Renee Ruiz
This week’s Shout Out goes to Renée Ruiz, an English Language Arts teacher at Burbank Middle School.
Ruiz earned praise from Assistant Principal Ruben I. Piñeda for leading her students to a second-place finish in the middle-school division of the Stock Market Game for the Houston region. The competition is sponsored by the Texas Council on Economic Education, and Ruiz’s class increased the value of their virtual $100,000 investment by almost $1,000 in just 10 weeks.
“Although the Stock Market Game involved virtual investments, students experienced real world learning by implementing skills essential to succeeding in school and life,” said Piñeda. “Students improved their math skills and many of them gained an elaborate understanding of personal finance and economics as they learned how to invest and how to grow their stock.”
A team of students from Pershing Middle School placed first in the same contest.
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If you haven’t already done so, now’s the time to decide on your schedule for the next nine weeks.
The “4-10” summer schedule—in which HISD employees at administrative offices and participating campuses work 40 hours during a four-day period instead of five—will be returning to the district starting Monday, June 2.
Participating employees must submit a notice to their supervisors indicating the hours they will work during the summer schedule, and adhere to that schedule (if approved) for the entire nine-week period. The district’s operating hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. give employees some flexibility in scheduling their 10-hour work days between Monday and Thursday, as does the option of selecting either a 30-minute or a 60-minute lunch break each day.
For complete details, please see this related Academic Services memo. The summer schedule will conclude the week of Friday, Aug. 1, and regular operating hours will resume districtwide on Monday, Aug. 4, 2014.
HISD’s Office of Onboarding and Organizational Development is bringing back three of employees’ favorite professional development sessions, just in time for the summer break.
The topics of these sessions were selected by participants from the previous year, who answered a survey asking for the top three workshops they would like to see offered again.
One session has been scheduled for each of the coming three months. Below is the schedule:
- June 25: Preparing to Shine: Proactive Techniques for Self-Development
- July 9: Upward Management: All Around Success
- Aug. 26: No More Paper Cuts: Filing in the Digital Age
All sessions will take place between 1 and 4 p.m. at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092).
For complete details, including eTRAIN course codes and descriptions, please see this related flyer (.pdf).
Registration must be completed via eTRAIN.
Berndine Hicks
Over the 39 years Berndine Hicks has been teaching in HISD schools, she has probably touched the lives of thousands of students. But that era will be coming to an end on May 30, when the lifelong music teacher finally steps down from position in the classroom.
“My family has been on me [to retire] for the past two years,” explained Hicks. “I’m an active person, and involved in many things, but they want me to share some time with myself and my family.”
Hicks has spent the last 37 years teaching music at River Oaks Elementary School, where she is so beloved that a group of fourth-graders approached her with a petition recently, asking if she would change her mind and stay just one more year, so they could have her as fifth-graders.
“The kids and parents have been very expressive,” said Hicks. “But I’ve been looking forward to a little R&R, and I told them not to worry, because someone wonderful was going to come along behind me.”
Hicks began her teaching career in Victoria ISD, then split her time between Brock ES, Briargrove ES, and Grady MS (then an ES) when first she came to HISD in 1975. She has also served as the drill team sponsor at Washington High School.
“I have been blessed to work at campuses where everyone supports the music program,” said Hicks, who is one of about 200 teachers who are retiring this year. A few employees are actually marking the anniversary of their start dates this week (May 25–31). See if you recognize any of the names below.
30 years
- Dexter Tensley, tractor operator, Construction and Facility Services
20 years
- Morline Fruge, bus driver, Transportation Services
15 years
- Walter Simpson, crossing guard, Blackshear ES
5 years
- Donna Keller, clerk, Horn Academy
Today is the last day of school for teachers in HISD, and that can mean only one thing: it’s time to think about professional development!
For those who haven’t already made plans for earning their continuing education credits this summer, a number of opportunities are still available.
INTERNAL
- Summer Science Institutes: Available for both elementary and secondary teachers, these are being offered by HISD in partnership with Rice University and the Baylor College of Medicine (Deadline: June 5).
- Literacy X3: Classes start as early as June 2 for teachers of grades K through 3 who want to get a head start on learning strategies for the fall semester. Details can be found here (Deadlines: various).
EXTERNAL
- Learning Through Art: Visit the Museum of Fine Arts Houston website for details on full- and half-day workshops for elementary teachers, a middle-school institute, and a two-day mini-conference in late July.
- Summer Energy Workshops: Space is still available for secondary science teachers in three summer energy workshops (.pdf) being offered by the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS). These provide insight into the industry with field trips to various production sites.
