Captain Kizzee (left) and Felicia Henderson
This week’s Shout Out goes to bus driver Felicia Henderson and transportation attendant Captain Kizzee from Houston Educational Support Personnel President Wretha Thomas, who praised them for their quick thinking in defusing a recent altercation between students.
According to Transportation Services Senior Terminal Manager Tesha Foster, Henderson and Kizzee were transporting their charges to school one day last month when two students got into a verbal disagreement. The argument quickly escalated, and one student pulled out a knife.
“The professional and quick actions by Ms. Henderson and Ms. Kizzee not only defused the situation, but prevented other students on board from being harmed until the police arrived,” explained Foster. “They used the training provided by Transportation to help drivers/attendants effectively handle situations of this kind.”
“After Transportation representatives reviewed the video,” added Thomas, “district administrators stated how well the two Team HISD workers handled it, so caps off to them.”
| 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. |
HISD’s T-STEM E4 Academy at Attucks Middle School is the official Texas site for the KidWind Energy Challenge, scheduled for Feb. 6 and 7, 2014, and STEM teachers who are interested in taking teams of students to this exciting exploration of alternative energy can learn more about it at a free workshop on Dec. 7.
The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Attucks MS (4330 Bellfort, 77051), and enrollment is limited to the first 20 teachers who apply.
Downloadable flyers on both the workshop (.pdf) and the challenge (.pdf) are available, but you can also visit http://learn.kidwind.org/workshops_events for complete details.
Whether it’s to a conference in San Diego, a professional development workshop in Boston, or a seminar in Boise, many district employees must travel on occasion as a part of their jobs. One of the most common complaints reported by these employees is encountering hotels that refuse to accept checks issued by the district to pay for their overnight stays.
That’s why the Procurement Department’s Travel Team will be launching a new program for educators in Jan. 2014 that lets them take a pre-paid credit card with them when traveling. Employees will still need to submit travel requests for approval using the current system, but the card will allow them to pay for hotel expenses without incident, since many chains no longer accept checks.
Complete details regarding this program will be posted on the employee portal later this month.
Last HISD Night Out at the Rockets Nov. 23
HISD’s longtime community partner, the Houston Rockets, will be hosting the last of three HISD Nights for district employees on Sat., Nov. 23, 2013.
Employees can get tickets to the game at a discount, and everyone who purchases tickets through this special offer will get to shoot a free throw on the Rockets’ home court immediately after the game.
For details, please see this flyer (pdf).
Nominate Someone for an H-E-B Excellence in Education Award
All public school districts and state-certified, full-time public school teachers and principals currently within the H-E-B service area are eligible for nomination. Check out this page for details on award categories available, and this page to nominate someone.
The deadline is midnight on Jan. 10, 2014.
HISD’s Combined Charities Campaign concluded on Oct. 25 this year, and when the full $329,789 in pledges was tallied, three new champions emerged on the list of employee groups who contribute the most to this annual initiative.
While five groups retained their titles this year, among the non-campus based work locations with 40–70 employees, Finance General Accounting rousted Facility Services Administration from its perch at the top, while Madison High School wrested the crown from Dowling Middle School among the 138–205 employee campus-based locations. Northline Elementary School also upset previous champion Anderson Elementary School among the campus-based work locations with 1–68 employees.
Northline ES clerk Angela DeLeon attributed her school’s success to the campus’ new campaign coordinator, secretary Nereida Banda. “Up until this year, most of us didn’t know how to do it,” said DeLeon. “But she went around and was like, ‘Please do this, please do this,’ and showed us all how.”
Here is a breakdown of the departments and campuses with the highest pledge amounts:
Among non-campus-based work locations:
- 76 or more employees: Child Study $5,039
- 40 to 75 employees: Finance General Accounting $517
- 21 to 39 employees: Secondary Curriculum Instruct $4,914
- 1 to 20 employees: Middle Schools Office $3,980
Among campus-based work locations:
- 206 or more employees: Bellaire High School $26,524
- 138 to 205 employees: Madison High School $8,941
- 69 to 137 employees: Yates High School $6,272
- 1 to 68 employees: Northline Elementary $4,023
The United Way of Greater Houston received the most support again this year, with a total of $65,908 in contributions.
As a key part of HISD’s digital transformation efforts, the district is conducting six social media Open Labs on Tuesdays at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St. 77092).
These small workshops, with one-on-one attention, will walk participants through setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts. The sessions will also examine ways to use those media effectively to engage parents and other stakeholders by providing everything from alerts and reminders to photos and messages about what’s happening on campus and in individual classrooms.
