Register for HMNS’s ‘Mission Weather!’ Free Educator Night by Feb. 15
The Zula Patrol: Mission Weather will be on exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science starting Feb. 8, but HISD employees can attend a special private viewing on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. thanks to the generous support of Shell.
Interested employees should send an e-mail to educatorpreview@hmns.org or call 713-639-4739. The deadline to register is Friday, Feb. 15.
Special information session on teaching positions Feb. 21
Are you a current HISD employee considering a full-time teaching position in the district?
If so, HISD Teacher Recruitment and Selection will be hosting an information session especially for you on Feb. 21, 2013, at 5:00 p.m.
For complete details, please click here.
Nominate Exceptional Teachers for National Award by April 1
Winners of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching will receive a citation signed by the President of the United States, a trip for two to Washington, D.C., and a $10,000 prize.
Only ES math and science teachers (K–Grade 6) are eligible this year. For complete details, please visit http://www.paemst.org.
Parents for Public Schools Seeking Guiding Star Nominations by April 12
Do you know someone whose work on behalf of public schools has largely gone unrecognized?
If so, then consider nominating him or her for a 2013 “Guiding Star” award!
For the third consecutive year, Parents for Public Schools-Houston will be honoring parents, community/business partners, volunteers, and school/district staff who go above and beyond the call of duty in their service to Houston’s schoolchildren. For details, please click here.
Deadline for HMNS Excellence in Science award nominations: April 26
Do you know a high-school junior or teacher who demonstrates outstanding performance in the area of science or math?
If so, consider nominating him or her for one of the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Excellence in Science awards. Winners will receive a $2,000 cash prize.
The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, April 26. For complete details, please visit the HMNS website.
Mobile Mammogram Facility Returning to HISD March 18
The Rose, a non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction of breast-cancer-related deaths, will be offering on-site screening mammograms at three different locations starting March 18 to women who meet certain criteria.
For complete details, please see this related article.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo begins its annual run at the Reliant Park complex on Feb. 23, 2013, and to celebrate its return to the Bayou City and acknowledge its contributions to public education, HISD will be observing “Go Texan! Day” on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013.
District employees and students who wish to participate are encouraged to come to work and school dressed in their finest “Western wear.”
Here are some other dates you may want to mark on your calendar:
February 22 (.pdf): Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy College & Career Fair
Feb. 25–March 17: Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
March 1-31: National Social Work Month
March 2: Eighth annual Parent Conference and Resource Fair
March 4 & 5: 27th annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference
March 7: Board meeting
March 8: Lunch ‘N Learn session (retirement savings accounts)
March 10: Daylight saving time begins
March 11–15: Spring Break
March 15: FAFSA deadline
March 29: Spring Holiday
April 5: Lunch ‘N Learn session (retirement savings accounts)
April 11: Board meeting
April 14–20: Week of the Young Child
May 6–10: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 27: Memorial Day
June 6: Last day of school (students)
This week’s Shout-Out goes to student caseworkers Shawndra Johnson and James Williams in the Dropout Prevention department (formerly Student Engagement), from Federal and State Compliance Senior Manager Mark White.
“Their usual work is dealing with truancy and dropouts, but when they realized they had hungry kids, too, they decided to do something about it,” explained White.
“Homelessness and dropout issues often develop hand-in-hand,” he added, “but we have a whole different set of students who are housed, yet still hungry. Because of Free and Reduced (price) meal programs, they can get free breakfast and lunches at school, but a lot of times, they don’t eat dinner and they don’t eat on the weekends. You can tell when they’re at breakfast on Monday morning and they’re eating other kids’ meals, or asking ‘Are you going to eat that?’ at lunch, and literally putting the food in their pockets to take home for later. And we have hundreds of them.”
So Johnson and Williams began working with local food banks, grocery stores, and other community partners to create a system for getting food discretely to those students.
“This is not something in their job description,” added White. “And it’s not something I asked them to do. But they do this on the weekends and the evenings, because they just don’t want to see kids going hungry. They were even making deliveries over the Christmas break to make sure the kids had something to eat.”
(Please contact Jesse Marché at 713-556-6753 if you would like to support their efforts.)
Other Shout-Outs this week go to:
- Burbank MS Teacher Dr. Linda Velasquez: She deserves to be recognized due to her dedication, efforts, and tireless work for the bilingual, ESL and Dual Language students for more than 25 years. She is always creating the best instructional environment for minorities and teachers, not only at Burbank, but at other schools as well. —Crespo ES teacher Gustavo Tamayo
| 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. |
Q: I have been a district employee for (X number of) years, too. Why wasn’t I included in one of the anniversary lists in the Milestones section of Friday eNews?
