Does your classroom need some new desks? How about a new table or chairs for the teacher’s lounge? A new filing cabinet for the front office?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then consider taking a trip to HISD’s Furniture Services Warehouse, and it could pay off big.
Located at 228 McCarty, Bldg. 29 (77029), the warehouse contains dozens of gently used desks, chairs, filing cabinets, and other office furniture (such as lamps and side tables) just waiting for a new home in an HISD office or school. Even artwork is available on occasion. “You’d be surprised how often we get that,” said clerk Sharday Cisneros.
All employees have to do is come down between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. with a blank PC-2 form (you can download one here) signed by their principal or work location supervisor, tag the items they would like to have delivered, and her department will take care of the rest.
PLEASE NOTE that no electronics, appliances, or technology may be obtained in this manner.
Questions? Call Furniture Services at 713-676-9230.
If you’re one of the more than 3,000 employees who has already signed up for the district’s “4 for $40” weight-loss challenge since Monday, keep in mind that you only have until Feb. 17 to complete your initial verified weigh-in. A list of available dates and locations is here.
And, if you still haven’t signed up—but want to lose weight—don’t miss out on this chance to get paid while doing it.
Participants who meet specific milestones can earn up to $160 in individual incentives—and more if they form teams who meet their milestones each month. To sign up and learn more about the program go here. A related article is here.
Questions may be directed to Healthy Wage at 888-636-3832.
When Singapore became independent in 1965, it was a poor tropical island with few natural resources and no compulsory education; today, it is a gleaming global hub of trade and finance. The country’s transformation from third to first world in a single generation is one of Asia’s great success stories – a change paralleled and supported by the development of its schools.
Characterized by strong centralized governance and educator training, Singapore’s 360 public schools are exceptionally responsive to the national vision for educational excellence. At the heart of this vision is the National Institute of Education, Singapore’s only institution for teacher and school leader training, where the country’s best and brightest are rigorously developed.
Ee-Ling Low is the associate dean for Programme & Student Development (Teacher Education and Preparation) at Singapore’s National Institute of Education. Internationally respected as a pedagogical leader, she has held teaching and research positions at top universities in six countries. She also is a distinguished scholar of English linguistics and phonetics.
Low will be speaking at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (5601 Main St., 77005) from 8 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014, through a special arrangement with the Houston A+ Challenge. The event is free, and all HISD educators are invited to attend.
To register, please RSVP here.
Angela Persefield with her husband
The Houston Rockets ball club recognized ten educators at the State Farm Teacher Appreciation Night game held on Jan. 24 against the Memphis Grizzlies, and two instructors from HISD schools were among them. Honorees were chosen from a pool of nominations submitted by students and parents, and those of Asma Ahmed (Askew ES) and Angela Persefield (Stevens ES) were selected.
Persefield (pictured) was nominated by parent Jon Harvey, whose son is a student in her first-grade class. “She has created an environment where my son can learn, blossom, and come out of his shell,” he wrote.
All honorees received two free suite tickets to the game and a gift bag. They were also recognized on the large video screen during the game and got to meet and have their photo taken with Clutch, the Rocket’s mascot.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- HISD’s Officer of Curriculum Nancy Gregory, who was selected to receive the 2014 Southwestern Region Advanced Placement (AP) Award for Administrators from the College Board. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated significant impact on the AP program within their school or district; supports and promotes professional development; and participates and contributes to College Board activities.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Katherine Bell
Katherine Bell didn’t set out to work with children. When the licensed psychologist completed her university studies, she initially worked with adults in drug and alcohol addiction programs, and then maintained a private practice for 18 years.
But Bell has been an evaluation specialist in HISD’s Child Study department now for 25 years, and she works with students from Ashford, Bush, and West University ES schools to identify children with disabilities and test kids for dyslexia. She says it’s the fascinating variety of children she meets every day that keeps her coming back.
“My job has a lot of variety, because every child is so unique,” said Bell. “I really enjoy pinpointing learning differences and communicating those to parents and teachers so that they can understand and embrace those differences.”
Bell officially marked her 25th anniversary with the district on Feb. 1, but several other employees also marked theirs over the last two weeks (Jan. 26–Feb. 8). See if you know anyone on this list:
25 years
- Dovie Ford, teaching assistant, Herrera ES
- Elana Spector, teacher, West University ES
20 years
- Allen Mann Sr., HVAC repairer, Construction & Facility Services
15 years
- Cecilia Guinn, teacher, Crespo ES
10 years
- Deborah Andrepoint, teacher, Sharpstown Intl. School
- Elvin Baines, program administrator, JROTC
- Debra Cross, secretary, IT
5 years
- Meredith Austin, speech therapist, Deaf Campus
- Ricardo Castro, teacher, Isaacs ES
- Rosa Chavez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Chynson Cornett, painter, Construction & Facility Services
- John DeSoto, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
- Carmela Garcia, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Michael Love, manager, Career & Technical Education
- Emma Sanchez, secretary, Herrera ES
- Averi Steen, clerk, High School Ahead Academy
| Check back next Friday for more February Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
Derrick Hawkins
This week’s Shout Out goes to Derrick Hawkins, a custodial team lead in the Construction & Facility Services department, for his efforts to keep operations running smoothly at various schools, despite being short-handed.
