Adopting a healthy lifestyle and getting fit for life can seem overwhelming for many people, and that’s why HISD’s Benefits Department will be sharing information on how to do so at the Jan. 16 workshop offered through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Entitled, “Getting Healthy for Life,” the workshop will show attendees various steps they can take to improve both their short- and long-term health through the adoption of more-healthful eating and exercise habits.
The workshop will take place in room 2C12 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 BN0014.
To see a full schedule of EAP workshops through May 2014, click here (.pdf).
Movement can help kinesthetic learners retain what they've learned
Setting goals for both individual students and a class as a whole is something teachers have to do every year—but obtaining student “buy-in” to meet those goals can be more of a challenge.
So how do HISD teachers do it?
They make learning personal, by building relationships with students to find out what interests and motivates each child. They also use strategies geared to different types of learners, such as:
- posters, charts, and pictures for visual learners;
- chants, sayings, and songs for auditory learners;
- and movement, gestures, and signals for kinesthetic learners.
Finally, they help students develop ways to track their own progress, so that incremental victories can be celebrated along the way.
“I start off every year by presenting my own personal goals for the class,” said Iris Tian, a teacher at Sterling High School. “Whether they’re related to STAAR or to a specific objective, I want to make it really clear, that this is why it’s important.”
HISD’s Professional Support and Development department explores these topics and more in the fourth installment of its planning video series.
To learn more about the planning video series, please see this related article from the Nov. 22 edition of eNews. To see all planning videos, visit the PSD website. A downloadable flyer (.pdf) containing step-by-step instructions on this topic is also available.
If you’re one of the many new employees who has joined Team HISD in the past few months, you might be wondering if the regularly scheduled orientation sessions are worth attending. If so, just ask a few of your colleagues.
“I found the session to be extremely helpful,” said Glennis Gilmore-McCray, who works with students receiving Special Education services at Westbury High School. “The most important thing I learned was that I was not alone. I came to HISD from a smaller district and I was worried that I would just be one of many here. But after the orientation, I felt assured that I mattered and that I was a part of a great group of people.”
Gilmore-McCray was particularly pleased with the support network she was able to build in just a few hours. “I liked the fact that everyone I came in contact with was helpful, knowledgeable, and understanding of my million questions,” she added. “And I loved the fact that I received email addresses and phone numbers from all of the people who spoke to me.”
Nancy Jorlando, who joined HISD recently as a nurse at DeChaumes Elementary School, said she also found the orientation useful. “It was informative,” she said, “and it educated me on topics that I did not have prior knowledge about. The venue was very nice and I liked the interactive questions with graphed responses.”
A third employee, who responded to an anonymous survey conducted after the session, called the orientation “a very valuable experience.”
“I’ve worked for 25 years and didn’t know what some of the benefits/insurance terminology meant until now,” he/she wrote.
And Anthony Hill, a manager in Transportation Services, was pleased to discover all of the resources available on the district’s website. “I found that almost all of the forms and information I need to do my job can be found on the portal,” he said, “along with any training that I may need to do my job better.”
The next new employee orientation session is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014. Participants can expect to learn about benefits, retirement options, and an overview of HISD’s Strategic Direction and employee policies. For additional dates or to register, please see this related article.
Sandra Johnson
This week’s Shout Out goes to Sandra Johnson, a kindergarten teacher at Burrus Elementary School, from associate teacher Jerald Paul.
“Ms. Johnson has encouraged me since I have substituted at the school,” said Paul. “She has also shared with me things that a teacher should do to have a successful classroom. She has offered me such excellent feedback to help me master my job duties. I just think she is the greatest.”
| 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. |
In this week’s I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Israeli expatriate Anat Ronen talks about where her work can be found at district facilities, how she comes up with the designs for her murals, and what advice she would offer students who also dream of making their living as artists.
Anat Ronen (all images courtesy of the artist)
You’ve painted several murals at HISD schools, including one in the library of Garden Oaks Elementary, one in the auditorium of Wilson Montessori, and several on the outside of Dodson Elementary—one of which is visible from the freeway just south of downtown. How many others have you done for HISD and where are they located?
I’ve done about 10 or 12 in HISD. Aside from the three you’ve already mentioned, you can see my work at Benavidez, Codwell, Durham, and Marshall elementary schools; Fondren and Marshall middle schools, and Jordan High School. I’ve also worked on schools in other ISDs, such as Clear Creek, Pasadena, and Galena Park.
