Survey says…redesigned eNews, new delivery schedule a hit with employees
An informal survey taken in the second edition of the completely redesigned Friday eNews shows that most employees love the new format, and appreciate getting the newsletter earlier in the week.
Almost three out of every four employees replied “Love it!” when asked what they thought of the new design, and 76 percent agreed that it was much better to get the electronic newsletter at the beginning of the work day on Friday, than just as the weekend was starting that afternoon or evening.
“I think the new format makes the news more accessible,” said Lucy Anderson, principal at Stevens Elementary School. “(With the old format), a lot of times, I wouldn’t always read all the way to the bottom. But last week, I read the whole thing. And getting it delivered earlier to our ‘work doorstep’ gives me more time to spend looking through it.”
Anderson said that her favorite new feature of Friday eNews is the Shout-Outs. However, no clear winner emerged among those who responded to the survey. “I am HISD,” “Shout-Outs,” and “Ask HISD” all received 20 percent of the votes for a three-way tie, while “Photo of the Week” earned another 15 percent, and “Milestones” and “Accolades” netted 10 percent each. Last week’s survey rounded out the field of favorite features with five percent of the votes.
Stephen F. Austin High School will be celebrating its 75th year of existence with a Diamond Jubilee on Sat., Nov. 10. Festivities will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and will include the unveiling of a memorial plaque, an alumni pep rally, and the debut of a new “Stevie” mustang mascot costume. For complete details, please visit the HISD News Blog. Many HISD employees are also marking milestones next week – see if you know anyone on this list:
35 years
- Martha Owens, teacher, Ketelsen Elementary
30 years
- Glenda McCalep, teacher, Houston Gardens Elementary
25 years
- Cynthia Green-Jones, secretary, Braeburn Elementary
20 years
- Johnie Blackwell, teacher, Fonville Middle School
- Berta Bonilla, secretary, Bell Elementary
- Reynaldo Calderon, teacher, Wainwright Elementary
- Bernadine Everett, clerk, Food Services
- Gloria Hicks, attendant, Food Services
- Aquina Joubert, Spec. Ed. Employment Rep, Austin High School
- Blanca Treviño, attendant, Food Services
15 years
- Michelle Cuevas, teacher, Harvard Elementary
- Irene Gaytan, attendant, Food Services
- Leticia Guerrero, attendant, Food Services
- Steven Karam, teacher, Travis Elementary
- Pascual Milla, custodian, Lee High School
- Darrell Pickett, bus driver, Transportation Services
- Tonya Sapp, teacher, Benbrook Elementary
- Takisha Walker, parent/community liaison, Parent & Community Assistance
10 years
- Steven Arocha, maintenance repairer, CFS
- Maria Bernal Sr., bus driver, Transportation Services
- Jose Rafael Chaustre, teacher, De Chaumes Elementary
- Liliana Chavez, teacher, Neff Early Learning Center
- Ralph Cox, teacher, Furr High School
- Jesus Guerra, custodian, Bellaire High School
- Julia Guerra, attendant, Food Services
- Norma Martinez, teacher, Farias ECC
- Janice McCarthy, teacher, Sharpstown Middle School
- Phillip Meabon, associate teacher
- George Perez Sr., budget analyst, Budgeting & Financial Planning
- Davant Stewart Sr., applications developer, Information Technology
- Shonda Tindall, benefits counselor, Benefits
- Elsa Villarreal, technology, Memorial Elementary
5 years
- Jean Jones Anderson, transport attendant, Transportation Services
- Janet Bennett, senior manager, Information Technology
- Ary Bolanos, teacher, Benavidez Elementary
- Cynecia Cummie Breaux, teacher, Long Middle School
- Narcedalia Campos, custodian, Ross Elementary
- Janet Douglas, Special Education chair, Dowling Middle School
- Mireya Gomez, teacher, Brookline Elementary
- Michelle Gordon, teacher, Rodriguez Elementary
- Rosa Maria Herrera, plant operator, De Zavala Elementary
- Carolyn Jackson, nurse, Wheatley High School
- Willie Keary, crossing guard, Bellfort ECC
- Nelly Lucio, teacher, Halpin ECC
- Oriana Norline McMillan, teaching assistant, T.H. Rogers Middle School
- Carlos Neira, teacher, Davis High School
- Jameson Norman, teacher, Eastwood Academy
- Maria Orozco, crossing guard, De Zavala Elementary
- Omar Peters, teacher, Yates High School
- Leonides Rodriguez, teaching assistant, Neff Elementary School
| Check back next Friday for more November 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. |
This week’s Shout-Out goes to Ronnie Veselka, a longtime district administrator who was pulled out of retirement to help HISD with its 2012 Bond Proposition. Voters approved the bond measure by a margin of more than 2-1 on Nov. 6, and Superintendent of Schools Terry Grier recognized Veselka with a Team HISD hat at the Nov. 7 principals’ meeting (left), noting “this is what he looked like before the bond” (right).
