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

ALL TEACHERS

Special Education: Sign up now for this virtual Specially Designed Instruction Symposium on Orton Gillingham teaching methods and how to apply differentiation to the lesson cycle for reading teachers and interventionists from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2020. Keynote speaker Misty Walker-Ramsey will present “Connecting the 7Gs to Dyslexia Instruction” and attendees will choose from breakout sessions on metacognition, comprehension, phonological awareness, fluency, executive functioning, and tech tools.  There will be giveaways, including gift cards and other classroom items. Please share the SDI symposium and Orton Gillingham in action on social media using the hashtag #OGinHISD. To attend via Microsoft Teams, please register in OneSource for course 1447586. See this flyer for more information or click on https://bit.ly/3gQT0Tc.

January Goalbook webinars

Starting in January 2021, Goalbook, the web-based resource that provides academic and behavior strategies, will host a three-part webinar series focused on using their resources to create an antiracist learning environment so that all students succeed.  Participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions. Additional information will be forthcoming specific to Part 2 and Part 3.  Please contact jander13@houstonisd.org or call 713-556-6844 if you have questions.

 Part 1: Antiracism and the Universal Design for Learning Framework

• Jan. 12, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. CT → REGISTER HERE 
• Jan 21, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. CT → REGISTER HERE

Social and Emotional Learning

Welcome Back and Happy New Year! Teachers, @SELHISD will provide Thursday Winter Training Offerings that will focus on strategies and best practices for building relationships with students to help manage classroom behaviors. Please consider joining us for Behavior Intervention, De-escalation, Classroom Management, and Trauma Informed Practices trainings, depending on availability. Please see this document for information on how to register in One Source.  For additional resources, please visit Rethink Ed and the SEL Google Site.

 SEL Campus Spotlight: Bellaire HS
Message from social worker Lara Hulin: “In the spirit of SEL being a process of empowerment for education teams to learn from one another, connect, and collectively create positive school communities, Bellaire High School would like to share the following ideas: Teacher Chats (led by school social worker) and Teacher Book Studies (led by teacher) are informal monthly group meetings in which faculty and staff meet to discuss a topic, book, podcast, Ted Talk or article, specifically focusing on sharing and learning from one another and how we can implement new strategies at Bellaire.”

Group 1 Automotive

HISD has partnered with the Sterling McCall family of dealerships to offer HISD employees an exclusive Vehicle Buying Program with services designed to save you time and money at all Group 1 automotive dealerships. Click here to learn more.

New Teachers
Each month we will spotlight one of the Instructional Practice (IPR) criterion within TADS. This month’s IPR focus criterion is PL-2 collects, tracks, and uses student data to drive instruction.  Join us for a live webinar session during which we will dive into effective practice strategies that will support your ability to ensure you are:

• accurately determining student progress toward and mastery of objectives and annual student learning goals using multiple methods of assessment
• using a system to track student assessment data, including individual and class progress toward meeting unit objectives and annual learning goals
• analyzing student progress data at key points during a unit and during the year
• using analysis of student progress data to plan differentiated instruction, including intervention and enrichment
• ensuring students can articulate their performance and progress relative to unit objectives and annual learning goals.

If you are interested in joining our live webinar, click on this link to register for a session:

IPR Spotlight: PL-2 Collects, Tracks, and Uses Student Data to Drive Instruction Live Webinar

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Career and Technical Education
Please view our January 2021 CTE Professional Development Calendar for upcoming after school and self-paced training sessions for Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers. Please register through OneSource Learning to receive credit for courses. There are many supplemental opportunities available for all teachers. Please visit the HUB for HISD Career Readiness resources and announcements, and see courses explained below. Also, visit the HISD Career Readiness website or click on Weekly CTE News Bulletin for the January edition. Before registering for OneSource courses, please reference the CTE audience on the Professional Development Calendar. If you have any OneSource course questions, please contact Dr. Stacey Whitmore at SWHITMO1@HoustonISD.org.

Additional CTE Information and Opportunities

See the January Region 4 Distance Learning Event Schedule for upcoming events and professional development opportunities. For EverFI Career Exploration Lessons training on Jan. 21, 2021, see this flyer. eDynamic Learning has new courses on robotics, business communications, business law, sport medicine, and more this month; see this flyer for instructions on how to register. Junior Achievement is offering a new course on Strategic Goals for HISD Scholars on Jan. 28; see this flyer for more information. For a course on Culturally and Linguistically Special Populations, see this flyer. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is offering a new distance education program through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program specifically for 6th–12th grade students; for info on their “Healthy Teens, Healthy Future” curriculum, see this flyer. Applied Educational Systems Rep Heather Young will present two trainings;  January 26 is an introduction to Health Center 21 Digital Curriculum and January 27 is about Business and IT Center 21.

