New school year brings changes for students
Budget cuts, new standards, new tests, new schools on HISD agenda
(August 11, 2011) As the new school year approaches, students and
administrators are going to have to deal with changes inside and outside
the classroom. Some familiar faces will be missing on school campuses,
the result of teacher layoffs due to cuts in state funding. There will
also be more rigorous academic testing for students, and stiffer rating
standards for schools in Texas as a result of bills passed in the
legislature.
With
the $4 billion reduction in the school finance bill this legislative
session, school districts are looking for ways to budget this school
year and the next. The Houston Independent School District reduced its
budget by $96 million in anticipation of a $79 million cut in state
funding. It had laid off 724 teachers in the spring before the
legislature approved the state budget but rehired almost half when the
final budget contained smaller cuts. Although the budget reduction may
have been more than needed for this year, the District anticipates that
next year will require an additional $41 million cut.
HISD’s major spending reductions projected for the upcoming school year
include less funding for teachers, librarians, supplies, central
administration, and special education. The budget includes funding
increases for employee health insurance, unemployment benefits, literacy
initiative, Project GRAD, and testing and placement. The District is
also proposing to allow principals to spend any additional money on
student needs in their school.
Students
returning to some schools rated as exemplary or recognized last school
year may find the ratings have been lowered. The Texas Education Agency
(TEA) changed the method it was using to rate schools and as a result
many schools were downgraded. The previous method was based on a system
that projected future TAKS test scores based on a school average to
determine a rating. There were complaints by the public to legislators
that projecting scores was not an accurate reflection of a school’s
achievements. A bill was passed that required the TEA to use actual
scores on standardized tests to measure a school’s rating. The current
ratings of schools by district can be found on www.tea.state.tx.us.
Another change this school year will be the replacement of the TAKS test
with the STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness). The
STAAR program will assess the same subjects that are currently assessed
on TAKS for grades 3 through 8. However, for high school the STAAR will
be more rigorous. Students will have to achieve a certain cumulative
score on 12 end-of-course tests to graduate. The scores will count as
fifteen percent of their final grade. They can retake the exam three
times if they do not pass.
Some
students will walk into newly built schools on opening day. HISD has
constructed six elementary schools with the bond money approved by the
voters in 2007. The new schools are Almeda, Frost, Lovett, DeChaumes,
Berry and Horn. Lewis and deAnda elementary schools will open later this
fall.
Middle and high school students on football teams may find a brand new
helmet in their lockers this fall. The legislature passed a bill that
prohibits the use of football helmets that are older than 16 years.
Districts will have to show that any helmets ten or more years old have
been reconditioned every two years or replaced.
Classes will start for HISD, Spring Branch and other school districts on
August 22. Parents and students can find out more back to school
information by visiting www.hisd.org,
www.springbranchisd.com.
All Charged Up Over Electric Cars
Many communities are working on ways to make driving them easier and less expensive
(NAPS)—As more electric cars get set to hit the street, one American
auto company is in the forefront, working with partners to increase
the usability of electric vehicles.
Communities
around the country are preparing for the arrival of new electric
vehicles (EV). Some of the things they’re doing and methods involved
include:
•Utility rate structures that encourage “off-peak”
or nighttime EV charging to minimize demand on the existing electric
grid;
•Streamlined permitting and inspection process to support customer
and commercial EV infrastructure installation;
•Integrated advisory committees that include participation from
electric utilities, vehicle manufacturers and dealers,
municipalities, EV customers and neighborhood coalitions;
•Urban planning approach to optimize public and commercial EV charge
locations.
All this can help ensure that these vehicles are a viable solution
for American drivers.
Fortunately,
this country’s electric grid has plenty of capacity to support
electric transportation. It helps if utilities offer incentives so
EV customers are encouraged to charge their cars when the most
capacity is available.
Electrification is an important piece of Ford’s aggressive strategy
to save energy and protect the planet. This includes launching five
electrified vehicles: the Transit Connect Electric small commercial
van; the Focus Electric; the C-MAX Hybrid; a second next-generation
lithium-ion battery hybrid; and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. This
wide range of electrified vehicles means the company can meet a
variety of consumer driving needs while its cutting-edge technology
helps ensure that drivers don’t have to sacrifice performance for
efficiency.
For more information, visit
www.ford.com/green/technology.
Tips On Using Wi-Fi Hotspots
Only log in to websites that are fully encrypted when using a Wi-Fi hotspot, experts say
(NAPS)—Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops, libraries, airports,
hotels, universities and other public places offer free access to
the Internet.
However, public Wi-Fi networks often are not secure. You’re sharing
the hotspot with strangers, and some could be hackers.
Experts
at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) say that when using wireless
hotspots, it’s best to send only personal information that is
encrypted—either by an encrypted website or a secure network.
Encryption scrambles information sent over the Internet into a code
so that it’s not accessed by others. An encrypted website protects
only the information sent to and from that site. A secure wireless
network encrypts all the information you send while online.
To
tell if a website is encrypted, look for https at the beginning of
the Web address (the “s” is for secure), and a lock icon at the top
or bottom of the browser window. Some websites use encryption only
on the sign-in page, but if any part of the session isn’t encrypted,
the entire account could be vulnerable. Look for https and the lock
icon throughout the site, not just at sign in.
Is this hotspot secure?
•If a hotspot doesn’t require a password, it’s not secure.
•If a hotspot asks for a password through the browser simply to
grant access, or asks for a password for WEP (wired equivalent
privacy) encryption, it’s best to proceed as if it were unsecured.
