MADE Houston

After months of rigorous training, our students finally had the opportunity to showcase their skills and compete in the Olympic Games. They participated in both individual and team sports, demonstrating their hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship throughout the training process and final competitions. We couldn't be prouder of their remarkable achievements and commitment to excellence.

From everyone at MADE Houston a heartfelt thank you to all our parents and students for the amazing treats, sweets, notes, cards, and lunches we received for Teacher Appreciation Week! Thank you for all your continued support throughout the year - we could not have done it without you all.

Today, we held our annual Market Day! Students worked hard to create products, research costs, and stay on budget. They also created amazing commercials to entice customers. Today, they spent the money they earned throughout the semester to buy products, treats, and entertainment at each other's 'shops.' They also got to see which class made the biggest profit.

We loved having everyone come to our Art Show to see the students’ amazing work and artistic talents. This year, students presented work inspired by artists such as Louis Wain, Salvador Dali, M.C. Esher and Romero Britto. Thanks to Mr. Josh for inspiring all our students to express their creativity.

To celebrate American Library Association’s ‘National Library Week’ we visited our favorite local library, Houston Public Library Hillendahl, where students had to use various library resources to successfully complete a scavenger hunt.
On Friday they dropped everything to read for D.E.A.R. Day and got to enjoy books they checked out. This paired perfectly with our regular Flashlight Friday.

After some false starts we were finally able to enjoy the solar eclipse! The students learned about the different types of eclipses and had the chance to demonstrate how they happen and show what they had seen.

We all had an amazing time at Camp For All this past week! This is one of our favorite traditions, and the students love to try new things, challenge themselves to achieve new goals, and create amazing memories each year.

It’s been a busy week of testing at MADE. The week of testing the students worked hard to show what they have learned and we used the afternoon times to decompress with fun STEAM projects.

Happy Pi Day! Before heading off for Spring Break students celebrated 3.14… every which way by calculating the mathematical constant around campus, creating art and bracelets using as many digits as possible, and of course enjoying some pies and pizza!

Happy International Women’s Day! Here’s to the women who inspire us daily with their courage, compassion, and unwavering strength. May you continue to lead the way and shine brightly.

It’s one of our favorite traditions: Grandparents Tea!! To mark the end of Black History Month, we invited grandparents and special friends to come see the students’ hard work and enjoy some time together. After their presentations, the students served tea and pastries and got to hang out with their favorite people!
Thank you so much to all who were able to attend and make it a great day for all.

Today we had another great morning volunteering at Kids' Meals, Inc. We made snack packs for children experiencing food insecurity around Houston. All the students worked really hard to make as many packs as possible!

What do you want to do when you grow up? This was the question of the week for our students as we had a variety of parents/grandparents and friends come in and talk them about their jobs and their individual journeys. The students even had a chance to be in a mock trial!

The students thought about questions they wanted to know about each career and learned how to take notes during each presentation. They then worked on a research paper on a possible career they want may want to have.
As always we are grateful to have such an amazing supportive community to come in and talk to our students and answer all their interesting questions!

We ‘MADE’ it to the 100th day! Yesterday our students celebrated the 100th day of school with a day full of fun and Math. They reflected on how far they had each come and made goals for the rest of the school year.

Today we made gingerbread houses for our Freaky Friday. Students worked together in groups to create their houses and then decorate. They had to deal with frustrations and setbacks to work together as a team to assemble the houses. They then got to decorate however they wanted to and they finished by sharing their delicious creations!

Happy Thanksgiving! Last week we hosted our annual Thanksgiving Potluck and once again enjoyed hosting both old and new friends.

In the morning our students had fun making Thanksgiving treats and the butter for all to enjoy. The centerpieces were all designed by our students recreating the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade after reading ‘Balloons over Broadway’. We then got to watch the Thanksgiving play which always makes us proud.
A heartfelt thank you to all the students, families, and staff that make this tradition and our community come to life.

Thank you to everyone at Kenny and Ziggy's for letting us visit yesterday and learn about all that goes on in the kitchen! The students had a great time learning how to make delicious Rugelach from scratch, and enjoying a great meal together.

This Veterans Day we were so lucky to have Mr. Charles come back again to speak to the students about his time in the Marines and the Vietnam War. The students all asked thoughtful questions and thanked him for his service!

Wednesday was one of our favorite yearly events - National STEM/STEAM Day, when we engage our students in novel projects focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Students worked in groups to created code to control a robot across an obstacle course to pop a balloon, used recycled materials to create creatures, and made their own stop motion movies. Finally, after reading Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood, they all created their own imaginative instruments to make some beautiful music.

Tuesday we had our annual “Book Cafe”. Students dressed up as their favorite book characters and got to “taste” different genres of books to see what might interest them for their next read.

And to end the day, our amazing group of parents organized a great Trunk or Treat for all the kids (and adults)!

We had a blast at the Houston Dynamo FC this Sunday for their first playoff game! Thank you so much for everyone who made it out! Though they can’t hold a candle to our football Fridays.

Freaky Fridays are all about STEAM! Once each month the students break up into their houses with a different teacher to complete STEAM challenges. Students are provided with limited materials and have to work together to come up with plans and execute their creations after multiple trials.

This month they were tasked with building a catapult to see who could send Halloween marshmallows and acorns flying the furthest.

They had a great time trying to get their catapults to work but also learned that sometimes we need more information. We regrouped, learned more about angles and force and then they really made some great progress. The highlight for the students was seeing what else they could catapult across our field!
Congratulations to the Sea Otters for getting theirs the farthest!

To cap off Hispanic Heritage Month students enjoyed trying new dishes from various countries including Cuba, Venezuela, Columbia, Mexico, and El Salvador. During their ‘lunch and learn’ they all did a great job presenting their research on influential people in Hispanic and Latino history.
This year students also taught each other about their personal heritage by reading books by Hispanic authors, and sharing information on their culture and traditions.

This week students learned all about banned books for Banned Books Week. Students visited Houston Public Library Hillendahl to learn more about why certain books are banned or challenged. They then picked a banned book to present to the rest of the school.

We’re always proud of how far the students have come with their presenting skills as it can be a nerve wracking time for them. They were clear and concise and answered questions from their peers well!

The students love having old friends join them for their monthly Friday Night Socials! And we love hearing how they are all doing at their new schools!

To celebrate National Punctuation Day we held our first Punctuation Pub Quiz. Teams competed to complete punctuation ‘rounds’ with special bonus rounds. Congratulations to the Pineapple Cats team for working together to take the title.

How will you make your mark? We celebrated International Dot Day’s 20th anniversary with this question. Our students are always encouraged to make their mark and try their best and this art inspired day helped them express themselves in different ways. We also had our local library come in and read different dot themed books!

The goalies are ready, attack and defense are fierce - it’s time to kick off the 2023-2024 Football Friday season!

What’s your one word? That’s the question we asked of our students our first full week back. What are their goals for the year and how can we help them? Students brainstormed ideas for their ‘word’ and we then MADE bracelets with their word to help them remember it and live it this year!