HISD | Employee News: HISD’s news for district employees

ALL TEACHERS

Teacher Incentive Allotment program
Next spring, HISD will be participating in the TEA’s Teacher Incentive Allotment, a program that aims to help districts boost student success while also recruiting and retaining high-quality educators. HISD is eager to be a part of this program because it will help increase salaries for the district’s highest performing teachers while also ensuring students have equitable access to the most effective teachers. HISD is seeking stakeholder feedback, so please take a few minutes to complete the Teacher Incentive Allotment Stakeholder Engagement Survey. Responses will be submitted anonymously, and all information collected is confidential. Visit www.houstonisd.org/tia to learn more about the program.

Leadership Development: Apply now for the Campus Leadership Internship Program.
HISD is seeking qualified internship candidates who would like to become campus leaders in the district next school year. The 2020-2021 HISD Campus Leadership Internship is a one-year paid residency that includes a $15,000 scholarship to the University of Houston for a master’s degree. For more information, see this story.

Office of the Chief of Staff
HISD is seeking input for the development of the Local Designation System as part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). The aggregate information will be shared with various committees to help guide the design process of the Local Designation System. All information is completely anonymous and confidential. To find out more about TIA and HISD, visit our website at www.houstonisd.org/TIA. Click here to complete the survey.

Recruitment and Selection
Attention paraprofessionals! Are you interested in becoming a full-time teacher but want to finish your degree while still working as a paraprofessional? Apply for the Community Teacher Equity Development Program, which is a partnership between the University of Houston College of Education and HISD, at https://bit.ly/32m7F24 by April 26, 2021. For more information, see this flyer.

Social and Emotional Learning
The Let’s Stay Connected Mental Health Hotline provides emotional, social, and psychological supports to students and parents who feel the need for assistance and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 713-556-1340. All callers may remain anonymous. Trained staff from Social and Emotional Learning are available to offer counseling and mental health education, and make referrals in English and Spanish. Please find downloadable resources at the SEL website for webinars and companion handouts. Visit the SEL Google Site for more information on training sessions.

Multilingual
Save the date! The third annual multilingual symposium, “The Blueprint: Engineering Foundations that Build Academic Language,” via Teams is set for June 25-26, 2021. The deadline to register is June 24, 2021. See this story for more information.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Career and Technical Education
Please view the Weekly CTE Bulletin, April 2021 Vol. IV, regarding how to submit your CTE Teacher of the Month entry, CTE student highlights, professional learning opportunities, upcoming workshops, conferences, job opportunities for youth, and other teacher-related resources. Please review the HISD Grant Development Newsletter, V. 4. High school principals and CTE administrators, join us for open labs to discuss Industry-Based Certification Entries for the 2020-2021 school year. Also, please see the April Professional Development Calendar. All OneSource courses are self-paced for CTE teachers; register through OneSource to receive credit. Visit the HUB for Career Readiness updates, resources, and announcements, including Career and Military Signing Day on May 20. In other news, Eagle’s Trace Retirement Community is now hiring student servers, and the Out 2 Learn website offers information on a variety of out-of-school programs for children and youth ages 5 to 18.

EMERGE
EMERGE is now recruiting current 10^th graders, and we need your help identifying competitive applicants. The EMERGE-HISD Class of 2023 application is live with a deadline of May 31, 2021. Students can apply at http://bit.ly/emergeapp23. EMERGE recruitment sessions will be held twice a week virtually through Sat., May 29. Students can sign up at calendly.com/emergerecruitment. See this flyer and this brochure for more information. For questions or more information on EMERGE, please visit houstonisd.org/emerge or contact EMERGE Student Recruiter Bethany Okezie at Bethany.Okezie@houstonisd.org.

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

Early Childhood

Pre-K Adoption Information: There are three Savvas learning videos on the Early Childhood HUB to give insight into the instructional materials you will be receiving this summer at your campus. You will also find a digital brochure with a description of their print and digital components.

