Excitement was in the air at Oak Forest Elementary School on Monday, June 3, and not only because it was the last Monday of the 2023-2024 school year. Annually, the Astros Foundation and Reliant Energy team up for Slide into Summer Reading, a program intended to help students avoid the “summer slide,” or the loss of academic knowledge and habits formed over the school year. The schools with the most students registered for the program by May 13 were rewarded with a Slide into Summer Reading party at their schools, and Oak Forest won in the category of large public/charter school with more than 300 registrations.
Continue readingTag Archives: literacy
Texans safety teaches HISD students about healthy eating with new book
Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward says three things helped him get to the NFL: education, sleep, and healthy eating. That’s what he told a room full of students at Askew Elementary School on Wednesday, March 6, as he presented his new children’s book, “Jimmie Ward’s Nutritional ABC’s For Active Kids”.
Continue readingHouston Texans Tackle Reading with story time with a football star, donating to home libraries
Law Elementary students welcomed surprise visitors on Friday, March 1, when representatives from the Houston Texans, including former Texans defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, came to participate in a reading of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate the eighth annual Tackle Reading Day.
Continue readingLiteracy program donates millionth book to HISD students
Research shows that children who have books at home are more likely to be successful in school and maintain grade-level reading comprehension. However, according to the National Literacy Trust, one in five children do not own any books of their own. This fact was the impetus for the creation of My Home Library, an initiative of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy that strives to give children from low-income families tools to read at home and thrive in the classroom.
Continue readingHISD students share their recommendations for National Book Month
October marks National Book Month, a celebration centered on the importance of reading, writing, and literature. National Book Foundation launched the initiative in 2003 to encourage reading and show appreciation to the writers who brought our favorite stories into the world.
At Pin Oak Middle School, librarian Brooke Corso does her best to make every day a celebration of books and reading. We sat down with Corso and some of Pin Oak’s voracious readers to ask them about their favorite books and how they think National Book Month should be celebrated.
Continue readingLibrary Services keeps students engaged with reading all summer long
Now that the 2022-2023 school year has come to an end and students are enjoying the freedom from early mornings and classroom schedules, they might be looking for something to do with their excess time.
HISD’s Library Services Department is providing access to Comic Plus and MackinVIA, ebook platforms that keep library books and comics available to students over the summer months and motivate them to read wherever they are. HISD is also encouraging students to take advantage of the Houston Public Library’s John P. McGovern Summer Reading Program.
Continue readingHISD libraries are light-years ahead with nontraditional and digital resources for students and staff
Necessity is the mother of invention, and few things can shine a light on unmet needs quite like a global pandemic. Nearly two years of digital and hybrid learning forced everyone to adapt, and HISD school libraries were no exception. In year two of their three-year library improvement and refreshment project, HISD Library Services has adapted to the new digital needs of students and educators by establishing community partnerships and working to increase the equity of library education with digital and online resources.
“Libraries in general, and Houston ISD campus libraries in particular, are engines of equity,” said HISD Library Services Director Len Bryan. “We help level the playing field for students who might not have access to learning materials outside of their classrooms. Books, eBooks, academic databases, makerspace equipment and materials, and most importantly, a caring and professional library staff help our students realize their potential and follow their dreams, regardless of their zip code.”
Continue readingHISD partners with Houston Dynamo and PNC Bank to upgrade Early Childhood Center libraries
Houston Independent School District is excited to announce a new partnership with PNC Bank and Houston Dynamo Football Club aimed at improving Early Childhood Center libraries and access to literacy throughout the district.
Continue readingFunding the Future: A message from Houston Public Library on the importance of librarians in schools
The latest edition of HISD’s Funding the Future newsletter aims to highlight the significant impact librarians have on school communities and why these key positions should be adequately funded through the proposed budget.
Continue readingCYCLE Houston rewards students’ literacy achievements with bikes
Thousands of HISD second-graders from across the district will be awarded bicycles for achieving their reading goals for the semester.
Through the CYCLE (Changing Young Children’s Lives through Education) bike program, students worked with teachers to create personalized literacy goals to help boost their reading skills. Each student signed a contract that once those goals were achieved, they would be awarded a brand-new bicycle and helmet.
According to CYCLE, the program not only helps students achieve grade-level reading, it teaches them that hard work equals reward. Students at Eliot Elementary School were so excited about the prospect of earning a bicycle, they came to school early, stayed late, and tracked their own reading progress for months. Continue reading