Category Archives: Parents

Hispanic Parent Summit to offer free workshops and resources for families

HISD District IX Board Trustee Wanda Adams has partnered with the Family Learning Academy to host the District IX Hispanic Parent Summit from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, at Anderson Elementary School (5727 Ludington 77035). The free event will connect families with resources that support student success.

The event will feature panels, workshops, and a community resource fair with information for parents on topics such as helping English as a Second Language (ESL) students at home, developing young children’s literacy, getting involved in the school community, and paying for college. Raul Peimbert, Emmy award-winning Univision news anchor, will provide the keynote address, and HISD Trustee Juliet Stipeche will facilitate a panel on HISD resources. Continue reading →

Thousands turn out across the district to learn more about rightsizing classrooms

Parents get answers to questions about proposed changes to attendance boundaries

Thousands of parents and community members turned out at a series of community meetings this week to provide parents with an overview of proposals designed to reduce classroom overcrowding at certain elementary schools.

The proposal for each school was discussed during regional meetings that took place on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and Thursday, Feb. 19. District officials will use the feedback to finalize the proposals and present them to the HISD Board of Education in March. If approved, the changes would be implemented for fall 2015.

Options under consideration include attendance boundary adjustments, program enhancements, and limiting the number of students each school may accept from outside its own neighborhood. District officials are also considering ways to improve internal practices such as adding a layer of additional scrutiny to the waiver request process and eliminating waivers for district charter schools.

The proposals would primarily affect new, incoming students. Current students would be grandfathered and allowed to stay at their current schools when possible.

The move is a result of a directive from the Texas Education Agency, which requires kindergarten through fourth-grade classes to have no more than 22 students per classroom. Classes that exceed that number must request a state waiver.

This school year, HISD had to submit nearly 1,500 class-size waiver requests to the TEA. District officials aim to cut that number in half by the 2015-2016 school year, with plans to continue the decrease incrementally through 2019.

Here is a list of the meetings that took place and the schools that may be affected by proposed boundary changes:

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 6 to 8 p.m.
Briar Forest Area Community Meeting
Location: Revere MS, 10502 Briar Forest
Affected Schools: Ashford, Askew, Bush, Daily, Emerson, Shadowbriar, Walnut Bend

Northwest Area Community Meeting
Location: Waltrip HS, 1900 West 34th St.
Affected Schools: Crockett, Highland Heights, Love, Memorial, Sinclair, Smith, Stevens

288 Corridor Community Meeting
Location: Attucks MS, 4330 Bellfort
Affected Schools: Bastian, Kelso, Young

Thursday, Feb. 19, 6 to 8 p.m.
Northline Area Community Meeting
Location: Sam Houston MSTC, 9400 Irvington Blvd.
Affected Schools: Burbank, Lyons, Northline

Tinsley and Halpin Area Community Meeting
Location: Tinsley ES, 11035 Bob White Dr.
Affected Schools: Anderson, Tinsley, Halpin ECC

Medical Center Area Community Meeting*
Location: Pershing MS, 3838 Blue Bonnet Blvd.
Affected Schools: The Rice School, Roberts, Twain, West University
*Only programmatic changes  under consideration.

The proposals for each school are available online: http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/125328

Your back-to-school questions answered

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year! We know you may have questions about everything from registration to transportation to dress codes, so we’ve compiled a list of the most commonly requested information. If you have other questions, please let us know in the comments section below and we’ll look into them. Continue reading →

HISD recognizes 2014’s top volunteers for ‘helping us grow’

This year’s honorees serve Bellaire, Jones, and four Montessori schools

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Each year, thousands of parents, businesses, and community partners support public education by volunteering their time on HISD campuses or engaging in other activities that contribute to the growth of the district. And every spring, HISD selects the top volunteers from among their ranks. Continue reading →

Notices to go out Friday for nearly 50,000 HISD magnet applications

A new online application process and computer-generated lottery have been completed and nearly 50,000 notifications of the Houston Independent School District magnet programs including Vanguard placements for 2014-2015 will be sent to families by email (after 5 p.m.) and postal service Friday.

Continue reading →

More community meetings planned on major changes in high school

Counselors and registrars will be on hand to answer questions about new graduation requirements shaped by House Bill 5

The Houston Independent School District is continuing a series of community meetings this week that will connect middle school parents with high school counselors and other experts on House Bill 5, which is changing high school in a big way for next year’s ninth-graders.  Continue reading →

Parents of eighth-graders to get preview of high school under HB 5

Community meetings begin Monday; high school counselors and registrars will be on hand to answer questions about new graduation requirements 

What is an “endorsement”? How can my child be eligible for Top 10 percent admissions to college? What does my child do to “supersize” his or her diploma to be more attractive to colleges and employers? Parents of current eighth-graders – who will be the first to graduate under revised state requirements – will face an array of new choices and decisions at the start of the 2014-2015 school year.

Continue reading →

Parents urged to talk with their teens about PSAT/NMSQT scores

Last October, thousands of HISD freshmen, sophomores, and juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT college-readiness test, and campus staff began distributing the results this month.

Parents are strongly encouraged to discuss these scores with their children, as they can not only help gauge a student’s readiness for college but also identify good candidates for Advanced Placement (AP) classes next semester and, in some cases, determine a student’s eligibility for scholarships.

Continue reading →

HISD Asian-American College & Career Day scheduled for Nov. 16

What: HISD Asian-American College & Career Day, hosted by the HISD Asian Advisory Committee. Asian-American middle and high school students will hear about career options from prominent, successful Asian-American business representatives and learn what they should be doing to prepare for college. They’ll also learn how to navigate the scholarship and financial aid application process. Middle school students also will get tips on making the transition to high school. Parent sessions about the college preparation process will be offered in English, Mandarin and Vietnamese. Registration is encouraged: www.houstonisd.org/asiancareer.

Who: State Rep. Gene Wu will serve as the keynote speaker. Various other prominent, successful, Asian-American business representatives — including FBI Special Agent Gigi Joyner, US Secret Service Special Agent Kim Smith and KHOU News Anchor and Reporter Lily Jang — will speak.

When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, 8 a.m. to noon. Registration and Career Fair begin at 8 a.m. followed by an opening session at 9 a.m. Individual workshop sessions for students and parents begin at 9:30 a.m.

Where: Bellaire High School, 5100 Maple Road, Bellaire, Texas, 77401

Three Students’ Artwork Selected for HISD’s 2013 Holiday Greeting Card

DeBakey HS art teacher Neda Khan poses with student Tam Ngo and her winning design.

This year the Houston Independent School District honored the artistic talent of its students by selecting three finalists’ artwork for the 2013 HISD Holiday Greeting Card.  The winners were Adrian Pizarro from Park Place Elementary School, Amy Vaughan from Johnston Middle School and Tam Ngo from DeBakey High School for Health Professions.

“This is one of my favorite events of the year as we have the opportunity to recognize the amazing talent of our students,” HISD Chief of Business and Community Relations Dr. Michele Pola said.  “We are very grateful for all the art teachers who support their students in their creativity.”

Continue reading →