If you’ve been thinking about it, but haven’t taken action yet, then now’s the time.
The early enrollment period for HISD’s Supplemental Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) program is currently underway, but you have to sign up by Friday, May 31, to beat the deadline.
SSLB offers participants up to 30 additional paid leave days in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury resulting in an extended absence from work.
Enrollment forms and plan details are available on the SSLB webpage and were emailed to eligible employees at the beginning of the month. Current participants are automatically re-enrolled.
Eligible employees may enroll or cancel plan membership at any time during the early enrollment period through May 31.
Please contact Employee Support Services at 713-293-9780 for assistance.
Friday, May 31, 2013, is the last day of spring Healthy Wage Challenge, and employees who are participating in the weight-loss competition can go get their official weigh-ins that day at either of HISD’s Employee Health & Wellness Clinics.
Both locations will be open from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. for this purpose, and no appointment is necessary.
Employees must bring a copy of their VerifyMe sheet, which is available on the Healthy Wage website. Additional weigh-in locations are also available there.
This week’s Shout Out goes to Jacqueline Y. Williams, an accountant in Food Services, from her colleague, budget analyst Donna Chenault.
“Jackie and I have been friends since she joined HISD in May of 2006,” said Chenault. “I knew she valued education, but I was surprised and very proud when I heard she and her daughter had both received their MBAs while maintaining full-time jobs.”
Appropriately, Williams and her adult daughter, Precious, graduated together from the Texas Woman’s University on Mother’s Day (May 12) with masters degrees in business administration.
| 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. |
Out of respect for all of the men and women who have lost their lives while serving in the U.S. armed forces, all HISD schools and administrative offices will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2013, in observance of Memorial Day.
All HISD offices will reopen for regular business on Tuesday, May 28, 2013.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- May 1–31: Asthma Awareness Month
- June 1: Hurricane season begins
- June 6: Last day of school (students)
- June 7–11(.pdf): Graduation ceremonies
- June 10–Aug. 2: Summer Schedule in effect
- June 11: Summer School begins*
- June 11–July 18: Summer Meals program
- June 13: Board meeting (regular)
- June 20: Board meeting (budget)
- July 11: Board meeting
- July 15-19 & Aug. 5-9: HMNS Summer Energy Workshops
- August 26: First day of school (students)
The National Association of Fleet Administrators awarded the Houston Independent School District its Excellence in Public Fleet Sustainability award for 2013.
This award is bestowed based on specific criteria such as documentation of key performance measurements which includes fleet composition of conventional fueled vehicles versus vehicles that use alternative fuels such as biodiesel and propane.
Read the full story here.
Congratulations this week also go out to:
- Melina Flores (Herrera ES) who was named HISD’s Librarian of the Year for 2013 and Deborah “Debbie” Morice (Red ES), who was named HISD’s Elementary Nurse of the Year for 2013 and Violet Clarke (Chavez HS), who was named the district’s Secondary Nurse of the Year. Read the full story here.
- Coach Bruce Glover, the head boys’ basketball coach at Bellaire HS, for being selected to coach the “Top 100 High School Players from the Class of 2014” at the National Basketball Association’s Basketball Camp. The camp will be held at the University of Virginia June 11–16, 2013.
Princess Jenkins
- Facilities Planner Princess Jenkins, who was honored by the Harris County Department of Education Cooperative for After-School Enrichment (CASE) for her work as site coordinator at Crockett ES’s 21st Century Learning Center after-school program from August through March. Jenkins received the “New Kid on the Block” award, which is given to one new site coordinator who demonstrates strong leadership, organizational and communication skills during the first year of service.
- Mary Jane Reyes, who was one of the 100 Outstanding Nurses recognized by the Houston Chronicle in its 12th annual Salute to Nurses recently. Reyes serves as an intake consultant for the district’s Child Study department.
Also, stay tuned…
HISD’s Construction and Facilities Services department will be honoring its Custodian of the Year, Plant Operator of the Year, and several more outstanding grounds crew members at its awards ceremony in early June. The winners will be publicized in the June 13 edition of eNews.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Whole Foods Market will be hosting its ninth annual Empty Bowls fundraiser on Sat., May 18. The event will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (4848 Main Street, 77002), and all proceeds will go to benefit the Houston Food Bank. For a donation of $25 or more, guests can select one bowl to take home from among the hundreds created by local artists just for this event, and enjoy a simple soup lunch courtesy of Whole Foods. For complete details, visit the Houston Food Bank’s website.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- May 1–31: Asthma Awareness Month
- May 18: Young Inventors’ Showcase entry deadline
- May 27: Memorial Day holiday
- June 1: Hurricane season begins
- June 6: Last day of school (students)
- June 7–11(.pdf): Graduation ceremonies
- June 10–Aug. 2: Summer Schedule in effect
- June 11: Summer School begins*
- June 11–July 18: Summer Meals program
- June 13: Board meeting (regular)
- June 20: Board meeting (budget)
- July 11: Board meeting
- August 26: First day of school (students)
The Houston Independent School District will be rolling out the red carpet for its best and brightest at the annual Celebration of Excellence next week.
