Thousands of canned goods collected at HISD schools during Souper Bowl of Caring

For the past three weeks, schools across HISD have been participating in activities related to the Souper Bowl of Caring, a national campaign that encourages people to collect food for the needy.

At Stevenson Middle School, for instance, students gathered over 2,300 canned goods and non-perishable food items for the Houston Food Bank, while cheerleaders and football players from Lamar High School competed in a friendly relay race dubbed the “Grocery Dash and Pass” at a local supermarket to raise awareness.

And students at West University Elementary School collected a whopping 28,000 pounds of food to help feed the hungry (read related article in the Houston Chronicle).

New elementary school features multi-color tower, artistic touches (w/ video tour)

In 2007, Houston voters passed a $805 million bond referendum to build new schools, renovate and repair others, and upgrade and improve campus safety and security districtwide. Since then, HISD crews have been hard at work building over 15 new campuses and renovating over 100 others.

DeChaumes Elementary School is one of 15 new HISD schools that have opened since 2011 as part of the $805 million HISD Bond Construction Campaign passed by voters in 2007.

Every week, a different campus based construction project will be featured here to showcase some of the amazing facility upgrades happening across HISD and to demonstrate the district’s commitment to taxpayers.

DeChaumes Elementary moved into a new campus in the fall of 2012. The HISD neighborhood school serves over 750 students in Pre-k to grade 5. The new building features lots of open spaces, state-of-the-art technology, and is designed to meet LEED standards.

Click here for a video tour of DeChaumes Elementary.

Click here for more information on the DeChaumes bond project.

Schools stress tolerance, respect during districtwide Anti-Bullying Awareness Week

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Learn what staff at Jackson Middle School are doing to prevent bullying on their campus and to educate parents and students.

Campuses across Houston ISD are encouraging students, faculty and staff to create a safe, friendly and positive school environment as part of a districtwide Anti-bullying Awareness Week, February 6 – 10. Through a variety of student games and activities, schools will stress the importance of creating a culture of respect and trust, while providing a friendly campus where bullying is not tolerated. Subjects addressed include identifying bullying behavior, teasing and name calling, steps to stop bullying and examples of emotional and social bullying. For more information on ways to take part in Anti-Bullying Awareness week, contact your school principal.

Trustees review agenda for Thursday’s board meeting

HISD’s Board of Education met to review the agenda for Thursday’s regular meeting. Here’s a link to the agenda:

Agenda for Feb. 9 board meeting

Superintendent Terry Grier is asking the board to approve creating career academies at six high schools that promise associate’s degrees and training. The Houston Innovative Learning Zone academies will be at Washington, Furr, Sterling, Scarborough, Kashmere, and Long.

Other highlights from the agenda review session:

  • Dr. Grier introduced HISD’s new chief high school officer, Orlando Riddick.
  • Chief Operations Officer Leo Bobadilla reports HISD has earned $117,000 so far from advertising on school buses.
  • More discussion about the new Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet at Gordon Elementary School. Current Gordon students may stay if they want to attend the Mandarin Chinese school. Here’s how to apply.

Check back for more updates, or follow @HoustonISD on Twitter.

 

HISD unveils plans for new certification program at Washington High School

Dr. Grier at the Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development luncheon .

Dr. Grier announced plans for the HILZ program at Washington High School.

The new program will offer students manufactory, engineering, and technology training and certifications

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier announced plans to create a new manufacturing, engineering, and technology program at Booker T. Washington High School during an Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development luncheon Thursday, Feb. 2.

The new program is part of a proposal to establish the Houston Innovative Learning Zone (HILZ) schools, which would offer students at six Houston ISD campuses the chance to earn associate’s degrees and receive career training in high-demand technical fields.

