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Updates & Events
Alerts
Online Learning for all HISD students will continue for the remainder of the Spring semester. Make sure that your child checks his/her email and our new website (below)  for information about upcoming assignments!
* Some browsers will shorten this newsletter - if so, be sure to click "view entire message" at the bottom so that you can see all of our news!
Important Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
Weekly - Make sure all class assignments are submitted on time. For more information, click "View Our Website" to the right and look up your teachers for details.
Energy Thanks You!
Energy is incredibly proud of the generous donations that were made for families that are in need of help during these difficult times.

If you are still able to donate, we are continuing to collect funds to help families purchase meals. All links and additional information can be found below.
Houston ISD Spirit Week
In light of HISD's Spirit Week, freshman Naja Woodard created two beautiful pieces of art since she has been home that she chose to share.

Energy would like to congratulate her for embracing fine arts and sharing her artwork!
Community Impact
For those of you who enjoy our weekly newsletters, you might remember a few weeks ago when we showcased Matthew Cepulis for his Scouts project creating mini libraries for the community.

We recently received an email from a family with an incoming student who lives in the neighborhood, stating, "We’ve been using the library you guys built at the corner of Tierwester and Southmore. It’s been fun for my daughter to swap books. I posted about it in the Nextdoor app and the students should know the community appreciates it. There was no way to predict we’d be in the situation we’re in now, but this little library is something that is being used and enjoyed by folks in the neighborhood. Just thought they should be proud of the idea."

If you're nearby, drop off books, pick a few up, or simply take a look! Way to go, Matthew!
DonorsChoose Award
Ms. Martinez also wanted to share some exciting news during these strange times. Donorschoose.org is currently offering a digital learning home support donation which she applied for and received! Her intent is to be able to send students who are in need, small art care packages. Her hope is that this will make students feel closer to her class at Energy, while also serving as a reminder that we encourage and support their creativity anywhere! Ms. Martinez is confident that, with this support, students will see the silver lining and continue to make the best of their situations.

Please note that Ms. Martinez’s students will receive a survey link via the HUB and EIHS digital learning website.
Safety Reminders & Benefits
  • Be sure to visit our website for additional COVID resources and updates

  • View HISD health updates HERE

  • View Texas State health updates HERE

  • If you qualify for SNAP benefits, you might qualify for additional benefits. To find out more, click HERE
Special Fundraiser: Energy Food Fund
The Energy Institute PTO is collecting donations to create an Energy Food Fund to help support families who have been affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic. If you are interested and your family is in a position to be able to assist, please use the links below to make a monetary donation. The money will be used to purchase grocery gift cards and allocated by Energy administration to families in need.

For PTO website:  

For Venmo:    

For PayPal.Me: 
Featured Student & Staff
Student of the Week - Isaac Duran-Aranda
Isaac was nominated by one of his teachers for "going above and beyond. He is a self-starter and his motivation and effort have been impressive!"

"I'm so very grateful for being chosen as student of the week. My family background is that I live with my mother, stepfather, and 1-month-old sister. On weekends I go and spend time with my biological father.

Some of my hobbies are reading, going out for long runs, spending time with my dog, and playing video games.

I love Energy because of the freedom we have when it comes to the projects. We have lots of space for letting our creativity fly and expressing ourselves through these projects. Again, thank you very much for this recognition." - Isaac Duran-Aranda
Staff Member of the Week - Mr. Platon
Mr. Platon was nominated for his creative methods of engaging students during this difficult time and keeping students excited by history!

Background : I’m a native Houstonian and I grew up in the Cy-Fair area. In addition to history, I am also interested in the aerospace industry. I was even selected as the “Most Outstanding Camper” at Space Camp!

Education : I got my undergraduate degree in History with a minor in Physics at UT Austin. I went back to UT to get my graduate degree in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. My research areas include international relations between great powers, national security, and defense technology innovation.

Hobbies : I love to watch movies (especially bad ones), eat delicious comfort food, bake tasty desserts, play video games (sooo many hours in Kerbal Space Program), and read obscure historical documents from the Department of Defense.

Why Do You Love Energy? : I love Energy because the students are bright, inquisitive, and fun! I love that Energy gives me the freedom to develop simulations that make history fun! I love that our projects have real-world applications. And I have great colleagues!
Nominations!
Do you know a student or faculty member that deserves recognition for being truly outstanding? Each week nominations will be reviewed and selected for. Nominations open from the time this newsletter is published (Friday!) until Tuesday at 11:59pm each week. All late submissions will roll into the nominations for the next week. Use the buttons on the right and start your nomination today!
Cohort News & More
YouTube Gone Bio
Ms. Finberg wants to give a shout out to one of our biology teachers, Ms. Lim, for her dedication to student success. She created a YouTube Channel with fun educational videos. Check out her videos HERE
Opportunities
The time is right to start thinking about how you will spend your summer! Read below for more information on summer programs accepting applications now. You can also view more opportunities on the Energy Institute website. Click here.
Houston Urban Debate League Camp
The Houston Urban Debate League still plans to have Summer Camp! If an in-person camp is not an option, there have been discussion of moving it to a virtual platform.

