All middle and high students will be provided with smoking prevention curriculum developed by cancer center
HISD and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have reached a first-of-its-kind agreement to provide access to an evidence-based, youth-oriented tobacco prevention and cessation program for all 110,000 HISD middle and high school students.
The HISD Board of Education on Thursday accepted a $7.5 million gift from the Kinder Foundation that will pay for construction upgrades and equipment for the new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
The vote was 7-2, with trustees Manuel Rodríguez Jr., Wanda Adams, Michael Lunceford, Anna Eastman, Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Harvin Moore and Greg Meyers in favor. Trustees Jolanda Jones and Diana Dávila were opposed.
The new campus, which is now under construction in downtown Houston, will be renamed the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in recognition of the gift.
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HISD has several programs to help young adults with significant disabilities transition successfully from high school to a productive adult life. In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, we will be featuring three of these programs. This is the first in the series. Read the second in the series, about students thriving in an office environment, here.
Gracie, 19, is an outgoing Sharpstown International High School student. She gets up early, dresses in a purple or grey HISD polo shirt and khaki pants, and catches the school bus to the Houston Food Bank. She has a job to do.
Gracie is one of 17 HISD students with developmental disabilities working as interns at the Houston Food Bank through a partnership with H.E.A.R.T (Housing, Entrepreneurship, and Readiness Training). The students, ages 18-22, officially will graduate once their internships are complete.
Houston ISD District 3 Trustee Manuel Rodríguez Jr.
Houston Independent School District Board of Education President Manuel Rodríguez Jr. will be recognized as the 2016 Pearl Award Honoree by the Hispanic Family Initiative on Friday, Oct. 14 during the Hispanic Family and Fatherhood Conference.
The Hispanic Family Initiative named Rodríguez as the 2016 Pearl Award recipient for his community service efforts and dedication to helping HISD families and students. The Hispanic Family Initiative is an organization that focuses on addressing issues facing Hispanic families in Houston and across the country. The organization’s annual Hispanic Family Conference brings together local professionals to Houston Community College for an opportunity to discuss the importance of fathers being engaged in their children’s education.
The number of Houston Independent School District elementary classrooms that exceed the state limit of 22 students has been sharply reduced over the past two years.
On Thursday, the HISD Board of Education will consider asking the Texas Education Agency to grant waivers for 755 elementary classrooms that have more than 22 students this school year. During the 2014-2015 school year, 1,499 HISD classrooms were over the limit, which applies to classes in kindergarten through the fourth grade.
Over the past two years, HISD has worked to bring more classrooms in compliance with the law. This fall, HISD opened the new Mark White Elementary School to relieve crowding in schools located on the district’s west side. Mark White Elementary’s construction was funded by the 2012 voter-approved bond program.
Melissa Alvarez-Centeno has been named the principal of Red Elementary School. Growing up, she attended HISD schools, and during her 22 years of employment with the district, she has had many roles, including teacher’s assistant, bilingual teacher, academic tutor, literacy coach, instructional coordinator, teacher specialist, and assistant principal. She has a passion for working with diverse student populations and has developed the skills required to enhance educational opportunities for all students. Alvarez-Centeno holds a bachelor of arts in Elementary Education with a specialty in Bilingual Education from the University of Houston-Downtown and an M.ED. in Educational Administration from Sam Houston State University. She is married and has two children.
The Family and Community Engagement Department (FACE) is welcoming 52 HISD campuses into its Family Friendly Schools Program for the 2016-2017 school year – twice the number of campuses from the previous school year.
Through a series of research-based activities and strategies to expand and build relationships with families, link family events to student learning, build parent capacity and support efforts for parent empowerment, schools have an opportunity to earn a star toward one of three Family Friendly School Certification levels: Continue reading
Today marks World Homeless Day, which is held annually on Oct. 10 to bring awareness to the needs of the homeless, many of whom are students in our schools, and to encourage outreach and support in local communities.
HISD’s Homeless Education Office is hosting a World Homeless Day event from 4 to 7 p.m. today at The Pink Giraffe House (2304 Mason St. 77006). HISD staff will provide guidance to homeless students on how to return to school or attend a trade school, as well as free college and career resources. Free food, health screenings and giveaways also will be offered. Continue reading
More than 100 South Early High School community members gathered Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of their new facility, which was built as part of the 2012 Bond Program and opened to students in August.
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The $13.5 million, 57,000-square-foot facility built adjacent to the Houston Community College-South Campus features modern, flexible learning spaces specifically designed to support the school’s robotics, computer technology and software engineering programs.
“This is an exciting opportunity we have here at 1930 Airport Road,” South Early Principal Steven Gourrier said to the audience. “It took a long time for us to get here, but now we’re here and excited about what’s to happen from this point forward at South Early College High School.”
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The Houston Independent School District Nutrition Services department observed National School Lunch Week with several taste-testing events in which students could vote for their favorite new lunch item.
The weeklong events began Oct. 4 at several HISD schools and concluded with a final vote at Blackshear Elementary School on Oct. 7.