HISD students, teachers attend Pumps & Pipes 9 STEM symposium

HISD STEM coordinators, teachers and students will attend the Pumps & Pipes 9 Symposium on Dec. 7 to hear presentations from medical doctors, astrophysicists, research engineers and other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals, while thousands of students will watch via webcast from their classrooms.

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Students collaborate with the Health Museum on STEM cells lesson plan

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Health professionals from Houston’s Health Museum visited the Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men and gave 20 ninth-graders a lesson on nutrition and physical fitness. The museum’s STEM Cells Sports Medicine Program exposes students to various disciplines within sports medicine.

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Administrative Assistant Olga Ortiz is December 2015 Employee of the Month

Olga Ortiz, Employee of the Month for December, is an administrative assistant at Burnet Elementary School, a position she has held since 2001. Her dedication to that campus, which she also attended as a pre-kindergartener, is so strong that when she was offered an unsolicited promotion from HISD’s Elementary Schools Office last summer, she turned it down.

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Hour of Code keeps HISD students globally competitive

Hour of Code is a global initiative that calls for students to do at least one hour of coding during Computer Science Education Week, which runs from Dec. 7 to 13. Basically, coding is typing step-by-step commands into the computer that tell it what you want it to do. When coding, also known as programming, students will use language that computers understand to create computer games, applications, web content, and much more.

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Key to new DeBakey HS campus? Location, location, location

Construction on HISD’s new DeBakey High School for Health Professions is well underway, and the new location in Houston’s world-class Texas Medical Center is expected to forge even closer bonds with the medical community.

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HISD hosting teacher job fair for pool-approved candidates on Saturday, Dec. 5 

HISD is hosting a teacher job fair on Saturday, Dec. 5, in order to fill current and future teaching vacancies.

Principals from across the district will attend the event to conduct interviews with teacher candidates and, in some cases, extend job offers. Teachers certified to teach bilingual, secondary math and science, and special education are strongly encouraged to apply and attend.  Continue reading

You’ve given thanks, now give back on ‘Giving Tuesday’

Would you like to volunteer for Read Houston Read?

Sign up for Read Houston Read by clicking here. Show your support by downloading the attached badge and add it to your Facebook page or share it on Twitter.

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The turkey has been eaten, the pies are gone, and the day set aside for American families to give thanks for the blessings in their lives is over. Now it’s time to give back. “Giving Tuesday” on Dec. 1 is an annual global day for giving back to the community through service, as well as celebrating generosity in all its forms.

The idea is simple: Give of your time and/or your money and inspire others to do the same by telling them about it. Use the hashtag #GivingTuesday on social media to let everyone know how you are helping to make change.

Consider giving to the Houston ISD Foundation to help build a future generation of educated adults who are prepared to serve as tomorrow’s leaders.

HISD’s Read Houston Read volunteer program is another great way to give back to your community. Read to a first-grader and give them a gift that grows exponentially in value — the love of reading. Read Houston Read is part of HISD’s Literacy by 3 movement, which calls for every child to be reading on or above grade level by the time they leave the third grade.

Sign up for up to an hour each week, either in person or virtually, to mentor a child by reading to them and listening to them read aloud. Then use #GivingTuesday on Twitter or download this badge on Facebook to tell everyone about your service.

If you can’t make the weekly commitment, there are plenty of other ways to volunteer in HISD. Register through VIPS and discover campus-based opportunities to get involved.

HISD supporting SWAC/HBCU day on Friday, Dec. 4

Students invited to SWAC game and expo on Saturday to learn more about historically black colleges

Members of Team HISD are invited to wear their Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) or Historically Black College and University (HBCU) gear on Friday, Dec. 4, in celebration of the annual SWAC Football Championship game. The match-up between the Alcorn State University Braves and Grambling State University Tigers will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5, at NRG Stadium. Continue reading

Money tops the list in annual ‘hot toys’ survey of elementary students

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It’s an annual tradition at HISD to check in with students at Longfellow Elementary School to find out which toys are the hottest picks this year. Every year for the past 16 years a team of fifth-graders polls their school-mates to determine exactly what kids would like to receive this holiday season.

Once again, students used the “Seven Habits of Happy Kids” that they learn through the Leader in Me program to help with the survey – for example, “put first things first” when planning their process and “be proactive” when putting together the basic lists of options for each age group. The goal is to point parents, relatives, and other adult gift-givers in the right direction before they do their holiday shopping. Continue reading