The proposed schools would be:

  • The School of Manufacturing Engineering Technology at Washington
  • The School of Electronic Engineering at Furr
  • The School for Process Technology at Kashmere
  • The School for Pharmacy Technology at Long
  • The School for Network and Computer Administration at Scarborough
  • The School of Logistics and Global Supply at Sterling

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STAAR info session planned for Feb. 16 at HISD administration building

Mark your calendars for upcoming STAAR events, starting with this info session:

Join HISD and the Council of PTAs for a STAAR info session
Thursday, Feb. 16, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center
Board Auditorium
4400 West 18th Street

DETAILS: Get the latest updates on the state’s new accountability test. Our panel of experts is ready to take all of your questions. Plus, we will present information on how the test will affect elementary, middle, and high school students, and explain how the district is implementing the new requirements (such as the 15 percent rule).

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS: If you have questions about STAAR, you can ask them in person or via email before the event: STAAR@houstonisd.org.

Other upcoming events:

STAAR programs on HISDTV:

Feb. 28 parent forum, in English (Program flier: STAAR_onTV)

March 6 parent forum, in Spanish (Program flier: STAAR_onTV (Spanish)

HISD gets down to the grain, talks school lunch reform

Brian Giles, Houston ISD Food Services Administrator, was a guest on Great Day Houston today. Giles talks about the new Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which limits calories, trans fat, and sodium in school meals, while adding fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. HISD has already added healthy options to the district’s cafeterias and is working hard to curb childhood obesity.

It’s National Signing Day for HISD seniors – find out who’s going where

 

More than 100 student athletes from football, basketball, baseball, track and field, swimming, and wrestling, are at HISD’s Delmar Field House today to make their college and university choices official. Click here to see who’s going where.

UPDATE:

 Click here to view photos from event.

Students, parents and school administrators said they were incredibly proud of the athletes who attended HISD’s National Signing Day Ceremony. Former NFL Player Antonio Armstrong reminded students that they are part of the small fraction of students who get to play college sports.

 “You don’t know how special you are,” he said. “Someone looked at you on that floor and said ‘I want that kid on my team.’”

  Continue reading →

Chronicle editorial: HISD ‘willing to lead in the right direction’ with proposed Houston Innovative Learning Zone

An editorial in the Houston Chronicle praised the Houston Independent School District for showing that it understands the need for strategic vocational education in high schools.

For decades most people assumed that a college education meant a good career. As we have learned, that isn’t necessarily true, and there has been a push to return vocational training to high school classrooms. We have advocated for more strategic vocational education in high schools (“Jobs under the radar,” Page B6, Jan. 8), and we’re pleased that the Houston Independent School District, with its proposed Houston Innovative Learning Zone, shows that it understands this current conversation and is willing to lead in the right direction.

Under the proposal, students at five HISD campuses would have the chance to earn associate’s degrees and receive career training in high-demand technical fields. The editorial pointed out that HILZ goes beyond classroom training and includes steps to “help students get a foot in the door for future jobs.” For students who pursue college after HILZ, the resulting associate’s degree will leave them “well-placed to apply to a four-year program.”

And while HILZ promises to be an excellent job-training program, its proposal also demonstrates that HISD has been listening to its constituents. The push for greater career and technology education offerings hasn’t just been from politicians, but from students and the Houston community. HISD has heard this call and responded appropriately. We hope that school leaders maintain this program at top standards, turning it into one of the school district’s key achievements.

Click here for the full editorial.

Click here to learn more about HILZ.

100 HISD high school athletes to make it official on National Signing Day

Decision time arrives for more than 100 HISD Prep-School Athletes who have braved the courtship of college recruiters seeking their talents in sports including football, basketball, baseball, track and field, swimming, and wrestling. The students will seal their commitments to colleges and universities of their choice on National Signing Day, Wednesday, February 1, 2012.

HISD will hold its National Signing Day Ceremony at 1 p.m. at the Delmar Field House located at 2020 Mangum. (Watch video of Bellaire standout Bianca Winslow.)

National Signing Day is the first day students can sign a letter of intent to play sports for colleges and universities of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The day is widely anticipated by the athletes and fans of college sports.

“We are very excited for our students who have the opportunity to further their education in this way,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “We want our scholar-athletes to be prepared for the academic rigor and to make the responsible decisions that come along with this opportunity.”

Continue reading →