District Advisory Committee (DAC) Campus-based Nominations
All campus principals must make a transparent call for nominees to determine one classroom teacher and one campus-based professional (non-teacher) employee who want to run in the districtwide election to serve on the DAC. The nomination window is Monday, Oct. 29 to Friday, Nov.9. Charter/Contract campuses are ineligible.
Any eligible campus-based professional may be nominated by another campus-based professional or may self-nominate, by notifying the principal, to be included in the campus-based election process. Campus nominees must consent to be included on the district ballot.
If there is more than one consenting nominee, in each category, a transparent election process should be conducted at the campus-level to determine the nominee with the most support among the professional staff. Only professional staff members are eligible for nominations. Please see Board Policy BQA(LEGAL) .
Once the campus-based election for nominees has been held, principals must add the names of the two employees to the DAC Application. Principals can access the application from the HISD Applications Page . Scroll down to District Advisory Committee (DAC) and login there. Principals will be able to access the application to enter nominees starting Monday, October 29, 2018.
More information can be found here in the Academic Memo.
If you have any questions, please contact Bernadette Cardenas at 713-556-6804.
HISD police officers wear pink badges to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many HISD Police officers are sporting pink police badges throughout the month of October to help raise awareness of the disease and raise funding for research.
Officers who contributed $20 or more are wearing special pink badges throughout the month, signifying their commitment to the cause. The money raised will go to the American Cancer Society to support patients fighting breast cancer and their families.
“The Pink Badge Program is a great way for our officers to show support for our community,” Asst. Police Chief Lucretia Rogers said. “I think it demonstrates our commitment to supporting families who are struggling with this serious disease.”
The Pink Badge Program is supported by various law enforcement agencies across the country. This is the second year for HISD’s police department to participate.
HISD employees have access to exclusive car buying services with Group 1 Automotive
Don’t let the district’s “Teachers of the Month” winners be the only ones riding in style.
If you are you looking to upgrade your current vehicle or just need a new set of wheels, take advantage of HISD’s VIP Services offered through Group 1 Automotive.
Last year, Group 1 Automotive VIP Services partnered with HISD giving all members of Team HISD access to a “VIP experience” when purchasing or leasing a new or used car.
The program offers a personal shopping experience that grants employees access to exclusive pricing, inventory access, and special concierge services at their more than 170 dealers located throughout the country.
Whether you need guidance during the purchasing process or a car serviced, the program easily allows for HISD employees to shop for their new set of wheels from the comfort of their desk and avoid the countless hours spent at the dealership. As an added benefit, $100 will be donated to the HISD Foundation for each vehicle purchased through the program.
HISD and Group 1 Automotive also partnered to launch the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month program. Every month, an HISD teacher will be surprised and presented with a luxury loaner vehicle to drive for a month, along with a $150 gift card and other goodies.
To ensure you receive VIP pricing, please contact vipservices@group1auto.com or call 888-977-8790 to register BEFORE visiting the dealership of your choosing. Visit www.gp1vipservices.com to learn more about the VIP Services program.
Weekly Teacher Download for October 22
ALL TEACHERS
CHAMPS/DSC Trainings: The Department of Social and Emotional Learning will host Classroom Management training for Pre-K-12 classroom teachers on October 25 and October 29 at Hattie Mae White. CHAMPS and Discipline in the Secondary Classroom help participants gain an understanding of the Safe and Civil Schools’ framework for proactive and positive classroom and behavior management, which aligns to positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) principles. Teachers will explore comprehensive and practical strategies to improve their current classroom management plan. If interested, register in OneSource, course #136001.
Team HISD Cares Scholarship: The HISD Foundation launched Team HISD Cares Scholarship, an employee-driven scholarship campaign. The new scholarship campaign will run from October 15, 2018 to February 28, 2019 and was created to support our graduating seniors with a scholarship to any technical school or nonprofit two-year or four-year college or university of their choice. Campuses and/or departments that have the highest employee involvement or highest employee giving will be invited to join the District Scholarship Selection Committee, receive naming rights to a scholarship and present the scholarship with the Interim Superintendent. Click here to donate.
