Thompson ES students reach out to president…and he responds

Thompson ES students display some of the items they received from President Barack Obama.

Thompson ES students display some of the items they received from President Barack Obama.

When Brenda Mays’ class at HISD’s Thompson Elementary School sent individual holiday greeting cards to President Barack Obama last December, they didn’t really expect to hear back from him. But when the students began opening their mailboxes late last month, they were astonished to discover he hadn’t just responded to their letters; he had sent them each a care package, too.

Each package contained a variety of materials, such as photos of the president and his family (including dogs Bo and Sunny), personal letters addressed to the students by name, and fact sheets about Obama’s family, the White House, and the importance of eating healthy and exercising.

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Grant opportunities still available for eco-campus partnership with Taiwan

The National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program is looking for HISD schools interested in joining the third year of their USA-Taiwan Eco-Campus Partnership Program.

The program, designed and coordinated by the NWF, U.S. Environmental Program and EPA Taiwan, matches schools in the United States directly with sister schools in Taiwan to work together on a global level to address environmental- or sustainability-related issues.

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Westbury HS staff tells students why they are inspirational

The world is full of stories about teachers who have inspired their students to reach for greatness.

But at HISD’s Westbury High School, campus staff members have turned the tables. Faculty and administrators alike have been stopping Westbury pupils in the hallways to share the many ways they feel inspired by these students to come to school every day and continue the work they do in public education.

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New classroom wing at Grady MS is open for learning

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Grady Middle School students stepped inside their new $14.8 million classroom wing today – the first day of classes in the new building. With natural light streaming into classrooms and shared collaborative spaces, and flexible furniture placed throughout, the new wing truly reflects a modern learning environment.

The addition completes the multi-phase master plan for the campus that was begun with funds from the 2007 bond. The building features a core classroom wing with 24 classrooms, six science labs, six learning commons, and three administrative suites. Student capacity at the school is now expanded from 580 to 850 students.

HISD to celebrate Year of the Monkey with two weekend events

Students at Kolter ES perform during a 2015 Lunar New Year celebration.

Students at Kolter ES perform during a 2015 Lunar New Year celebration.

Monday, Feb. 8, marks the beginning of a new lunar year in many cultures, and to observe the occasion, HISD will be hosting two celebrations in partnership with the Confucius Institute.

The first will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School (6300 Avenue B, 77401), while the second has been scheduled for 6–8 p.m. at Westside High School (14201 Briar Forest, 77077).

Both are free and open to the public.

African-American leaders forged lasting legacy of public service

Editor’s Note: Black History Month runs from Monday, Feb. 1, through Monday, Feb. 29, this year, and HISD is celebrating with a series of weekly stories recognizing distinguished African Americans who graduated from district high schools. This second article focuses on alumni who went on to have successful careers in politics or law. The first one spotlighted professional athletes, and others will feature artists, educators, and those with careers in radio, TV, and film.

Since its earliest days, Houston has been home to great leaders who, through their commitment to public service, have helped to shape our community and create opportunities for future generations.

African-Americans figure prominently in this group of civic and government officials, and HISD is proud to count many of them among our distinguished alumni, who have left a lasting legacy for citizens of Houston and students in HISD.

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Askew Elementary community briefed on new building plans

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About 40 parents, neighbors, and staff of Askew Elementary School participated in a bond community meeting at the school this week, where they were briefed on the project status and design plans for their new campus.

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HISD seeking families and home instructors for HIPPY program

HISD’s Family and Community Engagement department is still recruiting families and part-time home instructors to work with the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program for the 2015–2016 school year.

HIPPY is a school readiness program for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children that helps parents prepare their preschoolers for academic success. Instructors visit parents in their homes for an hour a week over a 30-week period during the school year, and model research-based learning activities designed to help Pre-K children develop skills in reading, math, and science. Parents then practice the activities with their children over the week until they learn a new activity during the next lesson. Children whose parents participate in the program consistently outperform their peers in reading and math in kindergarten and first grade.

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HISD students have opportunity to attend four college fairs in February

Houston Independent School District students will have the opportunity to attend several upcoming college readiness fairs being held across the city. The events are supported by HISD’s College Readiness department, which is committed to providing higher education access to all HISD students. All events are free for HISD students. Students should check with their college access coordinator to see if school-based transportation is available. Continue reading →

Finalists announced in last round of Read to the Final Four literacy competition

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Of the eight schools that advanced to the Elite Eight, only the Final Four remained standing on Feb. 5, during the Read to the Final Four Literacy Competition pep rally at the University of Houston’s (UH) Hofheinz Pavilion.

After an activity-filled morning that included a dance-off, a science experiment by UH professor Dr. Simon Bott, and lots of cheering (assisted by the UH cheerleaders), the Final Four schools were announced. They are:

  1. Dogan ES
  2. Carrillo ES
  3. Janowski ES
  4. Browning ES

“It was so much fun!” said third-grader Braniya Banks, from top team Dogan Elementary. “All of Dogan helped us log our time to win.”

The Read to the Final Four Literacy Competition began in the fall of 2015, with 6,800 third-graders participating. Since that time, they have logged 6.4 million minutes of reading and, according to the Houston Public Library, checked out more than 5,000 books from its shelves.

Approximately 800 students attended the pep rally, which aimed not just to inspire the students, but to reward them as well for all of their hard work.

The top reader from each of the 68 participating schools will receive a bicycle, courtesy of CYCLE (Changing Young Children’s Lives through Education). The winning school will also receive a monetary award.

“This is a great event,” said Rachel Quan, vice president of External Operations for the Final Four Houston Local Organizing Committee. “It’s the culmination of a lot of different partnerships with the Final Four and the local organizing committee, the NCAA, the Houston Public Library, Cycle, UH and, of course, HISD. There’s a lot of folks involved in seeing that these third-graders get more excited about reading.”

The remaining four schools will continue competing until the final event in April, when the top school will be announced. Students at the other 64 schools should not stop reading, though, as there may be additional prizes for the top individual readers.

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