With the STAAR end-of-course exams coming up in early May, HISD is excited to extend the access of the district’s EOC tutorials to middle school students taking high school algebra and biology. The two self-paced tutorials are available to students 24/7 within the HUB and can be accessed using a laptop, tablet, or even a smart phone. The tutorials were created and designed by a team of HISD teachers, teacher developments specialists, and representatives from curriculum, academics, and the schools’ office.
These tutorials were not designed to be used for STAAR prep during the school day or for classroom instruction. Rather teachers should encourage middle school students taking high school biology and algebra to access the videos, handouts, and other materials in the tutorials before and after school, weeknights, and on weekends as a way to prepare for success on the upcoming state assessments.
To help spread the word to your school community and for step-by-step instructions on how to access the tutorials, please distribute this flyer to students and parents.
HISD is piloting a Teacher Meal program at 29 of its schools to support campus-based educators taking the district’s 4 for $40 Challenge.
Launched in January, the program is intended to allow teachers to obtain adult-sized portions of healthy foods once a week from the schools’ cafeterias, so that they don’t have to leave campus to buy lunch. Teacher meals cost $5 each and are served every Wednesday, with menu offerings ranging from comfort foods to healthy alternatives.
“We use fresh ingredients to create tasty and nutritious dishes for the teachers,” said Nutrition Services Chef Michael Bargas, who is responsible for the recipes in the program. “We want to provide food that is different from student meals, but seamlessly executable by our kitchen staff.”
“We offer a meal that is in line with the 4 for $40 challenge,” added Manager of Food Services Operations Les Baylis, who created the teacher meals concept. “One result is that teachers are able to dine with students, but that isn’t the primary goal.”
The Teacher Meal program currently serves between 10 and 40 percent of teachers at participating schools. Nutrition Services plans to expand the program to additional campuses.
HISD is partnering with the University of St. Thomas to create a new bilingual teacher training program aimed at providing district employees – including paraprofessionals and teachers with a generalist certification – the opportunity to become a bilingual teacher, a critical shortage area for HISD.
The Bilingual Teaching Cohort will accept 20 applicants, who will then take 15 credit hours of specialized coursework through the University of St. Thomas, beginning in the summer of 2015.
Upon completion of the program, participants will have a bilingual teaching certification.
“This program is the result of feedback we gathered from our employees who wanted more professional development opportunities, as well as the need for more ‘grow-your-own’ teaching pipelines,” said Patra Brannon, general manager for Talent Acquisition. “We’re excited to be able to work with the University of St. Thomas to provide this opportunity while also training the next wave of effective bilingual teachers for HISD.”
Applicants must have a four-year degree and demonstrated proficiency in a second language (Spanish preferred). Participants will take graduate-level courses and must commit to teaching at one of HISD’s 140-plus designated campuses as a bilingual teacher of record as early as the fall of 2015.
Two information sessions have been scheduled for employees who want to learn more:
- Monday, April 13—4:30-5:30 p.m., at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092); click here to register.
- Tuesday, April 14—3:30-4:30 p.m., online webinar; click here to register.
Click here to learn more about the Bilingual Teaching Cohort or to apply. The deadline for applications is April 26, 2015.
Rogelio Martinez
This week’s Shout Out goes to Teacher Development Specialist Rogelio Martinez, who earned praised from the math department chair at Las Americas Newcomer School for his outstanding support.
“Mr. Martinez took time to get to know our students and teachers,” said Masooma Razzak. “And he was able to provide resources to support our English Language Learning students. He also provided feedback on our practices while introducing us to champion high-yield strategies. He is awesome!”
| Know someone who deserves a shout out? Send an email to info@houstonisd.org with the subject line “Shout Out for eNews!” and tell us why. |
Principals of the inaugural Blue Star Award finalist schools accept congratulatory certificates on April 8 from Chief Human Resources Officer Andrew Houlihan (far R). Pictured from L-R are: Claudia Chavez (Crockett ES), Gabrielle Coleman (King ECC), Rosa Hernandez (Burbank MS), Monique Lewis (Fondren MS), and Ramon Moss (CVHS).
