Want to help kids get off the couch and run for their health/fitness? Then volunteer with Marathon Kids at the 2013 Houston Marathon Kids Final Mile Celebration on April 13!
Enthusiastic volunteers are needed to help Houston-area kids (many of whom are HISD students) celebrate the end of their journey to complete a whole marathon (26.2 miles) over the course of one school year. Volunteers make the event fun by cheering children on as they run their final laps, handing out Finisher Medals, greeting participants, ushering, and setting up/breaking down. Groups are welcome and encouraged. Shifts are available as early as 6 a.m. and the event will be over by noon.
The celebration will take place at the University of Houston’s Tom Tellez Stadium (3100 Cullen Road). To sign up at
www.marathonkids.org/volunteer. You’ll be contacted with all the specifics (parking, what to wear, etc.) Questions? E-mail Volunteer Coordinators Kimberly and Lisa at Kimberly@MarathonKids.org or Lisa@MarathonKids.org.
All HISD campuses and offices will be closed for the spring holiday on Friday, March 29, 2013.
They will reopen for normal business on Monday, April 1, 2013.
Here are some other dates you may want to mark on your calendar:
April 1–5: STAAR testing administration
April 2: Light It Up Blue (autism awareness)
April 5: Lunch ‘N Learn session (retirement savings accounts)
April 11: Board meeting
April 14–20: Week of the Young Child
April 14 & 16: Rockets’ HISD Appreciation Nights
April 16 & 30: Reasonable suspicion trainings
April 19: Open Transfer Period ends
May 6–10: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 9: Board meeting
May 27: Memorial Day
June 6: Last day of school (students)
Do you know the ten signs of Alzheimer’s? Memory loss that disrupts daily life may be a symptom of this disease or another type of dementia.
Join us at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street, 77092) on Friday, April 12, 2013, to learn more about Alzheimer’s and the 10 warning signs that may indicate that you or a loved one has developed it (downloadable flyer, .pdf).
The session will take place from noon until 1 p.m. in room 3C10. Space is limited, so please register via eTRAIN (course code BN0029). Questions? Contact HISD Benefits at 713.556.6655.
Other upcoming learning opportunities:
- Tweets from the principal’s office—Author and keen human observer Daniel Pink has said that, “The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind.” This four-hour seminar (3:30 – 5:30 p.m. on April 8 and 15, at the Ryan Professional Development Center, 4001 Hardy, 77009) will explore the cultural shift in thinking and share a few easy-to-implement technology tools that will allow campus leaders to jump on board. Sign up on eTRAIN using course code LD0185. Additional course offerings can be found in this catalog (.pdf).
- Fallingwater residency—Explore the world of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright this summer at his masterwork in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. The deadline to apply for this residency is Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Applications postmarked by March 31 are eligible for a $100 discount. For complete details, click here.
- HMNS summer energy workshops: Middle- and high-school science teachers are invited to participate in one of two weeklong workshops over the summer sponsored by Marathon Oil Corporation. Participants will acquire knowledge of careers in the energy industry by touring production sites such as the Cedar Bayou Natural Gas Power Plant, the Varel Drill Bit Factory, and the South Texas Nuclear Project. The workshop costs $45, with lunch provided each day. Please see this related flyer (.pdf) for details.
- Spring 2013 Administrative Support Professional Summit: The Onboarding & Organizational Development department will host this event on Friday, April 26. The summit will be focused on professional development aligned to the individual contributor professional competencies of Planning/Organization and Judgment & Decision-Making. Sessions will be facilitated by SkillPath Training. Administrative support professionals may choose to attend either the morning or afternoon session and should register to attend the event at http://tinyurl.com/Spring-2013-ASPS. Event registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, in recognition of Administrative Professionals Appreciation Week (April 21-27), there will be a breakfast for morning session attendees and an ice cream social for afternoon session attendees. Please see this related flyer (.pdf) for additional information.
Benefits General Manager Brad Bailey and Onsite Benefits Manager Susan Jenkins
HISD was recognized as one of Houston’s Healthiest Employers on March 26 at a luncheon hosted by the Houston Business Journal. HISD ranked fourth in the large employer category, and also showed the biggest improvement in its score (77.498, up 19.9 points from last year).
Congratulations also go out to:
- Johnston MS Assistant Principal Amber Pinchback, who was chosen by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to speak at a press conference held over Spring Break to announce the Orion Exploration Design Challenge. The assistant principal discussed how human spaceflight had motivated her students and how they had been impacted by the various activities they’d participated in at NASA.
- Horn Academy Nurse Missy Bendicksen, whose journey as an artist is the subject of a four-page cover story in the March 2013 edition of Bellaire Essentials. Read the full story here (.pdf).
