Deadline to order holiday cards approaching – choose from 30 designs
Show your support for art in HISD schools by ordering holiday cards featuring one of 30 designs – click the image below to see the featured artwork or Click here for the order form. All orders must be placed no later than the morning of Friday, Dec. 7.
One-year master’s degree program being offered through new University of Houston partnership
Do you have what it takes to lead an HISD school?
If so, and you are an HISD educator with at least three years of teaching experience, you should consider attending an information session being held at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092).
There, you can learn more about the new partnership between HISD and the University of Houston (.pdf flyer here), which was created to offer aspiring leaders the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree in education with a focus on turnaround leadership.
Graduates of this one-year program will have the business, education, and management skills needed for leading successful urban schools—as well as for obtaining principal certification in the State of Texas.
Classes for the inaugural cohort start in the summer of 2013 and will be led by instructors from UH, HISD, and other experts in education.
The Dec. 5 information session will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. in the HMWESC cafeteria. Interested employees are asked to fill out this brief online form.
For more information, please contact Alejandro Morúa at 713-742-4925 or amorua@houstonisd.org.
Two-day training for teachers
Professional Support & Development will be hosting on January 3-4, 2013, a teacher training opportunity entitled, “Just-in-Time Curriculum Training: Getting Ahead and Starting 2013 Strong!”
During this two-day training, participating teachers will get a jump start on planning and preparing for the 3rd 9 weeks/4th 6 weeks of instruction. The training will include “Looking Back” and “Planning for the Spring” components.
Specifically, teachers will review and analyze the November District-Level Trend Assessment data, learn and practice recommended intervention strategies, and plan interventions for low performing student expectations. Teachers will also preview the 3rd 9 weeks/4th 6 weeks HISD Curriculum Unit Planning Guides, break down hard-to-learn standards using the Lead4Ward Field Guides, plan assessments, and develop specific lesson plans for the 3rd 9 weeks/4th 6 weeks.
The targeted grade level and content areas include:
- Grade 3 Math
- Grade 4 ELA
- Grade 6 Reading
- Grade 7 Math
- English I
- English II
- Algebra I
The training will take place from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm at the Ryan Professional Development Center (4001 Hardy, 77009). In addition to eTrain professional development credit, teachers will be compensated $100 per day ($200 total).
Teachers are to register for this voluntary two-day training using the following link by 5:00pm on Friday, December 7, 2012: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dG5FRzhrM280Zk5CQllaaHh5SWktSXc6MQ#gid=0
This week’s shout-out goes to bus drivers Connie Pattum (left) and Crystal Phillips (right), who came to the aid of a youngster from Golfcrest Elementary School who was having a seizure.
Golfcrest ES Dean of Students Zenovia Harrell commended both Pattum and Phillips for their dedication to their charges, noting that they “stood by this child’s side the entire time. And after the student was removed from the bus, these two ladies followed up to see if the student was doing better. They did an excellent job.”
Other shout-outs this week go to:
- Berry ES Teacher Maria “Gaby” Oliveros: Ms. Oliveros received a huge welcome back from her first-graders when she returned from representing HISD at the Broad Foundation event in New York. When asked about her philosophy, she replied, “Education is dynamic, and you have to be dynamic, too.” She was Berry’s Teacher of the Year in 2010 and she is a great example of an exemplary teacher.—Principal Deborah Silber
- Nalsy Perez and her entire Elementary Math Teacher Development Specialist Team: I would like to recognize them for their work in organizing and supporting the recent Education Rainbow Challenge (ERC) math competition. Working in partnership with curriculum and the ERC Foundation, they hosted teams of students from 29 campuses across the district. More than 450 students attended and competed. This event was a huge success and it took true teamwork to make it happen. —Dianne Alvarez, senior manager, Elementary Teacher Development
- Senior Accountability Manager Richard Blair and his team: For cranking out ‘just-in-time data’ for the school offices! When the Chief School Officers and/or School Improvement Officers need data, all they have to do is pick up the phone and call School Accountability. Richard and his team will produce it the same day. —School Services Officer Lupita Hinojosa
| 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. |
UPDATE 12/07/12: The Retirement Storefront’s impending move has been postponed, perhaps indefinitely. Please disregard the notice below. Thank you.
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If you’ve been thinking about retiring before the end of the year, don’t wait long to make an appointment with a retirement counselor.
The district’s Retirement Storefront will soon be moving from its current location, so remaining appointments can only be made during the first two weeks of December.
The Storefront will not be able to schedule appointments for the new year until late January or early February, once the move is complete.
Details on the new location, including the address any changes made to the phone or fax numbers, will be announced once plans are finalized.
To make an appointment, please call 713-293-9780. Space is extremely limited, so priority will be given to employees who wish to retire in December.
Jerome Cowthran, an academic advisor at Sterling High School, didn’t set out to be an educator. But after a string of part-time jobs consistently led him back to working with young people, the son of two retired educators quit resisting the call of his family’s legacy.