“This year, we had a couple of our custodian team members fall ill, which complicated things a bit,” explained Neff Early Learning Center Principal Gerardo Leal. “Mr. Hawkins responded to this situation with promptness and efficiency, and made diligent efforts to ensure that daily routines were not disrupted.”
“I, too, appreciate Mr. Hawkins’ leadership,” said his supervisor, Area Manager Jorge Lopez. “It is our goal to ensure that the students and staff return daily to a clean and safe learning environment.”
| 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. |
Q: I enjoy reading the “Milestones” section of eNews every week, and I’ve noticed that many of the teachers, administrators, staff, clerical, custodial and transportation workers have been with HISD for a very long time.
I am currently in my 46th year of teaching. However, I have been with HISD for 59 years, including 13 years as a student. Is this a record or does (now retired) school board member Larry Marshall hold that title?
A: Team HISD only counts the number of years its members have been in the classroom as employees (not students) when calculating years of service for the Milestones feature, but your question made us curious, so we looked into it.
Dr. Johnnie Carter, with some of her students and a book she used during her first year of teaching
Currently, the four employees with the longest service records are:
- Dr. Johnnie Carter (54 years)—Originally hired in Nov. of 1959, Dr. Carter now serves as a fourth-grade teacher at DeAnda Elementary School. She has logged a stunning 54 years of service to the district.
- Sue Ann Payne* (51 years)—Now the manager of the technology program at the East Field Office, Payne has served as a teacher, a counselor, a principal, and the assistant superintendent of personnel (now HR). She also served as the superintendent of Lamondi ISD in Iowa after retiring from HISD in 1992, but returned to the district in 1996.
- Delores Tezeno (50 years)—Now the assistant principal at Stevenson Middle School, Tezeno has logged a half-century of service to the district since being hired in Feb. of 1962.
- Dr. Bertie Simmons (48 years)—First hired as a teacher in Sept. of 1956, Dr. Simmons had already retired from the district once when she was asked to return as the principal of Furr High School in 2000 (the position she still holds today). Because of that brief hiatus, she has “only” logged 48 years of service.
* This article was updated in Sept. 2014, after learning of Ms. Payne’s achievement.
| Got a question for Ask HISD? Send it to AskHISD@houstonisd.org. |
Stress is an inescapable part of almost everybody’s life, but managing it well can be the key to success and peace of mind. That’s why HISD’s Benefits Department will be sharing information on how to do so at a Feb. 20 workshop offered through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Entitled, “Stress Management and Healthy Well-being,” the workshop will help employees understand the impact of stress on their overall well-being, as well as how it contributes to certain medical conditions. Participants will also learn how to identify the sources of stress in their lives, and strategies for managing it.
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 BN0023.
To see a full schedule of EAP workshops through May 2014, click here (.pdf).
Come learn more about the Magna Carta, the British document on which the United States Constitution is based.
Considered by many to be Great Britain’s most valuable export to the world, the Magna Carta continues to serve as the definitive document modeling basic civil liberties, and is the source of many of the most fundamental concepts of law.
HISD teachers can attend a special preview at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. thanks to the generous support of Shell.
For complete details, please visit the HMNS website. Registration must be completed by Friday, Feb. 14.
Nominate students for Reliant Recognition Program by Feb. 21
If you know an elementary or middle school student who has demonstrated outstanding citizenship and improved academic performance, consider nominating him or her for the Reliant Recognition Program.
Winners will get a chance to win tickets to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo concert on March 9, 2014, featuring Selena Gomez.
To nominate a student, visit http://nominate.myreliantenergy.com and complete the online form. The deadline to apply is Feb. 21, 2014.
Additional details are available here.
Teacher of the Year nominations due by Feb. 24
If you are a principal or an employee designated by a campus leader to coordinate the Teacher of the Year selection process, don’t delay—as the deadline to submit this year’s candidate for your campus is Monday, Feb. 24.
In addition to Teacher of the Year, nominations are also being accepted for four other categories of honoree:
- Outstanding Beginning Teacher of the Year
- Outstanding Young Educator
- Elizabeth Brand Memorial Award
- Emily Scott Evans Award
For complete details, please see this related academic services memo.
Want to grow as a professional? Join HISD’s new Toastmasters chapter!
If you’ve been trying to think of a way to advance in your career, look no further. HISD has a new Toastmasters club that can help you develop the skills you need.
Toastmasters is a nonprofit organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Members learn more about public speaking, how to conduct a meeting, how to listen effectively, and how to provide constructive feedback. HISD’s Toastmasters club currently has 30 members and is accepting applications. It received its official charter on Jan. 9.
To see if Toastmasters is right for you, come sit in on one of the monthly meetings. Meetings take place on the second and fourth Thursdays of every month from 5:05 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092), in either the cafeteria or Room 1E02.
All new members will receive a manual and resources about how to become a better speaker and more confident leader.
For more information, please contact Kim Golden or Theresa Campos at 713-696-0600 or kgolden@houstonisd.org and tcampos@houstonisd.org.