A: Good question! The employees listed under the respective years of service (5, 10, 15, etc.) are highlighted because they marked the anniversary of their actual start date with HISD during the week in question. For example, those listed in the “5 year” section of the Feb. 8 edition began their service with the district between Feb. 3 and Feb. 9, in 2008, and so on.
And while it is certainly a significant accomplishment to have marked 16, 27, or 34 years with HISD, the Milestones feature was designed to recognize numbers more traditionally associated with anniversaries (essentially, multiples of five).
Johnston MS teacher Lanena Berry
Lanena Berry, a sixth-grade teacher at Johnston Middle School, has been named a winner of a 2013 Educator Achievement Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation.
Berry was one of only seven teachers from across the country to be so honored, and she will be formally recognized along with the other six winners at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala in Washington, D.C., on May 8.
The AIAA Foundation presents the Educator Achievement Awards every two years to classroom teachers who have demonstrated exemplary efforts in exciting students in grades K–12 about the study of mathematics, science, and related technical studies, and in preparing them to use and contribute to tomorrow’s technologies.
“These seven educators are a testament to how love of a subject coupled with inspiring teaching helps build the next generation of aerospace engineers and scientists,” said AIAA Executive Director Sandra H. Magnus. “All it takes is a single spark, lit by an engaging teacher, to ignite the curiosity and interest of a student about the wonder and creativity resident in the world of science and engineering.”
The AIAA Foundation Educator Achievement Award has been presented to more than 52 educators since 1997.
Congratulations also go out to:
- Coach Chuck Arnold (Davis HS), Coach Phil Camp (Milby HS), Coach Jason Merren (Scarborough HS), and Coach Ronald Miller (Yates HS) who were all named finalists for the Touchdown Club Houston’s annual Sportsmanship Awards. Nominees are determined based on referees’ scores after every game, in the areas of: actions of the coaches, actions of the players, actions of the supports groups (such as parents and bands), and respect for the American flag. Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties also are taken into consideration.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
This week’s Shout-Out goes to Risk Management trainer Detra Williams, from Safety and Loss Control Manager Susan Ovren.
Ovren said Williams did such a great job at a recent presentation that she received a complimentary email from one of her audience members.
Sharron Montgomery, a history teacher at Henry Middle School, was so inspired by the “outstanding” training session, that she was galvanized “to go online and engage in further learning opportunities about Emergency Preparedness.”
“Just wanted to offer a round of applause,” wrote Montgomery. “Great work!”
Other Shout-Outs this week go to:
- Furniture Services Warehouse Staff: I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Furniture Warehouse staff for assisting me in acquiring some furniture we needed. Special thanks go to Sharday Clark, Adam Medina, and Veronica Ruiz for going ‘the extra mile’ to accommodate my needs to have the right office furniture in order to improve the organization in our department. Team work and excellent customer service is what makes a department/company succeed. Thank you all! —Raquel G. González, clerk
| 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. |
Are you a current HISD employee considering a full-time teaching position in the district?
If so, HISD Teacher Recruitment and Selection will be hosting an information session especially for you on Feb. 21, 2013, at 5:00 p.m.
During this session, internal candidates will learn how to submit an application for full-time teaching opportunities, as well as helpful tips on how to effectively market themselves once they are in the teacher pool. They will also have an opportunity to ask questions and hear reflections from a current teacher with the district. This event will be very valuable to any current HISD employee thinking of transitioning to a full-time teacher role.
Please note that this opportunity is open to all current employees. A recruiter from the Effective Teaching Fellowship (HISD’s alternative certification program) will be on hand to provide information to those who are not yet certified teachers.
Click here to register.
SXSWedu Conference scheduled for March 4–7
The third annual SXSWedu (a division of South by Southwest, also known as SXSW) conference has been scheduled for March 4–7, 2013 at the downtown Hilton in Austin, Texas.
The event features three days of compelling presentations and informative sessions from education professionals, industry leaders, and policy practitioners committed to engaging learners with 21st century content and tools.
For details and registration, please visit the SXSW website.
Survey says…employees have good intution
Almost 70 percent of the employees who responded to last week’s Friday eNews survey called it right: the Baltimore Ravens came out on top at the Super Bowl on Jan. 27. About a third attributed their predictions to “a hunch,” but others cited the Ravens’ triumph over the New England Patriots as proof that they would win. One simply said it all boiled down to a combination of skill and love: “The Ravens have the most experienced quarterback, with an offense led by Ray Lewis, who is retiring. They all want to win it for Ray!”
Next Chevron Speaker Series scheduled for March 21
How does the media influence people’s perception of public schools?
CEO and editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune Evan Smith explores the answer to this question and much more during a presentation entitled, “Under the Microscope: Government, Media, and Public Education Reform” as part of the Houston A+ Challenge’s 2012–13 Chevron Speaker Series.
