Roundup: HISD principals lead media on tours of campuses on 2012 bond proposal
HISD principals lead media on tours of campuses on 2012 bond proposal
One week ahead of early voting, the principals of Lamar and Madison high schools led members of the media on tours of their campuses, which would be replaced under the HISD bond proposition.
Lamar opened in 1937 and is among the most crowded campuses in HISD. It would be replaced with a larger $108 million campus that preserves the current school’s architecturally significant structure while meeting modern day educational needs. At Madison, which was built in 1966, the campus is lined with 21 aging temporary buildings where more than a quarter of students attend class. Madison’s new $82.7 million campus would have space for 2,100 students and the infrastructure to support modern technology.
Lamar Principal James McSwain and Madison Principal Sonja Williams both pointed out overcrowding, insufficient parking, lack of wireless internet, and failing heating and cooling systems.
HISD police partnership promotes mentoring program for kids
The HISD Police Department introduced a new partnership with ARAMARK Education to promote positive character building in HISD schools. The Kids with Character mentoring program will recognize elementary students who have displayed outstanding citizenship in their classes.
Twice a month, HISD officers will eat lunch with students who have shown strong character. During the lunch the officers will also serve as role models by showing students how to be good leaders.
“The Houston ISD Police Department is committed to keeping our students safe and this new innovative program will provide a unique opportunity for our officers to continue to protect our campuses while reaching out to the students,” said HISD Police Chief Jimmy L. Dotson.
ARAMARK Education Resident District Manager Ray Danilowicz says this latest initiative is another way the company is committed to promoting student excellence. “This latest initiative is just one of the many ways ARAMARK Education is committed to helping all students flourish,” said Danilowicz.
Schools get creative in getting out the vote
Schools across the district are getting into the voting spirit with campus-based campaigns to raise awareness about Election Day and the opportunity to vote early, from Oct. 22 through Nov. 2.
Voters will decide whether to approve HISD’s $1.89 billion bond proposition that would focus on rebuilding and modernizing the city’s high schools, as well as provide safety and technology upgrades across the district.
- At Hobby Elementary School, parents and students decorated the campus in red, white and blue to promote voting. Principal Stephen Gittens says the goal was to build awareness about the importance of casting a ballot.
- At Garden Villas Elementary, students and staff spelled out “V-O-T-E” on their fence with plastic cups, held an informational meeting on the bond proposition, and even registered 15 people during a voter registration drive.
- At Milne Elementary School, the principal created an incentive to encourage parents to vote early, offering their children a pass to come to school out of uniform.
Register now for drug-free workplace training Oct. 30
HISD will be conducting a “drug-free workplace” training session on Tuesday, Oct. 30, for central office administrators, principals, principal designees, and managers.
The session will take place starting at 9 a.m. in the Holden Annex auditorium (812 West 28th St., 77008). The training is two hours in length and is good for four years before having to take the refresher course.
Participants must register through e-TRAIN using course code # BN0005. Registration is limited to 75 participants. This training teaches personnel how to recognize impaired employees in the work place and how to call for a reasonable suspicion drug/alcohol test.
Questions may be directed to Lynette Prater at 713-293-9732.
Last Chance for Mobile Mammograms Oct. 31
The Rose, a non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction of breast-cancer-related deaths, is offering on-site mammography screenings once again to women who meet certain criteria.
All female HISD employees are eligible for these screenings, which will take place at various locations. A full schedule is here (.pdf). To make an appointment, call 713-556-6655.
Lose Weight Through the Matchup and Win $10,000!
The Matchup is a wellness event that gives employees the chance to motivate themselves and others to lose weight. Teams of five compete over three months (Oct. 19–Jan. 11) and the winning teams get up to $10,000 (first place is $10K, second is $5K, third is $3K).
In June, two HISD teams won big (see related story here). For more details or to join the contest, go here.
Sign Up for Oct. 30 Educators’ Preview of New Maya and Medici Exhibits
Come learn more about the history, astronomy, and timekeeping of the Mayan culture, which spans over three millennia, as well as the powerful family that dominated city affairs and steered the course of art history in the city of Florence for almost 300 years.
