Each year, HISD teachers are tasked with developing annual plans that divide the district’s curriculum into smaller, more manageable chunks—and HISD has three tools for educators that have proven invaluable in this process: the Vertical Alignment Matrix, Scope & Sequence documents, and the Pacing Calendar. All are designed to help teachers determine what their students should be learning at any given time, so that they can plan how to deliver instruction more effectively on a day-to-day basis.
“The one finite thing you have in a classroom is time,” observed Secondary Curriculum Manager Angela Miller. “So maximizing the use of that time is…the goal.”
“We have to look at what we’re going to teach,” added HISD Curriculum Manager Dana Enriquez-Vontoure. “Is it new? Is it old? How many days am I expected to stay on this content? And then, how do I break up those individual days?”
HISD’s Professional Support and Development department explores these questions and more in the third 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.
Also see this related article from Nov. 2012 on how parents are using these resources.
This week’s Shout Out goes to Zaye Roberts, a Food Services attendant in Pugh Elementary School’s cafeteria, who was recognized along with three of her co-workers at the Nov. 14 meeting of the HISD Board of Education for her bravery in refusing an agitated person access to the school on Oct. 2.
Roberts was on her way back to the cafeteria that day when she witnessed a commotion in the front office involving a parent who was trying to force his way onto campus. After being denied access there, he attempted to gain entry through the cafeteria by bullying his way past Roberts and her colleagues.
“She immediately confronted the intruder and let him know that he could not enter the school without going through the front office,” said Food Services General Manager Mark Welch. “He became agitated and used profanity to try to intimidate his way into the school, but Zaye, backed up by Coralia Pacay, Alberta Trujillo, and Marisol Rodriguez, stood her ground and let him know that ‘These are my children, and I will keep them safe.’ And the individual turned around and left.”
Welch described Roberts’ actions as “heroic” and commended her and her colleagues for going “above and beyond” the call of duty.
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. |
All HISD schools and administrative offices will be closed beginning Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, and reopen on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014. Jan. 6 is a preparation day for teachers, so students will not return to class until Tuesday, Jan. 7.
The HISD Police Department will be patrolling district facilities all during the holiday break. Emergencies may be reported by calling 713-892-7777.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- Jan. 1 (.pdf): Payday
- Jan. 6: Teacher preparation day
- Jan. 14-Feb. 2: Souper Bowl of Caring food drive
- Jan. 15 (.pdf): Payday
- Jan. 16: Regular Board meeting
- Jan. 17: MLK Oratory competition
- 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
- Feb. 12 (.pdf): Payday
- Feb. 13: Regular Board meeting
- Feb. 26: State of the Schools luncheon
- Feb. 26 (.pdf): Payday
- Feb. 28: Deadline to apply for Ruby Sue Clifton scholarship
- March 29: Whole Kids Farmers’ Market
When the REACH Charter High School first opened on the campus of Furr High School in the fall of 2006, it was envisioned as a place where project-based learning could help dropouts between the ages of 17 and 20 get excited about learning again so that they would return to class and graduate.
Seven years later, one teacher is making that happen with a project she assigned her students on the Holocaust.
“I wanted them to examine the concept of ‘injustice’ and learn from it,” said Diedre McClain, an associate teacher who took over several classes in October when another teacher’s health challenges finally forced him to retire. “Students have different ways of learning, so I asked them to research the Holocaust and design a project based on what they had learned. One student built a scale model of a concentration camp, and others created posters.”
McClain said that her goal was to help students “connect the dots” between the past, present, and future, by discussing not only what happened during World War II, but also how people are still being oppressed and abused today.
“This tragedy happened to human beings,” she said. “More than six million Jews were murdered, as well as other groups of people deemed undesirable. But when we talk about what’s still going on now, such as labor camps around the world and human trafficking here in Houston…it’s connecting them to their humanity. It’s really about what they can do to make sure it doesn’t occur again.”
Had a breakthrough in your classroom? Tell us about it! Just send an email to info@houstonisd.org briefly describing your situation, and we could feature it here. |
In this week’s I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Harper Alternative School Principal Raymond Glass II talks about how he ended up in a position of leadership at the school where he first taught, what makes him so determined to support his student body, and why the campus café only appears to be named in his honor.
You’re the principal at Harper Alternative, which also houses the Crossroads program. The former serves special-needs students with behavioral problems, while the latter helps kids with issues related to drugs or alcohol. What is it about these populations that made you deliberately seek out a position serving them—one that many would try to avoid?
My first teaching job was at Harper and my grandmother had a gentleman she took care of who was mentally challenged. He was the son of one of her late friends and she took care of him ever since I could remember. We always got along, but as I got older and came in contact with other people like him, I really understood that they had a need for someone to help them—and I guess I became that person.
I tell all my new teachers, “Look, your reward doesn’t come your first day and it might not come from the kids you expect it to, but one day, someone will come in and say, ‘Yeah, I remember you. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have done thus-n-such, or become who I am today.’” So you’ve just got to keep on working.
I understand your late mother also had a long and distinguished career in HISD, serving as a nurse, a counselor, and at one point, even the director of HISD’s Health & Medical Services department. How did her career influence your choices? Did you consciously set out to follow in her footsteps?
