Special message from Superintendent Carranza on student protections

Houston ISD Superintendent Richard Carranza sent the following message today to parents, community members, and employees:

Houston ISD is proud of its rich diversity. Each and every one of our students has a right to an education that is free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Our focus and determination to serve all students will not be diminished by the recently announced rollback of guidelines to provide much needed protections for transgender students in public schools.

In HISD, we will continue to provide a safe and positive learning environment for all students.

We do not discriminate. In fact, HISD board policy clearly states that we do not condone discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression, or on any other basis prohibited by law. The HISD Board of Education and I are committed to respecting and recognizing all students for who they are.

Our students represent the best of who we are, and together we are HISD.

Sincerely,
Richard A. Carranza
HISD Superintendent

HISD names new chief financial officer

The Houston Independent School District has selected Rene Barajas as the district’s new chief financial officer.

Dr. Barajas currently serves as deputy superintendent and chief financial officer of the Garland Independent School District, with more than 20 years of central administration experience in public schools. He has eight years of experience as a chief financial officer.

He previously served as an assistant superintendent for business and support services for the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District as well as a business manager and internal auditor for other public school districts in Texas.

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HISD communications team wins 23 Star Awards from Texas School Public Relations Association

Largest school district in the state honored for school communications, including Platinum Award for Global Graduate project

Feb. 22, 2017—The Houston Independent School District’s communications team will be awarded 23 Star Awards from the Texas School Public Relations Association for its excellence in school communications for the 2015-2016 school year, including the Platinum Award for its work on HISD’s Global Graduate profile. The awards will be presented on Wednesday, Feb. 22, during the 2017 TSPRA Annual Conference Star Awards Banquet in Galveston.

Every year, the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) honors school districts for their exceptional work in print, electronic, and visual media. HISD was awarded 12 Gold Stars, six Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, three Crystal Commendations and the Platinum Award for an all-encompassing year-long communications project. Continue reading →

HISD, university partners meet to strengthen collaboration

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As HISD works to find an effective teacher for every classroom, one of the district’s renewed focuses in on strengthen partnerships with colleges and universities to recruit and better prepare new teachers.

To help achieve this, HISD hosted representatives from several universities Wednesday to begin a discussion on how the district and higher education institutions can improve the lines of communication when it comes to teacher training and support. Among those in attendance were the University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas State, Sam Houston State, Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M, and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

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Take a virtual tour of HISD’s African American namesake schools

As Black History Month draws to a close, take a virtual tour of the district to visit the many schools named after renowned African American leaders, and learn a little about the historical contributions of those educators, legislators and community leaders. Even the district’s administration building, the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, has an important namesake you can learn more about.

Click image for an interactive tour.

New Westbury HS video stresses vital role parents play in student success 

It’s all about family at Westbury High School, and parents are a big part of the school’s extended family.

With 2,200 students, Principal Susan Monaghan counts on parents to help with whatever needs to be done.

“It’s important for parents to be part of what we do every day at Westbury,” she says in a new video. “That’s the only way we can become a top school.”

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Students to present at Microsoft for Digital Learning Day 

Presentations to highlight how technology has helped transform learning 

Teams from 10 HISD high schools will be making presentations to Microsoft executives this Thursday, Feb. 23, as part of Digital Learning Day. The student presentations highlight how HISD’s one-to-one laptop initiative, also known as PowerUp, has impacted learning both in and out of the classroom.

The ten teams were selected from among 45 high schools who participated in Together with Tech, the district’s first ever student-led technology conference that took place Feb. 11 at Lamar High School. Student presentations at the conference used technology-based platforms that included digital animation, mobile app design, and tools such as Google Earth.   Continue reading →

Angel Wilson named new principal of Cornelius Elementary

Angel Wilson poses for a photograph, April 4, 2016. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)Angel Wilson has been selected as the new principal of Cornelius Elementary School. Wilson has served as a teacher and Teacher Development Specialist, and she has a wide range of campus leadership experience in diverse communities such as Durkee Elementary, where she was dean of instruction; Thompson Elementary, where she was assistant principal; and Lanier Middle School, where she was also assistant principal. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Educational Administration. Both degrees are from Prairie View A&M University.

Garden Oaks Montessori gathers for groundbreaking

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Despite a stormy forecast, the weather cleared up just long enough Friday morning for the Garden Oaks Montessori community to officially celebrate the start of construction on their new addition and renovations.

The suddenly sunny skies matched the mood of hundreds of students, staff, and community members who took part in the groundbreaking ceremony.

“We have some sunlight, so let’s make the most of this beautiful moment in time,” Principal Lindsey Pollock said as she kicked off the celebration, which included student performances and a recitation of the Garden Oaks Creed.

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HISD elementary students’ poetry, artwork featured in Houston Symphony production

Poetry and artwork created by second grade students from Patterson Elementary School will be featured in the Houston Symphony’s Carnival of the Animals jazz production Saturday at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts.

With guidance from the Houston Symphony, the students wrote poetry based on the movement of each animal featured in the show and their personal interpretation of the music. To complement their poetry, the students also created visual art, which will be on display in the Jones Hall lobby on Saturday and Sunday.

Patterson, a dual language literature magnet school, was selected for the Houston Symphony’s School Residency program, designed to provide music education experiences for second-graders while exploring connections between music and literacy. As part of the program, the school receives two pre-concert classroom visits and one post-concert visit led by the Houston Symphony community-embedded musicians.

The program also is part of the district’s fine arts initiative to ensure students in the Chavez High School feeder pattern have the opportunity to continue learning about art, drama, and music from elementary through high school.

The Carnival of the Animals production is scheduled for 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 18 at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St.