What was the first mural you painted for HISD, and how did you get involved in the project?
My first mural was for Barbara Jordan High School. Once I became an approved vendor, I sent out some targeted emails, was invited to submit quotes, and from one project to the next, it became more of a word-of-mouth type of thing.
I noticed that several of the campuses you’ve worked with (Dodson, Garden Oaks, and Wilson) are Montessori schools, which encourage students to learn at their own pace. How did that factor into the designs you chose?
A wide view of the mural visible from I-45 at Dodson ES
When I come up with a design, it’s like a cake. There are many ingredients that together make a good design. Not only do the location, surface, size, and distance from it matter, but also what the client—in this case, the school—wants, envisions, or represents. At Garden Oaks, the emphasis was on local nature, and my design took that to the extreme. At Dodson, the most important thing to the principal was to show diversity and curiosity. Wilson really wanted to emphasize the Montessori theme.
In general, how do you come up with your designs? Who all gets a say in what they will be? Are you presented with a general theme and then left to your own devices to develop it, or are requests more limited in scope?
I take the time to learn a little about the school’s history, demographics, needs, and wants and come up with designs tailored to each. I learn and listen. Then I let the ideas flow and start putting them together on a sketchbook. Some die there, and some become mockups that I send to the principals to start a brainstorming session in which eventually, the final design is decided upon. Sometimes, it’s as short as agreeing on the first mockup, but others, it takes a lot of changes and brainstorming to get there.
What was your favorite HISD mural project and why?
Detail of the mural in Wilson Montessori's auditorium
My enthusiasm is reserved for future projects, but I am just happy to have made the clients happy and make everybody smile when they see them. I try to avoid the “usual” type of mural work at schools—the mascot clip art or plain signage. These can be done by anybody, and I try to do stuff people won’t get bored with.
On your website, you mention the challenge of transitioning to working full-time as an artist in 2009. What advice would you offer to students who dream of making a living in the art world?
Trust yourselves. Work hard. Be professional from day one. Be respectful. Be careful with your financial activities. Be yourselves.
You also mention being self-taught. How did you first get started in painting murals? How did you develop your craft, and how long did it take you to become satisfied with your work?
I was always involved with some kind of design and art work, though I never did it professionally. I painted some rooms and illustrated some books and cards—mostly for friends and family—but never thought I could present my skills and actually make a living. That changed when my husband and I came here, and we needed to find a solution to being independent in this country.
I applied for an O1 visa, which is granted to athletes, actors, and artists, if they can prove they can make a living out of it. To my big surprise (and a minute later, horror…) I was granted that visa, and immediately started offering various services: graphic design, web design, illustrations, and murals. Apparently, I know what I am doing, because I keep getting more work, so I keep on going down this road, and learning something new every day.
What brought you to Houston from Israel?
My husband and I were both in that age where you know that if you wait a little longer to try something new it probably would never happen. We were 35, I was working in an office, he was working in agriculture, and we wanted to try new places, new people, new life, and maybe a new future.
I can’t say it was or is easy, but the journey has been amazing. Through that basic desire to try something else, we discovered a whole new world—of art, of murals, of public art.
| If you know a graduate, student, employee, or other member of Team HISD who should be featured here, please email us at info@houstonisd.org. |
The Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP law firm is conducting its 18th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ (500 Clay Street, 77002) and the finals are slated to take place from 10:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17.
Details about the event are available here (.pdf). You can also click here to watch last year’s winner, Lockhart ES fourth-grader Curtis Babers, and the other finalists give their speeches. HISD will provide similar coverage of this year’s event.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- Jan. 14-Feb. 2: Souper Bowl of Caring food drive
- Jan. 14: New employee orientation
- Jan. 15 (.pdf): Payday
- Jan. 16: Regular Board meeting
- Jan. 17: Deadline to apply for Jones scholarships
- Jan. 20: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
- Jan. 25: Museum District’s Open House for Educators
- Jan. 29 (.pdf): Payday
- Jan. 30: Fund for Teachers application deadline
- Jan. 31: 2013 W-2s mailed out
- Feb. 4: New employee orientation
- Feb. 12 (.pdf): Payday
- Feb. 8: HHF Career & Education Day
- Feb. 13: Regular Board meeting
- Feb. 26: State of the Schools luncheon
- Feb. 26 (.pdf): Payday
- Feb. 28: Go Texan Day
- March 3 & 4: 28th annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference
- March 4: New employee orientation
- March 4-23: Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
- March 9: Daylight Saving Time begins
- March 12 (.pdf): Payday
- March 13: Regular Board meeting
- March 17-21: Spring Break
- March 26 (.pdf): Payday
- March 29: Whole Kids Farmers’ Market
HISD schools and offices will be closed from Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, through Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, but here’s a list of five things employees can do over the winter break to make sure they start 2014 off on the right foot:
- Get immunized—Whooping cough, measles, and other highly contagious diseases are making a comeback due to misconceptions about vaccines, so if your boosters are out of date, make an appointment today to see your doctor. And, don’t forget, the district’s Health & Wellness Centers will also be open on selected days during the break.
