Toufic Elachkar named new principal of McNamara Elementary School

Toufic Elachkar has been selected as the new principal of McNamara Elementary School. In his 27-year career with HISD, he has served students as a bilingual teacher, Title III coordinator, and an assistant principal. As a classroom teacher, he was recognized as an Aspire Highly Effective teacher, ranking in the top 10 percent districtwide. During his tenure as assistant principal at McNamara, the campus has made notable progress with improved student performance. Elachkar earned a bachelor’s in political science from Texas Southern University and holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas. Elachkar is fluent in Spanish, Arabic, French and English.

Vanessa Saldaña named new principal of Hogg Middle School

Vanessa Saldaña has been selected as the new principal of Hogg Middle School. Saldana began her career at HISD as a teacher assistant at Durkee Elementary School and later served as a math teacher at McReynolds Middle School. Since 2015, she has been the seventh-grade assistant principal at Hogg, where she implemented the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) and improved student achievement in all academic areas. Saldaña holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Houston and a master’s in Educational Leaderships from the University of St. Thomas.

Marlen Martinez named new principal of Ortiz Middle School

Marlen Martinez has been selected as the new principal of Ortiz Middle School. An HISD alumnus, Martinez has served students as a teacher, magnet coordinator, and an assistant principal. Most recently, she served as the principal at Lewis Elementary School, where she built a strong academic program that shepherded the school out of Improvement Required (IR) status into meeting state standard. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Texas State University and a master’s degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Walnut Bend ES to make seventh Odyssey of the Mind World Finals appearance

Students from seven HISD schools will be competing at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals this week. But for students from Walnut Bend Elementary School, the thrill of advancing past the state level is particularly sweet, as 2019 marks the school’s seventh appearance in eight years.  

A team of seven students won first place in their division at the Odyssey of the Mind Regional tournament with a perfect score. The team then went on to win the Texas Sate Finals in the Structure Toss Category. 

Odyssey of the Mind allows students to engineer and create to solve a problem, all under their own direction and leadership. Michele Dahlquist, Walnut Bend ES principal and Odyssey coach, has been coaching Odyssey teams for more than 30 years and is proud of how far her team has come. 

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HISD to offer no-cost summer meals at more than 250 schools

HISD Nutrition Services will be kicking off its Summer Meals Program June 5 at more than 250 area schools. Children ages 1 to 18 can enjoy a healthy breakfast and lunch at no charge through July 3.  

Children do not need to be enrolled in summer school to participate in the program, and no paperwork, registration, or proof of income is required. Adults can also participate by purchasing breakfast for $2.75 and lunch for $4. 

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How and when to access your child’s STAAR results

Beginning June 12, parents can access their child’s STAAR results and a suite of other resources to support summer learning at home by visiting TexasAssessment.gov. HISD schools will also receive paper copies of the STAAR Report Card to distribute to parents over the summer.  

HISD also maintains a STAAR page on the district website that contains instructions in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Vietnamese on how to access STAAR scores, testing calendars, FAQs, sample test questions, STAAR policies, and much more. There are also STAAR policies regarding testing and tips to prepare your child for STAAR.  

For questions, please contact your child’s principal or counselor.

HISD’s annual Special Education Conference planned for July 16-18

The Houston Independent School District’s Office of Special Education will hold its sixth annual Special Education Conference in July for parents and educators to share supports and strategies that help students with disabilities to be successful – academically, socially, and emotionally. 

The conference will be held from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 17 at Kingdom Builders’ Center (6011 W Orem Dr., 77085). On Thursday, July 18, leadership teams will create action plans from 8 a.m. to noon. A job fair will also be held on Thursday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m.

The conference is designed for parents, guardians, educators, and community members of the Houston Independent School District.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Cultivating a Global Perspective, Tapping into the Potential of Unique Learners.” With presentations from teachers and thought leaders in the special education field, participants can expect to leave transformed and ready to begin the school year armed with new and effective instructional and behavioral strategies.  

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HISD students to interview NASA astronaut currently aboard International Space Station   

HISD students from Milby High School, Deady Middle School, and Davila Elementary School will be given an exclusive opportunity to speak with and interview NASA astronaut Col. Tyler “Nick” Hague, who is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station. 

Students will ask Hague about his time in space and what motivated him to become an astronaut. The 20-minute Earth-to-space call at 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22, will allow students to hear and see crew members live from space. HISD will livestream the downlink via Facebook.com/HoustonISD and HoustonISD.org/LiveTV (Comcast Ch. 18 and U-verse Ch. 99). 

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HISD celebrates 2018-19 Educators of the Year at western-themed banquet

The Houston Independent School District crowned the district’s top elementary and secondary teachers of the year during the annual, western-themed Educators of the Year banquet on Friday, which honors teaching excellence across the district.

Nazaret Chavez-Guerrero, a second-grade ESL math teacher at R.P. Harris Elementary School, and Jose Clemente, a math teacher at Westbury High School, were named the 2018-2019 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, respectively.

“I want you to know we appreciate the countless sacrifices and time you have spent in making sure every student knows their potential and greatness,” HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “You are the most important indicator of a student’s academic outcomes.”

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