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.
HISD’s longtime community partner, the Houston Rockets, will be hosting the second of two HISD Appreciation Nights on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013.
Employees can get tickets to the game at a discount, and the first 100 tickets purchased will get to sit courtside before the game and watch the players warm up.
For details, please see this flyer (pdf).
HISD will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. All schools and offices will reopen for business on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Be sure to check out the HISD website for details on the winners of the 17th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP on Jan. 18. Videos of the winning speech and those given by all other finalists are expected to be available there by the end of business Friday. Here are some other dates you may want to mark on your calendar:
January 1–31: Board Appreciation Month
Jan. 15–Feb. 1: HISD’s Souper Bowl of Caring Food Drive
January 18: Ruby Sue Clifton Scholarship deadline
January 18: AFP’s Youth in Philanthropy Award application deadline
January 21: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
January 31: Fund for Teachers application deadline
February 1: State of the Schools luncheon
February 9: Houston Hispanic Forum’s 27th annual Career & Education Day
February 11: G/T Speaker Night for Parents (postponed due to expected inclement weather)
February 14: Board meeting
February 16: T. H. Rogers 50th anniversary celebration
March 4 & 5: 27th annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference
Almost every employee who responded to the Jan. 11 Friday eNews survey said that his or her New Year’s resolution pertained to physical fitness. More than 40 percent pledged to lose weight in 2013, and fully one-third said that they had resolved to get more exercise. Another quarter of respondents said that they planned to make better choices at the dinner table.
Of those whose resolutions were not health-related, two dealt with personal finances. One respondent planned to stop spending money on lottery tickets, while another resolved to better manage his or her personal budget. For details on how to get your financial house in order, or tips on what to do with your income tax refund, please see this related story in Keep Learning.
"Chef David" shows Rodriguez ES students how to use fruit as a garnish.
This week’s Shout-Out goes to Food Services Production Manager David Husbands, from his boss, Senior Administrator of Food Services Brian Giles.
“’Chef David,’ as he is known, is that really friendly face you see at any of our catered events,” said Giles. “He oversees all of the district’s catering, and he has handled things as simple as punch and cookies to very high-end functions for former First Lady Barbara Bush. He is a real asset. He is very customer-friendly, and he is always willing to work with people to make sure their event goes off smoothly.”
Other shout-outs this week go to:
- Construction Project Manager Matisia Hollingsworth: She has stayed on top of everything that has transpired at Almeda since we left the campus to be rebuilt, including our return. There were issues after we moved with electrical and air-conditioning. She stayed on top of everything, including plumbing issues, landscaping in the front of our building, and magnetic door access, which helped us to keep our campus secure at all times. Almeda would not be the campus it is now without her assistance. She was the best person to guide us through the maze of building a new school and following up to make sure this campus will still be the cornerstone of this community. —Almeda ES Principal Beverly Cage
- Teacher Development Specialist Team Lead Karla Auzenne: Ms. Auzenne is an expert science educator who leads her team of accomplished science coaches to continually build their knowledge of content and instruction. She creates innovative strategies for ensuring teachers are highly satisfied with their coaching and training experience and shares them across the organization, making her an exemplar of service. She also volunteers with the GeoForce program, which gives students an opportunity to join geologists in the field. She has served the district with dedication for 25 years, continually striving to improve secondary science education for our students. —Senior Manager of Teacher Development Gwen Tompkins
| 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. |
Photo courtesy Mark Lacy
Guadalupe Mendez (pictured), a fourth-grade dual-language teacher at Helms Elementary School, will be one of only five poets (two from Houston) to be featured at MAGNITUD/E, a bilingual poetry reading held in conjunction with the FotoFest exhibit, Crónicas.
The event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the FotoFest headquarters (1113 Vine St., 77002). Please note that the subject matter (the violence of the Mexican drug war) is intended for mature audiences only, and is not appropriate for young children.
Mendez was also recognized by the Houston Press as one of Houston’s most creative people in 2012.
Other accolades:
Congratulations also go out to J.P. Henderson Elementary School Principal Herlinda Garcia, who was sworn in as the Houston Community College’s new trustee for District III on Jan. 17. Garcia has served as principal of J. P. Henderson Elementary for more than three decades. She previously served on the HCC Board of Trustees from 1989–2003 and as chairman of the board in 1996.
In this week’s I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, and employees, Austin High School teacher and White House “Champion of Change” Armando Orduña shares what it’s like to advise the Gates Foundation, what Hispanic students need to succeed, and the most important lesson for aspiring teachers.
You began your career at the Houston’s Children Museum as an Outreach Educator. What did you learn about Houston and its students from working in program outreach?
I was shocked about how much I didn’t know about my own city. It was great for me to run across all of these really diverse and exciting cultures that make up the City of Houston. When it came to children, whatever parts of the city I was working in, whatever languages were being spoken, whatever social backgrounds or economics were involved, it was great to see there’s a certain universal truth about them – they love to laugh, they love to play, they enjoy moving and exploring and figuring out how the world works.
