Category Archives: Special events

Personalized literacy activities help build student excitement about reading

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A big part of getting secondary students excited about the idea of reading for pleasure is finding the right incentives.

That’s why East Early College High School’s (EECHS) librarian and principal invited popular young adult author Rosemary Clement-Moore to be the keynote speaker at the campus’ second annual Literacy Day celebration on Sept. 25. It’s also why they awarded a free autographed copy of the author’s latest novel to senior Alejandra Guerra, the student who read the most books over the summer.

“A lot of our students come from neighborhood schools that don’t have budgets to invite authors to come speak, so this is a new experience for many of them, particularly the freshmen,” said EECHS librarian Cynthia Ramos. “Events like this build enthusiasm among students for wanting to read, as opposed to being required to read. Hopefully, that will lead them to texts they wouldn’t normally have chosen. This is only our second author visit, but last year, students told me they really enjoyed the talk.”

Personalizing instruction will be a key aspect of the support provided to secondary students this fall through HISD’s Literacy By 3 movement.

“We want to meet students where they are,” said Mechiel Rozas, the district’s director of secondary literacy, “so a big part of the proposal we’ll be making to the superintendent and Board of Education will deal with continuing the personalized aspect of the curriculum as students move into middle school, because that’s what they have come to expect. We want there to be multiple ways to engage with the content, so we can meet the needs of all students.”

 

Grandparents’ Day celebrated at HISD

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Hundreds of HISD elementary schools celebrated Grandparents’ Day on Wednesday, Sept. 16, with a special lunch. Grandparents were invited to attend and enjoy HISD and Nutrition Services hospitality during their special day of recognition.

Grandparents’ Day has been celebrated every September since President Jimmy Carter created it in 1978. HISD recognizes grandparents for the love, strength, and guidance they provide to their grandchildren. This special lunch has become an HISD tradition that both young and old look forward to every year.

Grissom Elementary School Principal Jane Ocanas is happy to host Grandparents’ Day and made special gifts to celebrate them, as they remind her of her own upbringing. “I was raised by my grandparents,” Ocanas said. “They taught me values and beliefs I apply to my daily life.”

More than 150 grandparents made their way into the cafeteria to share lunch with their children’s children, where HISD team members thanked them for serving as role models for young people.

After a brief prayer, grandparent Lashunda Williams said it was special for her to come and share lunch time with her granddaughter. “It’s lovely to see the healthy meals the food department has in schools these days,” Williams said. “We are eating healthier at home and she loves the food she gets at school.”

Williams’ granddaughter, first-grader Markayla Conelly, comes from a family of chefs, and she gives the food high marks, too.

“I like everything, especially the nachos, and the fresh fruit and vegetables,” she said. Markayla added that HISD Nutrition Services meals are better than at her previous school district.

Sam Houston MSTC recognized by Univision at #QuieroAprender rally

High school is one of only four to be highlighted nationwide


HISD’s Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center was honored this week with a visit from Univision and a rally to encourage Latino students to strive for greatness in education. Two students were also recognized during the event, which was made possible by a partnership among Univision, getschooled.com, and #QuieroAprender (#IWantToLearn).

“Those organizations have been focusing on four schools across the nation,” said Sam Houston Principal Rupak Gandhi about #QuieroAprender, “… and how they have turned their campuses around in the past couple of years in terms of improving academic performance and really changing the lives of their students. Sam Houston was chosen as one of the schools, based on our growth in those areas.”

In 2015, Sam Houston met state accountability standards for the first time in two years, and was removed from the “Improvement Required” list. It was also recognized for academic distinction in social studies. The school offers its students eight different certification or licensure programs. Last year’s valedictorian is currently attending Columbia, while the salutatorian is attending Rice University.

The education rally included a student discussion about the importance of education, interviews, and a spoken-word poetry contest entitled “What is the value of education to you?” Two students hand-picked by the principal for their achievements led the onstage discussion along with Satcha Pretto, co-anchor of the morning show Despierta America. One of those students – senior José Piñeda – was chosen by #QuieroAprender for an in-depth interview that will be featured in an upcoming documentary.

