Weekly Teacher Download for May 24, 2021

ALL TEACHERS

Chief of Staff

Application for TIA Teacher Design Committee now open. HISD is currently applying to the TEA’s Teacher Incentive Allotment and is in the process of designing the local designation system that will be used to designate teachers for increased compensation from the state. Our goal is to create a representative group of educators whose experiences span grade levels and subject areas. If you are interested in helping design a fair, responsive, and effective system that will be used to designate highly effective teachers, please complete the application linked here by June 18. If you have any questions, email TIA@HoustonISD.org or visit the HISD TIA page. Click here to apply.

Leadership and Teacher Development

HISD has partnered with UHD to present an opportunity for K-12 teachers to obtain an online graduate certificate in leadership. The certificate provides preparation for aspiring leaders to be ready for an array of K-12 roles at the school and district level. Students in this certification program do not have to have their teaching certification to apply but must have earned a bachelor’s degree (any subject). An informational meeting will be held on Thursday, May 27, at 6:00 p.m. Register for the informational meeting at http://bit.ly/EDLHISD using the passcode EDL4. Please see this flyer for additional information. Contact Angela Milon at angela.milon@houstonisd.org or 713-696-3047 with any questions.

Social and Emotional Learning
Students may be struggling to stay focused right now. Desautels (2019), author of “Connections Over Compliance,” suggests that Focused-Attention Practices teach students how to breathe deeply while focusing on a particular stimulus. When learners engage in these practices it is a little like being more awake: there is less anxiety and more action. The goal is to start with one-minute sessions and build up to five minutes. Consistently taking a few minutes a day to engage in priming activities can increase emotional regulation, attention, and problem-solving in young learners. Please see SEL Google Training Site for more SEL practices.

May is Mental Health Awareness month. Please share the Let’s Stay Connected Mental Health Hotline information, which provides emotional, social, and psychological support to students and parents who feel the need for assistance. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 713-556-1340. All callers may remain anonymous. Trained staff from Social and Emotional Learning are available to offer counseling and mental health education and make referrals in English and Spanish. Visit the SEL Google Training Site for more information such as the SEL Relaxation Corner, SEL Blog, and SEL Training Resources.

Academics
Friday, May 28, has been designated a teacher professional development or preparation day. All students will participate in at-home virtual learning on May 28. In-person instruction will only be available to students without internet accessibility or access to appropriate digital learning device. This instruction will be offered at the student’s regular campus. For complete details, see this story.

Special Education
Save the date for the Seventh Annual Special Education Conference July 20-22. See this story for details.

Multilingual
Registration is now open for the third annual multilingual symposium, “The Blueprint: Engineering Foundations that Build Academic Language,” June 25 and June 26, 2021. The deadline to register is June 24, 2021. See this story for more information.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Career and Technical Education
Please see the May 2021 CTE Bulletin Vol. IV regarding how to submit your CTE Teacher of the Month entry, CTE student highlights, professional learning opportunities, workshops, conferences, job opportunities for youth, and other CTE resources. See the bulletin for information on a 2021-2022 certification planning open lab on May 28, a panel and introduction to Junior Achievement for grade 9-12 CTE teachers, and training May 28 on advanced Microsoft Excel tips for secondary CTE teachers. Please view the May 2021 Professional Development Calendar, including OneSource courses, where CTE teachers can receive one hour of credit. Visit the HUB for weekly Career Readiness updates, resources, and announcements. Join CTE on May 20 for Career and Military Singing Day. See this story for more details. See also the 2021 Region 4 Distance Learning Event Schedule effective throughout the summer.

Career Tip Tuesday is a series of short informative career videos for students to help them learn helpful tips to support their employability skills and prepare for post-secondary goals. Teachers and students can subscribe to the CCR YouTube channel at https://tinyurl.com/hisdCareerTipTuesday to receive updates as new videos are released the second and fourth Tuesday of the month during the school year. The videos for May are “New Employee Orientation” and “Paycheck 101.”

EMERGE

EMERGE is recruiting current 10^th graders through May 31, and students can apply at http://bit.ly/emergeapp23. EMERGE recruitment sessions will be held twice a week virtually through Sat., May 29. Students can sign up at calendly.com/emergerecruitment. See this flyer and this brochure for more information. For questions or information on EMERGE, visit houstonisd.org/emerge or contact EMERGE Student Recruiter Bethany.Okezie@houstonisd.org.

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

Early Childhood

Prekindergarten and Kinder Enrollment Videos. Share these promotional videos with your campus administrators so they may be added to your campus website:
English: How to Enroll in Pre-K or Kindergarten at HISD
Spanish: Cómo inscribir a su hijo in prekínder o kínder en HISD

Summer School Trainings: May 28 has been allocated for teacher professional development and planning. The Early Childhood team is suggesting that PK teachers who will be teaching summer school spend the day completing the CIRCLE Assessment observable subtests and attending these mandatory summer school trainings:

• EC_ English Summer School for Pre-K Teachers (mandatory training), course #1452197 SO: 1818932 (virtual), 8:30-10:00 a.m. Participants will gain knowledge regarding instruction for Pre-Kindergarten students participating in summer school.
• ML_ Summer School training for teachers of PreK English Learners, course #1441410 SO: 1817001 and 1817002 (virtual), 8:30-10:30 a.m. Participants will gain knowledge regarding required documentation and instruction for teaching a PreK class for English Learners.