The community turned out in force to take advantage of the Mayor’s Back to School Fest at NRG Park’s Yellow Lot on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
This is the 11th annual give-away presented by Shell to help economically disadvantaged Houston-area elementary school students and their families prepare to return to school. Shell volunteers loaded family’s cars with backpacks filled with school supplies and boxes of food provide by the Houston Food Bank.
Continue readingI want to update you on teacher staffing. While there are currently 386 teacher vacancies, I have developed and am implementing a bold plan to ensure that every student begins the school year with a certified teacher in all core content areas. We are going to accomplish this by doing the following:
Continue reading
The Houston Independent School District will hold a phone bank on Friday, Aug 20, to address questions from parents and students as the district helps families prepare for the return for the 2021-2022 school year.
The phone banks will give the public the opportunity to ask questions in English and Spanish by calling 713-556-4636. The phone bank will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Continue readingWalk into the entrance of Delmar-Tusa Athletic Complex, and you might notice a new addition: a wall emblazoned with a list of former HISD athletes, legends in their sports.
The list—populated by greats such as Vince Young, Nancy Richey, Monica Lamb, and Greg Swindell—is the inaugural class of the HISD Athletic Hall of Honor. A project spearheaded by Athletic Director Andre Walker and the Hall of Honor Executive Committee, the Class of 2021 consists of 16 individuals and one team.
The inductees were honored at an event on Saturday, attended by all but one of the living honorees, as well as Superintendent Millard House II and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
Continue readingGiven the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the Texas Legislature passed SB 1697. This Senate Bill gives parents/caregivers the opportunity to determine whether their child should repeat a grade or retake a high school course, including:
Alvenus Franklin is the new principal for Nat Q. Henderson Elementary School. Franklin has been an educator for 21 years and has served HISD as a teacher, Teacher Specialist, and Assistant Principal. She was an Assistant Principal at Kashmere Gardens Elementary from 2013 to 2018, Kashmere High School from 2018 to 2019, and previously served Clemente Martinez Elementary School for 2 years. As part of the leadership team, she helped Kashmere Gardens Elementary out of Improvement Requirement (IR) status to receiving a six STAAR Distinction by TEA. She then helped to get Kashmere High School out of Improvement Requirement (IR) status to meeting state standard.
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District has updated its Ready, Set, Go! Back to School Plan and strengthened its protocols to ensure in-person experiences are as safe as possible during the 2021-2022 school year.
Continue readingThe HISD Board of Education approved a resolution in support of Superintendent Millard House’s decision to mandate wearing face masks while indoors on all campuses and facilities. Effective Monday, August 16, students, staff, and visitors will be required to wear a mask or face covering regardless of vaccination status while on district property, as well as on school buses.
“The safety of our students and staff will continue to be my guiding compass. I am thankful to our Board of Education for supporting our children and families by prioritizing safety above all else,” said Superintendent Millard House II.
The mask requirement comes after Harris County elevated its COVID-19 threat level to red and reported that hospitalizations are rising at the fastest rate since the pandemic began among all age groups. HISD will continue to provide masks and sanitizer at district facilities as well as provide contact tracing.
HISD is working with health partners to offer COVID-19 vaccinations. To see a full list of permanent and pop-up vaccination sites, visit https://houstonemergency.org/super-saturday-vaccination-day/.
The 2021-2022 school year begins on August 23. HISD will continue to monitor the situation and work with health officials for frequent updates.
Dawn Buie has been selected as the new principal of Petersen Elementary School. Buie began her career as an elementary teacher in Galena Park ISD and then began teaching at Blackshear Elementary in Houston ISD. She was then selected as a Principal Intern at Tanglewood Middle School as part of the first cohort for the Houston A+ Regional Principal Leadership Academy. Buie went on to serve for 4 years as Dean of Students at Tanglewood Middle School and mostly recently, Administrator at Codwell Elementary.
Continue readingMagdalena I. Villa has been selected as the new principal of Bonham Elementary School. Villa has been a student-centered educator and leader for 19 years at Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary. She has served as Associate Teacher, Teacher Assistant, Bilingual, ESL, and Dual Language Educator, Instructional Coordinator, Teacher Specialist and Assistant Principal. During her career, she has been recognized with the Teacher of the Year Award and West Area Assistant Principal of the Year.
Continue reading