“It was a great opportunity to highlight the good of the school.” said Piñeda, who is on the student council and part of a mariachi band. “There are many Hispanic students here who want to make progress and move forward.” Piñeda is in the top five percent of his graduating class and plans to study mechanical engineering at the University of Texas.

“To me, #QuieroAprender is a phenomenal organization, because it really puts the power of education in the student’s hands,” said Gandhi, “and that’s what matters most.”

Sign up now to participate in 2015 Grads Within Reach walk

HISD wants to get dropouts back in school, and to do that, we need your help.

The district’s annual Grads Within Reach walk will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, and we’re looking for caring community members to visit the homes of students who have not returned to finish their high school education and help them explore the many options for graduation that HISD offers. Continue reading

Support budding entrepreneurs on Lemonade Day, Sunday, May 3

It’s been almost a decade since Lemonade Day first came to the Bayou City, and over the years, thousands of HISD students have participated in this annual exercise in learning how to start and run a business.

Lemonade Day is scheduled for Sunday, May 3, 2015, and the competition for Houston’s Best-Tasting Lemonade will take place from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at four locations that day:

In addition to the Best-Tasting Lemonade contest, this year’s event will offer students a few more opportunities to earn recognition, including a Best Stand contest determined in part by “likes” on social media. Other contests for young people include competitions for the Most Innovative Business Plan, Most Charitable Entrepreneur, and Best Social Media Campaign.

“Judges will give their opinion of the best-tasting, of course, but in the other categories, we really want to reward the children who are putting in the work and getting creative,” said Lemonade Day Houston Associate Director Gabrielle Gunn. “These competitions will be based in part on the stories that are shared by teachers, principals, students, and customers, so we encourage everyone to come out and support Houston’s young people.”

For a full list of lemonade stands and their locations, please visit the Lemonade Day website.

Highly effective teachers invited to ‘Experience HISD’ on March 14

To advance its vision of Becoming #GreatAllOver, and its commitment to placing a highly effective teacher in every classroom, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) will host its fourth annual Experienced Teacher Fair from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Saturday, March 14, 2015. This interactive information session is open to all experienced teachers from outside of the district who have a proven track record of success.

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Austin High School students take a bite out of “Shark Tank” competition

Houston Community College Professor Catherine Smith’s Business Dual Credit/College Credit students at Austin High School made “business dreams and ideas come alive” twice this past year when they participated in two high-level collegiate business plan and business development competitions. Continue reading

Chess students learn from the (grand)master at Clutch City Checkmate Challenge

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More than two dozen chess club members at the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan (BCOMA@R) got an opportunity recently that not many can boast of: the chance to play against a living legend in their game of choice.

Olympic and world chess champion Susan Polgar, who was ranked the top chess player in the world as a teenager and became the first woman to earn the title of grandmaster in 1991, came to the school on Sept. 15 to take part in a “blitz”-style chess tournament as part of the Houston Rockets’ Clutch City Checkmate Challenge. Continue reading

Dynamic keynote speaker praises HISD for its focus on literacy

Dr. Susan Szachowicz knows a thing or two about turning around troubled schools. The retired educator was still a teacher at her alma mater, Brockton High School, in 1999, when the campus was dubbed a “cesspool” by local media as one of the worst-performing schools in Massachusetts.

“Our failure rate was 75 percent in math and 44 percent in English language arts,” said the lifelong Brockton resident. “There was a real culture of low expectations.”

But by maintaining a relentless focus on literacy for the past 15 years, teachers and administrators have completely transformed the campus into a place of “high standards, high expectations, and no excuses.” It is now referred to as “a jewel of the city,” and is routinely cited as a prime example of a successful turnaround school. Continue reading

Love of literacy brings out colorful characters

School leaders dress up as favorite book character to bring attention to importance of reading

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The second day of the HISD Summer Leadership Institute attracted some colorful characters to share their love of reading, including Fancy Nancy, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Willy Wonka. Continue reading