Mario Vaquera and Leonor Avila
HISD’s Construction and Facility Services (CFS) department launched an internal Employee of the Month program in June to recognize 24 members of its team per year—one per month from each of its two main branches: facilities (maintenance) and operations (custodial services).
The honorees for September are:
- Mario Vaquera (facilities)—Vaquera is a lead plumber who was described by his nominators as “an extremely valuable employee. He plays an important role in ensuring Area 3 meets and exceeds all goals and expectations. If there is a plumbing issue, you can count on him being front and center to find a solution.”
- Leonor Avila (operations)—Avila is a plant operator at Gallegos Elementary School who was described by her nominator as “an asset to HISD. She is very dependable and goes the extra mile. She is very proactive.”
Congratulations to Vaquera and Avila!
Vanessa Nieto-Gomez
Since Vanessa Nieto-Gomez joined Team HISD in 1984, she has served as a first- and second-grade teacher, a Guided Reading interventionist, a Title I coordinator, and a new-teacher trainer, but when asked which role has meant the most to her over the years, she hesitates.
“Oooh, that’s a hard one,” she says. “It’s really a tie, because I love what I do right now, but my experience as a reading teacher at Will Rogers [ES, now closed] was also very meaningful. Three of us started the Guided Reading program there and we were able to address any issues that the students had so they became better readers. The teachers of the older grades were starting to notice, so there was recognition in the value of what we were doing. I’m glad to see the district moving in that direction again [with Literacy By 3].”
Nieto-Gomez now serves as the mentoring program coordinator for new teachers in Professional Support & Development, where she has successfully made the transition from teaching children to teaching adults.
“I enjoy the teaching very much,” says the California native. “It’s gone by pretty quickly.”
Nieto-Gomez will officially mark her 30th anniversary with the district on Sept. 13, but a few other employees are also marking theirs this week (Sept. 7–13). See if you know anyone on this list:
35 years
- Patrick Raney, senior HVAC repairer, Construction & Facility Services
30 years
- Rebecca Arreola, teacher, Daily ES
- Loretta Landry, teacher, Foerster ES
- Ramona Davis, teacher specialist, Pilgrim Academy
- Cheryl Foster, teacher, Young ES
- Nolan Johnson, senior small engine repairer, Construction & Facility Services
25 years
- Shawn Chilo, speech therapist, Child Study
- Dawn Huebner, clerk, Clifton MS
- Mellanee Jones, teacher, Bellfort ECC
- Jeffery Lee-Henry, teacher, Austin HS
- Alicia Obando, crossing guard, Horn ES
- Denarda Pierre, customer service representative, Construction & Facility Services
- Thomas Riffle, teaching assistant, White ES
- Charlotte Sias, teacher, Hartman MS
- Erma Smith, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Angela Tillmon, senior student information representative, Federal and State Compliance
- Cynthia Trujillo, teacher, Rodriguez ES
- Carmand West, attendant team lead, Food Services
- Mary Williams, teacher, Austin HS
20 years
- Diana Anaya, teacher, Park Place ES
- Theresa Davis, teaching assistant, Chávez HS
- Charles Norman, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
- Starla Reichek, nurse, Garden Oaks Montessori
- Maria Sanchez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
15 years
- Miriam Alvarado, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Ana Cruz, teaching assistant, Pilgrim Academy
- John Dixon, teacher, T. H. Rogers MS
- Hermelinda Gutierrez, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Monica Hicks, secretary, Williams MS
- Juan Huerta, teacher, Piney Point ES
- Maria Niño, teacher, DeAnda ES
- Gary Peters, teacher, DeBakey HS
- Cora Robinson, stadium attendant, Athletics
- Veronica Starovic, teacher, Eliot ES
- Adrienne Tollerson, teacher, Sutton ES
- Jackeline Vanegas, secretary, Herod ES
10 years
- Pearl Adams, clerk, Transportation Services
- Antonia Adams-Batres, teacher, Lockhart ES
- Dennis Andrus, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Paul Blue, stadium attendant, Athletics
- LouEthel “Lucy” Bremond, director of community engagement, Strategic Partnerships
- Norma Chavez, clerk, Bellfort ECC
- Tracey Clary, teacher, Horn ES
- Rosa Diaz, analyst, Budgeting & Financial Planning
- Sheryl Holmes, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Jeffrey Knoblauh, teacher, Sugar Grove Academy
- Lincoln Jacobs, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Ernestine Jones, associate teacher
- Osias Mendoza, teacher, Love ES
- Denise Morgan, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Ethel Nelms, associate teacher
- Azusena Orellana, secretary, Alcott ES
- Albert Pizana, associate teacher
- Lindsey Pollock, principal, Garden Oaks Montessori
- Doretha Pullum, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Jennifer Purvey, teacher, Piney Point ES
- Diana Quintero, associate teacher
- Rosie Riston, associate teacher
- Lisa Springer, associate teacher
- Lakeisha Washington, teacher, Burbank MS
5 years
- Ruby Alexander, associate teacher
- Larry Boyd, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Susan Bradford, teacher, Longfellow ES
- Gregory Carmouche, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Zoila Castillo, clerk, Laurenzo ECC
- Abu Conteh, associate teacher
- Ana Corona, clerk, Park Place ES
- Dion Craig, associate teacher
- Daniel Duong, senior analyst, Budgeting & Financial Planning
- Jesus Figueroa, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Fayester Foulcard, associate teacher
- Terry Grier, superintendent of schools
- Donna Gruetzmacher, analyst, Budgeting & Financial Planning
- Estrella Guerrero, clerk, Park Place ES
- Juan Guillen, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Lashawnda Harris, nurse, Lyons ES
- Folashade Ituah, associate teacher
- Timory Jacobs, teacher, Black MS
- Brenda Jefferson, attendant, Food Services
- George Jolly, teacher, Mark Twain ES
- Esperanza Lenis, associate teacher
- Roxana Maldonado, secretary, Henry MS
