Rain or shine: Parker ES makes headway despite weather delays  

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Construction on the new Parker Elementary School — Houston’s original music magnet — is almost 25 percent complete with the steel structure already in place and build-out of the interior walls underway.

“Things were very slow in the beginning due to rainy weather, but since the walls have gone up, things have been moving along quite quickly, said Parker Principal Lori Frodine. “We prefer a quality job rather than a rushed job, so we are very happy to see that.”

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National Public Health Week event for families scheduled for April 1

The Houston Health Department will observe National Public Health Week (April 3-9) with a family health event on Saturday, April 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Judson Robinson Community Center (2020 Hermann Drive, Houston, 77004).

The goal for this event is to create an interactive, fun and engaging experience for HISD families. The Houston Health Department is a longtime partner with HISD and hopes to connect as many families as possible on to on-the-spot services such as:    Continue reading →

Real Men Read volunteers passionate about reading to students 

Real Men Read is a mentoring program in which men volunteer at least one hour a month to read to students in third grade.

“Real Men Read is not just a program, it’s a passion,” said Read Men Read volunteer Bill Turney, who reads to Askew Elementary School students once a month. “My objective is to transfer to the children my love of reading.” He said that reading to young children not only keeps him young but allows him to experience the joy of being a child again.   Continue reading →

I am HISD: Bellaire teacher’s book will likely become a movie 

Bellaire High School English teacher Jennifer Blessington.

Bellaire High School English teacher Jennifer Blessington’s fourth young adult novel, “Moxie,” caught the attention of Amy Poehler, and her production company, Paper Kite, has acquired the film rights. Poehler, 45, is an actress, comedian, director, producer, and writer. She was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live“ from 2001-2008 and the star of “Parks and Recreation“ from 2009-2015. Roaring Brook Press will publish “Moxie” on Sept. 19. Jennifer publishes her novels under the name Jennifer Mathieu.

What grade do you teach?

I have taught sixth, seventh, eighth, and 11th grades. Currently, I teach English II at Bellaire High School.

How long have you been teaching?

I am currently in my 12th year in the classroom.

When did you publish your first book?

My first book, “The Truth About Alice,” was published in the summer of 2014.    Continue reading →

City of Houston to host summer job fairs

Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City of Houston, in partnership with the McDonald’s Owner/Operators Association of Greater Houston, are hosting a series of “on the spot” hiring events to help connect youth and young adults, ages 16-24, with potential employers looking to fill summer jobs.

Bring your resume, Texas ID, and Social Security card, and get hired on the spot!

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Accept an offered magnet seat by Thursday, April 6

Parents who submitted magnet applications for the 2017-2018 school year have until Thursday, April 6, to accept any offered seat.

Parents who participated in Phase 1 of the application process (Sept. 30 – Dec. 9, 2016) were notified of the status of their submissions on Thursday, March 23. Phase I includes in-district applications only.

Parents who created online accounts can find the results posted on their dashboards, and letters were sent out by U.S. mail to all parents who submitted an application.

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Meetings offer opportunities to learn more about Recapture before May 6 vote 

HISD voters will be asked on May 6 to decide how the district will pay its Recapture obligation to the state of Texas.

Voters will choose between two options—purchase attendance credits from the state or have commercial property detached. A vote against purchasing attendance credits means that the district permanently will lose tax collections for certain commercial properties. A vote for purchasing attendance credits means that HISD will write a check to the state for local property taxes and continue to make annual recapture payments as long as property wealth grows. A number of community town hall meetings are scheduled for the public to learn more about the vote and HISD’s Recapture status: Continue reading →

Foster ES holds fourth annual Career Day 

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Multiple careers were represented by attendees at the fourth annual Career Day held at Foster Elementary on Friday, March 10.

Attending the event were police officers, a therapist, a realtor, an insurance agent, a doctor, dental representatives, an account manager from Centerpoint Energy – and even a snake-handler from Texas Snakes.

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Madison HS senior graduates despite health challenges 

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Surrounded by his family and doctors, as well as HISD Board President Wanda Adams, Madison Principal Orlando Reyna, and staff members, senior Erick Reyes donned a graduation cap and gown for a moving bedside ceremony at Texas Children’s Hospital on Friday.

Fox News was there and posted this story on their website.

Erick has been suffering with bone cancer for the past two years and was recently moved to hospice care. He enrolled at Madison in 2012 and was well on his way to graduation when he was diagnosed with bone cancer.  Erick struggled to continue his studies while receiving treatment but had to stop due to the severity of his illness. He went into remission and returned to campus to finish his final classes, but unfortunately, the cancer returned. Although Erick was unable to complete his dream of walking across the stage with his classmates, he was pleased to be honored with his diploma.

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HISD Board of Education approves plan to establish an internal disciplinary alternative education program

March 10, 2017 – The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday approved a proposal to establish an internal disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP) for secondary students for the 2017-2018 school year based on a timeline and benchmarks prepared by district administration.

Currently, the district’s DAEP services are provided to secondary students by Camelot Schools of Texas, LLC. The district’s contract with Camelot is set to expire on June 30.

“Thank you to Camelot,” said HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza, who had an opportunity to visit the Camelot facility this week. “There wasn’t one individual that I met that did not have the best of interest of our students in mind. But at the end of the day, these are our children. Every student will be educated in HISD by HISD teachers, principals, counselors, behavioralists, and support personnel.” Continue reading →