Those signing up should bring a laptop with images for a profile photo, background and/or cover photo.
The Open Labs are scheduled from 8 a.m-noon, Nov. 12 through Dec. 17. Registration is limited to 12 participants for each session and will be accepted until 4 p.m. the Monday before the desired lab, at www.houstonisd.org/socialmedialab.
Annetra Piper
When Annetra Piper first joined Team HISD back in 1983, she initially served as a teacher at Dowling Middle School. But a passion for serving ever-larger groups of students and a fierce competitive streak eventually led her to the grant department, which she has managed since 2004.
Over the past decade, Piper estimates she has brought in more than $500 million to fund district initiatives. “It’s about $80 million a year on average,” she said. “When I first started, it was about $35 million.”
And Piper’s favorite part of the job? “Winning!” she says with a laugh.
Piper officially marked her 30th anniversary with the district on Nov. 11, but several other employees are also marking theirs this week (Nov. 10–16). See if you know anyone on this list:
35 years
- Lafayette Chaney, teacher, Reagan HS
30 years
- Mary Galan, senior secretary, ES School Office
25 years
- Mary Hordge, teaching assistant, Looscan ES
- Gretchen Campbell, teacher, Southmayd ES
20 years
- Sobeyda Falls, teaching assistant, McNamara ES
- Maricia Butcher, custodial team lead, Construction & Facility Services
- Gregory Hollas, teacher, Pershing MS
15 years
- Rossline Hall, teaching assistant, Sterling HS
- Laurie Zimmerman, research specialist, Research and Accountability
- Annette Bogany-Williams, evaluation specialist, Child Study
- Sandra Jackson, clerk, Bell ES
- Jodi Garrett, teacher, Fonville MS
- Cecilia Egues, teacher, Valley West ES
- Patricia Butler, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Margaret Clark, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Clyde Alexander, crossing guard, Blackshear ES
- Cathy Thomas, clerk, Yates HS
10 years
- Arnetta Dewalt, associate teacher
- Lucy Morales, clerk, Roosevelt ES
- Irma Rodriguez, attendant, Food Services
- Roderick Luke, officer, Police Department
- Youlanda Marshall, teacher, Long Academy
- Aarica McCall, teacher, Lantrip ES
- Sandra Johnson, nurse, Hobby ES
- LaJuan Harris, facilities planner, Construction & Facility Services
- Deirdre Sharkey, principal, Attucks MS
5 years
- Celina Castañeda, teaching assistant, Love ES
- Rebecca Scott, teacher, Garden Oaks ES
- Gloria Landivar, teacher, Roosevelt ES
- Martha Cervantes, attendant, Food Services
- Irma Hernandez, attendant, Food Services
- Zina Pryor, attendant, Food Services
- Cathy Coughlen, clerk, Bellaire HS
- Lucila Aguilar, teacher, Bellaire HS
- Elton Johnson, senior HVAC repairer, Food Services
- Carnel Davis, associate teachers
- Geni Mask, teaching assistant, Windsor Village ES
- Karla Hernandez, teaching assistant, Davis HS
- Reginald Richardson, senior mechanic, Transportation Services
- Kevin Simon, teacher, Cullen MS
- Leslie Karp, teacher, Chávez HS
- Sandra Baham, associate teacher
- Marion Allen, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Laura Hylton, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Rudolph Guevara Jr, warehouser, Warehouse Operations
- Wai Leung Tsao, digital production technician, Administrative Services
- Maricela Duran, quality control representative, Food Services
- Mai Nguyen, quality control representative, Food Services
- Abdoul Ly, warehouse manager, Food Services
- Zahra Al Mussawi, teacher, DeBakey HS
| Check back next Friday for more November Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
At the Nov. 6 principals’ meeting, Chief Elementary Schools Officer Chip Zullinger and his team of school support officers brought in some of the district’s most highly effective teachers to share their best strategies in the classroom.
Campus leaders heard from more than a dozen educators, such as Philma Thomas, a seventh-grade English language arts teacher at Woodson K–8. She attributes her success to the solid relationships she builds with students. “I am a firm believer that my students perform when they know that they matter,” said Thomas.
You can hear more from Thomas and many other educators in this related video, which was created to complement the session. All 75 principals under Zullinger’s supervision will be showing it to their faculty and staff in order to begin discussions on how to improve teaching and learning at their campuses.
| 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. |
- ‘Linked learning’ seems to work for high school students
- What will the next phase of blended learning look like?
