TELPAS INFORMATIONAL PARENT MEETING FEBRUARY 6, 2021

The Multilingual Department will host a TELPAS Informational Parent Meeting on Saturday, February 6, 2021. This live virtual event will help parents become familiar with the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS), how the state measures the English proficiency level of students, and available digitial tools that can help close literacy gaps. Registration information is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Swahili.

REVISED BELL SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY DISTRICT LEVEL ASSESSMENTS

On select dates beginning next week, students will be taking important assessments in Math, Language & Literature (Reading & Writing), Individuals & Societies (Social Studies) and Science. We will follow a revised bell schedule to provide adequate time for students to complete the exams. Testing will take place from 8:30-10:30 am. First period instructional time will be held at the end of the school day. 

Parents, it is important for your students to log into their classes every day. Please ensure that your students get a good night's sleep and are prepared for these important assessments. Feel free to contact your child's teacher/s if you have questions or concerns.

HOUSTON FOOD BANK SCHOOL MARKET AT ORTIZ TWO SATURDAYS THIS MONTH

The Houston Food Bank will be distributing fresh produce and pantry items here at Ortiz this Saturday, January 9th and Saturday, January 23rd for all community members. Click English or Spanish for more information and to register for the event. Please contact Ms. Tavera, our Wraparound Services Coordinator, at 713-845-5650 or jtaveras@houstonisd.org if you need assistance or have questions.

STUDENT COURSE SELECTIONS FOR 2021-22 NOW AVAILABLE!

It's never too early to plan ahead! We are currently taking course requests from all 6th and 7th graders for the 2021-22 school year. Students have the opportunity to choose from a variety of performing and visual arts, as well as technology, physical education, and language acquisition. To make your selections, follow these steps:

1. Click HERE for short videos that describe some of the course offerings available.
2. Click HERE to complete the course request form to submit your choices.

Selections can be made until February 2021. Students can make changes until then by resubmitting the form in step #2 above. Reach out to your grade level administrator if you have questions or need assistance.

HISD @H.O.M.E TV

We are continuing to air HISD @ H.O.M.E. TV lessons through partnerships with Univision/Unimas67 and KHOU/KTBU 55.

• KTBU 55 airs our entire 2.5-hour block daily for students Monday-Friday from 9 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.
• Unimás 67 continues to air Spanish-language lessons daily, Monday-Friday from 7 A.M. to 7:30 A.M.

Along with our current distance learning platform, HISD @ H.O.M.E. TV continues to provide instructional videos from 9-11:30 A.M., 1-3:30 P.M., and 5-7:30 P.M., Monday-Friday. Segments in English and Spanish are broadcast on HISD-TV – Comcast Ch. 18 and Ch. 99 U-verse, as well as online via HoustonISD.org/LiveTV.

Current and previous lessons can also be accessed online at blogs.HoustonISD.org/HISDTV/ and YouTube.com/theHISD. The HISD @ H.O.M.E. TV schedule can be accessed online at HoustonISD.org/HomeTV.

WE'RE TRYING TO REACH YOU!

Teachers and staff have attempted to reach all Ortiz students to ensure our families are safe and that students have the technology needed to access our distant learning classes. If you have not yet been contacted, please update your contact information HERE so that we can correct any misinformation we may have in our records. You can also call the Ortiz main phone number at 713-845-5650 and leave us a voice message.

PARENT CODES FOR NEW HISD CONNECT

HISD Connect by PowerSchool includes student contact, enrollment, and demographic information, as well as grades and online resources.

Parents will be given a unique code, or access ID, for each of their students and will be able to use those codes to set up an account to access their students' profiles through the new parent portal.

Parents have three options to obtain their code:

• Email us at OrtizMS@houstonisd.org your student's name and grade level. We’ll email you the code sheet.
• Fill out the survey at http://bit.ly/OrtizConnect and we’ll send you the code via text or email.
• Call us at 713-845-5650 if you want a printed copy to pick up from campus.