Weekly Teacher Download for April 18, 2022

ALL TEACHERS

Teachers of the Year
Seven educators have been named Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year finalists, and three teachers have been named Beginning Teachers of the Year. At the elementary level, the four Teacher of the Year finalists are:

• Ana Espinosa from Dogan Elementary School
• Naomi Ewell from Woodson Elementary School
• Gina Orzabel from Briargrove Elementary School
• Maria Soria from Port Houston Elementary School

At the secondary level, the three Teacher of the Year finalists are:

• Kaylinn McNary from North Forest High School
• Alejandra Ortiz from Burbank Middle School
• Sheila Crawford Burley from Barbara Jordan Career Center

The Beginning Teachers of the Year are:

• Madeline Gonynor from School at St. George Place
• Brittany Dominguez from Ortiz Middle School
• Briana Edwards from Wheatley High School

They will be recognized at the annual Educators of the Year event on Friday, May 13, 2022.

Office of Talent
To each of our current teachers, we want you to know that we value you, and we need you. All teachers should declare their intent for next school year by Friday, May 6, through the Office of Talent’s intent to return form online. The purpose of this form is to gather information on each HISD teacher’s intent to continue employment with HISD for SY2022-2023. Any teacher who declares their intent to return for next school year will also have the option to earn an additional incentive if they make a three-year commitment to teaching in HISD. More information is available here. If you have additional questions, please submit them to the Office of Talent here.

Open Transfer Period: The annual Open Transfer Period begins Monday, April 18, and ends at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 13, 2022. Transfer requests must be submitted by the principal and approved by the employee by 5 p.m. on May 13. Transfer requests after this deadline will not be considered. During this period, eligible teachers, counselors, and nurses are free to transfer between HISD campuses (and/or departments) to fill open positions for the 2022-2023 school year. Principals are reminded to complete all required reference checks before making an offer. Please see the Open Transfer Request Form and the Application Guideline and Eligibility Requirements. Contract employees who plan to resign are reminded that the penalty-free resignation deadline is July 8, 2022. Contact your Human Resources business partner with any questions.

Student Enrollment

Open enrollment for new students has begun. Information on how to find a neighborhood school, required documents, and the online application can be found at www.HoustonISD.org/Enroll. Enrollment this year is exclusively online. Parents and caregivers may still visit their neighborhood school for assistance with the online application. For questions, contact your school’s front office, Student Enrollment at 713-556-4826 or Enroll@HoustonISD.org. 

Social and Emotional Learning

Teachers can decrease student misbehavior with planned breaks to allow learners to move around, change activities or redirect attention to provide mental breaks from challenging activities. Teachers can schedule whole class breaks by breaking a larger activity into smaller activities. Insert breaks in between tasks. Tailor breaks for individual students who struggle with focusing during work time. Present a break card to the learner to request a break or assign the learner a classroom job such as handing out papers or running an errand. Incorporate a quick check-in for each class as an icebreaker to welcome students to your space.

Academic Instructional Technology

Introduction to Canvas Learning Series
The AIT team is facilitating the Introduction to Canvas Learning Series, multiple one-hour live virtual workshops that include modeling and the guided practice of foundational skills to help you start strong with Canvas. Sessions will be held each Tuesday and Thursday through the end of May (excluding Focusweeks). Begin with Canvas 101: Getting Around by registering via OneSource for course #1470019, and visit the Canvas info website for details and updates.

Growing with Canvas is another training option for teachers and leaders interested in getting a jump start learning the Canvas Learning Management System. It was developed as a series of self-paced modules that leads participants through foundational and advanced skills in Canvas. Once the coursework is complete, participants will receive six hours of OneSource credit, as well as badges we received through Canvas. Register for OneSource #1471008 for instructions for enrollment and navigating the course.

HUB Phase Out Support: HUB access will end in July 2022. The AIT team has created a series of videos and how-to guides as HUB phase-out resources, and Educational Technology Specialists will also be hosting weekly open labs each Thursday from 3:30-5:00 p.m. to assist with saving content before access to the HUB ends in July. Register for any of the HUB Phase Out open labs in OneSource using course #1468031.