- Getting schools up to 21st-century speed
- Good teachers embrace their students’ cultural backgrounds
- Catastrophic care insurance makes a difference for severely injured athletes
- Teachers weigh in on how to identify grit
In this week’s I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Class of 2013 member Alejandra Ortega talks about why she sometimes felt inadequate next to her peers despite earning valedictorian status at Jordan High School, how she generated more than $700,000 in scholarship offers this spring, and which district campus she eventually wants to lead.
I understand you’re the first person in your immediate family to graduate from high school. What motivated you to pursue higher education and why is it so important to you?
Alejandra Ortega; photo courtesy Forty Acres Program
In a sense, I would say it’s my parents and their struggles. My mother earned her GED 20 years after dropping out of high school and my dad never graduated, but they both eventually made their way in life. It sounds like a cliché, but I really believe that education opens doors. A year ago, I didn’t imagine I would be attending one of the nation’s top schools, but now I have a full scholarship. I’d like to think it’s the result of all my hard work. You reap what you sow.
No kidding! I hear you raked in more than $700,000 in scholarship offers from various organizations, including Burger King, the Houston Hispanic Forum, and ten different universities, one of which offered you more than $100,000 alone. I also hear your share made up a full third of the offers your class at Jordan received. With so many great options, how did you ultimately decide where to go?
From the beginning, I thought I would go to the University of North Texas, because I knew they had a full tuition scholarship for families who earn under a certain income. And they have an education program, so I saw that as a pretty attainable scholarship. But my junior year, I visited UT for a UIL competition, and I just had a weird gut feeling. I visited UT a total of four times before I finally decided. I just knew I had to be here. I love its size, how diverse it is, and how many opportunities it has.
What’s the secret to generating so many scholarship offers? And what advice would you give to other students who want to do the same?
The main thing is just to keep applying. That’s what my college advisor, Sara Morris, always emphasized. You don’t have a chance if you don’t apply. I know of one scholarship that could go to up to 13 recipients, but only 11 people applied, so everybody got it. You just have to focus on what the particular scholarship organization is looking for. And you don’t know if you never try.
My dad told me, “Look, I can’t write out a check for tuition, but if you want it bad enough, I know you’ll get it.” And I didn’t want my financial situation to get in the way, so I kept applying. My original goal was to apply to 50 different scholarships, but I ended up applying to more than 60. Once I knew I could come to UT, I was like, “Okay, I’m stopping. Let me go help someone else with their applications.”
Now you’re attending the University of Texas at Austin as a Forty Acres Scholar. I understand that’s a pretty prestigious program. How did you first hear about it? And can graduating seniors apply for it or do they have to be nominated?
Anyone can apply for it, but I actually learned about it in a funny way. My mom is the secretary at McReynolds Middle School, and one day I was there helping her after school. My eighth-grade algebra teacher, Mrs. Lynn Graham, was telling me about the program, and how her son goes there. And I remember being like, “Well, thank you for thinking of me, but I don’t think I can get that. I’ve read some of the Scholars’ bios and those people are amazing.”
Wait a minute. You were the valedictorian of your senior class, and you received awards in graphic design, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, and a slew of other subjects. You were even named Outstanding JROTC Cadet of the Year twice. Why didn’t you think were on par with any of those other kids?
I’m not really sure. It’s not that I put myself down. It’s just that I always feel like I could do more. All of those things on my résumé were just from me hearing about something and thinking, “Hey, that’s interesting. Maybe I should go do that. And maybe I should try for a leadership position.”
It was my AP Statistics teacher, Mr. Griffin Seifried, who first told me, “You know what? You don’t have to be the golden child. It’s okay to fail sometimes and make mistakes.”
What made you decide to pursue a teaching career instead of going into the military or becoming a professional artist? And with such diverse interests, how did you pick what to study?
I decided to go into teaching at an early age; I just didn’t know what subject it would be. At one point, I was pretty set on teaching math at the middle or high school level, thanks to my pre-calculus and AP Calculus AB teacher, Mr. Mahmoud Merhi, and my sixth grade math teacher, Ms. Elizabeth Schaadt. I found it fascinating how he made equations appear as a sort of art, and thanks to Ms. Schaadt, I actually enrolled in Pre-AP classes, though I was initially hesitant of how challenging the classes would be. Without that push, I’m not sure I would have actually graduated as valedictorian.
However, I switched majors recently; now I’m actually a Bilingual Education major, so I’d be certified to teach kindergarten through 6th grade upon graduation. I’m not entirely sure which grade level I would be teaching, though I’m still leaning towards teaching math in the future.
What is it that appeals to you so much about teaching?