The event will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 21, in the Brown Auditorium of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (1001 Bissonnet, 77005).
Get LinkedIn! Join the HISD Employee Group for Discussion, Updates
The Houston ISD LinkedIn group is a virtual meeting place where district employees can connect, collaborate, and share information and ideas. If you have a LinkedIn profile, please take a moment to join the group—just select “group” in the drop-down search menu and enter “Houston ISD,” then click “join group.” If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, go to www.linkedin.com and create one. Please be sure to list your employer as Houston ISD.
Fred Bowyer with his wife, Olga, and their daughters Delyla (left) and Katelyn
Frederick Bowyer, the much-loved principal of Condit Elementary School, is retiring today after almost 30 years of dedicated service to Houston’s children.
Bowyer, who first joined Team HISD in 1984 as a history teacher at Ryan MS, has also worked as a teacher at Long MS and as an assistant principal at Lanier MS and Oak Forest ES.
“I really had no intention of retiring,” explained Bowyer, who has been at Condit since 2000. “I love my job. I’ve had some opportunities to do other things, but I’ve always felt at home here. I probably could have stayed another 13 years.”
Highlights from his career include earning the regional Principal of the Year award from the H-E-B Excellence in Education program in 2010 and being selected by Harvard University to participate in the “Raise Your Hand, Texas” program, but Bowyer cites his proudest achievement as the friendly, supportive community he helped foster at his campus.
“I’ve never had a teacher leave because they didn’t like the way we ran the school,” he noted. “They may have moved away or had babies, but even some parents said that the one thing they regretted when they moved was that they couldn’t take Condit with them. At the end of the day, we were able to create an environment where kids could have some fun, but still have a rigorous program.”
Many other HISD employees are also marking milestones this week—see if you know anyone on this list:
25 years
- Louis Baez, assistant principal, Garden Villas ES
- Edwin Felix, teacher, Westbury HS
- Dam Huynh, mechanic, Transportation Services
- Sarah Hymes, teacher, Southmayd ES
20 years
- Sylvia Dealejandro, teaching assistant, Garden Villas ES
- Patsy Harris, secretary, Federal and State Compliance
- Rosemary Humphrey, associate teacher
- Stacey Peterson, teacher, Hartman MS
15 years
- Loretta Fulgham, attendant, Food Services
- Vicki Lyons, teacher, Crespo ES
- Maria Mendoza, attendant, Food Services
- Ketana Winfrey, clerk, King ECC
10 years
- Abel Angel, crossing guard, Briargrove ES
- Sandra Echerenwa, clerk, Welch MS
- Brandalyn Hare, teacher, Dodson ES
- Sharon Hunter, teacher, Young ES
- Sandra Morris, attendant, Food Services
- Susan O’Reilly, teacher, Roberts ES
- Marisela Silva, custodian, Barrick ES
- Dametrious Tolbert, teaching assistant, N. Q. Henderson ES
- Benedicto Zamora-Molina, teaching assistant, McReynolds MS
- Maria Zuniga, custodian, McReynolds MS
5 years
- Florence Amaechi, associate teachers
- Charlotte Bill, teaching assistant, Worthing HS
- Karen Bird, attendant, Food Services
- Julie Brown, teacher, Waltrip HS
- Lindsay Cobbs, teacher, West Briar MS
- Sandra Davis, teaching assistant, Harper Alternative
- Brenda Dollard, associate teachers
- Maria Escorcia, associate teachers
- Dyan Harris, graduation coach, Advanced Virtual Academy
- Cedric Johnson, custodian, YMCPA
- Rolanda Johnson, teaching assistant, Burbank MS
- Carrie Kemp, associate teachers
- Demonta Landers, teacher, Clifton MS
- Joe Martel, associate teacher
- Meoka McBride, teacher, Lamar HS
- Ginny Ray, teacher, Gregg ES
- Charlene Rideaux, teaching assistant, Reynolds ES
- Rebecca Savoy, teacher, Lee HS
- Diana Toledo, teacher, Brookline ES
- Charlene Voskamp, teacher, Dodson ES
- LaRonda Washington, magnet coordinator, Yates HS
| Check back next Friday for more February Milestones – and if you know someone who should be featured in this space, let us know at info@houstonisd.org. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
The Rose, a non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction of breast-cancer-related deaths, will be offering on-site screening mammograms at three different locations starting March 18 to women who meet certain criteria.
All HISD insurance plans will be accepted, and uninsured women may qualify for free mammograms or reduced rates. Payment plans will also be available.
See the attached flyer (.pdf) for eligibility requirements. To schedule an appointment, call 713-556-6655 or visit The Rose’s website (enter code “HISD”). Interested women are encouraged to act quickly, as only a limited number of mammograms can be performed each day.