Dr. Grier also gave a special Shout-Out to all principals across the district, noting that every single one of them would receive a Team HISD hat at the next meeting. He thanked them all for their hard work leading up to the vote, noting that they were a huge reason the bond passed. “It is absolutely … a testament to your leadership,” Dr. Grier said. “I’ve never been around a team where I felt like every single member worked towards a common goal the way all of you and our central staff did.”
Other Shout-Outs this week go to:
- Food Services Warehouser Johnny Chenier: Johnny is the epitome of what a warehouseman is all about. His attendance could be a model for our entire organization. When a task is thrown his way, he carries out the assignment without any fanfare. About two years ago, Johnny was entrusted with delivering orders to the production department. He has since developed a terrific relationship with personnel there and has really strengthened our interaction and collaboration. —Food Services Director of Communications Julie Spreckelmeyer
- Manager of Health and Medical Services Gwen Johnson: She organized the mass vision screening in September, through which 14,103 students at 38 campuses were assessed for vision problems. She also coordinated the schools, principals, nurses, bus routes, and schedules for the Vision Partnership in September, through which more than 1,400 students will receive new glasses. —Lisa Blackmon-Jones, RN
- Sharpstown HS Coach Dallas Blacklock: Coach Blacklock guided his teen leadership classes to plan and implement schoolwide forums and debate on issues in the presidential election and school bond vote. Students provided the lesson plans for teachers to implement in an extended advocacy period, and a mock debate in the school auditorium allowed them to discuss and debate issues which are relevant to their lives. At the end of the forums, a schoolwide mock election was held. —Principal Rob Gasparello
| 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. |
First-time voters were celebrated during a special event Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the Ripley House Neighborhood Center that drew dozens of HISD high school students and their parents.
The Voter Education and Citizenship Celebration, sponsored in part by Univision 45 and Mi Familia Vota, was held to help new voters understand the electoral process.
Students and parents from Jones, Milby, North Houston Early College, East Early College, Chavez, Austin, Sam Houston, and Lee high schools participated in the event. Teams of students from each of the schools called eligible voters across Houston as part of a “High Schools Unite” phone bank.
Ripley House has already been drawing thousands of people for early voting over the past week and organizers hope Tuesday’s event will encourage even more people to cast their ballots.
Students around the Houston ISD have done their own reporting and written their own columns on the 2012 Houston Schools bond and its potential effects on education. These students have had their work published in the Houston Chronicle’s Insight magazine.
One student wrote about her pride at being able to attend HISD’s newest high school, Carnegie Vanguard, which was built with funding from the 2007 bond program. Another student wrote about his experiences at Yates High School, one of the district’s oldest campuses. And another spoke with administrators around the district for their insight into the bond and what its approval could mean for HISD.
- HISD bond plan pushed, Alex Jimenez, Furr High School
- Yates in need of update, Jonathan Johnson, Yates High School
- Student elated over new building, Sabrina Katz, Carnegie Vanguard High School
HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and district officials answered dozens of questions about the 2012 HISD Bond Proposition during a Twitter Town Hall held on Tues., October 30. Members of the public participated in the conversation, along with students from Davis, Furr, Bellaire, Worthing, Yates, Lamar, Lee, and Sharpstown High Schools. Each of the schools would be rebuilt under the bond proposition.
Nearly 130 questions were submitted during the event and many of them focused on plans to modernize outdated facilities and build new high schools across the city.
Twitter user @Rooluli sent this tweet, “Will all the schools be uniquely designed, or [will there be] a uniform layout for all of them?” Under the proposal, 38 schools would be rebuilt or renovated, and Dr. Grier tweeted that all schools included in the proposition would be designed to meet their communities’ unique needs, [and] historic schools would keep their exteriors.
In response to other questions about the construction and design phase of the proposed project, the superintendent explained that, if the measure is approved, construction would begin shortly after the election, and the goal would be to complete all projects within six to eight years.