A commitment to holding both students and staff members to a high performance standard has led to an exciting accolade for a select few HISD campuses. Five schools have been named finalists for the district’s inaugural Blue Star Award for Service Excellence, which is designed to recognize “stars of organizational effectiveness.”
The new award was created to honor schools that provide a high level of customer service; a friendly, professional environment; and a culture of positive expectations.
“Twenty-two schools were nominated,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Andrew Houlihan, “and each one was judged on a rubric of five specific areas.”
As a part of the evaluation, a team of volunteer judges made unannounced, structured visits to each nominated campus, in which they conducted walk-throughs of the facilities and interacted with staff members. They also made anonymous calls to each school to test the clerical staff’s response.
“Even to be nominated, schools had to have a strong focus on academic improvement,” added Dr. Houlihan. “They didn’t have to be the best performers, but they did have to show some evidence of increased achievement.”
The five finalists are:
- Burbank Middle School
- Carnegie Vanguard High School
- Crockett Elementary School
- Fondren Middle School
- King Early Childhood Center
The winner of the award will be announced during a special visit at the end of April. That campus will receive a banner to hang on the outside of the building, a $5,000 cash prize from Capital One, and enough free tickets to an Astros home game for every student and staff member to have one. The school will also be recognized during the game by announcers.
Sometimes, personal or family situations can require employees to be away from work for extended periods of time. That’s why HISD offers different types of leave benefits.
Family Medical Leave (FML) is the most common type of leave for which employees apply. If their requests are approved, employees are granted unpaid, job-protected time off to attend to personal medical issues or care for an immediate family member.
To make HISD’s leave administration process more convenient, the district is partnering with ADP. Starting Monday, April 20, 2015, all leave requests will be handled through that organization, and ADP representatives will begin assisting employees who need help applying for or navigating the various leave benefits. Employees who are currently on leave will continue to work with representatives from HISD’s own HR Employee Services department.
All HISD employees must apply for and be approved to take extended periods of time off for eligible medical, military, developmental or political reasons. Click here to see a list of FAQ on the district’s leave policies.
Employees will receive additional communication in the near future with details on how to contact ADP representatives.
Ten80 Education, a national program to promote and inspire students in STEM, will be making its debut in Houston on May 13, 2015, with the help of The Bernard Harris Foundation. The organization will be hosting a free Expo and STEMFest that day for Houston-area high-school students .
The event will provide students of all subject interests a scope into STEM and enhance STEM students’ knowledge in the subject in a creative way. Participants will engage in a one-day student leadership challenge and participate in workshops featuring robotics, engineering, and innovation. The event is free of charge.
Schools that sign up to attend the Expo with a minimum of 25 students are eligible to receive a National STEM League (NSL) sponsorship (Year 1 Kit & Registration or Year 2 Registration). Select schools will also receive a Ten80 Racing Challenge curriculum worth $4,000 sponsored by the U.S. Army. This curriculum may be implemented as a course or an afterschool program during the 2015-2016 year. The curriculum includes specialized pathways in auto-race engineering, robotics, enterprise, and data-drive design projects.
The deadline to register is Friday, April 10, 2015. Principals can register their schools at http://www.nationalstemleague.com/forms/exporeg.
HISD in the News
- HISD speeds up timetable for renovation of Westbury
- Close-knit lunch group at Lee HS from nine countries
- Student chefs cook up new school lunches
National News Links
HISD will once again implement the “40 in Four” work schedule for summer 2015 for the central office and participating campuses.
The schedule, which allows employees to work their full 40-hour schedule between Monday and Thursday, will begin on Monday, June 1, and end on Friday, July 30, 2015. The district will return to its regular hours of operation on Monday, Aug. 3.
As part of the “40 in Four” period, employees must select a summer work schedule, submit it to their supervisor for approval, and maintain it for the entire summer. Either a 30- or 60-minute daily lunch break must be taken, and employees cannot work through lunch in order to leave early.
Any absences during this work schedule will be counted as 10 hours per day.
The central office and participating campuses will observe the Independence Day holiday on Thursday, July 2. Campuses that opt out of the “40 in Four” schedule will observe the holiday on Friday, July 3.
A memo will be distributed on Thursday, April 2, with additional guidelines.
If you have any questions regarding the “40 in Four” schedule, please contact Human Resources at 713-556-7373.
