Chronicle article shows how caring organizations are making a difference in students’ lives
A student in Spanish language class at Walnut Bend Elementary school.
Students at HISD’s Walnut Bend Elementary School are benefitting from community partners in a big way this year.
Carnegie Vanguard High School was selected by a leading design and construction publication this week as a top building project for innovative structure and design features – beating out six schools in Texas and Louisiana.
[photoshelter-gallery g_id=’G0000rFt.Nze6f3E’ g_name=’20131017-CarnegieVanguard-Award’ width=’600′ f_fullscreen=’t’ bgtrans=’t’ pho_credit=’iptc’ twoup=’f’ f_bbar=’t’ f_bbarbig=’f’ fsvis=’f’ f_show_caption=’t’ crop=’f’ f_enable_embed_btn=’t’ f_htmllinks=’t’ f_l=’t’ f_send_to_friend_btn=’f’ f_show_slidenum=’t’ f_topbar=’f’ f_show_watermark=’t’ img_title=’casc’ linkdest=’c’ trans=’xfade’ target=’_self’ tbs=’5000′ f_link=’t’ f_smooth=’f’ f_mtrx=’t’ f_ap=’t’ f_up=’f’ height=’400′ btype=’old’ bcolor=’#CCCCCC’ ]
Twenty of HISD’s 115 magnet programs are not attracting enough students
Twenty HISD magnet school programs that are not drawing enough students from outside their neighborhoods will be closed after the 2013-2014 school year under a plan announced Thursday.
These 20 magnet school programs enroll a combined 758 students from outside their attendance zones.
Continue reading
HISD is committed to having a highly effective teacher in every classroom—and that commitment is paying off. Three district educators have been recognized by other organizations recently for their dedication and best practices.
It doesn’t matter if your child is 4 or 14, it’s never too early to start planning for college.
That’s the message Houston Independent School District College Readiness Manager Yolanda Norman is spreading this October as the district celebrates College Readiness Month.
College Readiness Month is designed to get students thinking about college and prepare them to not just gain admission, but complete a degree and graduate. The goal, Norman said is to get students thinking critically about their future and long-term plans.
Elvira Salazar
Cramming a towel under her bedroom door to hide the light, Elvira Salazar defied her father’s orders and studied late into the night to keep up with her high-school homework. Now a dedicated PowerUp instructional technology specialist with HISD, Salazar understands how giving every HISD high school student a laptop for both home and school use will help them to work more effectively and efficiently, not only in the classroom, but after school as well.
“This is going to transform how teachers teach and how students learn,” Salazar said. “I want to help integrate technology into their lesson plans to make sure that these laptops are an effective learning tool.” Salazar left teaching in another district and writing curriculum for Rice University to work with HISD teachers on the digital transformation currently underway.
Cheesy garlic bread sticks. Chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheese. Pollock fish crusted with sweet potatoes. Pita pockets with honey and oven roasted turkey and cheese melts. Sweet potato pancakes, French toast sandwiches and empanadas.
Is your mouth watering yet?
These items and dozens of others can be sampled Oct. 24 at HISD’s first-ever, district wide Nutrition Innovation Food Show. The event is designed to showcase innovative and nutritious products being considered for HISD campuses, while also letting students and parents provide feedback as to what they’d like to see offered in school cafeterias.
More than 30 people turned out Tuesday to congratulate small and minority- and women-owned businesses for completing a four-month mentorship program designed to help participants improve business plans and skills.
Diana Perez
If Diana Perez had her way, she might not have any money left in her paycheck by the time she finished contributing to various charities.
“If it was up to me, I’d give to everybody,” she said. “But I had to scale back.”
Perez, a writer in HISD’s Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment department, is also a two-time breast cancer survivor. She was first diagnosed in 2005, and then again in 2012.
The HISD supplier diversity team is evaluating strategies to increase the participation of Asian-owned companies doing business with the district.
“We’re doing everything in our power to attract diverse minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs),” said HISD Team Lead for Supplier Diversity Bernard Willingham, while speaking at the district’s Asian Advisory Committee meeting on Oct. 14.
At the gathering, he gave an update on the bond program to the committee, which is made up of parents and business leaders from Houston’s Asian community.