Drawn by the warm weather, low cost of living, and proximity of relatives, Cowthran moved to Houston in October of 1987, and joined Team HISD as a physical education teacher at Whittier ES about a month later. Over the years, the Chicago native has also served at Twain ES and Thomas MS as a teacher, an in-school suspension supervisor, and a school counselor.
As an academic advisor, Cowthran now works directly with students to make sure they are taking the classes they actually need. “I go over their transcripts with them and try to find out what they’re interested in so I can pinpoint the ones that will get them where they want to go,” he said. So far, Cowthran’s proudest achievement is finding a program at Worthing HS that would help overage middle-school students recover the credits they needed to catch up with their peers.
Many HISD employees are also marking milestones in late November—see if you know anyone on this list:
20 years
- Maria Canas, attendant, Food Services
- Carmen Jimenez, student information representative, Wheatley HS
15 years
- J. P. Majors, crossing guard
- James Mathew, senior analyst, Payroll
10 years
- Robert Flores, plant operator, Barrick ES
- Mary Gaines, custodian, Bellaire HS
- Victor Gendrett, after-school program specialist, Cornelius ES
- Martine George, clerk, DeBakey HS
- Tammy Parker, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Jeffrey Thomas, attendant, Food Services
5 years
- Lauren Bay, lecturer, HSPVA
- Martha Dobbins, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Kathleen Flood, nurse, Elrod ES
- Meg Izuakor, associate teacher
- Sharon Keller, associate teacher
- Maite Leiva Martin, teaching assistant, Benavidez ES
- Billie Jean Lincoln, associate teacher
- Bartolo Lopez, graphic designer, Administrative Services
- Guadalupe Martinez, clerk, Memorial ES
- Theresa Mason, nurse, Browning ES
- Amanda Medina, teaching assistant, Lantrip ES
- Patricia Murphy, associate teacher
- Yukiko Phillips, teacher, Westside HS
- Rosemary Rueda, clerk, Patterson ES
- Mildred Smith, associate teacher
- Maggie Trendell, Durkee ES
- Veronica Valle, student worker, Rucker ES
- Cornell Vaughn, associate teacher
| Check back next Friday for some early December 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 Texas High School Athletic Directors Association has named HISD’s own Marmion Dambrino (pictured) as the Region V Athletic Director of the Year for 2012.
Dambrino, a member of Team HISD for 27 years, was promoted to athletic director in 2010. She previously served as a dean of students, associate principal, assistant principal and teacher at the middle- and high-school levels. You can read the full story here.
Other accolades this week go to:
- Manager of Secondary Health Curriculum Rose Haggerty, who was tapped to become a member of the first-ever National Urban Physical Education Leadership Coalition. Haggerty was identified as one of a dozen of the most pro-active and influential urban physical education professionals in the United States to be a member of the coalition, which will help shape urban physical education for our nation.
- Washington HS’s Dr. Nghia Le, who was featured along with his students on Engines of Our Ingenuity, a regular segment from the University of Houston’s College of Engineering on KUHF. Read the full story here.
- HISD’s Parent Super Centers, which were cited by Education Week for their technological outreach efforts. Read the full story here.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Employees who are looking for a way to share the spirit of the holidays with those less fortunate this season will find two opportunities to do so right here at work.
HISD be participating in the U.S. Marine Corps’ annual Toys for Tots campaign through Dec. 19 (see related article here) as well as the Souper Bowl of Caring food drive in January.
The district will be collecting canned goods and other non-perishable food items to help feed the hungry from Jan. 15 to Feb. 1, 2013. For details on how to get involved, please see this related district memo.
Survey says…there’s no time like the last minute for holiday shopping
More than 38 percent of respondents in our last survey said they waited until the day before any given holiday to do their gift shopping, citing a lack of time as the reason.
Another third were on the opposite end of the spectrum, saying they took care of their shopping throughout the year to avoid the crowds and any last-minute hassles.
About eight percent said they took advantage of after-holiday sales to snag the best deals, while an equal number said they usually just gave money. The remainder did their shopping online or opted out of gift-giving all together, noting we have “too large of a family to get any.”
Spring 2013 professional development opportunities
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.
Next Tuesday at 10 a.m., HISD’s Longfellow Elementary School will be announcing the results of its annual Hot Toy Survey, so be sure to check out the HISD website afterwards if you have young ones to shop for this year. The survey is conducted by fifth-graders each year, and is designed to prevent parents from making poor decisions when trying to figure out this season’s “must-have” toy or game. Here are some other dates you may want to mark on your calendar:
Now-December 13: Health Screenings
November 17 and 18: Via Colori
November 21–23: Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov. 27 & Dec. 5: UH Masters program info. sessions
December 13: Board meeting
Dec. 24–Jan. 4: Winter Holiday