HISD’s longtime community partner, the Houston Rockets, has announced the last two HISD Appreciation Nights for the regular season. Come out on Friday, April 12, and Sunday, April 14, 2013, to watch the Rockets take on the Memphis Grizzlies or the Sacramento Kings (respectively).
Employees can get tickets to all three games at a discount, ranging from 10 percent to about 50 percent, depending on the date of the game and seat location, and the first 100 tickets purchased online will get before-game access to watch the players warm up. For details, please see this flyer (pdf).
Did you know employees can review Health Fund Balances, Flexible Spending Account Balances, Claims, Rx History and so much more through the HISD Benefits Outlook website?
Look what else you can do:
- Access Benefits information (plan documents, forms, contact numbers, etc.)
- Learn how to find a doctor through Aetna Navigator
- Review your benefits coverage.
- Review/Change Beneficiary Information
- Look up information on HISD’s My Health programs (Redbrick Health, Best Doctors, Employee Assistance Program, etc)
- Complete a Health Risk Assessment via Redbrick Health
The Benefits Department will conduct Benefits Outlook website trainings on Thursday, April 4, and Wednesday, June 12, from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street, 77092; room 207). The training sessions are designed to enhance participant’s knowledge of the HISD Benefits Outlook website and the various benefits program offerings. Participants will use web tools and online resources to navigate though the HISD Benefits Outlook website. Class size is limited. Employees must register via e-train (Course Code BN0030). Contact Benefits at 713-556-6655 with any questions.
The Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS) recognition event will be held on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, and HISD is seeking nominations from principals in seven different award categories.
The most significant factor in nominating an individual or program is the outstanding quality of volunteer service provided, with an emphasis on student achievement and assistance given to students and school staff.
The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, April 12, 2013. For complete details, please see this related online memo.
- Senate panel votes to roll back testing in Texas high schools
- Gains on state exams don’t necessarily translate to national tests
- Could steep enrollment drops presage the end of private schools?
- The five states most vulnerable to sequestration cuts
- State legislator files comprehensive education reform bill
The Fabergé exhibit has been on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science since Feb. 1, but educators who want a closer look at this “Brilliant Vision” of Easter eggs and other objects d’art designed for Russia’s imperial family can sign up for a special showing on Tuesday, March 26.
The deadline to register is March 22. Details can be found here.
Other upcoming learning opportunities:
- Tweets from the principal’s office—Author and keen human observer Daniel Pink has said that, “The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind.” This four-hour seminar on April 8 and 15 will explore the cultural shift in thinking and share a few easy-to-implement technology tools that will allow campus leaders to jump on board. Details are here (.pdf; page 10 of 24).
- Fallingwater residency—Explore the world of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright this summer at his masterwork in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. The deadline to apply for this residency is Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Applications postmarked by March 31 are eligible for a $100 discount. For complete details, click here.
- HMNS summer energy workshops: Middle- and high-school science teachers are invited to participate in one of two weeklong workshops over the summer sponsored by Marathon Oil Corporation. Participants will acquire knowledge of careers in the energy industry by touring production sites such as the Cedar Bayou Natural Gas Power Plant, the Varel Drill Bit Factory, and the South Texas Nuclear Project. The workshop costs $45, with lunch provided each day. Please see this related flyer (.pdf) for details.
HISD is always on the lookout for positive news about its employees. Sharing these stories with district stakeholders helps us show the community what we’ve known all along: that members of Team HISD care deeply about Houston’s children, their families, and each other.
You can help us spread the word by letting us know when you’ve witnessed or experienced something that deserves an “attaboy.” Here’s how:
Send us a Shout-Out for Friday eNews
Whether it’s a volunteer who makes a child feel special, a plant operator who goes the extra mile to keep a campus clean, or a secretary who simply delivers extraordinary customer service, we want to know about it. Click here to send us a “Shout-Out” by email and we will include it in an upcoming edition of Friday eNews.
Nominate the next Employee of the Month
HISD is also looking for the next quarter’s Employees of the Month (EOTM). The EOTM selection committee will be meeting early next week to pick the honorees for May, June, and July, so if you know someone who deserves to be recognized, don’t wait—nominate him or her today! Eligibility details and the nomination form are here.
Past honorees include a courageous bus driver who maintained control of her vehicle despite a painful leg injury (March 2008), a mechanic who invented a tool that allows the district to complete expensive repairs on-site (September 2007), and a dropout prevention specialist who sets aside 10 percent of his pay each month to help needy students (June 2009).
More recent honorees include an octogenarian crossing guard whose work as an amateur historian earned her state recognition (February 2011), a custodian who was nominated after only a few months on duty (February 2013) and an IT customer service representative who was also recognized by the Superintendent of Schools (July 2012).
Thanks for helping us get the word out!
