Weekly Teacher Download for May 23, 2022

ALL TEACHERS

Social and Emotional Learning

May is Mental Health Month. Did you know that one in four people worldwide suffer from mental health concerns and problems each year? May is dedicated to encouraging people to talk about their mental health and reduce the stigma that stops people from asking for help. Here are five causes that may lead to mental illness.

• Family lineage
• Life experiences
• Biological factors
• Pre-birth exposure
• Isolation and loneliness

Seek the help and support you need to enhance your quality of life and general well-being. Please see the SEL-HISD-Need-to-Talk website for hotline numbers.

Academic Instructional Technology

Adobe Creative Challenge: We know our students are “more than a score.” The AIT team, in partnership with Adobe, invites students to show all the things that make them special by participating in our Adobe Creative Challenge. Adobe will be offering prizes to teachers and students! Click here to learn more.

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 has been extended to May 24. 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.

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 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 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 #18 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

Summer Prekindergarten Backpacks: Summer backpacks for 3- and 4-year-olds will be received starting this week and should be sent home with students for the summer. They will reinforce skills learned throughout the year and contain pencils, a journal, quality bilingual books, letter tiles, a kinder math kit, and more in a drawstring backpack (click here for a list of all items). If you need extra backpacks for classrooms with over 22 students, use extra backpacks from the ECSE/PALS classrooms. If you have backpacks left over, reach out to mwaymire@houstonisd.org.

CIRCLE EOY Assessment: The EOY (Wave 3) testing window runs through June 1. There are NO extensions granted during EOY, so please complete all required subtests within this window. For questions, contact Claudia.Azcarate@houstonisd.org. EOY (Wave 3) required subtests are ABC Names, ABC Sounds, Rapid Letter Naming, Rapid Vocabulary, Syllabication, Onset-Rime, Alliteration, Rhyming I, Words in a Sentence, Rote Counting, Shape Naming, Number Discrimination, Number Naming, Shape Discrimination, Counting Sets, Operations, and Observables.

Elementary Math 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

Elementary Science

Grade K-5 Science Curriculum Feedback: Reflection and Preview. Join us May 31 from 4:30–6:30 p.m. 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. This event will be held face to face at Alliant Group Headquarters (3009 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 2000). Register for OneSource #1473013.

2022-2023 Texas K-8 Mobile STEM Lab: To learn more about the Texas K-8 Mobile STEM Lab, complete the Texas Mobile STEM Labs Interest Form before May 27.

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 Summer Programs

The summer Fine Arts Intensives provide opportunities for students to be involved in an array of age-appropriate art experiences in dance, music, theater, and the visual arts. They take place from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. from June 13 through July 7. Fine arts curriculum-based learning is combined with engaging instruction to encourage young performers and artists to enhance their cultural sensitivity and awareness. The intensives are led by HISD-certified teachers at 12 campuses and provided at no cost to students. All levels are welcome, but the middle and high school dance intensives are designed for intermediate and advanced dance students. For more information and to apply, see the Fine Arts website. The deadline to apply is June 8.

Career and Technical Education: See this week’s CTE bulletin, May 2022, Volume III. 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.