Olga Colunga
For compensation analyst Olga Colunga, there is nothing more satisfying than making sure teachers get what they deserve, salary-wise.
Colunga, an Austin HS graduate, joined Team HISD 25 years ago this week, and she has spent that whole time serving fellow employees in various roles through the Human Resources department. Her current duties involve handling annual contract renewals, conflict of interest forms, and reviews of salary placement for teachers, assistant principals, and principals.
“I like ensuring that teachers get credit for all of their teaching experience,” she said. “You’d be surprised how many come back and say, ‘Wow. I didn’t realize I could get credit for that.’”
Many other HISD employees are also marking milestones this week (April 28–May4)—see if you know anyone on this list:
25 years
- Pamela Cunningham, teacher development specialist, Professional Development
- Cheryl Hodge, bus driver, Transportation Services
20 years
- Tammy Moore, attendant team lead, Food Services
15 years
- Sandra Griffin, secretary, Special Education
- Francisca Lerma, custodian, Blackshear ES
- Margaret Lemond, after-school program specialist, Bruce ES
- Lisa Patenotte, assistant principal, Cage ES
10 years
- Marsha Clark, receptionist, Board Services
- Vicky Cochran, associate teacher
- Vernell Cruise, crossing guard, Young ES
- Lisa Feine, teacher, Lovett ES
- Penthia Jarrett, teacher, Foerster ES
- Antonia Jones, writer, Food Services
- Katrina Joseph, teacher, Mading ES
- Deidre Lopez, teacher, Rucker ES
- Leonor Morales, attendant, Food Services
- Minerva Montano, teacher, Wharton ES
- Fanchon Moore, associate teacher
- Sandro Morales, teacher, Gregg ES
- Juan Moreno, custodian, Sherman ES
- Juan Ortiz, teacher, Brookline ES
- Patricia Perez, teacher, Peck ES
- Dina Sandoval, attendant, Food Services
- Lisa Shannon, student information representative, Attucks MS
- Doris Steamer, clerk, Revere MS
- Anne Wheeler, associate teacher
- Marco Whitfield, teaching assistant, Madison HS
5 years
- Robert Alexander, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Antony Davis, officer, Police Department
- Elizabeth Gonzalez, officer, Police Department
- Jacqueline King, senior secretary, Construction & Facility Services
- Ida Luna, custodian, Lewis ES
- Lachardra McBride, teacher, Fleming MS
- Adibe Obeid, associate teacher
- Rita Pearlman, associate teacher
- Jo Ann Sherman, teacher, HAIS
- Edna Smith, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Otto Wooten, associate teacher
| Check back next Friday for more May Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
May 6–10 is Teacher Appreciation Week in 2013, and in last week’s Friday eNews survey, a number of HISD employees took time to reflect on some of their favorite teachers.
One respondent, who remembered various instructors in elementary school, praised them simply, saying, “They believed in me and made me want to become a teacher.”
As a freshman at the Singapore American School, said another, “Ms. Kuester developed a passion for theatre in me that I have continued into my career as a fine arts teacher.”
A third cited retired HISD teacher Lucille Odom, who taught fifth-grade at Crockett Elementary School in the early 1970s.
“Mrs. Odom recognized that I had a strong math ability, and she allowed me to tutor others in the class after I had finished my work. I am now finishing my 31st year of teaching math at Reagan High School.”
Have a favorite teacher of your own? Give them a Shout-Out by sending a note to info@houstonisd.org and we may use it in our Teacher Appreciation Week coverage. Please include their full name, the school where they taught, and why they were special to you.
Many businesses are extending special offers to educators as a part of Teacher Appreciation Week, which lasts from Monday, May 6, through Friday, May 10, 2013.
To see a complete list of offers, which include discounts on tickets to sporting events and deals from local retailers, see this related article on the employee portal (login required). Check back during the week, too, as more specials may be added.
If you’re an HISD teacher looking to build your capacity to teach students writing, then you’re in luck.
HISD’s Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment will be hosting an intensive Summer Writing Institute this year for Teacher Development Specialists and teachers at all grade levels.
Applicants can choose from one of two 12-day sessions (June or July/August), and participants who complete the 90-hour training will be paid $1,500.
The deadline to apply is Monday, May 6. For details, please see this related flyer (.pdf) and application (.doc).
Kermit Daniels
This week’s Shout-Out goes to Coach Kermit Daniels at White Elementary School, from social worker Lara Hulin.
“There are so many things that make Mr. Daniels special,” said Hulin. “He is kind, creative, dedicated, and reliable. He is committed to physical fitness and the importance of it. He is a fantastic role model and an excellent team player. Most importantly, he is loved by so many. Former students, sometimes in the form of adults, come back to Ed White looking for him—that says a lot about him. He spreads joy just by being a genuine, caring person. He also helps coach the boys’ baseball team at Bellaire High School, and he is a pretty good singer, too!”
Coach Daniels will be retiring this year after 42 years of service to HISD.
Other Shout-Outs this week go to:
- John Chilo, a teacher at Sterling High School: “Mr. Chilo is a great teacher. He put his career on the line (to develop the new automotive technology program) to show us that we are worth something, that I’m really worth investing in.” —Darrien Coleman, student
| 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. |
Maria Elena Galan was named the 2013 Bilingual Teacher of the Year by the Houston Area Association for Bilingual Education (HAABE) during a special ceremony held on April 27.
Galan was nominated by her principal San Juana Elizando. You can read the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Finalists for H-E-B’s Excellence in Education awards. HISD candidates for 2013 include Dr. Mary Velasquez (Burbank MS) in the Lifetime Achievement category for teachers, and Mike Walker (Fondren ES) and Dr. R. Scott Allen (HSPVA) in the School Principals categories (elementary and secondary, respectively). See the full list here.
- Secondary Mathematics Curriculum Manager Monica Kendall, who has been chosen to present a paper at the Social Psychology of the Classroom International Conference at the University of Auckland in New Zealand July 15–18. Dr. Kendall’s paper, “Effects of Classroom Management of Cooperative Learning on Student Engagement in Five Urban High School Mathematics Classrooms,” is based on the doctoral research she conducted with HISD teachers in 2010–2011 and is representative of the conference theme, “Building Positive Environments for Learners.” She has previously presented her research in 2012 at the American Educational Research Association and at the International Conference for Interpersonal Relationships in Education.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Prepared 4 Life, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of middle-school-age children, will be holding its seventh annual Lemonade Day on Sunday, May 5, 2013—and HISD students and their families are encouraged to participate.
The communitywide event, which fosters entrepreneurship and character development among Houston’s youth, teaches children how to start, own, and operate their own business by setting up lemonade stands across the city. Visit the link above for details, or click here to locate a stand near you.
Here are some other dates you may want to mark on your calendar:
- May 1–31: Asthma Awareness Month
- May 5: Lemonade Day
- May 6–12: School Nurse Appreciation Week
- May 6–10: Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 9: Board meeting
- May 11: Art Car Parade
- May 15: Recipe for Success Garden Haiku contest deadline
- 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
Q: I have heard that a Style Guide exists to provide employees with guidance on formatting letters, memos, emails, and other written materials, but I have no idea where to find it. Where is it?
A: Originally created in 2008, the HISD Style Guide underwent its first revision in 2012. You can find an electronic copy of it on the Resource page of the district’s Office of Communications website.
| If you have a question for Ask HISD, please send an email to AskHISD@houstonisd.org. |
