Houston Chronicles Vol 1

Dear Houston Elementary Families,

It is with immense pride and excitement that I address you as the newly appointed principal of Houston Elementary School for the 2024-2025 school year. I am thrilled to join the HES community to continue our mission of nurturing our students' academic growth. It is a tremendous privilege to serve as your new principal. I am honored to bring my expertise as an educational leader to Houston Elementary and to collaborate with you as a team in providing the very best educational program for all. I am eager to embark on this new journey at Houston Elementary and continue my career as an educator.

Before assuming the role of Principal, I worked as an Assistant Principal, an instructional coach, an interventionist, and a reading and math teacher. I hold a master's and doctorate in educational leadership, as well as principal and superintendent certifications. I aim to use my knowledge to serve as an educational and servant-leader who works alongside you to provide our students with a solid foundation for success at Houston Elementary.

Our greatest initiative this year will be to continue working together to offer differentiated and high-impact learning opportunities for each student, inspiring and challenging them through engaging experiences and social and emotional interventions. We will also support our HES students as they grow into leaders, embodying Honor at all times, Exceed in all things, and Serve all people.

I have full confidence that, together, we can continue to make Houston Elementary an exceptional place for our students to learn and grow. If you need to contact me, please feel free to reach out at daberechiokafor@lancasterisd.org.

I am excited for the great future ahead!

Dr. Daberechi Okafor

Principal

Houston Elementary

I look forward to meeting my amazing Houston families on Monday July 15, 2024! The time for the event is 6:00PM-7:30PM, however to support our family's busy schedule we will break the time into two session opportunities 6:00PM-6:40PM and 6:50PM-7:30PM. Please feel free to stop by at one of those times. Please see the schedule below:

Session 1: 6:00-6:40

6:00 - 6:30 Meet the Principal Presentation

6:30 - 6:40 Meet and Greet

6:40 Parents Transition out

Session 2: 6:50-7:30

6:50 - 7:20 Meet the Principal Presentation

7:20 - 7:30 Meet and Greet

7:30 Parents Transition out

I am so excited to meet you and to share my vision for Houston Elementary! See you soon!

Come join us for Meet the Teacher night! This will be an opportunity for you to meet the admin team, meet your teacher, and order campus shirts. Please keep in mind that the schedule is broken down by grade:

Kindergarten-First Grade: 5:00PM-6:00PM

Second-Third Grade: 5:30PM-6:30PM

Fourth-Fifth Grade: 6:00PM-7:00PM

We look forward to seeing you!

Dont forget to order your school supplies for the 2024-2025 school year!

This summer, our district met to review our safety and security protocols and emergency management procedures thoroughly. As a result of these meetings, several safety and security enhancements will take place this school year. One safety enhancement will require all Lancaster ISD students to carry a clear or mesh backpack. This decision is a preventive safety and security measure, and all students who attend Lancaster ISD must adhere to this requirement.

Backpacks must be clear or mesh, and students may carry a non-clear pouch no larger than 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches to hold personal items, such as cellphones, money, and hygiene products. Below is a list of retailers where the backpacks can be ordered.