•A hotspot is secure only if it asks the user to provide a WPA
(Wi-Fi protected access) password. WPA2 is even more secure than
WPA.
For a safer Wi-Fi experience, the FTC recommends:
•When using a Wi-Fi hotspot, only log in or send personal
information to websites that you know are fully encrypted. The
entire visit to each site should be encrypted—from log in until log
out. If you think you’re logged in to an encrypted site but find
yourself on an unencrypted page, log out right away.
•Don’t stay permanently signed in to accounts. After using an
account, log out.
•Do not use the same password on different websites. It could give
someone who gains access to one account access to many accounts.
To learn more about protecting your privacy online and what to do if
your information is compromised, visit
OnGuardOnline.gov.
Garden Center is the newest addition to The Guild Shop
The Guild Shop of St. John the Divine, located at 2009 Dunlavy
Street, held a grand opening for its new garden center in July. The
shop is a non-profit resale store with a large inventory of
furniture, jewelry, clothing, household items, books, artwork and
various other donated items. Now the Shop is displaying a full array
of outdoor furniture and garden items for sale in the store patio.
In
its present location since 1973, the Guild Shop has grown from a
small house to an 11,000 square foot building. It has over 140
volunteers and eleven employees to handle sales and donations on a
daily basis.
Betsy Baxter, Marketing Director, says that about 50% of the
volunteers are St. John the Divine Church members and another 50%
are from outside the church community. “We accept donations and
consignments. Our money from the sales goes to support the elderly
of the Episcopal Diocese who are in financial need.” The primary
beneficiary has been St. James House, the Episcopal Diocesan
Retirement Center in Baytown.
Over
the years, the Guild Shop has given financial and in-kind assistance
to numerous charities. This includes donations of clothing,
furniture and household items to the Disabled American Vets, Texas
Department of Human Services Adult Protective Services, HPD
Community Services Division, Goodwill, Christian Community Service
Center, Sudanese Refugees, orphans and lepers in Piedras Negras, the
homeless outreach ministry for the Episcopal Cathedral, the Center
for Mental Retardation and others.
The
Guild Shop serves a varied clientele from designers and collectors
to bargain hunters and those in need. Although the shelves and rooms
are filled with a large number of items, the staff has managed to
keep a clean and orderly appearance. The housewares section displays
an assortment of colorful dishes and crystals neatly arranged to
accommodate the browsing shopper. Dining tables are displayed with
elegant settings of matching dishes and crystal glasses. Customers
will find the shop a pleasant and stimulating place to look for
bargains and unusual decorative items.
Donations
are accepted at the store during its regular hours Monday through
Friday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, and Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00
pm. Director Baxter says the store is not the only location for
donations. “If you cannot bring your donation to us we will be more
than happy to pick it up. You can also make donations at St. John
the Divine Church at 2450 River Oaks Boulevard.” Phone 713-528-5095.
Wire Road Studios to bring recording talent to Heights area
Wire Road Studios has added another dimension to Houston’s
vibrant music scene with its new state-of-the-art recording
facility. A grand opening on July 31st showcased the 5,000 square
foot building designed from the ground up by the Russ Berger Design
Group of Dallas, nationally recognized for its studio designs.
Situated among businesses on the 20th street corridor west of the
Heights, Wire Road promises to attract talented recording artist of
all types of music.
Wire Road Studios has emerged from the collaborative efforts of
accomplished musician and engineer James Kelley and his father,
Byron, since 2009. James was recording from his home in the Heights
before building the studio. Hip-hop artist Thurogood Wordsmith said
at the opening event, “I’ve been working with James since he was
operating a studio by himself out of his small living room in the
Heights. I’ve been impressed by his passion and work ethic ever
since. With that being said, I thought tonight was an absolute
success because it allowed people in the music community to come
together and see how serious and dedicated James Kelley is to
bringing world-class sound to Houston.”
The facility includes two recording studios and a video editing
suite. Studio A’s 600 square foot live room has a 18 foot ceiling
with full length windows as well as large isolation booths for
acoustic guitar, piano and drum sessions. It comes equipped with a
Brodmann grand piano as well as an array of optional musical
instrument, keyboard, drum and amplifier choices. The control room
delivers 5.1 surround sound mixing capabilities with an extensive
selection of analog gear and digital plug-ins. Studio B features a
control room with an isolation booth and is primarily used for
mixing, mastering and voiceover work. Studio C is dedicated to video
production and editing.
Houston musicians and others came together under the big white tent
for the grand opening celebration where they were greeted by Yves
Saint, Free and Todd of the Houston-based hip-hop group, the
Niceguys. After sipping drinks and snacking on Texas-style
appetizers, guests took a sneak peak tour of the brand new recording
faculty, which features recess lighting and hardwood floors. During
the tour, three bands, Hazy Ray (jazz), Trucker’s Choice
(alt-country), and Mantis (alt-rock) recorded in the live room so
guests could hear the actual sound quality of the studio. Also
included in the facility are equipment storage rooms, a conference
room, kitchen and lounge area and an outdoor covered patio.
Among the guests was Julie Zorilla, an American Idol contestant this
season from Los Angeles. Although she was not a winner, she scored
in the top 24. She says she is impressed by Wire Road Studios and is
going to make a recording there.
Evesborough Films, which works out of the Wire Road video editing
suite, presented its video production talent in a montage of their
latest work. This included music videos for hip-hop artists in the
Wire Road family, such as the Niceguys’ “Ari Gold,” Montana’s
“Mercy,” and Thurogood Wordsmith’s “A.M.,” which all premiered in
the last month.
For more information about the studio visit
wireroadstudios.com.
