Weekly Teacher Download for May 2, 2022

Teacher Appreciation Week
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we have launched a campaign today to spotlight our teachers and show how teaching is a work of heart. We hope students, staff, parents, and the community will join in on social media to help celebrate all week long. Each day, use the hashtag #ThankHISDTeachers and tag us @HoustonISD and @TeamHISD.

• Monday (May 2): Describe your teacher using words that start with the letters H-E-A-R-T.
• Tuesday (May 3): Write a sweet note or poem for your teacher on heart-shaped paper.
• Wednesday (May 4): Teaching is heart work. Ask your teacher how you can help them today!
• Thursday (May 5): Pump it up! Create a fun cheer for your teacher.
• Friday (May 6): Share a heartfelt video message from you to your teacher.

Also, starting today, May 2, you can cast your vote for Fan Favorite Teachers of the Year. Everyone in your school community – students, teachers, staff, and parents – can vote. Visit HoustonISD.org/fanfavorite. Voting ends Friday, May 6. Let’s show our teachers how important they are by celebrating them all week long!

ALL TEACHERS

Office of Talent

All teachers and teacher specialists have received recent reminders of the request to notify the district of their plans for next school year by Friday, May 6, through the Office of Talent’s online Intent to Return form. All teachers and teacher specialists should declare their intent for next school year through this online form. The purpose of this form is to gather information on each HISD teacher’s intent to continue employment with HISD for School Year 2022-2023. 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. Please complete this form ASAP this week if you have not yet done so.

Summer School Opportunities

HISD invites teachers to join the Summer School 2022 team. The dates are June 13–July 7. The Summer School OPT-IN process for teachers and nurses is open through May 20, 2022. For details, see this story.

Social and Emotional Learning

Please help students in grades 3–12 participate in Panorama’s Education Spring Student Survey. This initiative gathers data from students around topics such as self-efficacy, social awareness, emotion regulation, cultural awareness and action, and diversity and inclusion. The survey runs April 11- May 27, 2022. Access the survey at SEL Panorama Education (google.com). Students may access this site any time, in school or remotely. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete and will be available in a variety of languages. Please contact Kevin.Jackson@houstonisd.org for assistance.

Pre-Test Journaling: Educators and students have worked relentlessly amid a chaotic pandemic to meet academic expectations. With testing season here, students might be facing testing anxiety. Pre-test journaling is one intervention that can prove beneficial in regulating emotions and increasing student performance on assessments. The National Academy of Sciences has published research suggesting that students who write down their worries about the exam prior to the test perform better than those who do not. Try this prep activity. Before testing begins, the proctoring teacher prompts students to journal their worries/thoughts about the exam in writing. 

Academic Instructional Technology

HISD Summer STEM Camp
AIT is now recruiting teachers and students for the 2022 HISD Summer STEM Camp from June 15-29. The deadline for students to apply is May 17. This three-week program includes HISD students in grades 3-12. The program for grades 3-8 will emphasize student knowledge and skills in STEM while introducing them to the collaborative world of coding, LEGO Spike Prime robotics, and a unique field experience. High school students will learn the fundamentals of design, story mapping, recording, publishing, and video promotion through a partnership with Adobe and utilization of their Adobe Pixar in a Box curriculum. Students will interact with a professional artist and experts in the entertainment industry, all culminating in a final video project. For deadlines, locations, and the application process for teachers and students, visit the HISD STEM Camp website.

Canvas Champion Teacher Leaders

AIT, in partnership with Career Pathways, introduces the Canvas Champion Teacher Leader incentive program for the 2022-2023 school year. The program will create a cohort of teacher leaders who will help facilitate the adoption of Canvas as the district’s learning management system at their campus. Each Canvas Champion will receive a stipend of up to $4,000. Apply today via the AIM Portal. For more information, visit the Canvas Champion page.

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 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 Focus weeks). 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 is 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.

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.

Office of Special Education Services

Issue #15 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

Pre-K Teacher Appreciation Event: All PK, ECSE teachers, PK teacher assistants, and Head Start teachers are invited to the Hattie Mae White Café on Friday, May 6, from 3:30–6:00 p.m. for refreshments and door prizes. We want to celebrate YOU for inspiring hope, igniting imagination, and instilling the love of learning in our earliest scholars. See this flyer for more information.

Region 4, Rice School Literacy & Culture, Scholastic, and Early Childhood PD: The following targeted professional development regarding using new materials is for PK and ECSE teachers, as well as teacher assistants.

Region 4: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness in the PK Classroom for PreK and EC Special Education teachers. Participants will review the components and progression of the phonological awareness skill sequence, learn strategies and activities to support students’ development, and get examples of strategies to implement authentic assessment to measure student progress and inform instruction.

• 4:00-6:00 p.m. on May 2, face-to-face at Sinclair ES, OneSource Course #1473021
• 4:00-6:00 p.m. on May 3, face-to-face at Memorial ES, OneSource Course #1473019

Scholastic: Getting Started with PreK EDGE for PreK and EC Special Education teachers. Learn how to implement individualized instruction using engaging, authentic text. During this interactive webinar, participants will learn how EDGE connects striving readers to relevant and essential content needed for future academic success. Register for OneSource Course #1472051 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. May 2-5.

Rice SLC: Finishing Strong: Practical Ideas for End-of-Year Pre-K Workstations for PreK and EC Special Education teachers. Participants will experience engaging hands-on activities to promote children’s independence using new materials related to end-of-year themes. Register for OneSource Course #1472093. Choose one of the following dates and locations for face-to-face instruction:

• 4:00-6:00 p.m. May 5 at Farias ECC
• 4:00-6:00 p.m. May 9 at MLK ECC

Elementary Math

Upcoming Assessments Windows

• 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 K-5 Science Curriculum Feedback: Reflection and Preview: Join us face to face from 4:30–6:30 p.m. May 31 at Alliant Group Headquarters, 3009 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 2000, for the next lead teacher collaborative session. Participants will preview modifications to 2022-2023 school year documents to provide feedback, revisit STAAR 2.0 item types, and preview proposed changes to the new science TEKS. Register in OneSource for Course #1473013.

Grade K-5 Building Blocks of Science 3D (BBS3D): District campuses are receiving new resources to support engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Each campus will receive one set of kits per grade level and an accompanying technology package. To utilize the kits and learn the navigation of BBS3D digital resources, access the Get Ready Professional Learning video library.

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 Home Symbaloo 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, and the screening/awards will be held at 6 p.m. May 31 at Meyerland PVA Middle School. 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 IV. 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.