Category Archives: Read Houston Read

Volunteer to change a child’s life through reading

Looking for a way to help HISD’s students? The district is resuming its popular “Read Houston Read” and “Real Men Read” programs this year. HISD recognizes the need to provide ongoing literacy support to students and is once again asking the community for volunteers to read to children.

Read Houston Read volunteers will work with the same student one hour each week for an entire year, either in person or virtually on the Microsoft TEAMS platform.

Houston Real Men Read is a mentoring program in which men volunteer at least one hour a month to read to students in third grade.

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Winter reading program encourages students to read, earn prizes 

Winter break is the perfect time for students to catch up on their favorite books, hone their reading skills, and earn a free book from their local Houston Public Library.

HISD is encouraging students to join the Houston Public Library’s winter reading program for kids and teens. From Dec. 15 through Jan. 15, students are encouraged to read or be read to 20 minutes a day for 10 days.

Students can read anything they like. Books, comics, newspapers, magazine articles, blogs, web pages, listen to an audiobook or have someone read to aloud; all of these types of reading count. The Houston Public Library’s Readers’ Advisory staff can also create a personalized reading list.  Continue reading

Read Houston Read volunteers needed for 2017-2018 school year 

HISD’s Read Houston Read program will soon kick off its fourth school year, and volunteers are needed once a week to read to a first-grade student — either in person or online.

The goal of Read Houston Read is to instill a love of reading in children, while giving Houstonians an opportunity to give back to their community. The program is part of the district’s Literacy by 3 movement, which aims to have all students reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade.

If you have friends or family who might be interested in volunteering, encourage them to sign up at this link. All volunteers are required to pass a background check each year and attend a training session, which is online. From there, volunteers can pick a participating school and schedule weekly sessions with a student.

Optional Experienced Volunteer Refresher Trainings will be held on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Please click here to sign up for the 1:30-2:30 p.m. session or the 3-4 p.m. session. Volunteers will receive an email as soon as campus volunteer opportunities are available, which should be the beginning of October.

Read Houston Read volunteer opportunities available 

Just one hour a week can make a difference in a child’s life

HISD’s Read Houston Read program is kicking off for the 2016-17 school year, and volunteers are needed once a week to read to a first-grade student — either in person or online.

The goal of Read Houston Read, which is in its third year, is to instill a love of reading in children, while giving Houstonians an opportunity to give back to their community. The program is part of the district’s Literacy by 3 movement, which aims to have all students reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade.

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Help prevent ‘summer slide’ by mentoring for Read Houston Read

It’s not uncommon for students to lose a little momentum during the lazy days of summer. Luckily, parents and community members can help prevent the “summer slide” by volunteering for the Read Houston Read program this summer break.

HISD’s Elementary Curriculum and Development literacy team is excited to announce that many Read Houston Read schools will offer the program to volunteers and students during summer school.

This will enhance the current summer school program and add additional intervention for students who need it most.

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You’ve given thanks, now give back on ‘Giving Tuesday’

Would you like to volunteer for Read Houston Read?

Sign up for Read Houston Read by clicking here. Show your support by downloading the attached badge and add it to your Facebook page or share it on Twitter.

Download Badge (.jpg)

The turkey has been eaten, the pies are gone, and the day set aside for American families to give thanks for the blessings in their lives is over. Now it’s time to give back. “Giving Tuesday” on Dec. 1 is an annual global day for giving back to the community through service, as well as celebrating generosity in all its forms.

The idea is simple: Give of your time and/or your money and inspire others to do the same by telling them about it. Use the hashtag #GivingTuesday on social media to let everyone know how you are helping to make change.

Consider giving to the Houston ISD Foundation to help build a future generation of educated adults who are prepared to serve as tomorrow’s leaders.

HISD’s Read Houston Read volunteer program is another great way to give back to your community. Read to a first-grader and give them a gift that grows exponentially in value — the love of reading. Read Houston Read is part of HISD’s Literacy by 3 movement, which calls for every child to be reading on or above grade level by the time they leave the third grade.

Sign up for up to an hour each week, either in person or virtually, to mentor a child by reading to them and listening to them read aloud. Then use #GivingTuesday on Twitter or download this badge on Facebook to tell everyone about your service.

If you can’t make the weekly commitment, there are plenty of other ways to volunteer in HISD. Register through VIPS and discover campus-based opportunities to get involved.

Thirty-two schools advance to the next round of Read to the Final Four

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Celebratory pep rally gives special shout out to top five

In a fun-filled ceremony at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, a crowd gathered (and some watched live, online) to hear the announcement of the 32 schools who will advance to the next round of the NCAA Read to the Final Four Literacy Challenge.

The competition was created by the district in partnership with the Houston NCAA Final Four Local Organizing Committee, Houston Public Library, and the University of Houston. Houston will host the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four April 2–4 at NRG Stadium. Thus far, elementary school students in the literacy challenge have reported 1,141,283 minutes of total reading time. Continue reading

Volunteering duo can’t wait for Read Houston Read to start back up again

In this week’s I Am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, returning volunteer Sharon Plummer discusses how she and her husband first discovered the Read Houston Read program, why they both immediately signed up to participate, and why they can’t wait for this year’s first mentoring sessions to begin.

Sharon Plummer & Chandler Davidson

Sharon Plummer & Chandler Davidson

I understand you and your husband, Chandler Davidson, both volunteer as reading mentors at Burnet Elementary School through Read Houston Read. How did that arrangement come about?

We had actually been looking for an opportunity to read to elementary students for quite some time. Maybe even a couple of years. We had made several inquiries with various organizations, but just could not find a good fit. Then I happened to see this. And I thought, “Oh, my gosh, this is it!”

What is it about reading to young children than appeals to you? Continue reading