- Gifted & Talented: The HMNS will also be offering a lab and a workshop for teachers of Gifted & Talented students starting in June. The workshop will explore ways of differentiating instruction, while the lab will focus on strengthening various content areas based on 2013 STAAR results.
For more information on each of the offerings listed, please click the links included above.
Erin Krafft with one of her students
There’s an old maxim that says “almost” only counts when playing horseshoes or throwing hand grenades. And that’s the same principle math teacher Erin Krafft lives by when demanding the best from her sixth-grade students at Revere Middle School.
Revere is one of 16 HISD middle schools whose teachers are employing author and education expert Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion techniques in their classrooms, and one of Krafft’s favorites is called “100%.”
“Shortly after learning about the technique, I started reflecting on my own classroom practices,” explained Krafft. “And I realized that I often settle for less. I was sending a message to my students that it was all right for them not to complete a task, or at least, not to complete it to their best efforts.”
Krafft began raising her expectations and communicating them to her students, and after a few weeks, she noticed “a huge improvement” in the way her students behaved and learned.
“Even the simple task of asking students to put their hand in the air was difficult at the beginning” she added, “because I used to accept elbows bent, or hands not very high. And when I tried to get them to put their arm straight up proudly, it was like pulling teeth! After a few attempts and the occasional reminder (i.e. “Does your arm look like my arm?” or “Elbow to the ear”), 100% of the students are complying 100% correctly.”
Krafft noted that demanding compliance on something so trivial might seem unrelated to the overall purpose of education, “but teaching students to present their best selves all the time is a huge life lesson. Once I started holding students accountable, I saw a big difference in how they participated, worked and learned in my classroom.”
HISD has traditionally been closed on Memorial Day, but remember: this year, that day (May 26) is the second of two make-up days that will be used to replace instructional time lost due to wintry weather earlier this year. All HISD students, faculty, and support staff are expected to report to class or for duty (respectively).
This is the final make-up day for 2014. For details, please see this related article and list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- May 1–31: Asthma Awareness Month
- May 29: Last day of school (students)
- May 30-June 8: Graduation ceremonies (.pdf)
- June 1: Hurricane season begins
- June 2-Aug. 1: Summer schedule in effect
- June 4 (.pdf): Payday
- June 4–July 3: Summer Meals program
- June 12: Board meeting (regular)
- June 18 (.pdf): Payday
- June 19: Board meeting (budget)
- July 2: Payday
- July 3: Closed for Independence Day (holiday)
- July 10: Board meeting
- July 16: Payday
- August 25: First day of school (students)
- Sept. 1: Labor Day (holiday)
The HISD Health and Wellness Center located at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street, 77092) will be closed on Saturday, May 24, and both locations (HMWESC and Attucks MS, 4330 Bellfort, 77051) will be closed on Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day.
The Houston Independent School District has been selected to receive a 2014 Gold Medallion Award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for its Special Communications Project/Campaign, “PowerUp Communications.”
NSPRA’s Gold Medallion Award is the highest award given by the association in recognition of outstanding school public relations programs. Judges look each year for special programs, projects, and campaigns that combine insightful assessment, detailed planning, creative communication, and careful evaluation. Judges selected only seven winners from 31 entries this year, and HISD was chosen for its internal and external communications efforts surrounding PowerUp.
Read the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- HISD’s Office of Business Assistance, which received a 2013 Texas Excellence Award from the U.S. Trade and Commerce Institute for its success in promoting supplier diversity. The department has exceeded industry benchmarks in customer service and ethical standards within its Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Program by effectively utilizing M/WBE companies for numerous HISD projects in procurement, construction and professional services. Read the full story here.
- Principals Julissa Alcantar-Martinez (Davis HS) and René Sanchez (Chávez HS) being selected by Harvard University to participate in the “Raise Your Hand, Texas” program. They will receive training on how to lead transformational change at the campus level, and advocate for public policies that make public schools better for all Texas students.
- Sunila Abraham, who teaches neuroscience at the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan Middle School. She received an “Excellence in Education” award from the Goldin Foundation for her innovative method of teaching sixth-graders about the brain and the nervous system. The Goldin Foundation was established in 1990 to recognize “unsung heroes” in education for their excellence, expertise, and demonstrable achievement in education.
- Chávez High School teacher Maria Jaramillo, who has been selected as one of six finalists in Johnson & Johnson’s U.S. Champions of Care program. Through May 25, the public will vote to select the grand prize winner, who will attend the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ final match in Rio de Janeiro on July 13. Johnson & Johnson is the Official Healthcare Sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ and created the program to shine a spotlight on people who go above and beyond to do extraordinary things in caring for others. Read more about all six finalists at www.careinspirescare.com.
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