Many of the students who participated in the Twitter Town Hall are registered voters, including 18 students from William Jeffery’s class at Davis High School.
“Every question that we put out was answered by the superintendent. It was interactive, and the students were very happy to get more information about the bond,” Jeffery said.
The 2012 HISD Bond Proposition is the last item on the general election ballot.
In addition to addressing the most serious facilities needs, the proposal includes funds for districtwide technology improvements, upgrades to athletic facilities, middle-school restroom renovations, and districtwide safety and security improvements.
“This was a great town hall meeting. It was an opportunity to reach out and have a conversation with a lot of our students,” Dr. Grier said. “Hopefully they will go back and talk to their parents, talk to their relatives, to friends, and neighbors, and convince them that this bond is something that deserves serious consideration.”
Payroll clerk Richard Cisneros already knew he was slightly overweight when he signed up for a free health assessment recently, but once he saw the results on Oct. 31, he realized he had to make some lifestyle changes.
“I used to play volleyball all the time at the downtown YMCA, and that burns off everything,” he explained, “but now I’m down to about once a week. So I’ll have to get more active again.”
The self-described ‘salt-aholic’ also knows now that he needs to make some changes to his diet. “You eat more vegetables, cut back on salty things, and think that will even things out in the end,” he said, “but this test tells me I’m not doing enough.”
For completing the free health screening, Cisneros is eligible to receive a $125 incentive—and if you are currently enrolled in an HISD medical plan, you could be, too.
For details, including how to schedule an appointment and what other incentives are available, please see this related article.
Also, don’t forget that HISD’s annual Open Enrollment period for benefits is now underway, so be sure to make your selections by the deadline of Thursday, Nov. 15.
Information sessions will be held at the district’s headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 8, and Tuesday, Nov. 13 and enrollment labs on Monday, Nov. 5, and Monday, Nov. 12. For times and details, please see this related article.
An informal survey taken in the inaugural issue of the newly redesigned Friday eNews on Oct. 26 revealed that most district employees like to take care of business early.
Almost 70 percent of those who answered the question, “What’s your voting style this election?” picked the response, “Early. Why wait in line?”
Angela Tillman, a senior student information representative in the Federal and State Compliance Department, said she went to a polling place near her residence, in Galena Park. “There was a line out the door, but it moved very quickly,” she said. “It only took maybe 30 minutes.”
Tillman added that in years past, it has taken almost twice as long to cast her vote on Election Day. Nevertheless, slightly more than 11 percent of respondents said they would wait until Nov. 6 this year.
Just over 17 percent, meanwhile, denied having a voting style, saying, “It just depends on my schedule.”
When HISD Web Designer Quentrella Joyce signed up for the district’s Supplemental Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) a few years ago, she didn’t anticipate ever needing it.
But when she was laid low by an unexpected medical issue last summer, she quickly came to appreciate the program, which offers participants up to 30 additional paid leave days in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury, resulting in an extended absence from work.
Eligible employees must agree to contribute one day of their earned Local Leave to the SSLB to participate, and Joyce said she now considers the sacrifice a good investment.
“I gave my one day and didn’t think I would ever use it,” she explained. “But I was out for three months, and I don’t know what I would have done without it. I don’t gamble, but giving up this one day for the benefit I received…that was a risk worth taking.”
To learn more about the SSLB, please visit the Human Resources website. Eligible employees should also receive plan details and links to enrollment forms (.pdf) by email.
Current SSLB participants and employees who enrolled in June or August need not reapply. Eligible employees who wish to enroll now may do so at any time during the Benefits Open Enrollment period, Nov. 1–15, 2012.
This week’s Shout Out goes to HISD’s Employee of the Month for November of 2012: Suzanne Taylor, who serves as the secretary at Crockett Elementary School. Suzanne is so dedicated to public service that she actually helped found new chapters of Lions Club International and Habitat for Humanity in northern Georgia before moving to Houston. Read her story here.
Other Shout Outs this week go to:
- Maintenance Team Leader José Noriega (Area 3): ‘Awesome’ is the word that describes the work that has been done at Windsor Village. The assigned supervisors, painters, and carpenters provided service with patience and professionalism. It is evident that they know their craft and are highly skilled. Our projects were completed in a timely and efficient manner. Please share with them my gratitude and satisfaction (for)…their hard work and commitment to making sure students have a pleasant and safe learning environment.—Principal Diana Gibson-Johnson
| 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. |