It seems that transitioning to a teaching career after working at the museum came naturally to you. What inspired you to teach and become such a strong teacher?
After several years of being the connecting bridge between great educational programming at the museum and children, I wanted to be the one crafting that curriculum and helping to deliver more of it. It’s very gratifying to look at a student and watch them mature, grow, and succeed at different levels over the course of a year, and know that you had a small part to do with that.
I see myself as learning every day. I make mistakes – I make a lot of mistakes. But I’m a strong believer that it’s how you respond to those mistakes that define your character. I try to copy the best things I’ve seen, incorporate them into what I do, and always put my students at the forefront of my planning. Ultimately, everything I do – writing lesson plans, grading papers, having difficult conversations with students and parents – all of this is for the benefit of my students.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation handpicked you to be part of their inaugural National Teacher Advisory Council. What’s it like working with one of the biggest names in development and education in the world today?
I was thrilled to be a part of something like the inaugural teacher advisory council for the Gates Foundation. Thirty-plus teachers in every slice of public education that you can imagine – rural districts, suburban districts, charter schools, traditional public schools – come together. We all get the opportunity to sit in a room with the education department of the foundation, and they roll out the different projects that they are working on, and want real-time teacher input on whether they are going in the right direction. And we get an opportunity to help influence some of these projects. At the end of the day, they have to show us out the doors, because no one wants to stop sharing.
You were one of only 10 educators across the nation chosen to be honored by the White House as a “Champion of Change” for your work with Hispanic youths. What do you think Hispanic students in Houston need most to succeed?
Opportunity. I don’t believe this only pertains to Hispanics. Young people need opportunity. Many of the Hispanic students I have worked with over the years have shown so much talent, so much promise, so much enthusiasm, that they only needed the opportunity to show the world what they can do. Sometimes that opportunity gets limited because of transportation, or they have an incredible amount of obligation at home either helping out economically or helping to raise younger siblings, and most of that talent, enthusiasm, and promise gets contained within the walls of their home.
Austin High School, where you now teach, features the only teacher-preparation magnet program in all of Houston. What is the greatest lesson that aspiring educators should learn about being a teacher?
Do not settle for the status quo. Not in the efforts you receive from your students, and not from yourself. Study the practices of effective, more-experienced teachers. Practice them in your own room.
And don’t be afraid to fail. If you fall on your face, pick yourself back up again. After a horrible day where everything just goes wrong – you are not connecting with the students, they are not connecting with you, the communication is just not there, you’re running into dead-ends everywhere you turn – you go home and you just feel like you want to quit. And the next day you get up and come back and you are right back at it. That’s picking yourself up as a teacher.
| If you know an HISD graduate, student, or employee who should be featured in I am HISD, please email us at info@houstonisd.org. |
Eulice Navy, a repair team lead with HISD’s Transportation Services Department, has been helping keep students safe as they ride on district vehicles for more than three decades.
The 30-year veteran, who came aboard in 1982, oversees the repair of buses at the Butler Motor Pool, checking his technicians’ work and making sure their equipment is well-maintained and in good working order. He celebrated his anniversary with the district on Jan. 13.
“I didn’t think I would be here that long,” admitted Navy, who plans to keep working for the district until he retires. “But as time went on, working with the district became more rewarding, and the next thing I knew it was 2000.”
Many other HISD employees are also marking milestones this week—see if you know anyone on this list:
30 years
- Mauro Chacon, plant operator, Construction and Facilities Services
- Wilner Desange, custodian, DeBakey HS
- Doris Calderon, teacher, Deaf Campus
25 years
- Andrea Bonner, teacher, Community Services
- Catalina Cardenas, teaching assistant, Farias ECC
- Sandra Frear, teacher, Northline ES
- Joseph Jackson, sergeant, HISD Police Department
20 years
- Moses Stevens, custodian, Bellaire HS
- Loria Fontenot, custodian, Ross ES
- Joy Boulos, teacher, Benavidez ES
- Sherry McGrew, associate teacher, Pershing MS
- Jessie Chevallier, crossing guard, Coop ES
- Marie Kyle, teacher, Kolter ES
- Guillermina Jasso de Garcia, teacher, Park Place ES
- Michel Pompilus, plant operator, Cook ES
- Ray Kanzig, teacher, Westside HS
- Carleton Casteel, librarian,Bellaire HS
15 years
- Jose Navarrete, plant operator, Carnegie Vanguard HS
- Labrica Burris, teacher, Westside HS
- Michelle Ramos, librarian, Sam Houston MSTC
- Maria Ramirez, custodian, Carrillo ES
- Linda Maxey, custodian, Hartsfield ES
- Tao Tran, budget clerk, Accounts Payable
- Evelyn Polio, clerk, Long MS
- Nelda Blanco, teaching assistant, Oak Forest ES
- Donna Bolden, teacher, Madison HS
10 years
- Lynnetta Fenley-Hoskins, clerk, Dowling MS
- Leslie Johnston, teacher, Ketelsen ES
- Rodger Brown, teacher, Lamar HS
- Lanazel Rogers, teacher, Windsor Village ES
- Margarita Gonzales, attendant, Food Services
- Dolores Galdamez, teaching assistant, Sharpstown Intl.
