Each week, my team will provide HISD families with key updates on the previous week in our schools and a look ahead at what’s to come in the next week. We’ll use these updates to share important information that is relevant to the entire district.

First, thank you for your support this first week of school. I’ve seen a lot of first days, and this was one of the strongest starts to a school year I have ever experienced. I hope you heard interesting stories from your students, and I hope you get a chance to spend some time in their school soon. I think you’ll like what you see. In the meantime, check out the highlight video we’ve shared on HISD Source, our social media channels, and in the daily division updates.

Before I sign off for the week, I wanted to highlight the changes in our academic calendar. We kept the start and end dates of school the same – HISD will still have 172 days of instruction – but we made some adjustments to maximize instruction time. I want to acknowledge that these changes came late in the summer, and in the future, my team will work with the School Board to publish the academic calendar months earlier. Please review the calendar here. As you will see, the changes we made move professional development days to Fridays instead of mid-week, and we modified the start and end of winter break by a day. These changes will be less disruptive to teaching and learning.

It is critical our district follow the lead of other districts in our area and provide more days of high-quality instruction in the future. Our kids need it. We will be previewing these changes over the coming months, and we thank you for your continued patience as we do the hard work to prepare our students for the world and workforce of 2035.

The School Board is about to begin the process of setting goals to guide the district’s work over the next several years, and we need to hear from you. Your vision and values for our schools and our district are an important part of that process. Please join us at one of our upcoming community input sessions to share your thoughts.

Next Week’s Events:

• Sept. 5: Board Community Meeting; 6-7:30 p.m.
  Farias ECC (515 Rittenhouse St.)
• Sept. 6: Board Community Meeting; 6-7:30 p.m.
  Deady Middle School (2500 Broadway St.)
• Sept. 7: School Board Work Session; 5:30 p.m.
  Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W 18th Street)

This is a reminder that HISD’s student cell phone policy is in place and will be enforced. Student cell phones can be a distraction to teaching and learning and often fuel student disputes and bullying. Student cell phones must be stored in backpacks throughout the school day. If a student’s cell phone is visible outside a backpack during the school day, school staff will take and hold the phone in the office until the end of the day when the student can retrieve it. After more than one violation of this policy, a parent or guardian will have to come to school to retrieve the phone.

This is just a reminder to keep an eye out for updates to your child’s bus route. HISD is enrolling more students every day, and as a result, our bus routes will continue to change to meet those needs. If your route is updated or changed, you will be notified directly, but you should also periodically check Find My Route for updated information. If you have problems or questions regarding your child’s bus route, you can call 713.556.9400; press 2.

HISD must meet our students’ instructional needs, but we know students and families look to us for support and resources to meet all the needs of students. Sunrise Centers are a unique partnership between HISD and community organizations across the district. We plan to have at least six centers and are excited to open the first site at the West Orem YMCA in the Madison High School community. This center will provide:

• Before and After School Care
• Medical and Counseling Services
• Literacy and Academic Supports
• Food and Nutrition Support

PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR COMMUNITY LAUNCH PARTY ON SEPT. 9, 2023,
from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the West Orem YMCA (5801 West Orem Drive, 77085).