HISD teachers can attend a special preview at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Tues., Oct. 30, 2012, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. thanks to the generous support of Shell.
For complete details, please visit the HMNS website.
Downtown Aquarium to Host HISD Appreciation Day on Nov. 21
Employees may purchase all-day passes regularly priced at $15.99 each for only $11 per person—a 30 percent savings! Employees must present a valid district ID badge at the time of purchase in order to receive the discount. Please see this flyer (.pdf) for details.
HISD’s Supplemental Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) program 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.
Enrollment forms and plan details are available on the SSLB webpage. Enrollment information will be emailed to eligible employees on Nov. 1, 2012, and they may enroll in the plan (.pdf) during the Benefits Open Enrollment period, Nov. 1-15, 2012.
Current SSLB participants and employees who enrolled in June or August need not reapply.
Please contact Employee Support Services at 713-293-9780 for assistance.
HISD will be conducting a “drug-free workplace” training session on Tuesday, Oct. 30, for central office administrators, principals, principal designees, and managers.
The session will take place starting at 9 a.m. in the Holden Annex auditorium (812 West 28th St., 77008). The training is two hours in length and is good for four years before having to take the refresher course.
Participants must register through e-TRAIN using course code # BN0005. Registration is limited to 75 participants. This training teaches personnel how to recognize impaired employees in the work place and how to call for a reasonable suspicion drug/alcohol test.
Questions may be directed to Lynette Prater at 713-293-9732.
In the October 2012 edition of the Celebrating Effective Teaching newsletter (.pdf), you can read more about Ferryn Martin and Jason Coronado’s strategies for making the most of every minute they spend with students in the classroom.
Martin, who teaches history at Davis High School, and Coronado, who teaches science at Jefferson Elementary School, are featured in the district’s secondary I-5 video exemplar on maximizing instructional time.
Click the link above to read the full story and to see a list of new resources for teachers.
It’s a subject line many of us dread: “Your mailbox is almost full.”
All HISD employees are given a 200MB limit on their Outlook mailbox, which includes an employee’s in-box, sent 
items and deleted items. When an employee gets close to that limit, a warning is sent. If space isn’t created and an item arrives that pushes the mailbox beyond its limit, your mailbox is marked out of space and no new emails are received.
But there are ways to keep your in-box under control before it gets to this point.
- Create a personal folder in Outlook where you can store messages you need to keep (see steps below). Whatever you store in this personal folder will not count toward your 200MB limit. Follow these step-by-step instructions: Creating a Personal Folder in Outlook 2003 or 2007
Here are more tips:
- When you delete several items, empty your Deleted Items folder.
- Do not forward large attachments unless it’s necessary.
- After you’ve emailed a large file and you no longer need it in your email account, delete it from your Sent folder and empty your Deleted Items folder – or, move the file into your personal folder.
- Data stored on the computer is subject to loss if a local workstation failure occurs and the data is not backed up.
For more tips like this, go to the Technology & Information Systems FAQ website. If you’re having difficulty creating a personal folder in Outlook, contact the Help Desk at 713-892-7378 or helpdesk@houstonisd.org.
| If you have a question for Ask HISD, please send an email to info@houstonisd.org or leave your question in the comments field below. |
HISD will be launching a series of five webinars to give principals and campus leadership teams a better understanding of EVAAS and comparative growth reports, and how to use the reports to drive instruction.
“Anybody can look at a report,” said Leadership Development Senior Manager Ann Sledge, “but what do you actually do with it? These webinars will explain how you can use them in the fall for planning purposes, and how you can come back to them later to check on trends.”
“It’s really about the application of data,” she added. “This will show how a leader might guide different groups of teachers on campus towards specific student outcomes.”
The first webinar, targeted to secondary campuses, will take place from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, with successive webinars scheduled for Nov. 2, Nov. 16, Dec. 11, and Dec. 12.
