Discover the cultural heritage of Korea and Japan at Jan. 24 workshop
Educators who are interested in deepening their understanding of Asian cultures should sign up now for an exciting workshop being offered on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in partnership with the Asia Society.
Entitled “Unveiling the East: Discovering the Cultural Heritage of Korea and Japan,” the all-day event will explore celadon ceramics from Korea and theater masks from Japan, among other pieces.
For complete information, please visit the Asia Society’s website.
The workshop will take place at the museum in the morning, and at the Society’s headquarters in the afternoon.
Toron Wooldridge
This week’s Shout Out goes to Toron Wooldridge, the principal of Bastian Elementary School, from parent Chantelle Sampia, who calls him “wonderful.”
“My children adore him, and I find him to be encouraging,” said Sampia. “He has taken children in one of the most poverty stricken neighborhoods, where people are struggling to keep their heads above water, and brought dignity back to families.”
Sampia was particularly impressed with the many events Wooldridge organizes throughout the year, including family dinners, movie nights, mother/son dances, and lunches for grandparents.
“It may not seem like much, but…I appreciate it,” she said. “It sure warms my heart knowing that someone cares about my future leaders as much as I do…and (is) willing to go to any lengths to make our children smarter, our parents knowledgeable, our teachers wiser, and most importantly, our community a brighter place to live. Thank you, Principal Wooldridge, for all that you give back!”
| 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. |
Frank Whiteside
The HISD family lost a key figure in its Curriculum Department this week, when Frank Whiteside passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 5, 2015.
Whiteside, whom Chief Academic Officer Dan Gohl described as “a strong educator and a wonderful colleague,” was the district’s manager of elementary social studies curriculum at the time of his death. He served Houston’s children for almost two decades, first as a teacher at Sanderson Elementary School (now closed) and later as a curriculum specialist and a model lesson writer.
“Frank spent his life in service to others,” said Director of Elementary Curriculum and Development Rachele Vincent. “He felt passionately about ensuring students learned history and citizenship so that they could make a difference in the world.”
“Frank’s dedication to scholarship, learning, and the importance of good teaching will remain one of our fondest memories of a dear friend and colleague,” added Angela Miller and Montra Rogers of the secondary social studies team. “We will miss him terribly.”
Whiteside received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tuskegee University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Phoenix. He was in the process of obtaining his doctorate in higher education administration from the latter institution at the time of his death.
A funeral has been planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, at the Living Word Fellowship Church (7530 T.C. Jester, 77088), where Whiteside served as an associate pastor. Viewing will be at 10 a.m. Arrangements are being handled by Troy B. Smith Professional Services. An obituary is scheduled to appear in the Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, edition of the Houston Chronicle with additional details.
HISD recently has partnered with two new vendors to provide expert medical advice and manage the Employee Assistance Program.
Aetna Resources for Living will now adminster the employee assistance program (EAP), which is available to all employees who need a confidential, 24-hour resource to help deal with the demands of work, life, or other personal issues.
Resources are available via phone (855-574-HISD) or online at www.mylifevalues.com (username: HISD, password: EAP). There is no charge for employees or their families to use this service.
For those seeking expert medical advice, HISD has now partnered with Advance Medical, which has specialists from top hospitals and research institutions such as Harvard University, the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford University. HISD employees can have specialists review their situations and provide personalized opinions on medical care.
This allows people facing major medical decisions to gain additional insight into determining the right plan for cases that range from cancer, heart disease, and behavioral health to autism, orthopedics, and fertility.
Advance Medical is replacing Best Doctors as the district’s medical advice vendor, and the service is available to employees enrolled in one of the district’s medical benefits plans.
Additional details about Advance Medical will be mailed to employees’ homes. Employees can access the service by calling 866-778-9219 or emailing HISD@advance-medical.com.
About 100 engaged stakeholders attended one of three town hall events in December to voice their input and suggestions around how HISD can improve the way it rewards and supports teachers.
The three meetings – two telephone town halls and one in-person event – were hosted by the Professional Educator Compensation and Support (PECAS) Committee.
