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.

Carnegie Vanguard HS senior selected as Houston’s next Youth Poet Laureate 

Houston’s 2017-2018 Youth Poet Laureate, Rukmini Kalamangalam, is a senior at Carnegie Vanguard High School.

For the third year in a row, Houston’s Youth Poet Laureate is an HISD student, and this year, the honor goes to Carnegie Vanguard High School senior Rukmini Kalamangalam.

Kalamangalam has big plans for the coming year. As part of the job, she is a cultural arts advisor on Mayor Turner’s Youth Council.

“I would like to establish a space where young poets and other artists can collaborate and share their experiences,” she said. “I would also like to start a column in a local publication where students can publish their favorite poems, and I would like to implement poetry readings in public places where people gather.”

Carnegie Principal Ramon Moss is especially proud of Kalamangalam. Continue reading →

Austin HS moving to temporary campus in January

Austin High School students and staff will relocate in January to a temporary campus in preparation for the start of construction on their new building.

Construction of the Temporary Learning Center — dubbed by school officials as the “TLC” and made up of temporary buildings — is nearing completion, with plans for students and staff to report to that location on Jan. 8, which is the first day of the spring semester.

The temporary campus was built to ensure student and staff safety during construction. It is located along South Lockwood Drive, directly behind the existing school building.

“It’s becoming a reality. The move is starting to set in,” Austin High School Principal Steve Guerrero said during a recent Project Advisory Team meeting. “It’s still a move, but we’re working to make sure the transition will be as smooth as possible.”

Continue reading →

New Westbury HS addition set to open spring 2018

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Construction on the new addition for Westbury High School is approaching 75 percent completion and on track to open in the second quarter of 2018.

The building is now fully enclosed with permanent power and HVAC systems up and running. Work will continue on exterior masonry and interior finishes into the first quarter.

“I love the new building,” Westbury Principal Susan Monaghan said. “Having the opportunity to walk through and see it room by room has us even more excited. We can’t wait to move in.”

As part of the Houston Independent School District’s 2012 Bond Program, Westbury is receiving a new two-story addition with 26 classrooms, flexible learning centers, two new gyms, and a multi-purpose dining commons area. Continue reading →