Career Tip Tuesday
Teachers, please encourage your students to join CTE career advisors every second and fourth Tuesday of the month for a mini lesson watch party led by expert professionals and educators on how to stand out from the crowd and become competitive job applicants.

ALL TEACHERS

January Goalbook webinars

Starting in January 2021, Goalbook, the web-based resource that provides academic and behavior strategies, will host a three-part webinar series focused on using their resources to create an antiracist learning environment so that all students succeed.  Participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions. Additional information will be forthcoming specific to Part 2 and Part 3.  Please contact jander13@houstonisd.org or call 713-556-6844 if you have questions.

 Part 1: Antiracism and the Universal Design for Learning Framework

• Jan. 12, 2021, at 12 p.m. CT → REGISTER HERE 
• Jan 21, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. CT → REGISTER HERE

Fall 2020 Remote Teaching and Learning Teacher Survey: Please respond to the Fall 2020 Remote Teaching and Learning Teacher Survey to help inform decision-making regarding support strategies and resources for HISD teachers. The survey will be open through Friday, Jan. 8, 2021.

SEL Blog: Self-care is paramount during these times. Many of us might think of self-care as an indulgence, but it actually a way coping with varied stressors. By setting aside a few minutes to care for yourself, you can better care for those who depend on you for their safety and wellness. Check out the SEL Blog here to begin or add to your self-care regimen. And, from the Social Emotional Learning Department, please have a happy and safe winter break, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa!

Group 1 Automotive: HISD has partnered with the Sterling McCall family of dealerships to offer HISD employees an exclusive Vehicle Buying Program with services designed to save you time and money at all Group 1 automotive dealerships. Click here to learn more.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

CTE Professional Development Opportunities: Please view our December 2020 CTE professional development calendar for available virtual training sessions for CTE instructors. There are self-paced courses, free webinars, free live events, free discussion panels, virtual conferences, and free supplemental resources for CTE teachers. Please visit the HISD Career Readiness page on the HUB to find important resources as it relates to CTE. Please view the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Weekly Bulletin for news, updates, and opportunities.

FIVE Network: The FIVE Network connects talented high school students to a team of five influential and caring mentors digitally through the FIVE mobile app. FIVE mentors help students develop critical life skills, expand their professional networks, and serve as a positive and consistent presence in their lives for five years starting in the ninth grade. Their predictive technologies inform a powerful networks of mentors to teach, inspire, and recruit talent (future and current). They are only accepting students until the end of this calendar year, so the deadline is Dec. 31, 2020. To learn more about the FIVE Network, contact Isabel Bolivar at 571-279-3532 or email her at isabel@thefivenetwork.com.

Career Tip Tuesday: Teachers, please encourage your students to join CTE career advisors every second and fourth Tuesday of the month for a mini lesson watch party led by expert professionals and educators on how to stand out from the crowd and become competitive job applicants.

ALL TEACHERS

Fall 2020 Remote Teaching and Learning Teacher Survey: Please respond to the Fall 2020 Remote Teaching and Learning Teacher Survey to help inform decision-making regarding support strategies and resources for HISD teachers. The survey will be open through Friday, Jan. 8, 2021.

SEL/COVID Video Series: This video series is for families (or educators) and addresses/discusses critical SEL topics in the context of COVID-19 or social justice. They cover topics such as stress management, anxiety, self-compassion, self-efficacy, emotions, and resilience. Please share them with students and parents. Visit the Rethink Ed page and scroll to the bottom to access the videos.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

CTE Professional Development Opportunities: December 2020 virtual training sessions for CTE instructors include Family Consumer Sciences, Understanding Dyslexia in CTE, and GRASPS in CTE. Additionally, view the CTE professional development calendar for a repository of upcoming self-paced courses, free webinars, free live events, discussion panels, conferences, and supplemental resources for teachers. Please visit the HISD Career Readiness page on the HUB to find important CTE resources.

Healthy Teens, Healthy Futures: Texas A&M AGRILIFE is excited to offer a new distance education program through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program specifically for grades 6-12 students! Our “Healthy Teens, Healthy Future” curriculum focuses on helping youth audiences develop healthy eating habits, increasing their physical activity, practicing food safety, and developing skills for basic food preparation.

Greater Houston Job Leads and Resources from Disability Solutions: Please check out these great opportunities and resources for talent with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities. Share them with your jobseekers, colleagues, and external partners.

