2012 Bond Program Will Furnish Classrooms with Flexibility, Comfort

This isn’t the furniture you had in school: Those boring, gray standalone desks that hurt your backside after hours of sitting.

Imagine, instead, the kind of vibrant and comfy chairs you might find in an airport lounge or a bookstore. As the district rebuilds and renovates schools under the 2012 bond program, a key component will be modernizing the furniture and fixtures to reflect a 21st century classroom.

“Learning environments have changed in schools,” HISD’s Construction & Facility Services Logistics Manager Cheryl Hughes said. “They’ve become more collaborative, and our furniture and infrastructure must adapt to this change.”

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Hundreds volunteer at schools for Deloitte’s annual ‘Impact Day’

Class may be out for the summer, but three Houston ISD schools kept their doors open on Friday, June 7, 2013, as roughly 300 Deloitte employees poured in to beautify the campuses as part of the company’s annual ‘Impact Day’ service project. The Deloitte volunteers divided themselves between Wharton Elementary, Hamilton Middle, and Reagan High School and spent the day providing both aesthetic and functional improvements to the schools.

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Teachers’ pens hit paper as Summer Writing Institute begins

Instructor Edward Wilson uses a nursery rhyme to explain the basics of writing at the Summer Writing Institute. (Houston Independent School District)

Instructor Edward Wilson uses a nursery rhyme to explain the basics of writing at the Summer Writing Institute.

Even though classes for students ended last Thursday, some teachers were on the other side of the desk this week as they began work on their own lessons during Houston ISD’s Summer Writing Institute.

More than 230 educators began learning the ins-and-outs of writing, including assessment, instruction, development and theory in one of the four 12-day training sessions this summer. The Institute is the first of its kind for the district as it continues its effort to increase teacher development.

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2012-2013 Annual Board of Education Student Awards

Board of Education Award recipient Sara Jamison, right, gets a hug from Booker T. Washington magnet coordinator Kathleen Moreland, left, after commencement.

Each year the Board of Education recognizes distinguished seniors from HISD high schools in recognition of their total accomplishments exemplified by their character, academic achievement, leadership, and service. Selection is made by a school committee appointed by the principal and the award is presented by the board trustee during commencement exercises. An outstanding young man and young woman are selected as well as up to five honorable mention students from each high school. This year’s recipients are:

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State Releases 2013 STAAR Exam Results

Tougher exams measure whether students are on track for college and career readiness

Most Houston Independent School District students showed they are on track to graduate high school prepared for college and rewarding careers, according to preliminary 2013 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) results released today.

Reflecting a statewide trend, HISD student performance was strongest in math and science, while students struggled most with reading and writing.

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Golfcrest Elementary students try new fruits, vegetables at school festival

Students handle a large papaya.

Students handle a large papaya.

While an apple a day may keep the doctor away, HISD’s Food Services department is hoping to get students to eat a few more than just a single piece of fruit.

Students at Golfcrest Elementary finished off a 3-week long nutritional curriculum with a taste-testing session held last week. The International Fruit and Veggie Festival allowed students to learn about food items with which they might not be familiar.

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Books Between Kids promotes reading, peer-to-peer philanthropy

Books Between Kids founders Amy Barnes & Sandra Ahlhorn with students from Kashmere Gardens ES

More than 12,000 HISD students will be starting off their summer vacation right—with an armload of books to take home, enjoy, and keep—thanks to two book-loving ladies and the non-profit they created last year to support literacy.

“Building home libraries, one summer at a time,” is the slogan of Books Between Kids, which Sandra Ahlhorn and Amy Barnes cofounded in 2012, and that is precisely what the longtime friends (and parents of HISD students) intend to do.

“What really provoked me was an op-ed piece I read in the newspaper that children were living in homes with no books,” explained Barnes. “And ‘no’ means ‘none.’ We both grew up in book-loving homes, so that just didn’t seem possible. Then Sandra heard a talk given by (HISD Superintendent) Terry Grier about the summer slide, and we both thought, ‘You know, we can do something about this.’”

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Photos: Behind-the-scenes of an HISD graduation

Graduating seniors put on their cap and gown while friends and family held back tears before their loved ones crossed the stage and received their diploma.

We went behind-the-scenes at Delmar Field House for a bit of the action before the ceremony for the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice commenced.

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HISD Superintendent Terry Grier to Address Class of 2013 at Commencement Ceremonies

Nearly 9,000 seniors to graduate at 41 HISD graduation ceremonies

Starting today nearly 9,000 seniors will graduate from HISD high schools at 41 commencement ceremonies across Houston.  On Saturday and Sunday HISD Superintendent Terry Grier will be addressing the seniors at the commencement ceremonies for Chavez, Washington and East Early College high schools.  Members of the HISD Board of Education will also be taking part in commencement ceremonies across the district.

“It is such an honor to see thousands of students walk across the stage, ready to embark on a new chapter in their lives,” Dr. Grier said.  “At HISD we work hard to ensure all students are college and career ready, so we feel confident that every senior from the Class of 2013 is on the right path to success.”

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