All HISD teachers should be sure to acknowledge their Student Performance measures through the district’s Teacher Assessment and Development System by Oct. 6, 2014.
Appraisers have selected teachers’ Student Performance measures using the online Student Performance Tool and teachers should have received an email inviting them to log into the Student Performance Tool and acknowledge the measures.
Please contact TADS@houstonisd.org if you have any questions.
HISD is doing it again! We’ve partnered with HealthyWage to bring you the $10,000 Team Weight Loss Challenge.
Join the challenge and compete to lose weight and win huge cash prizes. The challenge started Oct. 17, but your last chance to register is Friday, Oct. 31!
To sign up, create a team of five co-workers, family members and/or friends and compete over 12 weeks to lose weight. Over $40,000 in cash prizes, including:
- 1st place team: $10,000
- 2nd place team: $5,000
- 3rd place team: $3,000
Additional prizes include dozens of $100 cash awards for participants who lose 6% of their weight, and prizes for weekly Mini-Challenges!
Sign up for just $70, payable as $23.33/month for three months, for your chance at the $10,000 team prize. Get your full fee back if you lose 10% body weight within nine months.
If you have any questions, please contact the HealthyWage team. Email info@healthywage.com or call (888) 636-3832.
HISD in the news/National news links for the week of Sept. 26, 2014
HISD in the News
- HISD’s new programs focus students on future careers
- Walgreens to offer HISD pharmacy students job training, field experiences
- Why some Houston students are practicing yoga in P.E. class
- Students keeping hands in to learn advanced sign language
- “Rewriting the SATs” by Carnegie Vanguard HS alumnus Will Larsen (pp. 37–39)
National News Links
- Two urban school districts to split the 2014 Broad Prize
- When should teachers incorporate current events into their lessons?
- Kids who make it to U.S. must cope with violence they left behind
- School finance: The never-ending battle
- Bringing Twitter to the classroom
Elfrida Brown
Elfrida Brown didn’t set out to be a music teacher, but once she got into the classroom, she knew she was in the right place.
“I wanted to be a jazz musician, but my mother always said go to school so you can learn how to teach it,” explained Brown. “It was really hard at the beginning, but every year it got better.”
Brown has been a member of Team HISD since 1984, and a teacher at Codwell Elementary for most of that time. “When you have not just the talent for it, but the passion, you don’t mind doing it for free if you have to,” she said. “But I know I am in the place where I am supposed to be on Earth. Being a music teacher to me is a journey. It’s exciting. And I am enjoying myself.”
Highlights from her career include seeing Coretta Scott King outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Atlanta while on a trip with students, watching her students perform at Carnegie Hall in 2010, and the time she took 56 students to perform in Washington D.C.
“We had an open house at Codwell one night and one of the senators was there. I don’t remember which one. But he said, ‘I sure would like to hear this group perform in Washington,’ and my principal at the time was Mary Addison, and she just ran with it. We filled up two planes.”