FIVE Network: The FIVE Network connects talented high school students to a team of five influential and caring mentors digitally through the FIVE mobile app. FIVE mentors help students develop critical life skills, expand their professional networks, and serve as a positive and consistent presence in their lives for five years starting in the ninth grade. Their predictive technologies inform a powerful networks of mentors to teach, inspire, and recruit talent (future and current). They are only accepting students until the end of this calendar year, so the deadline is Dec. 31, 2020. To learn more about the FIVE Network, contact Isabel Bolivar at 571-279-3532 or email her at isabel@thefivenetwork.com.

Career Tip Tuesday: Teachers, please encourage your students to join CTE career advisors every second and fourth Tuesday of the month for a mini lesson watch party led by expert professionals and educators on how to stand out from the crowd and become competitive job applicants.

ALL TEACHERS

SEL Thursday Trainings: Please check out the Thursday Trainings series on the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Department Google site. Sessions will cover topics such as Behavior Intervention Strategies, Classroom Management, De-Escalation, and Trauma Informed Practices, providing SEL strategies to support you and student learning. No pre-registration is required, and participants may click the session and time of their choice in real time. Please remember to check with your campus administrator regarding these trainings. While you are checking out this site, please also visit our SEL Relaxation Corner for helpful self-care exercises and the SEL Blog.

New Teachers: Each month, we will spotlight one of the Instructional Practice (IPR) criteria within TADS. This month’s IPR focus criterion is I-2 Checking for Student Understanding and Responds to Misunderstanding. Join us for a live webinar session where we will dive into effective practice strategies that will support your ability to:

• Check for understanding and accurately diagnose student misunderstanding at key moments during a lesson using a variety of methods.
• Adjust lesson to ensure student understanding in response to assessments during the lesson and without interrupting the flow of the lesson.
• Provide feedback throughout the lesson that affirms correctly understood content, clarifies misunderstood content, and extends student thinking.
• Provide students with opportunities to apply knowledge after misunderstood content has been clarified.
• Use clear systems and routines for assessing student understanding during the lesson.

A session will be offered via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. To register, please click here.

Group 1 Automotive: HISD has partnered with the Sterling McCall family of dealerships to offer HISD employees an exclusive Vehicle Buying Program with services designed to save you time and money at all Group 1 Automotive dealerships. Click here to learn more.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council: The Apprenticeship Readiness Program (ARP) Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) offers the opportunity to transition into a Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship program and participate in an “EARN WHILE YOU LEARN” program (work 40+ hours a week and attend apprenticeship class one to two nights a week, earning college credits), including health care and pension benefits, at no cost to you. First-year apprentices will start earning $15 to $25 an hour, plus benefits, with scheduled pay raises every year.

iCEV Virtual CTE Professional Development Seminar: This event will be held Jan. 4-5, 2021. iCEV will host two days of complimentary professional development, and all CTE educators are invited to attend. Whether you are new to iCEV or already an iCEV super-user, this seminar will provide valuable implementation strategies, tools, and resources focused on preparing teachers to adjust to a changing educational landscape. iCEV is an approved HISD vendor. Repeat workshop sessions will be offered in multiple time slots to accommodate a variety of schedules.

National Geographic Educator Certification: This free professional development program recognizes formal and informal educators committed to inspiring the next generation of explorers, conservationists, and changemakers. Challenge yourself to teach about the world in innovative and interdisciplinary ways. You will collaborate with inspiring educators as you generate activities centered around real-world issues and implement them with your students. You will apply the National Geographic Learning Framework, a standards-aligned tool designed to foster an explorer’s mindset. During the course, you will contribute to discussions, write reflections, and develop a multimedia capstone project.

FIVE Network: The FIVE Network connects talented high school students to a team of five influential and caring mentors digitally through the FIVE mobile app. FIVE mentors help students to develop critical life skills, expand their professional networks, and serve as a positive and consistent presence in their lives for five years starting in the ninth grade. Our predictive technologies inform our powerful networks of mentors to teach, inspire, and recruit talent (future and current). We are only accepting students until the end of this calendar year. The deadline is Dec. 31. To learn more about the FIVE Network, contact Isabel Bolivar directly at 571-279-3532 or email isabel@thefivenetwork.com.

CTE Professional Development Opportunities: Our December 2020 virtual training sessions for CTE instructors include Family Consumer Sciences, Understanding Dyslexia in CTE, and GRASPS in CTE. Please register through OneSource Learning to receive credit for self-paced courses. Additionally, view the CTE professional development calendar and the CTE December bulletin for a repository of upcoming self-paced courses, free webinars, free live events, discussion panels, conferences, and supplemental resources for teachers. Please also visit the HISD Career Readiness page on the HUB to find important CTE resources. For HISD OneSource courses, please reference the CTE audience on the calendar. For any OneSource course questions, please email Dr. Stacey Whitmore at SWHITMO1@HoustonISD.org.

