The power of the Edmodo network lies in the teacher-to-teacher connections made and strengthened every day. With more than 26 million users, Edmodo is built one teacher, one connection, and one collaboration story at a time.
To recognize and reward those dedicated to growing their Edmodo network, and who reach out and collaborate with other teachers, Edmodo is launching the Power of One contest. To enter, continue to connect and share on Edmodo, and:
- Invite at least one new teacher to join Edmodo during the month of October.
- Join the Edmodo Connected Educator group.
- Help the new teacher get set up on Edmodo and start a classroom there. Use resources shared in the Connected Educator group and discover new ideas for yourself.
- Submit your Power of One story (or stories!).
Two veteran Edmodo teachers and their mentees will win:
- A trip to the Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando, Florida
- $5,000 in Edmodo Store Credit for their district’s teachers (to be distributed as the winners choose)
Deadline for entries is Oct. 31, 2013. Winners will be selected by Edmodo and announced by Nov. 15, 2013. Please review the contest’s terms and conditions before submitting your entry.
Julia Amponsah-Gilder (fifth from L, front row) and her team
This week’s Shout Out goes to Senior Manager of Student Assessment Julia Amponsah-Gilder and her staff from The Rice School’s testing coordinator, Dr. Stacy Spillane.
Dr. Spillane said that the “superior” training led by Julia and her staff on Oct. 3 was one of the best she’s ever attended.
“This year, I was particularly impressed by the way the whole group worked together to present the information,” said Dr. Spillane. “Everybody got to do a part of it, and that’s what made it unique. Getting training on student assessment protocols is a necessary thing, but it’s difficult to make that interesting. So for them to make it as engaging as they did was really outstanding.”
| 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. |
For the last two weeks, we’ve asked eNews readers why they participate in the district’s annual Combined Charities Campaign (CCC), and most respondents said they donate primarily to support health-related organizations, with human services and children’s causes following closely behind.
Eighty-six percent contribute to medical causes, such as those seeking cures for cancer or diabetes, including Diana Perez, Carolyn Travis, and White ES teacher Maria Piñedo, who lost her father to lung cancer almost three years ago.
About 80 percent indicated they had been regular donors for at least five years, and of those, about a third said that they had given thousands of dollars to charity through CCC.
“Over the years, I have given about $2,300,” said Nicole Hevener, a teacher at De Zavala Elementary School. “And by giving this way, I know I am making a difference. As Mahatma Gandi once said, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in this world.’ I tell my students that every day—and every day I am making a change in this world with my donations.”
In this week’s I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Clifton Middle School football coach Shane Johnson Sr. talks about why he walked away from a career in professional football, how his three sons came to be a family, and the Nov. 2 homecoming game between Waltrip and Reagan high schools, where the boys play on opposing teams.
It must be very rewarding to have three such good football players in your family. What’s that been like for you?
The Johnson family: Trelon, Shane Sr., Shane Jr., and Kodie (from L)
I am so proud of all my boys. My oldest son, Trelon Johnson, is starting quarterback for Waltrip HS, and he’s doing really well so far. My younger son, Shane Johnson, a sophomore at Reagan HS, plays varsity and rotates in and out with the senior quarterback. My third son, Kodie Y’Barbo, who is my stepson, plays senior linebacker for Waltrip. You should see my house on the weekends – it’s a football frenzy.
How did your sons end up attending different schools?
Well, Shane, who is only a sophomore, decided he wanted to play football for Reagan High School so he could go up against his brothers, quarterback Trelon and middle linebacker Kodie. “I want to beat them,” Shane said. He convinced a bunch of boys from Clifton to go to Reagan with him. The showdown takes place on Nov. 2, when Reagan hosts Waltrip in their homecoming game at Delmar–Tusa Stadium.
I understand you met your wife because of the kids. How did that come about?
When Trelon and Kodie were in third grade, we lived in the same apartment complex, and they would be out in the middle of the complex playing football all the time. My sons Trelon and Shane kept coming in and asking, “Can Ms. Robin watch us at the swimming pool?” After hearing this for a while, I went out to meet her, and that was it for me. We are married, and now we have a daughter together. Brandi is five and attends Stevens ES.
You were a star linebacker at Eisenhower HS in Aldine in the early 1990s, and you played football in college, too, didn’t you?