Imagine Math Benchmark Assessment: Every student starts with the first benchmark test, which is automatically assigned. Because the third benchmark is not mandatory, although we highly recommended it, the benchmark needs to be assigned by the classroom teacher. Watch this short video to learn how to enable the Benchmark Assessment by May 3: Benchmark Enablement: Imagine Math.  After you have enabled Benchmark tests, review the video on Reading and Interpreting Benchmark Reports.

ALL TEACHERS

Office of the Chief of Staff
HISD is seeking input for the development of the Local Designation System as part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). The aggregate information will be shared with various committees to help guide the design process of the Local Designation System. All information is completely anonymous and confidential. To find out more about TIA and HISD, visit our website at www.houstonisd.org/TIA. Click here to complete the survey

Recruitment and Selection
Attention paraprofessionals! Are you interested in becoming a full-time teacher but want to finish your degree while still working as a paraprofessional? Apply for the Community Teacher Equity Development Program, which is a partnership between the University of Houston College of Education and HISD, by April 26, 2021. Join a Zoom informational session at 4:30 p.m. on April 22, 2021, by clicking on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5415280411. Apply for the program at https://bit.ly/32m7F24 by April 26, 2021. For more information, see this flyer.

Greentown Houston on April 22
This Earth Day, the City of Houston is opening Greentown Houston, the city’s first-ever climate-tech startup incubator. On Earth Day 2020, the City of Houston announced its Climate Action Plan, and one year later they are presenting a celebration of entrepreneurship, collaboration, and innovation that will power Houston’s climate leadership. Located in the city’s Innovation District, Greentown Houston will provide more than 40,000 sq. ft. of prototyping labs, offices, and community spaces for about 50 climate tech startups totaling 200-300 employees. At the Grand Opening on April 22, which will be livestreamed, they will introduce the startups and corporations helping drive climate action in Houston and beyond. Visit https://greentownlabs.com/greentown-houston-grand-opening/ to join the livestream event.

Social and Emotional Learning
SEL is continuing to serve students throughout April by focusing on helping them cope with test-taking anxiety. Students may log into Microsoft TEAMS for a 30-minute, activity-based, interactive session. During these sessions, students will learn skills to use before, during, and after the STAAR exam to combat anxiety. Sessions for both elementary and secondary are Fridays beginning at 9 a.m., with two sessions in the morning and two sessions in the afternoon. Sessions are 30 minutes and classrooms can join based on their availability at Live Student SEL Sessions Teams Link. See this flyer for more information.

Multilingual
Save the date! The third annual multilingual symposium, “The Blueprint: Engineering Foundations that Build Academic Language,” via Teams is set for June 25-26, 2021. The deadline to register is June 24, 2021. See this story for more information.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Career and Technical Education
Attention all middle and high school CTE teachers, as well as CTE administrators: Please view the April 2021 Vol. III Weekly CTE Bulletin, where you will find an opportunity to nominate a CTE Teacher of the Month, submit CTE student highlights, view upcoming workshops, explore job opportunities for youth, and other resources. Please see the April 2021 Professional Development Calendar for self-paced OneSource courses for CTE high school teachers. High school counselors and CTE administrators are welcome to take these courses, too. Please register through OneSource Learning to receive proper credit. Visit the HUB for weekly for Career Readiness updates, resources, and announcements. For those who teach in the Law and Public Safety Program of Study, you have access to free weekly webinars in addition to ongoing news/articles about the world of justice.

EMERGE
EMERGE is now recruiting current 10^th graders, and we need your help identifying competitive applicants. The EMERGE-HISD Class of 2023 application is live with a deadline of May 31, 2021. Students can apply at http://bit.ly/emergeapp23. EMERGE recruitment sessions will be held twice a week virtually through Sat., May 29. Students can sign up at calendly.com/emergerecruitment. See this flyer and this brochure for more information. For questions or more information on EMERGE, please visit houstonisd.org/emerge or contact EMERGE Student Recruiter Bethany Okezie at Bethany.Okezie@houstonisd.org.

ALL TEACHERS

Leadership Development: Apply now for the Campus Leadership Internship Program
HISD is seeking qualified internship candidates who would like to become campus leaders in the district next school year. The 2020-2021 HISD Campus Leadership Internship is a one-year paid residency that includes a $15,000 scholarship to the University of Houston for a master’s degree. For more information, see this story.