Career Tip Tuesday: Teachers, please encourage your students to join our CTE career advisors every second and fourth Tuesday of the month for a mini lesson watch party to help prepare them for a career by learning from expert professionals and educators how to stand out from the crowd. Let them know so they can become competitive job applicants!

ALL TEACHERS

SEL Bulletin Boards: The Social Emotional Learning Department created bulletin boards to remind ourselves of the importance of self-care. Please consider this team building activity for your campus to promote SEL tips for children, parents, teachers, or everyone. Campuses may wish to dedicate an SEL bulletin board per grade level, hallway, cafeteria, or main hallway. Remember to include these boards inside campus newsletters, tweets, announcements, or maybe a campus tour! We hope you take some time to recharge the upcoming week. We recognize, appreciate, and thank you for your commitment to our students. 

Aspiring Program Specialist and Aspiring Department Chair Cohorts: The Office of Special Education Services (OSES) is seeking special education (SPED) teachers and other instructional professionals with a SPED certification to apply for the Aspiring Program Specialist and Aspiring Department Chair Cohorts. The purpose of the aspiring cohorts is to develop a pool of potential SPED leaders to provide timely and relevant instructional support and services to campus leaders, special education teachers, staff, and other stakeholders who serve students with disabilities. Interested applicants may access the applications online via the HISD Careers link – Business Professionals>Special Education Cohort. For more information regarding the timeline, application criteria, and frequently asked questions, click here. For questions related to the Aspiring Cohorts of Special Education Leaders (A.C.S.E.L.), please contact Carolyn Henry via Microsoft Teams or Cattani Frye via Microsoft Teams or email at cattani.frye@HoustonISD.org.

Computer Science: Region 4 is hosting a free computer science panel discussion on Dec. 7 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. for all CTE educators, elementary and secondary curriculum, math and science.  Please register here with Session ID: 1581061. In collaboration with Rice University and Code.org, WeTeach CS at The University of Texas at Austin will be hosting Computer Science webinars for counselors and administrators. Participants will learn about trends and opportunities in computer science, and how our district can open doors to these opportunities for all students.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Arts A/V iHeart Media Virtual Speaker: We have an exciting opportunity for your students to engage with industry professionals from the iHeart Media company during your class. These industry professionals are excited to speak to students interested in radio, production, media, and more. Click here to sign up for your students’ virtual speaker. You will need to include the following information:

• Date: December 2020 – April 2021 (Please keep in mind a minimum of two weeks advance notice is required.)
• Timeframe or class period time
• Your name as a contact person
• Your email
• The approximate number of students (primarily for seniors and juniors)
• They will discuss a little about their company, their occupation, what it is like day-to-day, how to get started in the industry, and what are some of the other careers in the industry. If there are any other specialized areas of interest, please add them.

eDynamic Learning: The platform will have new electives and CTE courses available for next semester! We are excited to announce the new courses that are now available or coming for winter. By the end of 2020, we will offer nearly 200 unique and engaging electives and CTE courses for middle schools and high schools. eDynamic Learning is an approved HISD vendor. All eDynamic Learning digital courses offer school partners a comprehensive curriculum that is suitable for school and home. This offers a continuous learning experience for teachers and students. Click here and here to learn more.

CareerSafe National Youth Safety Essay Scholarship Contest: Students are encouraged to create a written or video essay describing how the OSHA 10-hour training has made an impact in the way they recognize hazards and how it will be a benefit to their future. CareerSafe will select up to four students to be awarded a $500 scholarship each quarter. The contest ends on Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). Learn more about CareerSafe opportunities.

Capella University: Visit Capella University for free virtual professional development. You will have 60 days to complete any of the foundational courses that focus on setting up, designing, and enhancing instructional materials and methods with technology in the modern classroom. These courses are designed for teachers and teacher leaders with moderate instructional technology use. Find courses that can provide you with the competencies and immediately applicable artifacts to take your lessons to the next level. Each course aligns to a master’s program at Capella University and is available anytime. You can take courses when it is convenient for you.

Safe Holiday Season: Plan for a safe holiday season! Check out these Simple Ways to Protect Yourself, Family and Friends During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and isolating for many people. Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends. This holiday season, consider how your holiday plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, families, and communities healthy and safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer considerations to slow the spread of COVID-19 during small gatherings. Click here for more information.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): Do you still have questions or need support in the areas of CTE curriculum for your program of study or industry-based certifications? If so, please reach out to our CTE team for assistance. As you know, CTE content is aligned with challenging academic standards, relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education, and careers in emerging professions. Requests for CTE Curriculum and Certifications Open Lab is open. Please click here to review available openings and schedule a meeting with a specialist.