Yeah, we were pretty good. We almost got to state a couple times. I got a full scholarship to Texas A&M–Kingsville. There were some great coaches there who had a strong influence on me. I went on to play football for one year for the Houston Thunderbears, which was part of the Arena Football League.
Why did you walk away from a career in pro football?
Shane was about two years old then, and I wanted to finish my degree, so I transferred to Houston Baptist University and finished up there.
You’ve been teaching and coaching at Clifton for about four years now. How did you get into that?
I was a supervisor at Direct TV for six years, which was a great job, but then I met Robin. I had been coaching little league football for years, so she said, “You love football so much, why don’t you get a job as a coach?” I thought that was a great idea, so here I am.
I subbed for two years prior to getting on full-time. I was subbing in a seventh-grade science class, and I had the students in groups working on a project when two ladies came in to observe me. I had no idea who they were, but it turns out they were the principal and one of her assistant principals. They were so amazed to see a sub who was actually teaching that they offered me a long-term sub job.
Up until this year, I’ve been teaching science and coaching after school, but now I’m a full-time coach.
You coached at Waltrip HS last year as well, correct? Do you think you’ll keep coaching in middle school?
Yes, I wanted to experience coaching high school, so I coached secondary defense at Waltrip. I think I’ll coach high school eventually, but right now I want to focus on Clifton. I want to stay in middle school for a while, because middle school is the midway point, and I think it’s really important to get these boys in shape for high school.
Are you thinking about getting them into college as well?
Yes, definitely. I have all kinds of college stuff posted on the wall. “You talk about college all the time,” my boys say. I want all my students to go to college. I tell them that the best gift they can give me is to come back and visit me when they are in college or after they graduate.
| 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’s Food Services department was honored recently with a “Health and Hunger Champions” award by the Hunger Free Texans organization.
The district was one of eight entities to be recognized for furthering initiatives that align with Hunger Free Texan’s mission of keeping people well by reducing hunger and increasing health or nutrition in Texas, and HISD won in the “Best Practice Model” category.
Hunger Free Texans is a coalition of retailers, growers, grocers, food and nutrition experts, state government, healthcare industry, business, non-profits, education, faith based organizations, elected officials and other diverse community stakeholders in Texas.
The district was formally recognized at an awards ceremony on Oct. 10.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- HISD’s School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), which has been singled out by the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD) for its leadership in promoting physical fitness and activity among young people. The SHAC will be formally recognized with the 2013 Distinguished Service Award at the 90th annual TAHPERD convention on Dec. 6, in Dallas.
- Madison HS English teacher Tamira A. Cole, who was recently appointed to serve as an alternate commissioner on the Houston Commission on Disabilities through July 2015.
- Berry ES librarian Carl Birk, whose book about Jimmie Rodgers (“The Father of Country Music”), Unfurrowed Ground: The Innovators of Country Music, led to the creation and dedication of a historical marker in Asheville, NC, on Sept. 8, 2013, Jimmie Rodgers Day.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
For the next seven months, employees and visitors who come to the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street, 77092) cafeteria for lunch can stay for a side order of entertainment!
Fine Arts Fridays, which showcase the creative talents of students in the district’s performing arts programs, have been scheduled at the district’s headquarters through the end of May between the hours of noon and 12:30 p.m. (one group) or 11:45–12:15 and 12:45–1:15 (two groups).
T. H. Rogers’ chamber orchestra kicks off the return of Fine Arts Fridays on Oct. 25. Upcoming performances before the winter break will feature:
- Nov. 8—Briarmeadow K-8
- Nov. 15—Pin Oak MS & Johnston MS
- Dec. 6—Reagan K-8 and Longfellow ES
- Dec. 13—Key MS & Parker ES
To see a complete schedule, click here (.pdf).
While you’re there, be sure to take a few minutes to look at the visual artworks on display throughout the building. Pieces are exhibited along the hallways of every floor.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- Oct. 1-31: National Principals Month
- Oct. 7-25: Combined Charities Campaign
- Oct. 19: Energy Day
- Oct. 23(.pdf): Payday
- Oct. 26: Marathon Kids Houston Kickoff
- Nov. 2: School Choice Fair
- Nov. 4-8: Magnet Awareness Week
- Nov. 5: Election Day
- Nov. 5: New employee orientation
- Nov. 6(.pdf): Payday
- Nov. 14: ADL’s Houston in Concert Against Hate
- Nov. 18-22: SPARK Parks Week
- Nov. 23 & 24: Vio Colori Street Festival
- Nov. 27-29: Thanksgiving holiday (.pdf)
- Dec. 3: New employee orientation
Teachers from 11 high schools are attending Saturday training sessions to learn how to use web based tools with their students who soon will be receiving laptops as part of the district’s PowerUp initiative. After each training, teachers are asked to create mock lesson plans using the new resources. Some, including English teacher Sarah Campbell from the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy, are already incorporating the new tools into current classroom instruction.
