Cecilia Gonzales has been named principal of Northside High School. Gonzales is a product of HISD’s Austin High School, and she began her career in HISD as an elementary bilingual teacher at Pugh Elementary School. During her 27-year tenure with the district, she has served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. Under her leadership at her most recent campus, Lyons Elementary, the school received two National Blue Ribbon awards. In addition, Gonzales was named last year’s HISD Principal of the Year. She is seeking her doctoral degree at TSU.
Robert Michaels-Johnson named new principal of Hamilton Middle School
Robert Michaels-Johnson has been named principal of Hamilton Middle School. He began his career in public education as a theater and American History teacher at Eli Whitney Middle School in the Tulsa Public Schools district. Following a brief tenure at a small classical school teaching theater and history, he moved to Houston and began teaching social studies at what is now HISD’s Heights High School. After serving in several teacher leader roles, he became an instructional coordinator and then was named the dean of instruction. He served as dean until being named principal at Hamilton. Michaels-Johnson is pursuing his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University.
Get involved in Computer Science Education Week at HISD
Design an iPhone game. Track Santa’s movements. Animate text. Those are just a few of the ways students can participate in Computer Science Education Week this Dec. 4-10, and this year HISD employees are also encouraged to get in on the fun.
The Advanced Academics Department has created “15 Days of Code,” made up of interactive calendars that allow students to engage in a new coding experience every day.
The activities on these three calendars for elementary, middle, and high school include lessons such as designing a web pages with HTML, creating a virtual pet, developing interactive art, and even teaching a robot to make crepes. Continue reading
Magnet school application deadline approaching for 2018-2019 school year
Parents who want their child to attend one of the district’s magnet schools for the 2018-2019 school year must submit an application by Friday, Dec. 8, to be included in the first round of consideration.
Any applications received after the Dec. 8 Phase I deadline will be considered only for schools where space is still available.
Parents who still aren’t sure which school they want their child to attend next year are invited to the final School Choice Fair from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Key Middle School (4000 Kelley St., 77026). Representatives from HISD magnet schools will be there, and attendees can get help submitting their applications. Continue reading
2012 Bond launches Twitter to provide easy access to latest construction updates
Wish you could get the latest information and updates on construction progress at your child’s school? Now you can. Just follow @Build_HISD on Twitter, and you’ll have all that information at your fingertips.
The new page was launched last month to provide families with quick and easy access to the latest information — photos, videos, project updates, meeting recaps — about 2012 Bond projects across the district.
Follow us. Re-tweet us. Tag us with your questions. Or tweet your own construction photos, and we can retweet you. You can also look for and use our hashtags #BuildHISD, #2012Bond, and #BuiltForLearning. Continue reading
Carranza to be part of NAACP Houston’s ‘Let’s Talk Education’ conversation
Four Houston area school superintendents, including HISD’s Richard Carranza, will be part of NAACP Houston Branch’s quarterly conversation on Dec. 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Carl Walker Jr. Multipurpose Center (4300 Noble St., 77020).
Attendees should RSVP by Dec. 6 here.
Admission is $25 for general seating, $35 for reserved seats (available through Dec. 1), and $35 at the door.
The other superintendents attending are H.D. Chambers, Alief ISD; Charles Dupre, Fort Bend ISD; and Angi Williams, Galena Park ISD. Co-Moderators are Dr. Roderick Paige, former U.S. secretary of education, and Dr. Jasmine Jenkins, executive director of Houstonians for Greater Public Schools.
For questions, email QCS@naacphouston.org or call 713-526-3389.
HISD Police Department to host holiday toy drive
The Houston Independent School District Police Department is hosting toy drive this holiday season, which will benefit local children.
Donations of new and unwrapped toys for children ages newborn to 18 years old can be dropped off at the HISD Police Department (3500 Tampa, 77021) during normal business hours.
The deadline for donations is Dec. 15.
For questions, contact Lt. Guadalupe Jimenez at HISD PD at 713-842-3715.
Wisdom HS to host immigration town hall meeting on Dec. 3
Wisdom High School will host a free town hall meeting on Sunday, which will be moderated by City Council Member Amanda Edwards regarding the passage of Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB4) and the discontinuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The “Be The Solution: Youth & Family Immigration Town Hall” will be held at the campus (6529 Beverly Hill, 77057) from noon to 3:30 p.m. and will include a lunch and resource fair, and a panel discussion with Charles C. Foster, Immigration Attorney & Chairman of Foster LLP; Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo; Norma Torres Mendoza, DREAMer; Jill Campbell, Immigration Attorney with BakerRipley; Juliet Stipeche, Director of Education for the City of Houston; and Joy Alessi, Co-Director of Adoptee Rights Campaign.
The event will be translated in Spanish.
To register, please click here.
Wilson Montessori bond construction reaches 75 percent completion
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Construction on Wilson Montessori is nearing the homestretch as work on the school’s new thee-story addition reached 75 percent completion this quarter.
The Montrose-area kindergarten through eighth grade school is receiving a $24.7 million makeover as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond program. The project includes construction of a new addition, as well as renovations to the historic facility, which was built in 1924. Continue reading
Board of Education’s updated Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals focus on equity, improving student outcomes
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education recently adopted changes to the District’s Vision and Beliefs, and approved the addition of a Mission, Constraints, and Goal Progress Measures, to serve as the district’s roadmap to success.
“Together, the Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals represent a sharper focus on the very specific steps we as a district must take to improve student outcomes. The trustees on the Board of Education are united in our commitment to ensure that HISD delivers the best possible education equitably to all students in our district,” said HISD Board of Education President Wanda Adams.
The Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals reinforce HISD’s commitment to equity, closing the achievement gap, meeting the needs of the whole child, personalizing learning for each individual child, creating safe, joyful learning spaces, retaining qualified and effective personnel, operating with transparency across all departments, and engaging meaningfully with the community in all major decision-making.
The Board’s Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals are on permanent display in a series of posters outside the Manuel Rodriguez Jr. Board Auditorium.
Read more about HISD’s Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals here.