Founded in 1962, T.H. Rogers sees itself as “a lighthouse beacon that safely guides all children into harbors of success.” T.H. Rogers School consists of three sub-schools: MI-PSI, Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (PDHH), and the Vanguard Program. MI-PSI serves students who have severe disabilities in cognitive and developmental areas. The PDHH encourages teachers to help their students learn by using a variety of communication techniques, such as speech, listening, lip reading, Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE), ASL, and Visual Phonics. The Vanguard Program caters to Gifted and Talented (G/T) students through academics, creativity, and leadership.
T.H. Rogers Middle School
5840 San Felipe St., Houston, TX 77057 Mr. Dave Muzyka, Principal
713-917-3565 Ms. Leslie Gonsalves, Magnet Coordinator
www.MS.HoustonISD.org/THRogers
Religious Affiliation
As a public school, T.H. Rogers has no religious affiliation. According to Houston Independent School District’s policy, every school has a moment of silence each day during which students can pray silently to themselves if they so choose. Also, absences because of religious holidays do not count toward the student’s total number of absences. However, the student is still responsible for the makeup work.
Location and Facilities
Located at the corner of San Felipe St. and Bering Drive, T.H. Rogers resides in the Great Uptown area, a little northwest of the Galleria. The school resides next to St. George Place Elementary, Trotter Family YMCA, and Westminster United Methodist Church. T.H. Rogers’ facilities include four baseball fields, soccer fields, four campus buildings, a playground, a library and a computer lab.
Admissions
For the Vanguard Program, in addition to an application, T.H. Rogers requires testing, which is offered on two Saturdays in January for students starting in grades 1-8. In order to see if a student qualifies for the Vanguard program, the admissions coordinator uses test scores, report card grades, teacher observation, and parent rating. At T.H. Rogers, kindergarten and 6th grade are the entry-level grades, and T.H. Rogers reserves twenty-five percent of the available spaces for siblings of former and current students. Since T.H. Rogers has a limited number of spaces available, the qualified candidates are put into a lottery if there are more applicants than spaces.
Academic Tracks and Curriculum
In the Vanguard Program, the curriculum is advanced (Pre-AP) and interdisciplinary for all students. In addition to core courses, T.H. Rogers offers the following electives: art, choral music, orchestra, broadcast media, conversational sign language, reading/math lab, robotics, research, numerous technology classes, drama, journalism, and yearbook.
Special Needs
If the student meets the admissions requirements for the HISD school, then the student with special needs will be accommodated. If the parents already have documentation about the student’s special needs, the school will need a copy of that documentation. After receiving the documentation, the school will set up an annual ARD meeting that the parents, the student, an administrator, a core subject teacher, a special education teacher or 504 representative, and an HISD advocate will attend to discuss the specific modifications necessary for the student and to create an individualized education plan (IEP) for the student. Every teacher will receive a copy of the modifications for the student after the ARD meeting has determined them.
If the parents want to request modifications for their child, then the special education teacher will give the student’s teachers paperwork to document the student’s behavior and any modifications the teacher uses for the student. After 6 weeks of documentation, the teachers will turn in the paperwork, and the special education teacher or 504 representative will call a meeting similar to an ARD meeting. If the meeting determines that the student needs modifications, then the school will have documentation of the student’s special needs and will follow the same procedures as above.
HISD offers a Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (PDHH) at T.H. Rogers for ages 3 through middle school. The PDHH programs instruct in Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies along with Core Enrichment classes: Music, Art, Physical Education, Computer Lab, Science Lab, Performing Arts and Library. These students are included with their hearing peers at every appropriate opportunity.
The school’s MI-PSI program serves students who have severe disabilities in cognitive and developmental areas. Core academic classes consist of English Language Arts of Life, Reading for Life, Math for Life, science for Life, Social Studies for Life, Personal Health for Life, and Vocational Skills for Life for all grade levels. Enrichment classes include music, art, and P.E. Sixth through twelfth grade students may participate in Special Olympics Bowling and Track and Field. Older high school students may participate in off-campus Community Based Vocational Instruction.
Foreign Languages
In its foreign language program, T.H. Rogers offers Chinese, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language.
Arts
The Vanguard Program offers classes in orchestra, choral music, scholastic art and writing, Texas art, and musings. The program also offers music appreciation, drama, journalism, and yearbook classes.
Technology
The school has an introductory technology applications class for 6th grade students.
Extracurricular Activities
Vanguard offers the following clubs and academic competition opportunities: Chess, Scholastic Writing, Math Counts, National French Contest, National Spanish Exam, Name That Book, Geography Bee, History Fair, Science Fair, Scholastic Art, Choral Music, Spelling Bee, UIL Orchestra, Prep Bowl, Ecobot Challenge, and First Lego League Challenge. The school also hosts the following student leadership opportunities: Student Council, National Junior Honor Society, and Peer Mediation. At Vanguard, students participate in the following service projects: Camp MI-Way, Community Volunteering, Sixth Grade Service Unit, and School-Wide Global Project
Athletics
T.H. Rogers offers a number of after-school sports throughout the year. The school fields more than 12 teams across 7 sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming, track, and volleyball.
Parent Involvement
Interested parents can volunteer for the T.H. Rogers PTO. The organization has many opportunities for involvement, such as box top raffles and silent auctions to help fund school initiatives. HISD offers an online portal at T.H. Rogers called Parent Student Connect for parents to stay abreast with students and teachers.
T.H. Rogers Middle School Fast Facts
Overview | |
School Type | Public, Magnet |
Religious Affiliation
Uniforms |
None
Dress Code |
Date Founded | 1962 |
Grades Served | 6th-8th |
Enrollment | 396 |
6th Grade | 136 |
7th Grade | 138 |
8th Grade | 122 |
Student to Teacher Ratio | 10:1 |
Faculty with Advanced Degrees (#/%) | 33/43% |
Minorities in Student Body | 81% |
Curriculum | |
Academic Tracks Offered | Pre-AP |
International Baccalaureate Courses | N/A |
Languages Offered | French, Spanish, Chinese, ASL |
Calendar (Semester / Trimester / Other) | Semester |
Interscholastic Sports Programs | 7 |
Public School Stats | |
Gifted and Talented Students | 79% |
Free & Reduced Lunch | 34% |
AYP (2006-2011) | Met AYP |
TEA Accountability (2006-2007) | Recognized |
TEA Accountability (2007-2010) | Exemplary |
TEA Accountability (2010-2013) | Recognized |
Excerpted from General Academic’s publication, “Houston Private & Select Public Schools: Survey, Analysis, and Research, 3rd Edition.”