Think you might need to visit HISD’s headquarters? Check this list first!

Hundreds of parents come to the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (HMWESC; 4400 W. 18th St., 77092) each fall in the weeks leading up to the start of school, but many discover they didn’t really need to.

While some tasks must be performed in person at HISD’s headquarters, others can be accomplished at the campus level or even from home via the Internet.

If you are a parent trying to complete a form, request a copy of records, or accomplish any number of other start-of-year tasks, check out our list below first, and you could save yourself a trip or hours wasted in line. Continue reading →

New principal takes faculty on the road to learn more about community

Sometimes, the best way to understand someone is to learn more about their origins.

That’s why new principal Susan Monaghan took her faculty members on a one-hour tour of the neighborhood surrounding Westbury High School on Aug. 10 to give them a glimpse of the community in which many of their students grew up. Continue reading →

Customer survey: 85% of HISD parents, students, staff satisfied with their school

More than 131,000 participants provide feedback on schools, district

Eighty-five percent of Houston Independent School District students, parents, teachers and administrators continue to be satisfied with their school, according to the district’s annual customer satisfactory survey.

The overall satisfaction rating — which equates to a B- for the district, as a whole — is up two percentage points from 2013, which is when the HISD Your Voice survey was first launched. Results have been consistent or increasing across all measures since then.

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CFS announces new attendance incentive program during welcome back in-service

HISD Construction and Facilities Services managers last week announced a new attendance incentive program during the department’s annual Welcome Back Professional Development session.

Throughout the day on Wednesday, over 1,800 employees were treated to breakfast and lunch before heading to a packed auditorium at HISD’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps headquarters to receive awards and recognition for their hard work across the district. Employees also learned that eligible CFS employees will have an opportunity to receive up to $1,000 in additional pay based on excellent attendance.

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Band students now required to get pre-participation physicals

HISD has long required its student athletes to obtain clearance from their healthcare providers before participating in extracurricular activities — and now, that same policy will apply to students in marching bands, too.

“Whether they’re wearing 20 pounds of padding or carrying around a 20-pound tuba, it’s important for students to have a physical examination before they start practicing or playing,” said Director of Athletics and University Interscholastic League band activities Marmion Dambrino. “At HISD, safety is our top priority, so we want to make sure all of our students have a clean bill of health before they get out onto the field, particularly in this heat.” Continue reading →

South Early College HS, Mandarin Chinese building projects go vertical

The new campuses for South Early College High School and Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School have reached a major milestone in the construction of both buildings as work crews have begun erecting steel columns and beams, taking the projects into the vertical phase of construction.

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Partnership with NMSI preparing students for AP success

A districtwide partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) is helping HISD teachers better prepare their students for the rigor of Advanced Placement (AP) coursework and for success on the corresponding exams — particularly in the areas of STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math.

During the week of Aug. 10, Advanced Placement teachers from across the district gathered at Carnegie High School for the AP Summer Institute. The four-day event, which was facilitated by the Innovative Curriculum and Instruction and Department, included training with NMSI content experts in the AP areas of English, calculus, statistics, biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and computer science. Continue reading →

Wheatley HS biology teacher named finalist for Presidential Award

Wheatley High School biology teacher Ferleshare Starks poses for a photograph in her classroom, August 14, 2015. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Ferleshare Starks

Ferleshare Starks, a biology teacher at HISD’s Wheatley High School, has been named a finalist for the 2015 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

Starks, who came to HISD from Fort Bend ISD last year, is one of only 10 educators from Texas to be so honored. She was nominated by Tia Watson, a first-year teacher she is mentoring.

“Being nominated by my mentee is one of the highlights of my career,” said Starks. “My passion is to fill all new teachers with a love for science. Being named a finalist has given me an overwhelming sense of gratitude.”

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Nominate HISD’s next Service Excellence Employee of the Month

Have you recently recognized an employee, coworker or team member at HISD go above and beyond in providing exceptional customer service? Nominate him or her for the Service Excellence Employee of the Month!

Anyone can nominate an employee under Business Operations—meaning a principal, co-worker, secretary, general manager, community member, or a parent. The honorees will be recognized during a breakfast with Chief Operating Officer Leo Bobadilla.

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Pilgrim Academy K-8 has strong showing at first bond community meeting

A standing-room-only crowd filled the library at Pilgrim Academy for a bond community meeting this week to hear about plans for a new addition to the popular K-8 neighborhood school.

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