No. (laughs) When I was in school, I never thought I’d be a teacher. It was never on my mind. I was a political science major with a minor in biology, and my mother told me I needed to take some education courses. Initially, I was going to go to law school, but I decided to sit out a year before I did anything.
I subbed a lot in Special Education classes around the district, and I thought, “Hey, the kids aren’t that bad. With some help, and somebody to spend some time with them, they’ll do okay.” At that same time, HISD offered its first Special Education Alternative Certification Program, so I signed up. I earned a first-year teacher’s salary and benefits and a stipend to go to school. So I got my certification, and my first year I was assigned to Harper and really enjoyed it.
You served as a teacher at Harper for six years before moving into administration at another campus. How did you end up back at Harper?
I was the assistant principal at Stevenson Middle School, and the previous (Harper) principal was in the process of retiring. We had an auto mechanics program back then and I was in the shop working on one of my beat-up cars, and the teacher asked me if I was going to apply.
My thought was that if I didn’t help them, no one would. No one fights for the kids like the people at Harper. My battle cry is that these kids need support. Usually what’s happened is that by the time they get here, everybody has turned their back on them. But if they get enough support, one day, the door’s going to open, the light’s going to shine, and they’re going to get it. We have graduates who have gone on to become firefighters, butchers, nurse practitioners, master plumbers, ministers, and so on, so it’s not that they’re not capable. I’ve been here 15 years now.
Your school has a culinary arts program that got some good press last year. How long has it been in place at your school, and how does it help kids prepare for life after graduation?
The culinary arts program has been a part of Harper since its inception in ’85, when it became an alternative campus. But before that, the school was a vocational skills center, so it may have had its roots there.
The program has really flourished in the past couple of years. When we first moved to our current location about five years ago, we didn’t have a kitchen, so the kids spent the first one-and-a-half years working in a partitioned-off area, and other students would sometimes throw stuff over the wall. They said they felt like they were in a fish bowl, so when we finally got a kitchen area, they named it the Glass Café.
But our school has an agricultural program, too. There’s a garden on campus, and the students grow greens, squash, corn, broccoli, and other things. We joke that we teach kids how to grow the food and how to cook the food.
Are students still preparing lunch every Wednesday and buffalo wings for the Super Bowl? I understand the buffalo wings are such a hit that they sell out every year. Is there some secret ingredient in the sauce that you can share with me?
(laughs) No, I don’t know the secret to the sauce. But they’ll be making the wings again this year and people can pick them up on Friday, Jan. 31. We’ll also be having a barbecue cook-off on Jan. 17, and a dessert cook-off on Feb. 14, where students and teachers will work together to decide which ones they want to make. Those won’t have samples or anything, but they’re open to the public if people want to come watch.
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 deadline for guaranteed first-round consideration of Magnet applications for the 2014-15 school year is Friday, Dec. 20, so if you still haven’t completed yours, it’s time to get cracking. You can learn more about the district’s many magnet programs, schools, and options at http://houstonisd.org/magnet.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- Dec. 13: Toys for Toys campaign ends
- Dec. 18 (.pdf): Payday
- Dec. 23-Jan. 3: Winter Holiday
- Jan. 1 (.pdf): Payday
- Jan. 14-Feb. 2: Souper Bowl of Caring food drive
- Jan. 15 (.pdf): Payday
- Jan. 16: Regular Board meeting
- Jan. 17: MLK Oratory competition
- 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
- Feb. 12 (.pdf): Payday
- Feb. 13: Regular Board meeting
- Feb. 26: State of the Schools luncheon
- Feb. 26 (.pdf): Payday
- Feb. 28: Deadline to apply for Ruby Sue Clifton scholarship
HISD will mail 2013 W-2 forms to employees’ address of record during the last week of January.
To ensure you receive your form promptly, please make sure that HISD has your correct home address.
To update your address (as well as your phone number) using the HISD employee portal, follow these instructions:
- Click the “Employee Services” tab.
- Go to the “My Account” module, then click on the “Personal Data Maintenance” link.
- Enter the password you use to log on to the HISD employee portal and click the “Submit” button. Your home address and phone number will be displayed on the next screen.
- Make any necessary changes to your personal information and click the “Submit” button.
Please note: Changes will not be reflected online until the Monday after you receive your confirmation e-mail. Changes made after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, may not be processed before the W-2s are sent. If an employee’s W-2 goes to the wrong address, requests for replacements cannot be accepted until after the forms are initially sent out.
If you have trouble logging in or need technical assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 713-892-SERV (7378) or helpdesk@houstonisd.org.
If you experience any difficulties with the “Change Personal Information” tool (e.g., the application tells you that your “Personal information is not available”), e-mail your correct address to the Human Resource AnswerLine (hranswerline@houstonisd.org).
HISD’s longtime community partner, the Houston Rockets, will be hosting HISD Appreciation Nights on Monday, Dec. 23, and Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013.
Employees can get tickets to the games at a discount, ranging from 10 percent to about 50 percent, depending on the date of the game and seat location. For details, please see this flyer (pdf).
Feeling a bit under the weather over the holidays?
Don’t forget that the HISD Employee Health & Wellness Clinics will be open during the winter break. The clinics will be closed on Christmas Eve (12/24), Christmas Day (12/25), the Saturday after Christmas (12/28), and New Year’s Day (1/1).
Click here for locations, hours of operation, and to make an appointment.