Weekly Teacher Download for January 6

HAABE Teacher of the Year Competition: The Houston Area Association for Bilingual Education (HAABE) has invited the district to participate in the annual HAABE Teacher of the Year (TOY) Banquet, which means elementary, middle and high school campuses may select one Bilingual and/or one ESL Teacher of the Year to represent their campus. The HISD TOY Bilingual and ESL representatives will then compete at the Houston-area level for HAABE Bilingual and ESL Teacher of the Year. Each year, HAABE recognizes outstanding bilingual and ESL educators from Houston. For detailed information, please view application packet. Nominations and recommendation letters must be submitted by January 31.

ALL TEACHERS

Multilingual Programs PD: In collaboration with Seidlitz Education and ELLevation Education, Multilingual Programs will offer Sheltered Instruction and Instructional Strategies Professional Development in January and February for teachers who serve English Learners.  The goal is to equip all teachers who serve the needs of English Learners, Newcomers, and SIFE students with the best research-based practices. Participants will leave equipped with simple and flexible strategies for daily use to engage all students across content areas in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking in every classroom.For more information and OneSource course numbers, click here.

Foundational Courses EL Teachers: In an effort to increase our support for ELs, the Multilingual Department will provide important information and strategies for teachers to implement in their classrooms. Teachers will understand the foundational and essentials in English Language acquisition. Click here to view dates, locations and OneSource course numbers.

Referral Campaign for APs and Deans: The Leadership Recruitment team is launching an AP/Dean Candidate Referral Campaign for assistant principals and deans. If you know an exceptional candidate who would be a great assistant principal or dean for an HISD school, submit an assistant principal referral form to the campus leadership and selection team by January 31.  All candidates nominated will receive information about the campus leadership selection process as well as instructions on how to apply to the HISD Assistant Principal Pool. Candidates must posses a valid Texas Principal Certification and have a minimum of three years exemplary teaching experience.

SECONDARY

Early Release PD Offerings: For spring 2020, the Secondary Curriculum and Development department will continue offering professional development sessions during early release Fridays.  The sessions will focus on “planning instruction with mastery in mind” with the sessions kicking off January 17 from 2-4 p.m. at Deady Middle School (2500 Broadway St., 77012), Scarborough High School (4141 Costa Rica Rd., 77092), and South Early College High School (1930 Airport Blvd., 77051). The January training will include sessions with a special emphasis on Grade 8 Social Studies, Biology, and Algebra I. The February training will include sessions addressing all five STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) examinations. Teachers and campus leaders can find detailed information on sessions and course numbers, here.

Student Election Clerk Opportunity: Are you interested in giving your students a firsthand look at the democratic process? In Texas, high school students aged 16 years and older can get paid ($17 an hour) to work at the polling locations on Election Day. Please encourage students to apply as an election clerk in the upcoming March 3, 2020 Democratic and Republican Party Primary Elections. Students should apply by January 31 to be placed at a location close to their house as well as have first pick of training classes. For more information on qualifications, click here. If a student expresses interest, please have them complete this permission slip.

NASA Wear STEM Challenge: NASA is offering middle and high school students the opportunity to design wearable radiation countermeasures for deep space exploration. Through the NASA WEAR STEM Challenge, students can join the challenge by January 24 and participate in NASA’s exploration of deep space by designing equipment that will protect Artemis astronauts from high-energy charged particles and solar particle events (SPE), which are important to exploration. During the challenge, teams will participate in webinars to learn more about deep space radiation and the development of countermeasures. The challenge ends with the submission of video proposals from registered teams.  For more information, click here.

JASON Student Argonaut Applications: JASON Learning’s Argonaut Program is currently accepting applications for students interested in representing HISD on a scientific expedition at various sites around the world. Previous expeditions include the Amazon, Costa Rica, and more. During the expedition, students will be able to work side-by-side with scientists and engineers on STEM-related projects and share their experience with their community and school upon their return. For further eligibility requirements and where to apply, click here. If you have questions, contact Rene Flores at instech@houstonisd.org.

Upcoming CTE Trainings: The CTE department is hosting a two-day Auto CAD training on January 21 and January 28 at Barbara Jordan Career Center (5800 Eastex Fwy., 77026). Those interested can register for both dates in OneSource using course number, #1440103. Automotive teachers are invited to attend two informational sessions on January 17 and February 14 to discuss the Automotive Competition.  If interested, register in OneSource course, #1440020.  Workforce Solutions is offering a half-day training on January 17 for Workforce—Resume Writing. Register in OneSource course, #1441011. Region 4 ESC is hosting two CTE trainings—Employ Ability Skills on January 14 and CTE & Special Education on January 22. If interested, please contact your CTE Specialist to register.