Free access to Adobe software: HISD is providing high school teachers/students access to Adobe Creative Cloud and the premium version of Adobe Creative Express. HISD is providing elementary and middle school teachers access to the entire collection of Adobe Creative Cloud applications and their students access to the premium version of Adobe Creative Express. For Creative Cloud, visit this link. For Adobe Creative Express, visit this link.

Office of Special Education Services

Issue #13 of the Instructional Digital Download, which supports teachers, leaders, and staff with timely, relevant research-based instructional strategies, mini-model lessons, resources, and coaching, is now available.

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

Early Childhood

Getting Started with PreK EDGE: PreK and Early Childhood Special Education teachers are invited to join this course from 3:30-5:00 p.m. on April 18-21, April 25-28, or May 2-5. Participants will learn how to implement individualized instruction using engaging, authentic text, as well as how EDGE connects striving readers to relevant and essential content needed for future academic success. Register for OneSource Course #1472051.

Finishing Strong Practical Ideas for End-of-Year Pre-K Workstations: PreK and Early Childhood Special Education teachers are invited to join us from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on these dates and locations—April 18: Mistral ECC, April 28: Laurenzo ECC, May 5: Farias ECC, and May 9: MLK ECC—to experience engaging hands-on activities to promote children’s independence using their new materials related to end-of-year themes. Register for OneSource Course #1472093.

Elementary Math

See this flyer for Cumulative Review Math sessions. Share your experiences via twitter and tag @HISD_ElemMath #MathMatters. 

In-Person Grade K-2 Math DPA Review: Participants will review best practices and engage in activities to prepare students for upcoming District Pre-Approved Assessments (DPA).

• Grade 2: April 19, 4:00-5:30 p.m., OneSource #1472007
• Grade 1: April 20, 4:00-5:30 p.m., OneSource #1472006
• Kinder: April 19, 4:00-5:30 p.m., OneSource #1472005

Upcoming Assessments Windows

• Grades 3, 4, and 5 STAAR Released Assessment (Year 2021): April 4-22, 2022 
• Grades 1 and 2 Snapshot 4: April 25-29, 2022 
• Kindergarten TX-KEA EOY: April 28–June 1, 2022 
• Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2 District Pre-Approved Assessments (DPA): May 2-27, 2022 
• State of Texas Grades 3, 4, and 5 STAAR Assessment: Tuesday, May 10, 2022 

Elementary Science

Sessions will be offered synchronously after school. To view spring science sessions, see this link. Share your experiences via Twitter and tag @HISD_ElemSci.

Grade 5 Spiraled Review Plan: Reflecting on STAAR Data from 3:30-5:00 p.m. April 21: Participants will identify hot spots reflected in outcome data and create a spiraled plan for acceleration. Please have a video camera on and access to HISD resources in the HUB. This event will be held virtually via MS Teams. Register for OneSource #1467041.

Grade 4 Houston Museum of Natural Science Field Experience: In partnership with the Houston Museum of Natural Science, HISD has resumed face-to-face field trips for fourth graders during the spring semester. Contact gmarti13@houstonisd.org to schedule your campus.

Virtual Learning Opportunities for Students and Families: The Houston Museum of Natural Science and HISD Elementary Science Curriculum & Instruction present a series of videos and activities aligned to tough-to-teach standards in grades K-5. Click here to access these resources. Click here for the Science at HomeSymbaloo web mix.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Fine Arts—Dance

Middle and high school students are invited to participate in the Dance Connect Film Fest 2022 from Frame Dance Productions. The deadline to submit dance films is May 20, 2022, and the screening and awards will be held June 3, 2022, at Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School at 6 p.m. Students will receive professional feedback and awards for their dance films. Music for the films should be copyright-free. More information and a list of copyright-free music can be found at Dance Connect Film Fest. For questions, contact Frame Dance Productions or HISD Dance Curriculum Specialist Sanja Korman at skorman@houstonisd.org.

Career and Technical Education: See this week’s CTE bulletin, April 2022, Volume II. Visit the HISD Career Readiness page here for all CTE bulletins.

Spotlight on CTE: To bring awareness to the district’s CTE programs of study and post-graduation opportunities, campus personnel are invited to showcase campus events, student work, and more. Please submit using the CTE Spotlight Form. Submissions will be highlighted on the Career Readiness website and social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube). Contact your campus’s designated senior CTE program specialist with any questions.