Top-Tier College Night scheduled for Oct. 9 at Chavez HS

Juniors, seniors, and students interested in getting a head start on the college process are invited to attend Top-Tier College Night on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Chavez High School (8501 Howard Dr., Houston, 77017).

Admissions representatives from top colleges across the nation will be on hand to answer questions about selective college admissions.

Students must RSVP by Friday, Sept. 28. Sign up here to reserve a space and to learn about options for bus transportation from your campus. Dinner will also be provided.

The evening will begin with dinner and orientation from 4 to 5:30 p.m., followed by Selective College Admissions Workshops (freshmen and sophomores) and a College Fair (junior and seniors) from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Continue reading →

Parents invited to Autism Services meeting on Oct. 12

The Office of Special Education Services invites parents to the first Autism Services meeting from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 at the Special Education Field Office (4040 West Fuqua St., Room 135, 77045).

This is an opportunity for parents to engage with other parents whose children have autism, learn what’s happening in the classroom, and hear about new research developments.

There will also be members from the HISD Autism team on site to answer questions and provide information on how you can support your child at home. Please RSVP here.

With four meetings scheduled for the school year, the district will host each meeting in different regions to provide an opportunity for every parent across the district to participate at the parent meetings.

HISD seeks applicants for new legislative advocacy initiative called H.E.A.R.

HISD is seeking applications for the Houston Educational Advocacy Representatives (H.E.A.R.) initiative, a coalition to advance the district’s legislative priorities in Austin and Washington, D.C.

H.E.A.R., launching this fall, is a volunteer group of business and community leaders, parents, teachers, principals, retired educators, philanthropists, and legislative staff. Participants will be asked to visit Austin to meet with lawmakers during the 2019 Texas Legislative Session.

“This school year, HISD’s recapture payment is estimated to be $272 million. The state will collect about $5 billion in recapture payments from over 200 school districts by the end of 2019,” said Ashlea Turner, HISD’s Chief Governmental Relations and Strategy Officer. “At HISD, recapture causes school budget cuts, fewer support services, and layoffs — with a direct impact on students. HISD’s recapture situation proves the current school finance system is broken. School finance reform is overdue in Austin.”   Continue reading →

HISD Transportation Services holding job fair to recruit bus drivers

The Houston Independent School District’s Transportation Services department will host a job fair this month to recruit bus drivers as part of continuing efforts to make sure all routes are fully staffed and drivers are available for both new routes and to provide coverage if employees are absent.

The job fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Sterling High School.

Selected applicants will earn a starting hourly wage of $16.65 and will be provided free CDL training. Other benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, Teacher Retirement System participation and special trip pay options. Continue reading →

Salad bars set to expand across district this school year

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When most people think about students’ favorite lunches, they think of the standards – pizza, hamburgers, mac and cheese. But the introduction of salad bars at school cafeterias across the district is challenging the notion of what students enjoy eating.

Last year, the Houston Independent School District’s Nutrition Services department introduced salad bars as a standard option at more than 20 elementary schools. The pilot program was a first for elementary schools and proved so successful that salads made up more than half the meals served on the first day. Continue reading →

Grads Within Reach Walk scheduled for Sept. 22 

HISD will hold its Grads Within Reach Walk on Saturday, Sept. 22 to encourage students who have not enrolled for the 2018-19 school year to come back to their respective campuses.

The goal is to walk through the neighborhoods of 23 HISD high schools and identify students who have not returned to school and give them and their parents the necessary information to re-enroll.

HISD wants to develop a collective and sustainable approach to ensure that all students are receiving the appropriate support to return to school, stay in school, and positively benefit from the various services we provide.

HISD Board of Education adopts recommendations from Special Education Committee

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday unanimously voted to adopt recommendations from the district’s Special Education Ad Hoc Committee, which was tasked with assessing HISD’s current special education program.

Approval to accept the report and its seven recommendations grants the interim superintendent the authorization to carry out the recommendations.

In a separate vote, the board also voted to sunset the ad hoc committee. Continue reading →

HISD Nutrition Services to host annual Grandparents Day celebration

HISD Nutrition Services is set to host its annual Grandparents Day celebration on Thursday, Sept 13 to honor all grandparents districtwide.

Grandparents Day, recognized the Sunday after Labor Day, is a national holiday that recognizes the important role grandparents play in the lives of their grandchildren.

Students are encouraged to ask their grandparents to join them for a special lunch served by school cafeterias to commemorate the day. Continue reading →

HISD Read to Succeed competition encourages reading through myON platform 

HISD is inviting all elementary campuses to participate in the district’s first-ever Read to Succeed Competition beginning Monday, Sept. 10 to Thursday, Jan. 31.

This competition is an opportunity for all pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students to compete against each other to see who can read myON books for the most number of minutes.

Students can choose any e-book available through the myON reading platform to read.   Continue reading →

Instrument drive to benefit HISD school music programs

HISD is partnering with the CMA Foundation and the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to host a citywide Houston Instrument Drive through Monday, Oct. 1 to benefit school music programs and their students.

So, round up those lonely instruments gathering dust in your closet or garage and put them in the hands of deserving kids who will truly enjoy bringing their music back to life. There are convenient drop-off times and locations throughout the greater Houston area. To find donation locations, go to www.mhopus.org/instrument-drive.

In addition, CMA will be hosting Maddie and Tae (www.maddieandtae.com) at Waltrip High School on Sept. 17 to talk to band students about futures in the music industry.