- Save the planet—If you celebrate Christmas with a live tree, don’t just throw it away after the festivities are over. Drop it off at one of the many designated tree recycling sites around Houston and other metro areas and let it continue to nourish the earth this winter as mulch.
- Clean out your closets—Many retailers have great sales after Christmas on everything from down jackets and fleece pullovers to scarves and mittens, so check your closet to make sure everything still fits. Pass along your gently used items to needy families through local charities so they can stay warm, too.
- Enjoy a Rockets game—HISD’s longtime community partner, the Houston Rockets, will be hosting HISD Appreciation Nights on Monday, Dec. 23, and Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013. Details are here.
- Start thinking about 2014-2015—If you’re planning to retire or resign from HISD at the end of this school year, let the district know by Jan. 22 and you could receive a one-time incentive of up to $5,000, depending on your years of service. Details are here.
Wishing all of our readers a safe and happy holiday and a wonderful 2014! See you next year!
Sylvia Mastin
Sylvia Mastin has taught reading and English language arts to Marshall Middle School students for the past four decades, but she might not have worked there at all if it weren’t for her late older brother, Albert.
“I didn’t start public school until the ninth grade, back when Hogg was still a junior high,” said the Davis High School alumna. “Albert was already teaching at Davis when I was in college, and I would see him come home with such joy from what he was doing. After I graduated, he told me about an opening at Marshall, so I applied. I just thought it would be really neat to teach my students and then send them across the street to Albert.”
Mastin officially marked her 40th anniversary with the district on Dec. 18, but several other employees are also marking theirs this week (Dec. 15–21). See if you know anyone on this list:
20 years
- Kelvin Bryan, maintenance team lead, Food Services
15 years
- Gertrude Bailey, clerk, Benavidez Elementary
- Lilly Fu, senior analyst, Finance Treasury
- Anthony Johnson, teacher, DeAnda ES
- Elizabeth Sanchez, senior secretary, Benefits
- James Sandula, teacher, Sterling High School
- Eugene Smith, warehouser, Warehouse Operations
10 years
- Olga Arreguin, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Victor Carrizal, maintenance repairer, Construction & Facility Services
- Bertha Garcia, online/formative assessment administrator, Student Assessment
- Edith Hillman, teacher, Bush ES
- Michelle Mulcahy, clerk, Westside HS
- Gaudencio Vivaldo, warehouser, Food Services
5 years
- Veronica Allen, curriculum specialist, Elementary Curriculum & Instruction
- Mariela Arredondo, student information representative, Hobby ES
- Geormika Butler, teacher, Cook ES
- Paulette Hawkins, teaching assistant, Kennedy ES
- Jennifer Hernandez, teacher, Dowling MS
- Claudia Medellin, clerk, Construction & Facility Services
- Amber Orieh, teacher, Daily ES
- Ava Pereira, teacher, Piney Point ES
- Dana Pendergraft, associate teacher
- Beth Roman, associate teacher
- James Teal, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Tiffany Turner, teacher, Fonville Middle School
- Suzanne Tyrell, director, IT Business Solutions
Anna Loonam (left) accepts a $500 check from a TX Medical Association representative.
Bellaire High School Science Department Chair Anna Loonam was honored recently by the Texas Medical Association as the second-place winner of the Ernest and Sarah Butler Award for Excellence in Science Teaching.
Loonam was selected for her personal commitment to inspiring students to become the next generation of physicians and her enthusiasm and excellence in teaching science.
Loonam was formally recognized with a $500 check during a special ceremony held on Dec. 11.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