“That very Saturday, I started using a program called turnitin.com with my students to submit final drafts of their personal narrative essays. The on-line platform removes the red pen shame that students often associate with teacher feedback. Now students can isolate an area of concern, improve it, and get immediate responses for their revisions. Of all the steps of the writing process, nothing can cripple a young author more than the experience of re-writing. With turnitin.com, teachers finally can provide a risk-free environment for creating, modifying, evaluating, and upgrading expressions of student ingenuity. It’s been a wonderful experience for me and my students”
Campbell is also using Edmodo in her classrooms. Her English students recently wrote about why they love the social media platform. You can read what they have to say here.
| 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. |
Chalita Cyprian
Chalita Cyprian has been called a procurement supervisor, a team leader, and most recently, a manager of procurement, but technically, she’s been doing the same job for the past 15 years.
Cyprian oversees the ProCard program and supervises a team of buyers who help district school and department staff members obtain the things they need for their work locations.
“It’s fast-paced and high volume,” she says. “We handle everything from testing materials to textbooks, and student supplies to all things IT, like computers, laptops, and tablets.”
The one thing that’s easy is marking her years of service with the district. “My first day on the job with HISD was October 12,” she explains. “I always remember because I started the Monday after we celebrated my son’s first birthday, and he will be 16 years old this Friday.”
Cyprian officially marked her anniversary with the district on Oct. 12, but several other employees are also marking theirs this week (Oct 6–12). See if you know anyone on this list:
35 years
- Debra Jones, teaching assistant, Wheatley HS
30 years
- Hung Huynh, Mechanic team lead, Transportation Services
25 years
- Jose Torres, senior plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
- Viola Scott, teacher, Almeda ES
- Lillian Davila, teacher, Bellfort ECC
- Victoria Orozco-Martinez, curriculum specialist, Curriculum & Instruction
- Johnson Jannis, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Lula Hays, quality assurance analyst, Construction & Facility Services
- Nancy Hernandez, clerk, Chavez HS
- Valerie Wainright, teacher, Rice MS
20 years
- Wanda Brown, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Claudia Rangel, teaching assistant, Wheatley HS
- Maria Aleman, student information rep., Port Houston ES
15 years
- Griselda Page, clerk, Lanier MS
- Reggie Washington, officer, Police Department
- Candrick Heliton, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Jolanda Anderson, student information rep., Frost ES
- Ann Seward, librarian, Daily ES
- Willie Wilson, teacher, Kashmere Gardens ES
- Elisa Reyes, teacher, Sutton ES
10 years
- Curtis Turner, teaching assistant, Gross ES
- Kenneth Brooks, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
- Theresa Huron-Groesbeck, secretary, Lyons ES
- Maria Ortiz, attendant, Food Services
- Cheryl Gray, teaching assistant, T. H. Rogers MS
- Maria Martinez, teacher, Benavidez ES
5 years
- Milton Morgan, associate teacher
- Mary Mcelroy, associate teacher
- Marletha Moore, teacher, Lewis ES
- Angelica Ramirez, attendant, Food Services
- Rosalba Martinez, attendant team lead, Food Services
- Stacey Henson, clerk, Paige ES
- Tracy Robinson, teacher, Project Chrysalis MS
- Irma Martinez, secretary, Dávila ES
- Maria Leblanc, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Juana Mendoza, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Diana Sallam, teaching assistant, Bush ES
- Princess Williams, speech therapy assistant, Child Study
- Karen Kelley, associate teacher
- Gloria Williams, teacher, Hobby ES
- Barbara Dick, substitute aide/clerk
- Judith Smith, substitute aide/clerk
- Julia James, associate teacher
- Linda Hinojosa, teacher, Cornelius ES
- Joyce Pink, teacher, Travis ES
- Yeny Palma, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Byron Ward, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Maria Hernandez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Demitrice Williams, secretary, Secondary Curriculum & Instruction
- Sonia Mora, teacher, Ortiz MS
| Check back next Friday for more October Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
