Members of the Houston Educational Advocacy Representatives (H.E.A.R.) on Monday, March 11, met with 27 state lawmakers in Austin to discuss the urgent need for meaningful school finance reform this legislative session.

H.E.A.R., the brainchild of Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan, is a volunteer coalition of nearly 50 public education advocates tasked with educating lawmakers about HISD’s state and federal legislative priorities, especially school finance reform. H.E.A.R. met with members of the House Public Education and Appropriations Committees, Senate Education and Finance Committees and HISD’s state delegation.

Houston Independent School District Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan will receive the Audrey H. Lawson IMPACT Award this weekend at the annual scholarship luncheon and fashion show hosted by Houston’s historic Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.

Lathan is among six community leaders selected for the impact they have on the local community. Other honorees include NASA’s Chief Education Officer Adena Williams Loston, Metropolitan Transit Authority General Counsel Cydonii Fairfax, NASA General Counsel Sumara Thompson-King, commercial and residential real estate broker Courtney Johnson Rose and author and Pastor Mia K. Wright.

HISD middle and high school students from across the district will gather to show off their reading comprehension skills next week during the annual Name that Book competition.

Coordinated by the HISD Department of Library Services, the contest serves to acquaint HISD students with classic literature, as well as contemporary award-winning books, representing a variety of genres.

The HISD Board of Education received an update on Thursday from Assistant Superintendent of Research and Accountability Carla Stevens, who shared key achievements from a 250-plus page comprehensive report on the progress made within the Achieve 180 program for the 2017-2018 school year.

With testing coming up in April, it’s time for Achieve 180 and HISD’s Research and Accountability to fully vet the program’s progress to further predict the trajectory on the future of the program.

“It’s important to have these types of reports where we can have enough time to interpret the data, provide recommendations, and take a proactive approach in developing a plan for the 2019-2020 school year,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said.

Friday, March 22 – 5 p.m.

With reports of the Deer Park industrial fire re-igniting this afternoon, all on-campus activities for east area campuses this weekend (Friday, March 22 through Sunday, March 24) have been cancelled. Weekend sporting events also have been rescheduled at alternate locations.

Thursday, March 21 – 1:30 p.m.

According to Harris County Office of Emergency Management, the shelter-in-place for Deer Park has been lifted.

As an added precaution at campuses closest to Deer Park: All outdoor activities will continue to be held indoors, all after-school activities are cancelled, and after-school sporting events have been rescheduled at alternate locations. Principals from those impacted campuses are contacting parents directly with more information.

In addition, HISD has been conducting random air-quality testing at those east area campuses – and those tests are continuing.

We will continue to provide updates as they become available. You can follow immediate updates via social media at Twitter.com/HoustonISD and Facebook.com/HoustonISD.

Art has been a driver of social change throughout history, and Edison Middle School visual arts teacher Gerard Caliste is using his experience as a student artist to transform the way his students view their craft and the world around them.

“My kids are learning to paint on anything,” Caliste said. “They are learning to see anything as art. They love the creation process, and I make sure to facilitate that first.”

In his teens, New Orleans-born Caliste, who is one of 22 teacher artists selected to exhibit new works for the Inaugural HISD Visual Art Teacher Exhibition, became involved with the New Orleans based youth art organization YAYA, which gives artistically talented inner-city youth the space to have non-critical access to creative materials. And, according to him, the organization gave him the support he needed to develop his artistic confidence and skills.

Parents and students who submitted an application to a magnet program for the 2019-20 school year during Phase I (Sept. 28-Dec. 7, 2018) can now check the status of their applications online.

Parents who created an online account will be able to find the results posted on their parent dashboards at www.hisdchoice.com. Application-status letters were sent out by U.S. mail on March 12, 2019.

Next Steps

Once you receive your application status, there are steps you must take to secure your place:

HISD Advanced Placement students and teachers are invited to attend AP: The Countdown to help prepare for Advanced Placement exam season.

AP: The Countdown will take place at Energy Institute High School from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 30. Throughout the morning, students and teachers will participate in three different review sessions aimed at helping them feel confident and prepared for AP exam season.

The event is free, open to all HISD AP students and teachers, and breakfast will be provided. Students should bring a notebook, a pencil, and a laptop. In addition, transportation will be available at select schools.

Advanced Placement coursework prepares students for college and careers. Students can earn college credit hours and save thousands of dollars in college tuition when they earn a three or higher on AP exams.

During the 2017-2018 school year, 10,242 HISD students received college credit by scoring well on their AP exams, saving their families $11,782,500 in college tuition. AP courses leverage rigorous instruction to help students become independent learners.

Students should register here by March 27. Teachers can register via OneSource using Course Code #927001.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Suzanne Acord at suzanne.acord@houstonisd.org / (713) 556-7240.