Academic calendar
School Year 2026-2027 runs Aug 10, 2026 – May 28, 2027. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- School Year 2026-2027Relevant now
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 20 of 20 terms
A
- All-School
- Refers to 'All-School Musical' or 'All-School' events where students from all art areas participate together.
- Art Area
- A student's major or primary discipline (e.g., 'My art area is Creative Writing').
C
- CW
- The Creative Writing department.
D
- DN
- The Dance department.
I
- IM
- The Instrumental Music department.
- ITS
- International Thespian Society (Troupe 2148), the honor society for theatre students.
J
- Juries
- The formal end-of-semester performance evaluations or portfolio reviews required for all art areas.
L
- Lunch A/B
- The two separate lunch shifts assigned to students based on their class schedule.
N
- NHS
- National Honor Society, the campus chapter for high-achieving academic students.
P
- PVA
- The common shorthand for the school (High School for the Performing and Visual Arts).
- PVA Friends
- HSPVA Friends, the non-profit organization that provides essential funding for the art areas.
- PVA-er
- A term used to describe a student attending the school.
- PVAer
- A common nickname for a student attending Kinder HSPVA.
S
- STUCO
- Student Council, the student representative body for campus events and advocacy.
T
- TH
- The Theatre department.
- The Caf
- The school cafeteria located within the Grand Commons where students eat lunch.
- The Commons
- The Grand Commons, the central multi-story atrium used for dining and social gathering.
- The Pit
- The orchestra pit located in the Denney Theatre, used by instrumentalists during musicals.
V
- VA
- The Visual Arts department.
- VM
- The Vocal Music department.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Denney
- The Denney Theatre, the school's primary 800-seat performance venue.
- HISD Connect
- The Parent Portal/Student Portal (PowerSchool) used for checking official grades and attendance.
- Juries
- The end-of-semester performance evaluations required for students to remain in their art area.
- kinder_hspva_cafeteria
- Kinder HSPVA Cafeteria
- Late Start
- Specific days (usually Wednesdays) when the school day begins later than the standard 7:50 AM start.
- PowerUp
- The HISD initiative providing every student with a laptop for schoolwork.
- Q-Card
- The METRO student discount card used for commuting to the downtown campus via bus or light rail.
- The Black Box
- The Studio Theatre, a flexible performance space used for experimental and smaller productions.
- The Bridge
- The glass-walled walkway overlooking the Commons that connects different wings of the building.
- The Den
- The Student Den, a lounge area on the first floor designated for student relaxation.
- The Denney
- The Denney Theatre, the main 800-seat proscenium performance space.
- The Gallery
- The exhibition space for visual arts students located near the main entrance.
- The Garage
- The attached parking structure where staff and permitted students park.
- The Hub
- The school's library and media resource center.
- The Hub
- The Canvas-based learning management system used for assignments and grades.
- The Recital Hall
- The primary performance space for instrumental and vocal music programs.
- The Roof
- The 5th-floor outdoor terrace and garden used for social breaks and outdoor study.
- The Roof
- The outdoor terrace and garden space on the top floor used for breaks and events.
- The Studio
- A general term for the specialized classrooms dedicated to visual arts, dance, or creative writing.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- School Year 2026-2027 runs Aug 10, 2026 – May 28, 2027.
- How much campus context is included?
- 20 approved campus terms and 19 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.