The Institute will be held at the University of Houston with check-in on July 12th , and check-out on July 17th . The Institute is open to all HISD and CASE Debates students who will be in High School during the 2020-2021 academic school year. There will be advanced labs for Lincoln Douglas Debate, Policy Debate, Public Forum Debate, and Worlds Schools Debate as well as a general track for beginners.

Students can find out more information HERE

If you're interested in applying, click HERE
Strive for College Knowledge
Though the Houston National College Fair was cancelled, high school juniors and parents/caregivers have the opportunity to attend “Strive for College Knowledge”. This FREE event is a virtual college exploration week begins on Monday, April 20 th and concludes on Thursday, April 23 rd. Virtual presentations will be lead by college access professionals from across the world.

Please follow the link below to register, view topics, and presentations schedule.

The Registration Link is HERE
PTO & Parent News
Greetings EIHS Family,

I hope this letter finds everyone safe, physically healthy, and emotionally well!  

We’ve now completed our third week of online schooling at EIHS. I hope the process has been a smooth one and that it’s becoming part of your new “normal” routine. If your child hasn’t been able to log on, please contact your child’s teachers or Dean for help. Check out the Energy Home Learning Page HERE for school news and updates, as well as teacher and admin contact info. For COVID Resources from the CDC and HISD, follow this LINK .

PTO Activities To Assist Our EIHS Community During This Time
Given the current situation for the foreseeable future, all of our PTO in-person activities and fundraising activities have been placed on hold for the time being.  As we move forward during this time, the PTO is continuing to support our EIHS Family by creating a PTO Food Donation Fund to help families pay for groceries, providing information regarding HISD and community-based food assistance options each week, providing links to helpful coping resources, and reminding our community about the Amazon Smile Program (which provides a portion of sales to PTO for the EIHS community). 

EIHS Food Donation Fund
The PTO is collecting donations to create the EIHS Food Donation Fund to help support families who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in helping and your family is in a position to be able to donate, please use the links below to make a monetary donation. The money will be used to purchase grocery gift cards and allocated by EIHS administration to families in need. 

You can donate using any of these options:
Venmo           https://venmo.com/EIHSFoodDonationFund
 
Food Assistance Options
For families needing food assistance, there are several options.
On Saturday, April 18, 2020, from 4-7pm, HISD and Houston Food Bank will partner for a large-scale community food distribution effort at NRG. For more details click HERE
HISD Nutrition Services will continue food distribution services at various sites throughout the district. Check  HERE for site locations, dates, and times for the week of April 20, 2020. 
The Houston Food Bank has 250 neighborhood partner pantries to help meet the food needs of their communities. Go to their website ( www.HoustonFoodBank.org ) and enter your location to find the nearest one to you.
The Houston Parks and Recreation Department is operating a curbside meal program at 50 community centers around the city. For a community center near you, check HERE .

Helpful Coping Resources (available by phone or text)
If you need help in coping with the mental or emotional effects of developments related to the coronavirus pandemic, consider contacting the Disaster Distress Helpline (1800-985-5990 or text “ TalkWithUs ” to 66746).  The Helpline is a free, multilingual, confidential service, and is available 24/7, 365-days a year. Callers/texters will be connected with a trained crisis counselor who can assist callers who have a range of symptoms. For more information on the Helpline, click HERE . The Helpline is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is a department within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Amazon Smile Program
For those of you who are doing your shopping on Amazon.com, please remember that you can use the Amazon Smile program when you place your order and 0.5% of your total purchase price will be donated to EIHS PTO at no additional cost to you. In order for the PTO to receive this donation, you must access Amazon Smile directly ( https://smile.amazon.com/ ) and then continue with your shopping as usual. If you do not have EIHS PTO listed as your charitable organization, use the Amazon Smile link, go to “your account”, select the option to “change your charity”, and choose “Energy Institute High School PTO”, and then begin your shopping.

2020-2021 PTO Executive Board
Are you interested in serving on the PTO Executive Board for the 2020-2021 academic year? We are recruiting for the following positions: President Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, and Parliamentarian. If you’d like to learn more about the positions, job descriptions are posted on our PTO website          ( https://www.energyinstitutepto.org/forms ). If you are interested in a position or want more information, please email Sarah Levit ( presidentelect@energyinstitutepto.org ).

Gentle Reminder To De-Stress
With all the information on the news and social media regarding current events, a gentle reminder to take some time for yourself and your family members to pause and de-stress from all the COVID-19 news. Stay connected with extended family, friends, and neighbors through phone calls, video chats, text messages, and social media. Take time to exercise or engage in leisurely activities or learn a new skill. Encourage your children to get into a regular routine for their online schoolwork, and to have time to exercise, relax, and socialize with friends online. Consider creating opportunities for more family time together (family meals, family game night, family chats). 

Although this is a challenging time, we can find positive ways to adapt to our current circumstances.

Together, we will get through this!

Best regards,
Sarah Carpentieri-Asbury


2019-2020 PTO Executive Board
Sarah Carpentieri-Asbury (President)
Sarah Levit (President-Elect)
Arva Dearborne (Treasurer)
Anne Geyer (Acting Secretary)
Maha Allaham (Parliamentarian)
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