The May 21 event, which starts at 6 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center (1001 Avenida de las Americas, 77010), will honor the district’s 2013 Teachers of the Year, 2013 Principals of the Year, and Employees of the Month from June of 2012 until May of 2013.
“Like” us on Facebook to see live coverage of the event. We’ll be posting photos throughout the evening of people in their snazziest duds, so be sure to check it out.
But you don’t have to wait until next week to hear what people have to say about our nominees. “Like” us on Facebook now to leave a comment of your own, or just to see pictures of all the candidates and read quotes about their teaching experiences.
Parent Brenda Gonzales Jones had this to say about Stewart Savage, a Teacher of the Year nominee from Carnegie Vanguard High School:
“What Mr. Savage has accomplished with my daughter (a senior) and my son (a freshman) in helping to prepare them to face the real world is invaluable. As a parent, we know how important it is to ready our children for adulthood. Mr. Savage provides his students with problem solving, planning and presentation skills that will carry them more easily through whatever professional endeavors they may choose in life. I am forever grateful for his creativity and dedication to his students.”
If you are a campus-based member of Team HISD who participates, sponsors, and/or coaches any UIL-sanctioned or co-curricular activities, then the State of Texas requires you to be certified in the administration of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, Automated External Defibrillator, and First Aid (CPR/AED/FA).
Stipend payments are dependent upon this certification, so if you need the training, please sign up now for one of the available sessions between Thurs., June 27, and Thurs., August 8, to ensure that the district is in compliance with this legal requirement.
For details, including training dates, times, and locations, please see this related Academic Services Memo.
Texas Southern University will be hosting an intensive ten-day “Back to Basics” Summer Institute on its campus June 19–July 2, 2013, and the school is looking for both teachers and interested students to take part.
Teachers are invited to apply to the institute. If selected, they will need to identify five gifted students who might benefit substantially from the experience to bring with them.
To apply, please complete this form (.pdf) and follow the instructions for submission. The deadline to submit an application is May 21, 2013.
Questions may be directed to Dr. Bernnell Peltier-Glaze, coordinator of the TSU Back to Basics Summer Institute, at glazebm@tsu.edu or 713-313-7496. The event is made possible with funding from Chevron.
New SMART FCU branch grand opening celebrations May 17 & 18
SMART Financial Credit Union’s brand-new North Loop facility (2510 North Loop West, 77092) will be hosting grand opening celebrations for HISD employees on Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, and some of Houston’s favorite food trucks will be on site to provide gourmet bites.*
The May 17 celebration will take place from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and will feature the Phamily Bites food truck. The May 18 celebration will last from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and have Bernie’s Burger Bus and Amy’s Ice Cream representatives on hand.
HISD employees who bank at SMART can also take advantage of two special summer offers: $500 off of closing costs on a new home purchase/refinancing and auto loans as low as 1.9% APR. For complete details, please visit the SMART FCU website.
*Credit union members get discounts at the food trucks.
HMWESC wellness clinic location to be closed Memorial Day weekend
The Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center location of HISD’s Employee Health & Wellness Clinic will be closed on Saturday, May 25, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. The hours of operation of the Attucks MS location will not be affected.
Early enrollment period for SSLB ends May 31
HISD’s Supplemental Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) program offers participants up to 30 additional paid leave days in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury resulting in an extended absence from work.
Enrollment forms and plan details are available on the SSLB webpage and will be emailed to eligible employees during the week of May 6, 2013. Current participants are automatically re-enrolled.
Eligible employees may enroll or cancel plan membership at any time during the early enrollment period through May 31.
Please contact Employee Support Services at 713-293-9780 for assistance.
Early Bird Alert: Discount offer to Aug. 31 Texas Kickoff Classic
The Houston Texans, HISD’s longtime community partner, is offering district employees a savings of about 15 percent off of the regular price of tickets for a new fall tradition.
The inaugural Texas Kickoff Classic is coming to Reliant Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013, and district employees can get a family value pack of four tickets, four hot dogs, and four soft drinks for prices starting at $120.
Come launch the college football season by watching the Mississippi State Bulldogs take on Oklahoma State Cowboys for less.
To take advantage of this special offer, please contact Warren Caguioa at 832-667-2319 or warren.caguioa@houstontexans.com. A downloadable flyer (.pdf) is available for reference.
All processing charges, taxes, and fees will be waived.
With incidences of violence dominating the headlines over the past few months, HISD’s Risk Management department has released a special edition of its biannual Campus Safety Alert Newsletter for the spring of 2013.
Highlights of this issue include a feature on the importance of conducting emergency preparedness drills, a checklist for schools, and details on what never to do during a bomb threat. There is also a section on how to maintain an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).
The full newsletter (.pdf) is available on the private side of the Risk Management website (login required), under the “Newsletters” portlet in the “Forms and Documents” subchannel.