- Edna Martinez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Jaime Montano-Hidalgo, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Migdalia Moreno, receptionist, Stevens ES
- MaribelParada, teacher, Bellfort ECC
- Silvia Perez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Aaron Rodriguez, aide, Twain ES
- Sandra Salazar, teacher, Brookline ES
- Pamela Stephens, teacher, Dowling MS
- Anne Sung, teacher, Davis HS
- Evelyn Wilder, associate teacher
- Alexandrea Williams, instructional specialist, Pershing MS
- Esther Zamarripa, teacher, Burbank ES
| Check back next Friday for more September Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
HISD in the news/National news links for the week of Sept. 12, 2014
HISD in the News
- HISD weighs naming school after the late U.S. Rep. Leland
- Tackling the constitutionality of unfair educational funding
- Houston’s diversity brings new economic opportunities
- More than 1,100 bus drivers, attendants train in safety expo
- Going viral: Using laptops, flash drives, and YouTube videos to model the structure and function of viruses (.pdf)
National News Links
If you’re a teacher who still has outstanding balances on student loans, you may qualify to have those partially forgiven, deferred, or even cancelled all together if you teach a subject deemed a critical shortage area by the Texas Education Agency.
Options depend on what type of loan you have received (e.g. Stafford, Perkins, etc.) and other eligibility requirements.
For complete details, please visit the TEA or U.S. Dept. of Education websites.
Q: HISD used to distribute a booklet each August with details on dozens of discounts available to district employees for various goods and services. It contained special offers on everything from air conditioning to wallpaper, but I haven’t seen it in years. What happened to it?
A: The HISD Employee Discount Program (booklet) was discontinued in the summer of 2008 and replaced by two national discount programs.
MyTRS Rewards is offered through Beneplace and is available to any member of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, while the Aetna Discount Program (including LifeMart Shopping website) is offered as a part of the HISD healthcare benefits program.
For details on how to access these programs, please see the instructions listed here. You can also read more about MyTRS Rewards in the July 2014 edition of the TRS newsletter (.pdf; see p. 7)
| If you have a question for Ask HISD, please send an email to AskHISD@houstonisd.org. |
Dr. Lindsey Pollock
This week’s Shout Out goes to Garden Oaks Montessori Principal Lindsey Pollock from teacher Marisa Zepeda-Zamora, who praised her for “her unwavering commitment to superior education.”
“Dr. Pollock is the most compassionate, committed, and inspiring person,” said Zepeda-Zamora. “She is amazing to our staff, children, and community, and I am honored to work with her.”
Under Dr. Pollock’s leadership, Garden Oaks Montessori has received the Welcoming Schools Seal of Excellence, won an NFL Play 60 grant, and been named a National Magnet School of Merit.
Dr. Pollock is also one of dozens of employees hitting their hiring-date anniversary with the district this week.
| 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. |
Students across the city of Houston will soon be learning more about the document that helped shape America, as they do every year in mid-September.
Sept. 17 is the day on which the United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia in 1787, and public school districts that receive federal funding are required to provide instruction on that historic document and its significance on the day set aside each year for its observance.
HISD’s Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment department will be posting an Academic Services memo related to this requirement and detailing the many social studies resources available to teachers on Monday, Sept. 15.
HISD’s Supplemental Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) program offers participants up to 30 additional leave days in the event of a catastrophic injury or illness (as defined by the plan) resulting in an extended absence from work.
SSLB membership confirmations and enrollment materials were emailed to eligible employees during the week of Sept. 9, 2014. Current SSLB participants are automatically re-enrolled. Enrollment forms and plan details are also available on the SSLB webpage.
Eligible employees may enroll or cancel their memberships through Sept. 25, 2014. This will be their last opportunity to terminate their membership for the 2014–2015 school year. A enrollment-only opportunity will be held in November concurrently with the sign-up period for other district benefits.
Contact Employee Support Services at 713-695-5561 for additional assistance.
[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000D22Yi_60Jbs” g_name=”20140914-HumanResources” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]More than 100 members of HISD’s Human Resources department were recognized on Sept. 2 for their hard work and dedication. As a group, their efforts resulted in the district having zero administrative or teaching vacancies by Aug. 25, 2014, the first day of the school year.
“We really wanted to thank you all and show our appreciation for helping us reach our goal,” said HISD Chief Human Resources Officer Andrew Houlihan.
As of last week, the district had seen an increase in student enrollment in HISD compared to last year. With that increase, the need for teachers and staff is going to continue, Dr. Houlihan said.
Each member of the department received a certificate of recognition for his or her hard work, professionalism, and dedication. This is the first year the department has given out the awards to staff.
“It felt really great to be honored and recognized,” said HISD Human Resources Selection Specialist Cierra Nickerson. “It makes me feel like my work has not gone unnoticed.”
Dr. Houlihan said the effort and great attitudes of each staff member are appreciated, as is the collaborative support provided by the Office of School Support and building principals.
“The work that Human Resources does is a total team effort, and goes beyond the first week of school,” Dr. Houlihan said.
