HISD group wins Wayne Williams Library Project of the Year Award

WayneWilliamsGroup_400A group of educators from HISD, including three librarians—Jo Reed (Scroggins ES), Cheryl Hensley (MacGregor ES), and Sue Carnes (Bell ES; now retired)—was recognized recently with the Wayne Williams Library Project of the Year Award for 2015 by the Texas Library Association.

The librarians were selected for coordinating schoolwide reading campaigns at their respective campuses based on the Lunch Lady series of graphic novels by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. The project not only built on students’ enthusiasm for graphic novels, but also increased their awareness of health and nutrition through a cleverly organized partnership with HISD Nutrition Services Dietician Jennifer Lengyel that connected daily meal offerings to literature.

The project was so successful that at Scroggins, interest in graphic novels spurred the principal to quadruple the school’s collection of that type of book from 12 to 48. At MacGregor, circulation of the Lunch Lady books increased by 90 percent. And at Bell, the demand for graphic novels increased so much that emergency rations of books had to be secured.

The Wayne Williams award is designed to recognize a project that exemplifies the highest levels of achievement, professional standards, and inspiration to other libraries. Reed and her colleagues were formally honored during a special ceremony held on April 15 at the Texas Library Association’s annual conference in Austin.

Next STAAR test administration April 20-24

HISD students in grades 3 through 8 will be taking portions of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) beginning Monday, April 20.

Students in grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 will be taking the math and reading portions, while students in grades 5 and 8 will be taking the science portion, and grade 8 students will be taking the social studies portion.

Make-up testing opportunities will take place on April 23 and 24. This spring test administration will conclude on Friday, April 24.

Questions? Visit HISD’s newly updated STAAR website, which has a list of FAQ, a complete schedule of spring testing dates, and helpful tips on how to combat test anxiety.

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HISD, Prairie View A & M partnership to allow students to earn nursing degree faster

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The Houston Independent School District and Prairie View A&M University partnered Wednesday to announce a new registered nursing pathway for the students of Jones Futures Academy.

The partnership will allow students in the existing Allied Health program at Jones to take college level anatomy and physiology and medical terminology courses that directly align with Prairie View A&M’s nursing degree plan. Continue reading →

Name That Book competition comes to a close for 2015

RobertsES_NTB2015HISD finished another chapter of its annual Name That Book contest in 2015, as Library Services held the finals for grades 9–12 at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Friday, April 10.

At the high-school level, the top three competitors were East Early College HS, Milby HS, and E-STEM West. Lanier MS, Pin Oak MS, and T.H. Rogers earned bragging rights in grades 7 and 8, while Roberts ES (pictured), T. H. Rogers, and Lovett ES took the highest honors at the finals held for grades 3-6.

Due to the sheer volume of participants at the lower elementary level, final competitions were held at three different times (morning, mid-day, and afternoon) on three consecutive days in late March, resulting in nine first-, second-, and third-place winners each for grades K-2. Those schools are listed below:

First place: Askew ES, Berry ES, Bush ES, Condit ES, Horn ES, Kolter ES, School at St. George Place, Scroggins ES, West University ES

Second place: Energized for Excellence, Harvard ES, Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School, Patterson ES, Poe ES, Roberts ES, Rogers ES, Sutton ES, Twain ES

Third place: Briargrove ES, Daily ES, Garcia ES, Herod ES, Oak Forest ES, Piney Point ES, River Oaks ES, Wharton K-8 Dual Language

To see more photos from the competitions, please visit the Library Services website.

Three HISD schools win prizes at 2015 Art Car Parade

A tribute to legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix has earned students from Reagan High School the top prize at the 2015 Art Car Parade—on their very first try.

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“Electric Ladyland,” a 1981 Mercedes which was #106 in the parade lineup, was awarded the Mayor’s Cup Trophy and $2,000 in cash. It was the school’s first-ever entry into the parade, and its success was likely due to the guidance of veteran art-car builder Rebecca Bass, who was hired on a part-time basis by HISD this year especially to guide Reagan students in designing a car for this year’s parade. Visiting artist Johnny Rojas also contributed to the project. Continue reading →

Seniors prepare for TEDx debut

For their senior project, 104 Challenge Early College High School students spent this school year researching and writing an in-depth presentation on a topic of interest, unique to each student. The students are competing for a spot in Challenge’s own TEDx event. Making the senior projects part of an impactful and far-reaching showcase is the inspiration of Gifted and Talented Independent Study teacher Joshua Silberman. Continue reading →

HISD designs 21st century learning spaces for global graduates

How do 21st century school designs support HISD’s mission to produce 21st century global graduates?

As HISD works to build or renovate 40 schools under the district’s bond program, educational facilities planners, architects, and designers are collaborating with educators to address that question. Their mission is to develop innovative design concepts that will enrich the experience of students while incorporating flexibility to adapt to dynamic 21st century educational needs of global graduates. Continue reading →

College readiness event prepares high schoolers for college

If you are a high school senior or junior looking forward to college, don’t miss “Surviving the Yard,” a one-day college readiness event designed to help prepare high school students for their first semester at college. This is the 14th annual installment of the Young Professionals University, which is hosted by Houston Area Urban League Young Professionals.

Continue reading →