Automotive visionary Henry Ford once famously observed that if you think you can do something, you’re probably right; and if you think you can’t do something, you’re also right.
Believing something is possible may be the most important component of all successful endeavors–be it success in terms of job performance, satisfying relationships, effective leadership abilities, maximum physical and mental health, or person goal attainment.
That’s why HISD’s Benefits Department will be offering a workshop on this very topic on Aug. 13 through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Entitled, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” this workshop will give attendees strategies for transforming negative thought patterns into positive energy.
The workshop will take place in room 3C12 of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092), from noon until 1 p.m.
Interested employees are asked to register via eTRAIN using course code BN00420.
Each year, The Rose offers on-site screening mammograms to female HISD employees who meet certain criteria.
Seven dates have been added for this fall, starting on Sept. 8 at Clifton Middle School and extending through Oct. 30 at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.
Interested women are encouraged to act quickly, as only a limited number of mammograms can be performed each day.
Please see the attached flyer (.pdf) for complete details.
HISD employees who are interested in a night out of family-style entertainment are in for a treat!
The UniverSoul Circus will be in town Aug. 12–17, and it is offering district employees discounted tickets to the 7:30 p.m. performances only on Tuesday, Aug. 12, and Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014.
The shows will take place in the parking lot of Butler Stadium (13755 South Main, 77035).
Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office up to one hour prior to the show on the day of the scheduled performance. Employees must present their ID badge (in person) and/or use the code “HISD” at the time of sale to receive the special discount. Offer good while supplies last.
No more unicorns, rainbows, fancy fonts, sports logos or quotations. That’s the direction HISD Central Office employees are receiving to help unify and professionalize email signatures.
The email signatures are the latest element in a major new branding initiative initiated by Superintendent Terry Grier to establish a unified, business-like image for HISD, both internally and to the outside world. It has included updating the district’s seal, creating a new “Becoming Great All Over” logo, and asking a number of individual departments to select taglines that will define their unique contributions to the district.
A new HISD Style Guide will also guide employees in preparing everything from flyers to PowerPoint presentations with the fresh look and feel.
“We are one unified team and need to portray ourselves that way,” Grier said in an email to Central Office employees this week.
Employees are being provided with a template via email, as well as a page from the Style Guide that will help them set up their new, professional signatures.
If you are a current PROCARD holder or fund approver, you can sign up for one of two “refresher” courses being offered this summer by Procurement Services.
Interested employees may sign up for either the Monday, Aug. 11, class, or the Friday, Aug. 15, class. Both will take place at Pin Oak Middle School (4601 Glenmont, 77401), starting at 2:30 p.m.
Please see this related flyer (.pdf) for details and registration info.
HISD in the News
- Visions: It does take a village for HISD schools
- Ushering in the digital classroom
- HISD names new chief of high schools
- Bellaire HS softball teams grab majority of 20-5A selections
- New Waltrip HS head football coach promises plenty of excitement
- Taking Mandarin education to a whole new level
National News Links
The abbreviated work week HISD adopts each summer will be coming to an end on Friday, Aug. 1, 2014. The district will revert to its normal business hours on Monday, Aug. 4, 2014.
First implemented in 2011, the 4-10 schedule was designed to save the district money on operating expenses during the hot summer months.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- Aug. 8: Team HISD Welcome Back
- Aug. 13: Payday (.pdf)
- Aug. 14: Board meeting (regular)
- Aug. 8–10: Texas Sales Tax Holiday
- Aug. 9: Houston Dash D.E.A.L. for educators
- Aug. 13: New employee orientation
- Aug. 16: Back to School Fest
- Aug. 25: First day of school (students)
- Aug. 27: Payday (.pdf)
- Sept. 1: Labor Day holiday
- Sept. 6: Grads Within Reach walk
- Sept. 10: Payday (.pdf)
- Sept. 11: Board meeting (regular)
Sgt. Sabrina Naulings
Sgt. Sabrina Naulings has been a member of Team HISD since 1994, but her path to a career in law enforcement was hardly straightforward. She served briefly as a temporary clerk in the Benefits Department, but has been with the district’s Police Department ever since. Sgt. Naulings became a police officer in 2006 and earned both her master’s degree in criminology and her peace officer certification in 2013.
“I actually made the decision to become an officer back in 1988, but at the time, HPD had closed their academy for two years, so I pursued other things,” explained the Jones High School alumna, who was also named Employee of the Month in July of 2008. “I didn’t think about it again until later, but God paves the way.”
One of the best things about her decision was “the open arms I got from other officers,” said Sgt. Naulings. “They were all so helpful and eager to offer their support. We really are a family.”
Sgt. Naulings officially marked her 20th anniversary with the district on July 31, but a few other employees are also marking theirs this week (July 27–31). See if you know anyone on this list:
15 years
- Mary Hobbs, bus driver, Transportation Services
10 years
- Janice James, sourcing specialist, Procurement Services
- Maria Lopez-Rogina, principal, Laurenzo ECC
5 years
- Lucila Gomez, teacher, De Chaumes ES
- Christina Jordan, teacher, Bruce ES
- Damon Mitchell, teacher, Sam Houston MSTC
- Haywood Mosby, student worker, Lamar HS
| Check back next Friday for some August Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
Notice a little something extra in your bank account this week? If your direct deposit seems a bit higher than usual, it’s probably due to one of HISD’s periodic “benefits holidays.”
Employees usually experience these days once or twice each year, because HISD only deducts benefit plan premiums from the first two paychecks of any given month. This year, there will be three such holidays, with the second occurring this week.
Please note that this applies only to regular benefits-plan deductions. If an employee has an unpaid balance for benefits, then a deduction to collect past amounts owed may be made on this paycheck.
The next one benefits holiday will be in December.
The three-day Personalized Learning Institute (PLI) that was originally scheduled in August has been redirected to the campus level for all secondary teachers.
Instead of attending PLI, middle- and high-school teachers will now spend this time with their colleagues and leadership teams on campus-based professional development.
The PLI for secondary teachers was originally scheduled for Aug. 12–14 and Aug. 18–20. If you are a secondary teacher who has not yet received an email with instructions on where to report during the time you would have spent at the PLI, please contact your principal for details.
Please note that this modification does not affect elementary schools or elementary teachers.