- Shemika Wade, teacher, Marshall MS
- Anne Malone, teacher, Horn ES
- Sofia Rangel, teacher, Highland Heights ES
- Renee Jenkins, clerk, Montgomery ES
- Nancy Rodriguez, teacher, Dodson ES
- Dorothy Harris, teacher, Chávez HS
- Walter Johnson, teacher, Dowling MS
5 years
- Luz del Carmen DeAnda, assistant principal, Lee HS
- Elsie Ekwo, teacher, Herod ES
- Byron Quisenberry, associate teacher
- Juanita Sandoval, police officer, Bellaire HS
- Tyrell Davis, teaching assistant, Park Place ES
- Jayne Snow, teacher, Bellaire HS
- Xylia Lassiter, Magnet coordinator, T. H. Rogers
- Erroll Franklin, teacher, Eliot ES
- Chloe Cook, teacher, Bruce ES
- Shelley Bobb, clerk, Lockhart ES
- Rosa Velasquez, custodian, Dowling MS
- Bronchell Johnson, teacher, Mitchell ES
- Janet Aligo, associate teacher
- Rhonda Thomas, evaluation specialist, Child Study
- Cathleen Narsete, teacher, Briarmeadow Charter
- Maria Mays, teacher, Burrus ES
- Katelyn Maida, clerk, Oak Forest ES
- Renee Weller, teacher, Westbury HS
- Takisha Bolden, teacher development specialist, Professional Development
- Remeaga Washington, associate teachers
| Check back next Friday for more January 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. |
In an effort to get an early indication of how many full-time teachers and campus administrators intend to voluntarily leave HISD at the end of this school year, on Jan. 17, 2013, the HISD Board of Education approved a program to offer a one-time payment to full-time teachers and campus administrators in eligible positions who are willing to give the district early notification of their plans.
Typically, the majority of such notifications come in May or June, but eligible employees who notify Human Resources of their intent to retire or resign no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, are eligible to receive a one-time payment of up to $5,000, depending on their years of service to the district.
There will also be a second opportunity to take receive an incentive for early notification. That window will last from March 28 through April 8, and all participants would receive $500, regardless of years of service.
Details will be distributed to eligible employees once they become available. Questions may be directed to HR Employees Services at 713-556-7383 or via e-mail to hranswerline@houstonisd.org.
Whether it was to eat better, exercise more, or get more sleep, if you are like many Americans, you made a New Year’s resolution related to your health.
Last January, Thomson Reuters and NPR released a health poll (.pdf) that showed more than a third of all respondents had resolved to lose weight at some point in the preceding five years.
HISD’s Food Services Department has compiled a list of five simple strategies to help employees meet their health-related goals.
- Avoid yo-yo dieting—Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many goals. Yo-yo dieting usually causes additional weight gain in the long run. Make changes that are reasonable and can be maintained in order to keep the weight off.
- Keep moving—Try to stay physically active by going on small walks during your lunch break or after dinner. Take the stairs and park further from your office building to get in extra steps. Try using a pedometer to measure your success.
- Shop smart—Stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store for the fresh produce and meats. Center aisles usually contain processed, less-healthful foods. When choosing packaged items, focus on reading food labels and look for options low in fat, sodium, and sugar.
- Snack smart—Choose a lean protein source or nutrient-dense foods for snacks if you are hungry in-between meals. Try a handful of nuts for the in-between meeting cravings. Other great snacks are low-fat cheese, fruit with peanut butter, low-fat granola and yogurt, and veggies with hummus.
- Don’t go it alone—Involve your whole family or get a friend involved to eat healthfully with you. Encouraging loved ones to participate in healthful eating habits can help keep you on track and hold you accountable.
Employees may also wish to join The Matchup, a wellness event that gives people the chance to motivate themselves and others to lose weight. Teams of five compete over three months and the winning teams get up to $10,000 (first place is $10K, second is $5K, third is $3K).
Last June, two HISD teams won big (see related story here), and new teams are forming now for January and February.
“Everybody knows that diet and exercise are the keys to lasting weight loss,” said Manager of Nutrition Services Amanda Oceguera, “but little changes can make a big difference, so don’t be discouraged if you’re making steady progress, but it’s happening more slowly than you would like. Just keep going. You’ll get there in the end, and who knows? You just might be the inspiration someone else needs to do the same.”
