and all workshops will be held in English and Spanish. The event will also feature raffles and lunch. For more details, please visit www.houstonisd.org/FLA or call the HISD Family and Community Engagement Department at 713-556-7290.

Trustee Wanda Adams to host District IX community meeting May 7

HISD Board of Education member Wanda Adams, who represents District IX, will be hosting a community meeting to discuss STAAR and promotion requirements from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2015, at Hines-Caldwell Elementary School (5515 West Orem 77085).

The meeting will feature a presentation on the STAAR exam, followed by a panel discussion, and a question and answer session. Special Assistant to the Superintendent Dan Gohl and Director of District Testing Julia Amponsah-Glider will lead the presentation and panel.

“I want all the parents in District IX to understand what their child needs to do in order to be successful in their educational pursuits, which includes understanding the STAAR test, and promotion standards,” said Trustee Adams.

For more information about the meeting, contact the HISD Family and Community Engagement Department at 713-556-7290.

Help determine the ‘Fan Favorite’ at HISD’s Celebration of Excellence

HISD will be hosting its annual Celebration of Excellence on Friday, May 15, and one of the announcements to be made that day is the district’s Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year.

Those honorees are determined at the district level using performance data and other criteria, but you can help select the 2015 Fan Favorite by choosing one of this year’s Teacher of the Year nominees—and using your social media know-how to build a network of supporters.

All campus-based Teachers of the Year are eligible for this award, which will be determined by who has the largest number of fans. Anyone can vote—including colleagues, parents, students, and former students.

Visit this link to make your selection during the first round of voting through Friday, May 8, and be sure to share your favorite on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels to get the word out. A second round of voting will take place through May 15 to determine the winner from among the finalists.

The Fan Favorite will be announced live and on social media during the Celebration of Excellence on May 15.

Steady encouragement, support lead to success for HISD students with autism

This week marks the end of Autism Awareness Month, so we asked some of our parents of students with autism about their families’ experiences with HISD, to find out what they felt contributed the most to their students’ successes.

Noah poses with a trophy he won in a robotics competition.

Noah poses with a trophy he won in a robotics competition.

Kristi Anders, the parent of a 12-year-old who is finishing up his last year in elementary school, says her son has flourished at two different campuses due to the inclusive environments created there by caring staff members.

“Noah’s teachers and principal at Garden Oaks Montessori were so accepting and supportive of him,” she said. “He has had to learn his limits and figure out what works for him and what doesn’t, but we bought him noise-reducing headphones and he learned to tell people when they were in his personal space. His teacher would also send him on errands or to get a drink of water when she could see he was getting frustrated. In the third grade, Noah’s friends voted him class president.”

Continue reading →

Support group for parents of students with autism scheduled for April 22

The Office of Special Education Services will be hosting a meeting for parents of students with autism on Wednesday, April 22, 2015.

The meeting will take place in Room 3C10 at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (440 W. 18th St, 77092) from 9-10 a.m., and participants will have an opportunity to network with other parents and meet the HISD autism team.

Light refreshments will be provided. Please let us know if you will be attending by calling or sending a text message to 281-826-9131.