Weekly Teacher Download for Jan. 28

ALL TEACHERS

Literacy Refresher Training: The Elementary and Secondary Curriculum and Development Departments is offering leadership refresher courses in the month of February at the Houston Education Learning Center (10725 Mesa Dr., 77078). Those interested will learn how to increase the successful implementation of the district literacy initiatives—Literacy by 3, Literacy in the Middle, and Literacy Empowered. The three-part series will review the research-based components of the initiative while correlating high-impact strategies and tools to assist in implementation. For more information on dates, location and OneSource course numbers, click here.

National History Day: The HISD Innovation & Postsecondary Programming Department is excited to coordinate HISD’s National History Day (NHD) competition for grades K -12 on February 23, 2019 at Hattie Mae White. HISD Social Studies teachers and students are encouraged to incorporate NHD components into their teaching. NHD expectations strongly align with HISD disciplinary practices. As a reminder, registration for the district’s event will close on February 10. For additional details, please click here.

​Dental Health Month Contest: HISD elementary and middle school students are encouraged to participate in the Dental Health Poster Contest recognizing the American Dental Association’s National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) 2019 campaign. This month-long observance brings together dental professionals, health care providers, and others to promote the benefits of good oral health to children and adults, caregivers and teachers. This year’s campaigns slogan is “Brush and Clean in Between to Build a Health Smile.” For contest rules and criteria, click here. If interested in participating, please complete this form. For more information on how the contest will be judged, click here.

Souper Bowl of Caring: All HISD schools and members of Team HISD are invited to participate in the 2019 Souper Bowl of Caring, a youth-led, national food drive that mobilizes thousands of young people to fight hunger and poverty in their communities leading up to the NFL Super Bowl weekend. Schools interested in participating in this year’s campaign are asked to assign a campus coordinator and register here before Jan. 25 to receive a free resource kit. For more details and to volunteer, click here.

ELEMENTARY

Books Between Kids: The Elementary Curriculum Department is pleased to share an opportunity with Books Between Kids, a Houston-based non-profit organization founded in 2012. The organization’s mission is to build home libraries for Houston’s at-risk children by providing them with free books that they get to select and take home during fun, free book fairs called book celebrations. Books Between Kids is inviting your campus to participate in the program, so that your students can receive free books through the book celebration. If you would like for your campus to participate this year, please complete and submit the new school application form.

K-1 Literacy Opportunities: Innovations for Learning, a non-profit, which currently supports HISD, will be presenting a special opportunity for kindergarten through first-grade classrooms to participate in an early reading intervention program. This unique, sustainable program is geared towards substantially increasing the percentage of students reading at grade level at the end of first grade. Selected schools will be provided all necessary software, support, tablet devices, tech set-up and a specially trained Early Literacy Interventionist to work one-on-one with students. For selected dates and times, sign-up by completing this google form.

SECONDARY

Graduation Schedule: The 2019 Graduation schedule has been released. Please share it with your colleagues and community, so that they can make necessary arrangements. Campuses will receive additional information regarding logistics, planning, site visits, and communications. Seating for all ceremonies will begin one hour before ceremony time. To view the schedule, click here.

CTE PD—Resumes and Cover Letters: Do you want to help your students on the importance of having a well-prepared resume and cover letter? Join Career Readiness on Friday, Feb. 15 at Sterling Aviation Early College High School (11625 Martindale Rd., 77048) from 1:30-4 p.m. for a CTE training that will help you prepare your students with the essential skills needed to get their foot in the door. Workforce Solutions will assist teachers on educating students to obtain the job of their dreams.  The focus will be creating impressive resumes, completing applications, writing cover letters, and more through hands-on-activities. If interested, register in OneSource, course # 1384003.  Please bring your laptop.

2019 AP Summer Institute: Teachers planning to teach an AP class for the 2019-2020 school year will have the opportunity to attend an AP Summer Institute (APSI). Thanks to the HISD Innovation & Postsecondary Programming, the department will cover the cost of teacher registration and fees for those that meet the requirements. AP teachers need to have a broad range of instructional strategies and deep content knowledge in order to build student mastery in the subject and increase the likelihood of future success at college. Click here for the requirements. If you meet the criteria, complete the APSI registration survey by Friday, May 31.