Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles brings healthy message to elementary girls

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles sat down with a group of students on Thursday at HISD’s Nat. Q. Henderson Elementary School for a surprise chat about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.  

In partnership with nonprofit Girls Inc. and Mattress Firm, Biles, met with a dozen girls, who are all enrolled in Girls Inc.’s afterschool program, to discuss how exercise, diet and sleep have contributed to her success. This includes her focus on the holistic health triangle: physical, nutritional and emotional.  

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Braeburn ES construction 65 percent complete

Construction at the new Braeburn Elementary School is steadily progressing and the building will be ready for the Bobcats to move in this summer. 

The $30 million project is tracking at 65 percent completion with fireproofing complete and structural steel and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installation to wrap this quarter. Roofing and interior framing are more than 75 percent complete and paving will be completed this month. 

The building is enclosed and interior finishes, such as flooring and ceilings, are expected to begin this quarter. 

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Teacher Recruitment to host teacher job fair on Feb. 8

The Houston Independent School District’s Teacher Recruitment is hosting a districtwide job fair for experienced teachers on Saturday, February 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hattie Mae White (4400 West 18th St., 77092).  

The district is searching for certified teachers in the following critical shortage areas: bilingual education, secondary science, secondary mathematics, and special education.  

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January is School Board Recognition Month 

January is School Board Recognition Month, and the Houston Independent School District is joining other districts across the state to honor local leaders for their dedication and willingness to serve as advocates for public schools. 

These dedicated public servants become school board trustees to serve as advocates for school children because they are committed to improving public education and their communities. 

School board members devote many hours to making sure students receive a high-quality education and are provided with schools that are safe and have the resources and instructional programs to educate them to their fullest potential.  

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Young ES science teacher named Teacher of the Month

Young Elementary School fifth-grade science teacher Brittnay Douglas on Tuesday learned that she had been named the district’s Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for January.  

“Douglas has served as an amazing science teacher that has made the classroom,” Principal Shanica Smith said. “She is always making the classroom fun as she creates autonomous thinkers.” 

In her fifth year of teaching at Young Elementary School, Douglas ensures that her students are gaining exposure to new environments, especially during field lessons to Galveston State Park and TopGolf, where they learned about force and motion. 

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A special message from Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan

January 15, 2020 – Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of one of our students. The past 24 hours have been incredibly difficult for Bellaire High School and the Houston ISD community. A tragedy of this magnitude is difficult to comprehend. As a parent, I am deeply saddened and angered by this horrific act of violence. Details are still unfolding, and we may not know for some time why this happened. Unfortunately, HISD is not immune to the plague of gun violence afflicting school campuses nationwide. 

We are committed to vigilantly protecting students and staff at our schools. HISD will continue to evaluate our security measures, as we regularly do, in order to maximize the safety of our children and staff. I want to thank all local law enforcement agencies, which acted swiftly to respond and apprehend a suspect. I am also grateful to the principal of Bellaire High School and the rest of the staff who took appropriate action to ensure no other students were physically harmed during the incident. Every child deserves a safe school environment.

Classes at Bellaire High School will resume tomorrow, January 16. Crisis counselors will be available to Bellaire students and staff for as long as they are needed. There will be additional HISD police officers on campus and patrols around the campus and extra administrative personnel to ensure the school is safe and secure.

HISD students take part in sensory-friendly movie night

Going to the movies can be a magical experience and one that should be enjoyed by all. Last Friday, thanks to the autism advocacy group The Perfect Connection, six HISD students attended a free, sensory-friendly private screening of the newly released Disney-Pixar short film “Loop,” which follows the story of a non-verbal, autistic girl.

“We’ve partnered with some amazing vendors to premiere the Disney+ premiere of Loop,” Liza Bailey, founder of The Perfect Connection, said. “Through this movie, Disney has empowered the autism community by providing a wonderful example of autism representation in the media.”

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HISD students to perform speeches at annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition

Twelve HISD students will continue the tradition of honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when they compete Friday in the final round of the MLK Jr. Oratory Competition. 

For more than 20 years, fourth- and fifth-graders from two dozen HISD schools have competed in the annual contest, which challenges students to write and present a short original speech on a subject related to the slain civil rights leader. The topic this year is, “What would Dr. King’s vision be for America in 2020?”   

Watch livestream of competition at Houstonisd.org/LiveTV or follow along on Twitter at Twitter.com/HoustonISD 

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HISD to participate in Souper Bowl of Caring

In partnership with Souper Bowl of Caring and the Houston Food Bank, HISD schools and staff are participating in the 2020 Souper Bowl of Caring, a youth-led, national food drive that mobilizes thousands of young people to fight hunger and poverty in their communities 

Beginning Jan. 14, one of the nation’s largest celebrations of serving and giving will raise awareness and tackle hunger in communities. There are five ways to participate: 

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