Brown officially marked her 30th anniversary with the district on Sept. 21, but a few other employees are also marking theirs this week (Sept. 21–27). See if you know anyone on this list:
35 years
- Virginia Bateman, attendant team lead, Food Services
30 years
- James Harding, officer, Police Department
- Pamela Moore, teacher, Cornelius ES
- Alma Perez, secretary, J. P. Henderson ES
25 years
- Sheila Barnwell, clerk, Lanier MS
- Alma Cepeda, teaching assistant, Marshall MS
- Christina De La Rosa, student information representative, Scarborough HS
- Hermelinda Gonzalez, assistant principal, Park Place ES
- Jose Guerrero, painter, Construction & Facility Services
- Doreen Howard, teacher, Anderson ES
- Elise Johnson, assistant principal, Welch MS
- Tanja McGowen-Welmers, clerk, Transportation Services
- Cirilo Ojeda, officer, Police Department
- Lewis Rhone, associate teacher
- Lucille Richard, secretary, Construction & Facility Services
20 years
- Sinabu Amubieya, teacher, Martinez C ES
- Mirta Arzola-Contreras, teacher, Janowski ES
- Ivan Castillo, teacher, Briscoe ES
- Jacqueline Cayton, dean of students, Sharpstown Intl. School
- Judy Harrison, teacher, Foerster ES
- Verlincia Hewitt, attendant, Food Services
- Damon Matthews, teacher, Jackson MS
- Valentina Mozia, teacher, Marshall MS
- Victor Osayande, associate teacher
- Rowland Osuagwu, teacher, Wheatley HS
- Rosa Romero, attendant, Food Services
- Jennifer Siebels, teacher, Shadowbriar ES
- Kim Walker, teacher development specialist, Professional Support & Development
15 years
- Ana Aguilar, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Anil Desai, teacher, DeBakey HS
- Robert Eugene, associate teacher
- Gretchen Irey, librarian, Gregory-Lincoln MS
- Cicely Kelly, teacher development specialist, Professional Support & Development
- Gilbert Lee, crossing guard, MacGregor ES
- Godfrey Makoge, teacher, Grissom ES
- Olga Maldonado, teaching assistant, Scroggins ES
- Sybil Mason, teacher development specialist, Alternative Certification Program
- Gregory Menephee, teacher, Bellaire HS
- Alicia Montgomery, teacher, Thomas MS
- Ernestine Newton, associate teacher
- Melissa O’Dell, teacher, West University ES
- Sonya Pichon, teacher, Rice School K-8
- Janet Rawlins, associate teacher
- Patricia Requenes, teacher, DeAnda ES
- Chandra Robertson, senior manager, Transportation
- Myrtle Shorter, teacher, Welch MS
- Maria Stovey, clerk, HSPVA
- Gloria Thomas, teaching assistant, Fonwood ECC
10 years
- Lois Blackmon, associate teacher
- Sandra Bohorquez, teacher, Braeburn ES
- Eric Bonner, maintenance helper, Construction & Facility Services
- Rene Bowling, associate teacher
- Ellis Brandon, teacher, Worthing HS
- Tram Chau, teacher, Daily ES
- Gabriele Garcia, student information representative, Chávez HS
- Earline Grabbe, clerk, Pershing MS
- Justin Oliver, quality assurance analyst, Construction & Facility Services
- Debra Roberts, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Donna Sordia, teacher, Wharton ES
- Katie Tran, associate accountant, Property Management
- Collins Ukadike, associate teacher
- Hilda Vera, teacher, Wharton ES
- Stacey Whitmore, teacher, Lanier MS
- Harrison Wright, bus driver, Transportation Services
5 years
- Maxine Baldwin, associate teacher
- Caryn Barron, associate teacher
- Mary Bell, associate teacher
- Brenda Burchfield, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Robin Carter, clerk, Osborne ES
- Gladys Donatti, teacher, MacGregor ES
- Paul Fernandez, IT customer service representative, Tinsley ES
- Juan Garza, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Elizabeth Gonzalez, teacher, Bonner ES
- Daphne Goolsbee, teacher, Wilson Montessori
- Tannklaneekqia Harris, teacher, Whidby ES
- Stanley Hillard, associate teacher
- Tai Ho, teacher, Houston Academy International
- Edythe Houston, associate teacher
- Cheryl Howard, teacher, Pilgrim Academy
- Zambrano Irizar, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Ashley Ivory, teaching assistant, Red ES
- Patsy Jimenez, teacher, Peck ES
- Mark Johnson, teacher, Reagan HS
- Sedric Jones, associate teacher
- Jammale Joubert, teacher, Bruce ES
- Gipsy Leal, teacher, Lantrip ES
- Valeria McMaster, teacher, Bush ES
- Shirley McMillan, associate teacher
- Lorena Murillo, associate teacher, Piney Point ES
- Thu Nguyen, teaching assistant, King ECC
- Henrietta Nixon, associate teacher
- Linda Range, teacher, Scroggins ES
- Junior Rideau, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Joyce Rogers, instructional specialist, Waltrip HS
- Mayra Rosas, teacher, Martinez C ES
- April Ruben, teacher, Madison HS
- Sahar Saidy, teacher, Westbury HS
- LaNelle Simpson, associate teacher
- Cheryl Swensen, associate teacher
- Anel Villarreal, clerk, Roosevelt ES
- Nancy Wallace, associate teacher
- Keri Ward, counselor, Marshall ES
- Alissa Westmoreland, teacher, Berry ES
- Jermaine Williams, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Michael Wright, teacher, Thomas MS
- Johnnie Young, grounds worker, Construction & Facility Services
| Check back next Friday for more September Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
Through a special arrangement with the Texas Vaccine Institute, HISD is once again providing free flu shots to all interested HISD employees through the end of October.
