As Luby’s ACT winner for the third six weeks of the current academic year, Stevenson Middle School student Jasmine Zamora received a check for $1,000, an Apple iPod Shuffle, and a $25 Luby’s gift card. She is the first Luby’s ACT winner to be nominated by two teachers – Mike Van Tilburg and Heather Campbell – and neither one knew the other had done so.
Tweet your photos, tips using #Discover15 and #LiteracyBy3
March is National Read Aloud Month, and HISD is teaming up with the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation to raise awareness among our families about the importance of reading aloud to children each and every day.
Independent reading and reading aloud are important strategies of Literacy by 3.
Reading aloud, for 15 minutes a day, is critically important during a child’s earliest years of life, and the benefits of reading aloud through the elementary years has been shown to instill a love of reading. In a recent study, researchers found that not only does reading aloud throughout elementary school years expose children to more complex words or stories than when they read alone, but they are also more likely to read more books independently in later years.
In addition to reading a book with a child at bedtime, here are five tips parents can use “on the go” to ensure their children are reading aloud for 15 minutes a day. Continue reading
Urana McCauley
Urana McCauley shares the inspiration of her aunt’s bravery
History came alive Wednesday for about 400 students at Daily ES as part of Black History Month as the niece of Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks told the story of her aunt’s legendary stand against segregation. Continue reading
Westside High School defensive lineman Jordan Elliot has been selected to participate in the Army All-American Bowl to be played on Jan. 9, 2016, in San Antonio — just one of 90 of the top high school players in the nation to be chosen for the elite game.
Jordan Elliot
Elliot is currently the No. 6 defensive lineman in Texas and No. 33 in the U.S. According to his coach, Mark Byrd, he’s an automatic qualifier to the NCAA and currently holds 17 offers from Division I teams, including University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, University of Alabama, University of Oregon, University of Missouri, and University of Oklahoma.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound junior has been named to the UIL District 20-6A All-District Defensive Team the past two years, and was selected for the Associated Press All-State Team this year.
Three Madison High School students have been rewarded for thinking creatively about the future. Luis Pineda, Idalia Castro, and Jennifer Valle Camacho earned the honor and $2,000 at the Energy City of the Future 2050 finals at the University of Houston last weekend for their concept of using biomass as Houston’s main alternative energy source.
As part of a 10-week extracurricular project, competitors were challenged with envisioning new ways of developing drinking-water sources, transportation, and energy sources through the use of models, PowerPoint presentations, and public-service announcements. The exercise was designed to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
The Madison trio of Pineda, Castro, and Valle Camacho — who rank 1, 2, and 3 in their graduating class, respectively — were the only team who dressed up and produced a brochure and animated public service announcement for their presentation. The PSA also earned the team a medal for Best Technology Use, and a judge commented on the prudent use of recyclable materials in the students’ city model.
“My students were creative and really knew how to persuade and sell their product to the judges,” said their adviser, Amanda Torres, an HISD Career Technology Education health science tech.
HISD also fielded teams from Milby High School and Mickey Leland Preparatory Academy.
The competition is organized by the Harris County Department of Education’s Center for Afterschool, Summer, and Expanded Learning for Kids program and funded by the Education Foundation of Harris County.
“Energy City provides students the opportunity to explore energy professions while also studying energy and urban planning solutions,” said CASE for Kids Director Lisa Thompson-Caruthers. “Students collaborate through teamwork, a critical skill set for working within the energy sector.”
Madison HS seniors Jennifer Valle Camacho, Luis Pineda, and Idalia Castro won the Energy City of the Future 2050 finals and a check for $2,000 for their multi-part presentation on using biomass as an alternative energy source.
Carnegie Vanguard High School Junior Patrick Revilla has been selected as a semifinalist for the USA Physics Olympiad. Continue reading
Lamar High School’s swim team earned its bragging rights recently when Safa Anya became first male swimmer in Lamar’s history to win a UIL state championship. He came in first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 55.41. Continue reading
Teachers “blending” face-to-face instruction with technology
During the month of February, all HISD teachers are being encouraged to try something new in their classrooms, as well as share ideas, resources, and lessons learned by posting their experiences and photos on social media using the hashtag #HISDdigital. Each week during the month, we are profiling a teacher or campus that is using technology to break up rows in classrooms, engage students, and innovate instructional practice. This week’s profile features McNamara Elementary.
Earlier this year, McNamara Elementary School teacher Carlos Rosario started videotaping some of his lessons instead of delivering them in front of the class. The result has been somewhat surprising.
“I find that many of my students are more engaged watching me deliver a lesson on video than when I do it in person,” said Rosario. “Plus, I have built in questions with the videos to check for understanding. At the end, I also get a report, so if I need to pull anybody out to reteach or focus on small group instruction, I can do that.”
HISD’s PowerUp technology initiative is receiving national attention this week in Education Week’s 2015 Leaders To Learn From report, for “setting the bar for how to manage the digital transformation of a large urban school system.”
Superintendent Terry Grier and Chief Information Officer Lenny Schad are cited for their leadership on PowerUp, which combines a one-to-one laptop program for high school students with an all-encompassing digital “HUB” accessible to students, teachers, and parents for information, teaching, and collaboration.
The article also focuses on Chavez HS, whose students have embraced the laptop program that allows them to use the devices both in and outside school.
Yates High School students in the School of Communications conducted their annual spring gardening event recently in order to bring attention to food deserts such as Houston’s Third Ward. Many areas of Houston have relatively few grocery stores, making the choices for nutritious food in short supply. Continue reading