The 100-member committee has been meeting since September to look at three key areas: teacher base pay, bonuses and incentives, and development and appraisal. Using those discussions, along with the input gathered during the town halls, the committee will provide “advice” to be presented to the district’s Board of Education during its retreat in January.
During the town hall events, Chief Academic Officer Dan Gohl asked participants to “dream big,” and all input would be taken into consideration.
“We want to make sure we hear as many voices on these topics as possible, and so tonight we invite you to share your open and candid reflections with us,” he said. “Share your suggestions for what we absolutely must do to make sure our teachers are getting what they need to help our students grow and develop each day.”
To date, the committee’s discussions have produced the following advice, much of which was confirmed during the town hall events:
- Use experience and effectiveness to determine teacher base pay
- Incentivize teachers who teach in high-needs schools and subjects
- Provide more meaningful professional development and more time to engage in it
- Solicit teacher feedback on how student performance should be measured
For more information about the PECAS Committtee, visit www.hisdeffectiveteachers.org/pecas.
Lessie James
When Lessie James first came to HISD in the late 1970s, computers were the exception rather than the rule, and she was hired to work in what was then known as the Word Processing department.
“That was before everybody in the world had computers,” explained James. “We typed everything for everybody. I also did editing, proofreading, and scheduling assignments. But 17 years later, they dissolved the department.”
James now serves as a senior analyst in Budgeting and Financial Planning, a role she describes as very gratifying.
“We deal with money, and I love working with principals to help them make the most of their budgets,” said James. “I love my job so much, I feel like I’ve never actually ‘worked’ at a school in all of my years. That’s one reason I haven’t bothered to retire.”
James officially marked her 35th anniversary with the district on Dec. 17, but a few other employees have also marked theirs this month (Dec. 14–Dec. 31). See if you know anyone on this list:
35 years
- Wayne Wise, teacher, Gregg ES
25 years
- Beverly Breaux, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
- David Gonzalez, maintenance repairer, Construction & Facility Services
20 years
- Ralph Colunga, officer, Police Department
- Mercedes Martinez-Lopez, officer, Police Department
10 years
- Ana Chacon, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
- Criselda Ruiz, teacher, Lyons ES
5 years
- Etta Anderson, clerk, Transportation Services
- Jilianne Barzilla, teacher, HCC Life Skills
- Maria Castañeda, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Allison Kerckhoff, teacher, Wilson Montessori
- Jhacole LeGrand, assistant principal, Bellaire HS
- Maria Moreno, clerk, Chávez HS
- José Rodriguez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Deysi Velasquez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
| Check back with us on Jan. 9, 2015, for more Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
Wanda Watson
This week’s Shout Out goes to Wanda Watson, a Food Services attendant at Carnegie Vanguard High School. It’s not often that a student takes the time to praise a district employee, but that’s exactly what happened to Watson. As a result, she was named Carnegie’s Employee of the Month for December.
“Ms. Watson deserves the award because of her hard work, pleasant demeanor, and also how she learns everyone’s name who comes through the breakfast and lunch lines,” wrote the student in her nomination. “Also, it is impressive how she works each morning by herself.”
The campus’ Parent Teacher Organization presented Watson with a gift card in thanks and recognition.
| 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. |
Anderson and Sanchez elementary schools have been named finalists for the National Excellence in Urban Education Award.
The schools were selected by the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) for generating strong test results, high attendance rates, and excellent student behavior among all student demographics. See the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Carnegie Vanguard High School teacher Andrew Dewey, who has been selected to receive the Texas A&M University Inspiration Award for Exceptional Education. Dewey was nominated by his former CVHS student, Brookelynn Russey, who graduates from Texas A&M on Dec. 19. He will be presented the award during the commencement ceremony. Read the full story here.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
When Davis High School teachers deploy laptops to more than 1,700 students in January as part of PowerUp, teachers will be using the HUB to train students on the proper care and use of the device as well as good digital citizenship.
Davis PowerUp Director Wayne Hughes has set up a “Student Laptop Deployment” course in the HUB which contains a series of lessons and power points for students that will be used when laptops are distributed on Jan. 13 and 14. Each deployment teacher at Davis has also been added as a student in the HUB course and has gone through a dry run of how deployment will work.