The quadrivalent vaccine is available at both campus and non-campus-based locations across the district—and for the first time, an intranasal vaccine is also being offered for only $5.
Check this schedule (.pdf) to find an upcoming date at a facility convenient to you. It will be updated weekly, so be sure to check back if your campus or work location is not yet listed. The schedule can also be found on the homepage of the employee portal.
Please note that the free vaccines are available to employees only, who must present a district ID badge at the time the shot is administered.
If you have questions, please call the HISD Benefits Department at 713-556-6655 or email benefitsoutlook@houstonisd.org.
The Retirement Storefront at HISD will be hosting retirement seminars from 5:00pm – 7:00 p.m. on the following dates this fall at HMW:
- Wednesday, Nov. 12
- Wednesday, Dec. 3
All district employees are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about their Teacher Retirement System (TRS) benefits.
Employees must register through e-TRAIN to attend, and select course code #BN0200.
Questions may be directed to V. Janene English at 713-695-5561.
Many Houstonians have heard about the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, but did you know that the Bayou City also has a Buffalo Soldier museum? How about one dedicated exclusively to contemporary crafts? Or even the Czech culture?
You can learn about all of these and more at the upcoming “Museum Experience” coordinated quarterly by the Houston Museum District. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, and will highlight the five museums in “Zone 4,” the Children’s Museum of Houston, the Health Museum, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo, and the Rice University Art Gallery.
For more information, please visit the Houston Museum District’s website.
HISD in the News
- Westside HS cadets conduct annual tribute to victims of 9-11
- Back-to-school supply drive benefitting Gregory Lincoln declared a success
- HISD creates realistic scenarios for safety training
- Kashmere Gardens ES students help out with marriage proposal
- HISD adopts groundbreaking anti-bullying policy
National News Links
John Hendrickson
Field Elementary School Principal John Hendrickson is marking 25 consecutive years of service to HISD this week, but he actually has 27 years under his belt as an educator. The Tokyo native started out as a biology teacher at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in 1978, but only taught there for a few years before leaving for greener pastures.
“My second year of teaching, I got married,” explained Hendrickson, “and at that point, it became a financial issue.”
Before returning to the classroom in 1989, Hendrickson spent more than a decade “in the oil patch,” working with various companies to promote their services to engineers and geologists. “My bachelor’s degree was in geology,” he said, “so it wasn’t that hard to switch fields.”
When the oil industry went south in the 1980s, Hendrickson returned to HISD, and since that time, he has served as a teacher, a dean of instruction, an assistant principal, and the director of secondary schools in what was then known as the North Central District. Now in his tenth year at Field Elementary, Hendrickson notes that he is only the sixth principal to lead that school since it opened in 1929. “I think this is the longest I’ve ever been in one spot,” he noted, “but principals in this building tend to stick around. And at this point, I am totally committed to education. Even when the economy got better, I never thought about doing anything else.”
