Event will feature student chefs, free health services and fun family activities
In an effort to encourage healthy, active lifestyles, the Houston Independent School District’s Food Services Department is hosting its inaugural Community Health and Wellness Festival on September 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at North Forest High School, 10725 Mesa Drive. The event is free and open to the public.
Several hundred parents and students came out to Burbank MS on Sept. 17 to learn more about school-choice options available at HISD and preview HISD’s new online magnet application. While HISD will continue to take paper applications for the district’s 115 magnet schools, the new online system will make it more convenient and less time-consuming for parents and students.
Virginia Croft, 77, has been teaching band at Lovett ES for 35 years. Because of her impact on students over the years, Croft was featured in this week’s Houston Chronicle. One of her first-graders loves band so much that he was disappointed that he had to stay home on Labor Day, while another student, now in his 20s, held on to a note that Croft had sent him in elementary school. To find out what that note said and to learn more about Croft, read her profile in the Houston Chronicle.
MYTH: Old, unsafe Carpenter school buses are being used to transport HISD students to and from school.
FACT: HISD no longer uses Carpenter school buses.
In 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued an advisory about Carpenter school buses, warning that the roof could cave in should the bus overturn. As a result, HISD removed about 525 Carpenter buses from the fleet at that time.
Six parent orientation sessions scheduled to familiarize parents with school choice options and new online system
The Houston Independent School Districts is launching a new online application system for parents and students wanting to attend any of the district’s 115 magnet programs. While paper applications will still be accepted, HISD is hosting a series of orientation sessions to familiarize parents with the new online option and outline the multitude of school choices available. The first session will be on Tuesday, September 17 at 6 p.m. at Burbank Middle School, 315 Berry.
Editor’s note: This profile is part of an occasional series on minority or women-owned companies that do business with HISD. The district’s minimum M/WBE goal levels are 20 percent for all levels of purchasing and construction, and 25 percent for professional services. In the 2007 bond program, that commitment reached nearly 34 percent. In the 2012 program, the contracts awarded to date reflect a nearly 51 percent M/WBE commitment.
HISD is joining forces with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to battle crime using a new app for mobile devices that lets citizens report suspicious activity using their smart phones.
Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia launched the iWatch Harris County campaign two years ago, and users can submit tips in one of four ways:
Hispanic Heritage Month officially starts on Sun., Sept. 15, and this week, we’re taking a look at some of the many HISD campuses that are named for distinguished Hispanic men and women.
Find out why he spent 18 years perfecting a poem about cowboys
Reagan High School teacher Christopher Wise is also an aspiring novelist with several published pieces to his credit. You can read more about him and why he spent 18 years perfecting a poem about cowboys in the Sept. 13 edition of community eNews.
School library and students with highest participation in Millionaire Club receive more than 3,000 books
Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro and his wife, Maris, pose with prize winners after handing out books and prizes to students at Moreno ES for their participation in the Millionaire Club summer reading program, September 12, 2013.
Students at Moreno Elementary were treated to a special visit from Houston Astros player Jason Castro on September 11. Nearly 300 students not only got to visit with the major-league ball player but also received a bag of four books to add to their home library. Moreno ES had the district’s highest participation in the Millionaire Club summer-reading program. Castro not only congratulated the students but talked about his love of reading and why he and his wife Maris started Castro’s Kids, which encourages children to embrace literacy.