The webinars are designed to be viewed by principals with their leadership teams, which may include instructional coordinators, deans, assistant principals, magnet and coordinators (essentially, anyone in an “appraiser” role).
To sign up, please RSVP here and indicate which sessions you would like to attend. Also look for more information in an Academic Services memo on Monday, Oct. 29.
Other Professional Development Opportunities—Click here to register for one of the following courses:
- Thursday, Nov. 8 (6531 Pinemont, 77092)—Leading Organizational Change: Leaders are individuals who triumph during times of turbulence, conflict, and change. You can learn to do the same. This course offers you strategies to challenge processes and lead through change. (Audience: all employees)
- Tuesday, Nov. 13 (HMWESC, 1E10, 1E02)—Courageous Conversations: This course can prepare you for high-stakes situations with techniques that can transform anger and hurt feelings into powerful dialogue; make it safe to talk about almost anything; be persuasive, not abrasive; improve nearly every professional relationship; and yield major professional improvements in areas like productivity, quality, safety, diversity, and change management. (Audience: all employees)
- Thursday, Nov. 29 (HMWESC, 3C10)—Strategic Staffing: Hiring a “right fit” for your team can seem daunting, unless you have a good toolbox. This course will help you to build your capacity with all the “nuts and bolts” of staffing your team in HISD—from aligning your specific needs to the job description to attract the top talent to interviewing tips and providing a salary quote. (Audience: managers)
HISD employees can earn up to $400 by participating in a free health screening, online assessment, and healthy activities.
The health screenings – available from Monday, Oct. 29, through Tuesday, Dec. 11 – are free and will be offered at both campus and non-campus-based locations across the district. Check the schedule below to find an upcoming date at a facility convenient to you. This schedule will be updated weekly, so be sure to check back if your campus or work location is not yet listed.
Employees who sign up for a 2013 benefits package this year are eligible to receive $125 for completing the health screening. Enrollees will also be eligible for additional incentives, such as $125 for completing an online health assessment or $150 for participating in certain activities.
Please note that the health screenings are only available to employees who are currently enrolled in a 2012 HISD medical plan. You will need to bring your Aetna medical card at the time of the screening to verify enrollment.
Participants will be screened for hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels.
Employees may call the Benefits Department at 713-556-6655 with any questions.
HISD’s annual Open Enrollment period for benefits is right around the corner, so be sure to look over any materials you receive so that you can select the best option for you and your family.
Information sessions will be held on the following dates and times at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street, 77092) to give employees an overview of the options for 2013:
- Thursday, Nov. 1, 5:30–6:30 p.m., 3C10
- Thursday, Nov. 8, noon–1 p.m. and 5:30–6:30 p.m., 2C12
- Tuesday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m.–7 p.m., 2C12
Enrollment labs will also be available to assist employees in making their selections and signing up online. The labs will also be held at the district’s headquarters, on Monday, Nov. 5, and Monday, Nov. 12, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in room 2C07.
The open enrollment period only lasts for two weeks, so please make sure to sign up by the deadline of Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012.
Senior Manager of Risk Kermit Falgout helps keep schools safe, earns statewide award
Kermit Falgout poses next to a picture of a frog drawn by his daughter. "My name was Kermit before there ever was a little green guy," he says.
It’s not hard to guess what Kermit Falgout has on his office walls and on his desk. Frogs! “My name was Kermit before there was ever a little green guy,” he says as he explains that he was named after his first cousin who passed away when Falgout’s own mother was pregnant.
Falgout serves as HISD’s Senior Manager of Risk Management. He oversees the department responsible for conducting campus safety inspections, monitoring air quality, and handling property and liability insurance. His work is closely tied to HISD’s goal of ensuring that all schools are safe. “A lot of the work that we do benefits children directly,” Falgout explains. “The kids need to be in a school that’s safe.”
Earlier this month, he was recognized as the 2012 Risk Professional of the Year by the Texas Chapter of Public Risk Management Association. Asked what the award means to him, he said, “To be honest, I was kind of embarrassed. My arm doesn’t reach that far behind my back.” Congratulations, Kermit Falgout!
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org. |
