It may be well into senior-citizenhood, but the 1946 feel-good film about a dispirited man who comes to appreciate both his own value and the many blessings in his life is still the top holiday movie selection among HISD employees.
Fully one-quarter of those who responded to last week’s eNews survey cited “It’s a Wonderful Life” as their favorite holiday film, and another seven percent wrote in another classic from that same era we overlooked: “White Christmas,” the 1954 musical starring Bing Crosby that features his famous tune of the same name.
“A Christmas Story” and “Home Alone” tied for second place, with almost 20 percent of the votes each, followed by “A Christmas Carol” (14%), “Miracle on 34th Street” (11%), and two cartoons—”The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas”—which formed a three-way tie in last place with another write-in candidate: “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
Employees can view courses aligned to particular skill sets (such as the mastery of Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook) or those related to Central Office Appraisal competencies (such as time management, business communication, and effective customer service). Click here to register or for details.
Retirement Seminar Scheduled for Dec. 15
The Retirement Storefront at HISD will be hosting a retirement seminar from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012.
All district employees are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about their Teacher Retirement System (TRS) benefits.
Employees must register through e-TRAIN to attend, and select course code #BN0200. Questions may be directed to V. Janene English at 713-293-9780 ext. 432.
Nominate Someone for an H-E-B Excellence in Education Award
All public school districts and state-certified, full-time public school teachers and principals currently within the H-E-B service area are eligible for nomination. Check out this page for details on award categories available, and this page to nominate someone. The deadline to submit a name is Jan. 11, 2013.
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.
If you are using Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010, click “File,” then “Save As,” then “Change file type to PDF,” and finally, “Save file.”
Machines using older versions of Microsoft Office would require a third-party application in order to accomplish this.
For assistance with your technical issues, please contact the HISD Help Desk at 713-892-7378 or helpdesk@houstonisd.org.
| If you have a question for Ask HISD, please send an email to AskHISD@houstonisd.org or leave your question in the comments field below. |
This week’s Shout-Out goes to Barry Taylor, a 25-year district veteran who started out as a custodian and now serves as an area manager in Construction and Facilities Services. CFS Senior Manager Brian Busby said that only time this single father misses work is when he has to take his 81-year-old mother to the doctor for a check-up, and he recently asked to for permission to oversee an additional region, after his co-manager, Jorge Lopez, was severely injured in a tragic accident.
“Barry helped me create the custodial department back in 2006, when it became a stand-alone entity,” said Busby, “and his willingness to step in and take on another 85 facilities and 3 team leaders for no additional pay is what I think screams ‘Team HISD.'”
Other shout-outs this week go to:
- Procurement Services Travel Sales Representative Stuart Stradford: He is always prompt to answer our questions, patiently helps with planning and scheduling trips, offers technical support with SAP, and finds us the best travel deals. We all know we can call Stuart up and get an answer the same day, often the same hour. Recently, he was swamped with rescheduling trips on the East Coast due to Hurricane Sandy, yet he still found time to answer our less-pressing questions. Stuart has even offered advice for personal travel trips when asked. He is a pleasure to work with! —Senior Writer Valerie Schillaci
- Professional Support & Development Design Team Specialist Christina Estes: When I think of Christina, the phrase “dedicated to continuous improvement” comes to the forefront of my mind. She is the type of individual who does whatever it takes to get the work done and never balks when requests come her way. I am honored and thrilled to have such a wonderful individual on my team. —Denise Martinez, manager, PSD Design Team
| 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. |
When a cyber-bullying incident resulted in the suicide of a young girl she knew, Ca Trina Gallien staged a “Stop the Bully at the Door” Talent Show and Pep Rally at her school last spring to try to prevent further tragedies.
The Thompson ES teacher’s aide also formed the “Aysha’s Heart” college-scholarship program in 2010 with colleague Susan Alexander, to honor the memory of an inspiring student who died unexpectedly of a seizure that year.
HISD recently recognized Ca Trina Gallien as its Employee of the Month for December 2012, and you can learn more about her in this related article (with video).
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Estimates for the ASPIRE Awards that will be paid out to eligible educators in January became available for review on Nov. 19, 2012.
Employees who believe their award was calculated in error may submit a formal inquiry via the ASPIRE portal through Monday, Dec. 10, 2012.
For more information, please see this related Academic Services memo.
The ASPIRE Awards that will be distributed on Jan. 23, 2013, are based on the 2011–2012 academic year.
HISD’s annual District Advisory Committee (DAC) elections will take place Monday, December 10, 2012, through Friday, December 14, 2012, and all school-based staff are encouraged to participate.
To cast your vote, simply login to the employee portal and click on the “District Advisory Committee” bullet under the HISD Application Links section on the left-hand side of the page. For complete details, please see this related Academic Services memo.
Election results will be made available on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012.
Teachers who are interested in broadening their horizons this summer should consider submitting a Fund for Teachers (FFT) grant proposal. The deadline to apply this year is Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, and previous winners have used their grants to explore Alaska, Morocco, and Iceland, among other places. Each year, the FFT awards grants of up to $5,000 to individual educators and $7,500 to teams of educators for summer training and enrichment activities, so start gathering your application materials today. Here are some other dates you may want to mark on your calendar:
Now-December 13: Health Screenings
December 3–7: Inclusive Schools Week
December 5: UH Masters program info. session
December 13: Board meeting
Dec. 24–Jan. 4: Winter Holiday
January 11: HEB Excellence in Education Award nomination deadline
Jan. 15–Feb. 1: HISD’s Souper Bowl of Caring Food Drive
January 17: Board meeting
January 18: Ruby Sue Clifton Scholarship deadline
January 21: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
January 31: Fund for Teachers application deadline
February 1: State of the Schools luncheon
February 14: Board meeting
This is the season of goodwill, giving and helping those who are less fortunate than us, especially children and their families in need. To help the U.S. Marines Corps spread holiday cheer by providing toys to impoverished children, HISD employees are invited to participate in the Toys for Tots program, the Marine Corps’ premier community action program. New and unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center until Wednesday, December 19, 2012.
Please bring the toys to the Strategic Partnerships Department, Level 1, SE. Marines, with the aid of local social welfare agencies and churches, will distribute the toys to children from economically challenged families on Christmas Day. The ultimate success of the Toys for Tots program depends on the support of Houston citizens. HISD employees are encouraged to participate and make this the most successful year.
Please save the date for HISD’s State of the Schools on Friday, February 1, 2013, at the Hilton Americas Hotel (1600 Lamar Street), from 11:30 a.m. -1 p.m.
The annual State of the Schools Luncheon is an opportunity for the superintendent of schools to address business and civic leaders, parents, teachers, and administrators about district achievements from the past year and to look ahead to the challenges and opportunities that await public education.
Click here to see coverage from the 2012 event.