Office of Special Populations – Interventions Office
“Momentum:  Getting Back on Track,” the first annual Interventions Office Conference, will be on Saturday, April 17, 2021, from 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. This virtual event is designed to empower and engage HISD employees, families, community members, and other partners to drive strategies that focus on four learning strands that guide our work and help us plan the future. Teachers, administrators, and instructional personnel at all levels are invited to participate. Click on this link to register and view the conference schedule.

Special Education
Big Ideas In SPED: The Office of Special Education Services has developed several sessions that examine specific strategies to support SWD and ways to instruct them to ensure you are addressing their skill deficits, as well as teaching grade level standards. For OneSource Course Numbers and information on sessions, see this flyer.

Social and Emotional Learning
According to Safe & Civil Schools, teachers can decrease student misbehavior with planned breaks to allow learners to move around, change activities, or redirect attention to provide mental breaks from challenging activities. Teachers can schedule whole class breaks by breaking a larger activity into smaller activities. Also, insert breaks in between tasks. Tailor breaks for individual students who struggle with focusing during work time. Present a break card to the learner to request a break or assign the learner a classroom job, such as handing out papers or running an errand.

Career Readiness
When I Grow Up, the ninth annual career expo for HISD students in grades K-12, is going to be virtual this year. Set for 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, it features hands-on career exploration, summer job opportunities, raffles, prizes, and entertainment. See this flyer for more information.

Multilingual
Save the date! The third annual multilingual symposium, “The Blueprint: Engineering Foundations that Build Academic Language,” via Teams is set for June 25-26, 2021. The deadline to register is June 24, 2021. See this story for more information.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Fine Arts
Dance teachers, there is an open call for dance film choreographies for an HISD dance film festival on April 24. This is an opportunity for your middle and high school dance students to screen their dance films and receive professional feedback. Register here. For more information, contact Sanja Korman at skorman@houstonisd.org.

Career and Technical Education
Attention all middle and high school CTE teachers, as well as CTE administrators: Please view the April 2021 Vol. II Weekly CTE Bulletin, where you will find an opportunity to nominate a CTE Teacher of the Month, submit CTE student highlights, enter the Best of CTE Pathways Video Competition, and take advantage of professional learning opportunities, a Youth Talent Showcase, the launch of Amazon Fulfillment Center Virtual Tours, upcoming workshops, conferences, job opportunities for youth, and other CTE teacher resources.

Please see the April 2021 Professional Development Calendar for self-paced OneSource courses for CTE high school teachers. High school counselors and CTE administrators are welcome to take these courses, too. Please register through OneSource Learning to receive proper credit. Visit the HUB for weekly for Career Readiness updates, resources, and announcements. For those who teach in the Law and Public Safety Program of Study, you have access to free weekly webinars in addition to ongoing news/articles about the world of justice.

EMERGE
Attention all HISD Strategy & Innovation Team Members! EMERGE is now recruiting current 10^th graders, and we need your help identifying competitive applicants. The EMERGE-HISD Class of 2023 application is live with a deadline of May 31, 2021. Students can apply at http://bit.ly/emergeapp23. EMERGE recruitment sessions will be held twice a week virtually Wed., April 14, through Sat., May 29. Students can sign up at calendly.com/emergerecruitment. See this flyer and this brochure for more information.

EMERGE prepares and empowers high-performing students from underserved communities to apply, attend, and graduate from top colleges and universities across the nation. These institutions offer substantial financial aid packages and boast highly supportive communities with graduation rates at or above 75%. To qualify, you must:

• Be economically disadvantaged and generally the first in your family to attend a four-year college or university
• have a strong academic profile that includes getting good grades in rigorous courses
• Have academic vitality + achievement, perseverance, and open mindedness. 

For questions or more information on EMERGE, please visit houstonisd.org/emerge or contact EMERGE Student Recruiter Bethany Okezie at Bethany.Okezie@houstonisd.org.