Hendrickson officially marked his 25th anniversary with the district on Sept. 18, but a few other employees are also marking theirs this week (Sept. 14–20). See if you know anyone on this list:
45 years
- Judy Colbert-Taylor, associate teacher
- Mary Haverly, teacher, Hobby ES
40 years
- Diane Fields, attendant, Food Services
- Juan Rey, senior mechanic, Transportation
30 years
- Charlotte Foreman, teacher, Hobby ES
- Mearlean Peterson, teacher, Valley West ES
- Martha Salinas, senior student information representative, Federal and State Compliance
- John Smith, stadium attendant, Athletics
- Laura Smith, teaching assistant, Mading ES
25 years
- Wendolyn Gates, teacher, Gregg ES
- Francisca Rios, student information representative, Seguin ES
20 years
- Marilyn Christensen, teacher, Eliot ES
- Stacy Flemming, teacher, Washington HS
- Donna Harris, teacher, Marshall MS
- Theresa Luna, student information representative, Sam Houston MSTC
- Rosie Salguero, clerk, Robinson ES
15 years
- Alicia Jackson, teacher, Frost ES
- Cora Robinson, stadium attendant, Athletics
- Mariana Simpson, teacher, Parker ES
- Adrienne Tollerson, teacher, Sutton ES
- Jackeline Vanegas, secretary, Herod ES
- David Warren, officer, Police Department
10 years
- Roderick Bodeta, campus education technologist, Austin HS
- Myrah Clemens, evaluation specialist, Child Study
- Reva Johnson, associate teacher
- Annie Marshall, attendant team lead, Food Services
- Eddie Melton, stadium attendant, Athletics
- Ronnie Porter, teacher, Kashmere HS
- Maria Romero, clerk, Montgomery ES
- Rodney Williams, stadium attendant, Athletics
- Brenson York, officer, Police Department
5 years
- Femi Afolayan, senior accounting manager, Finance
- Francisca Arellano, clerk, Bruce ES
- Linda Barker, teaching assistant, Lanier MS
- Sharon Bates, teacher, Worthing HS
- Oscar Cerna, teaching assistant, Shearn ES
- Christina Cervantes, clerk, Whittier ES
- Mireya Cuellar, clerk, Fleming MS
- Mariah Figueroa, teacher, Pilgrim Academy
- Obed Gama, clerk, Burbank MS
- Yulanda Glutz, teacher, Chavez HS
- Jennifer Ha, associate teacher
- Hattie Hayward, associate teacher
- Laura Hernandez, teacher, Bonner ES
- Alirio Huertas, teacher, Gross ES
- Chatney Johnson, teacher, Gregg ES
- Isiah Jones, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Nikka Jones, evaluation specialist, Child Study
- Demetrius Joseph, teacher, Ortiz MS
- Sharron Longmire, associate teacher
- Ruth Lopez, teacher, MCLIMS
- Chao Lu, associate teacher
- Marian Mabry, clerk, HSPVA
- Latasha McMurray, teacher, Key MS
- BrendaMoore, clerk, Wilson Montessori
- Cesar Moreira, clerk, Bellaire HS
- Phuong Ngo, teacher, Valley West ES
- Donnie Rambo, associate teacher
- Luisa Romero, teacher, River Oaks ES
- Angelica Saenz, teacher, Laurenzo ECC
- Patrice Stephenson, teaching assistant, King ECC
- Melbarys Triguero-Delhoyo, associate teacher
- Evelyn Wilder, associate teacher
| Check back next Friday for more September Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
Q: I need to take some time off this month, but none of my leave balances (vacation, state, or local) have been updated to reflect the new school year. Don’t we usually get our next influx of days on Sept. 1?
A: Yes. And most employees have already received theirs. Only those who work a 12-month duty schedule (there are about 4,000 of them) have not seen adjustments to their leave balances yet, due to the way the pay periods fall this year. The last paycheck employees received (Sept. 10) reflects the pay period that ended Aug. 31, so the new, higher leave balances should appear on the Sept. 24 paycheck detail.
| If you have a question for Ask HISD, please send an email to AskHISD@houstonisd.org. |
