Parents, students explore variety of educational options at School Choice night

Middle school parents learned about more than 40 high school programs their children can choose from at a Parent Information Night organized by the district’s Office of School Choice on Thursday at Burbank Middle School.

“It’s good to see that our students have so many opportunities at HISD,” said Rubin and Laura Precella, who attended the program with their daughter and nephew, both eighth-graders at The Rice School. “We just want to learn more about the different programs so that we can choose one that will help our children make their mark on the world.” Continue reading →

HISD kicks off Eco-Schools USA Green Schools Challenge

School district participates in competition for second year

The Houston Independent School District and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) are teaming up to kick off the district’s second annual Green Schools Challenge this month in an effort to decrease the district’s energy consumption. HISD schools will have until Oct.15 to sign up for the competition, which will take place until March 2015.

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Businesses learn benefits of becoming M/WBE-certified

workshopwednesday_100114This month’s Workshop Wednesday, hosted by HISD’s Business Assistance Supplier Diversity team, featured helpful tips from business associations that offer certifications to minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs).

Attendees received valuable advice and information on the benefits to qualified companies associated with becoming M/WBE certified. Angela Freeman represented the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC) and gave details on the steps and requirements involved.

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‘Ivy Plus’ College Night brings nation’s top colleges to HISD

Houston ISD high school students will meet with admissions representatives from colleges and universities ranked among the top 100 by U.S. News & World Report at the district’s Ivy Plus College Night on Monday, Oct. 6.

High school juniors and seniors are strongly encouraged to attend the event, which is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. at Reagan High School, 413 E. 13th Street. Ivy Plus College Night includes a college expo featuring various top tier universities such as Yale, Harvard, Rice, and Duke.

Students and their families will have the opportunity to participate in college admissions workshops to learn about scholarships and financial aid resources and how to increase a student’s chances of getting accepted into these colleges. Continue reading →

HISD Police Department to host annual National Night Out event

The Houston Independent School District Police Department will be hosting its annual National Night Out event on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in conjunction with the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). The nonprofit organization, which is in its 31st year serving local communities, is dedicated to the development and promotion of organized law enforcement affiliated crime- and drug-prevention programs. Continue reading →

College Readiness Month helps students plan early for college

The Houston Independent School District will recognize October as College Readiness Month by offering college fairs, workshops, and information sessions to students as they prepare to take College Board exams and apply for college and financial aid.

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“Students can find themselves running out of time to meet deadlines if they wait until November or later to begin the college admissions process,” said HISD College Readiness Assistant Superintendent Rick Cruz. “Applying to colleges and visiting college campuses early helps ensure that our students don’t miss out on a number of valuable opportunities that may lead to a college acceptance or scholarship offer.”

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Houston Texans urge Lanier MS students to get out and play

The Houston Texans kicked off the NFL PLAY 60 Challenge at Lanier Middle School Tuesday with the help of linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and safety DJ Swearinger, Texans Cheerleaders, and in partnership with the American Heart Association. PLAY 60 is the National Football League’s campaign to encourage kids to be active for 60 minutes a day.

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After a pep rally for the students, the Texans players and cheerleaders played health games and led activities to put a buzz in the students’ ears about being active each day. The students enthusiastically cheered as Swearinger faced off against Clowney in a hula hoop contest and a “Texas Feud” game show.

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Grier urges using Your Voice as school improvement tool

Annual survey inspires campuses to use valuable feedback

HISD campus administrators have been busy using the feedback from the district’s Your Voice survey to improve their schools and relationships with students and parents.

“After we realized the valuable data we would receive from the survey, we advertised it better,” said Neff Elementary Principal Amanda Wingard. “We did call outs to our parents to remind them to turn it in.”

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