Weekly Teacher Download for April 2

ALL TEACHERS

HISD Fine Arts Summit:  HISD is proud to announce the first Fine Arts Summit, which will be held 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 7, at Westbury High School. HISD Fine Arts teachers from every grade level are invited to attend. The Fine Arts Dept. will be providing teachers with essential information and learning relevant to their area of expertise. Professional development will be provided on a variety of topics and content integrations. Fine arts teachers will receive a $100 stipend for attending. Click here to see the flier.

New Teacher Appraisal System: All teachers and administrators are invited to attend a session to learn more about T-TESS, the state’s new appraisal system for teachers.  You will learn how the new system compares with HISD’s locally developed system, TADS, and have an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback regarding the district’s model for teacher appraisals in the future. The first information session will be held Tuesday, March 27, at Waltrip High School (1900 W. 34th St., Houston, 77018) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Click here for more information, including additional dates and information.

Social Studies Teachers PD: Global Kids has received a grant to bring a professional development curriculum to educators in Houston that will enable them to implement the Haunts game-design program in afterschool or informal settings.  Haunts is a STEM-based learning program in which youth designers create a mobile, geo-locative alternate reality game that explores local history and contemporary issues facing a particular neighborhood.  Social Studies teachers interested in STEM are encouraged to sign-up for the free training being held June 4-7 at the African American Library at the Gregory School.  To participate, email Valerie Wade of the Houston Public Library at valerie.wade@houstontx.gov.

Attendance Tip of the Week: Do you know how harmful school absences can be to your campus? The U.S. Dept. of Education states that “nearly half of American parents underestimate the harm of school absences.” It’s important for the administration to share with parents the importance of attendance and how it relates to student achievement. Click here for key research related to elementary school attendance, and click here for secondary research that will help convey the importance of attendance to parents.

ELEMENTARY

Stage Educational Media Training:  Elementary Curriculum and Development has a partnership with “Take the Stage” produced by Gordon Education Initiatives for the Performing Arts with a mission to make arts education free, fun, and accessible for all students. HISD K-5 teachers and fine arts teachers are encouraged to attend a free professional development training hosted by Gordon Education Initiatives on Saturday, April 28, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Neff Elementary School. The training will cover how to use Take the Stage educational media in the classroom and how to use the fine arts to teach the TEKS.  Register in OneSource, course #1025001.

SECONDARY

Together with Tech Student Conference: This year’s tech summit topics include sound, nutrition, and community safety, and include two events:

• Open Expo: Students showcase their work in a pre-assigned presentation space during the event. Open Expo allows students to exhibit the skills they have developed without entering the competition component of the conference.
• Tech Summit Competition: Students deliver a five-minute presentation in which they demonstrate the development of a solution to one of the guiding questions and its impact on the community, as well as demonstrate the competencies of the Global Graduate profile. Each campus is allowed two entries.

To learn more about the competition, click here or consult your Campus Instructional Technologist.

Secondary Curriculum and Development Summer Conference: Secondary teachers and leaders are encouraged to attend the Secondary Curriculum and Development summer conference July 23-24. The theme is ”Reflect, Refocus, Renew.” School leaders and teachers are invited to submit breakout session proposals here. The call for proposals will close on May 18. Participants should register in OneSource. Click here for course codes.

STAAR/EOC Science Training: Are you an eighth grade or high school science teacher who needs help preparing your students for STAAR? Secondary Science Curriculum and Development is offering a training session on April 5 that features hands-on activities and interactive stations where students can review previously taught content and focus on check-for-understanding strategies to promote student comprehension. Middle school science teachers can register in OneSource, course# 1005001. High school science teachers can register in OneSource, course# 1005003.