I think teaching is an adventure every day. You know where you’re going, but you don’t really know how you’re going to get there. And that uncertainty is what I find so appealing. I enjoy helping other people reach their full potential.
I also enjoyed being on the drill team in JROTC, but I was too much of a free spirit to go into the military. One of my sergeants would always get onto me because I bounced when I marched. Graphic design and photography are still fun hobbies, and I’d like to teach them eventually. At McReynolds, I had a teacher named Barrett Doke who taught U.S. history and photography, and I admired the way he was able to pursue both passions while still passing them on to other people.
You said your mom works for HISD as the secretary at McReynolds Middle School. Did her experiences influence your career aspirations at all?
Yeah, probably. I remember staying after school with her before open houses at Dogan Elementary School, where I attended elementary school and my mom worked as a special education teaching assistant and later as registrar, and seeing the behind-the-scenes stuff. I found it really interesting. But mostly, I just like seeing the quick flash of recognition that crosses students’ faces when they finally understand something. I thought, “I could see myself doing this.”
But my dream job is to come back as principal of McReynolds Middle School one day, and I thank Jorge Arredondo for that inspiration. He was the best principal, and he became a family friend. He even came to my high school graduation. He was actually the first person to see me when I came off the stage, even before my parents.
You were recently profiled in Alcalde, the official publication of the UT alumni association. How did that come about?
I always felt a sense of inadequacy next to other members of my cohort, because some of them went to phenomenal high schools, traveled outside of the country, or had other opportunities I didn’t have growing up. But the Forty Acres coordinators became aware that I was a first-generation high school graduate, and I guess they felt otherwise. So we decided to use my profile to inspire others in my situation. I like how the article pulled in my family, and focused on how I’m able to call cohort members my friends now. It was really great.
| 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. |
HISD recently upgraded its PeopleSoft application from version 8.8 to 9.1, and the most current version was deployed on Nov. 4. As a part of this process, the district also conducted a comprehensive review of job duties related to PeopleSoft, and adjusted the security access of some employees to better reflect their roles within various areas of responsibility.
Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions related to the upgrade:
Why was this upgrade needed?
Most software applications are upgraded on a regular basis as a matter of course by developers to fix problems, add requested features, and improve end-users’ overall experience. PeopleSoft is no different. HISD’s purchase of the upgraded software has been in the works for a number of years, and since the previous version was no longer supported by the manufacturer, the time was right to upgrade.
Who will these changes affect?
Approximately 1,800 district employees will be directly affected by these changes. Of those, about 1,200 are “time recorders,” 300 are “approvers,” and 300 are “core users” in the Office of Human Resources.
What are the most significant changes to PeopleSoft?
Ultimately, time recorders and approvers will have less cumbersome features to complete their assigned tasks. Once the remaining bugs are ironed out, operations will be more streamlined so that duties related to PeopleSoft are more efficient. For instance, time recorders will no longer have to re-enter time in the Late Pay Module if they miss their regular cut-off time for data entry.
Departments are also being encouraged to take advantage of PeopleSoft’s many “out-of-the-box” capabilities, instead of heavily customizing its features. The more departments use the different tools available without embellishment, the more efficient their operations can be.
Finally, there is also a new procedure for requesting PeopleSoft access. A downloadable form (.pdf) and instructions (.pdf) are available.
Is training available?
Training took place throughout the month of October. Online training tools were provided to Time Recorders and Time Approvers, while in-class training sessions were offered to core users.
What do I do if I missed the training?
Time Recorders and Time Approvers must complete a training session to be granted access to the upgraded application. Training can be requested by sending an email to trainingc@houstonisd.org.
How long does it take to have access granted once I’ve finished the training?
Once training is complete, the Information Security process must be followed to provide access. The Information Security process itself dictates timing for granting access.
I used to be able to run certain types of reports in PeopleSoft, but I can’t anymore. Why not?
When HISD completed its review of job duties related to PeopleSoft, administrators determined that some employees had access to more functions than they actually needed. Those employees’ security access levels were adjusted to realign them with their assigned job duties. The changes are designed to increase data security, while also providing employees with just the right amount of clearance they need to perform their jobs.
I had PeopleSoft bookmarked as a favorite. Why doesn’t the link work anymore?
Due to the recent upgrade, bookmarks to the old PeopleSoft application will no longer work, but you can create a new one by logging on to the employee portal and accessing the latest version from there.
Does the PeopleSoft upgrade have any new features?
Yes. PeopleSoft is designed to give managers and employees more self-sufficiency. It has the capacity to allow users to view and manage personal information, complete their annual appraisals (non-teachers only), and much more.