Online Safety Contest: To empower our students to become good digital citizens, the district is hosting a Digital Literacy Contest in partnership with Learning.com. The contest will run from October 1 through the first 2 cycles of this academic year. Elementary contest ends November 9 and middle school contest ends December 20. To participate: 1) Get as many students to launch and complete all (or as many as possible) of the lessons in the first two HISD cycle units located in Learning.com. 2) Tweet a picture of your students working in the lessons at least once a week during the contest. Don’t forget to tag your campus, @HISD_Inst_tech @learningdotcom #HISD_DigLitStrong and your campus in all pictures.
ELEMENTARY
Early Dismissal Trainings: The Elementary Curriculum and Development is committed to providing teachers with high quality professional development, which includes early dismissal trainings. The trainings will consist of just-in-time curriculum-based professional development and instructional planning sessions. Sessions will be aligned to the HISD Elementary Scope and Sequence and Unit Planning Guides. The target audiences are Pre-K through fifth-grade teachers in the content areas of reading/writing, math, science and social studies. For more information on the next trainings and OneSource course numbers, click here.
2018-2019 Collection of TSDS PEIMS Minutes: TEA requires the collection of monthly minutes for each elementary subject taught from teachers. These minutes entered must reflect the four weeks of October (Week 1: October 1-5, Week 2: October 8-12, Week 3: October 15-19, and Week 4: October 22-26) and are due by November 3. If you do not know how to enter the information in GradeSpeed, please take a few minutes to watch the training video. Early childhood, pre-K and kindergarten teachers are not required to enter this information. If you have any questions, please contact your Federal and State Compliance Senior Student Information Rep.
Dear Team HISD,
Did you know approximately 35% of HISD students rely solely on an external scholarship to pursue a college degree?
With majority of HISD’s graduating seniors being first-generation college attendees, this is an opportunity for #TeamHISD to make a difference in students’ lives through the district’s Team HISD Cares Scholarship Campaign.
The new scholarship campaign will run from October 15, 2018 to February 28, 2019 and was created to support our graduating seniors with a scholarship to any technical school or nonprofit two-year or four-year college or university of their choice.
Help our students overcome the challenge of pursuing a career or college degree by making a donation with a one-time payroll deduction or recurring payroll deduction.
Campuses and/or departments that have the highest employee involvement or highest employee giving will be invited to join the District Scholarship Selection Committee, receive naming rights to a scholarship and present the scholarship with me.
Funds donated are managed by the HISD Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and tax-exempt.
Click here to donate now.
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Sincerely,
HISD Foundation
HISD Business Operations Support to launch ‘Leading Impact’
The HISD Business Operations Support department will be launching “Leading Impact,” an interactive management development program to build and empower district leadership.
The seven-month program will equip Business Operations managers with the tools and insight to think more strategically, build high performing teams, balance competing demands, and engage in more forward-thinking leadership.
Following a series of interviews and surveys of more than 200 managers, Business Operations senior leadership concluded that each department felt training was needed to address performance gaps and professional development needs across the district.
“You’re only as good as your weakest link,” HISD Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby said. “What this program strives to do is create an environment for our managers to become great leaders.”
Participants will be placed in a cross-functional cohort giving them the opportunity to partner with their peers to share leadership experiences and current issues. Individuals will interact with outside departments and observe how different divisions function in their respective areas, such as touring a 2012 Bond school, volunteering at a transportation hub/motor pool, or touring the Customer Care Support Center.
Each month, participants will attend courses that focus on seven key areas: performance management; being a talent manager; leading highly effective teams; discovering your leadership style; communication; decision making and situational leadership; and removing bias in the K-12 ecosystem.
“The feedback that we’ve received to pilot this program has been extremely helpful,” HISD Business Operations Support Officer Mary Lehnartz said. “Our department spills into so many different divisions and it’s important that we’re all effectively communicating with one another and our teams.”
The program is available to mid-level managers who are grade 25-30. All interested parties should submit their application and manager approval by Oct. 26 as only 50 slots are available. Visit houstonisd.org/leadingimpact for more information.
“This program will be the first of its kind in the district and we look forward to its success,” Lehnartz said.
The Talent Development & Performance Department – Leadership and Teacher Development is hosting Goal-Setting Conference (GSC) Labs for NTAS and SLAS as follows:
- Thursday, Oct. 18, in room HMW 2C18 from 1.-2:30 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 22, in room HMW 2C06 from 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 25, in room HMW 2C07 (the computer lab) from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Please see the below deadlines for teachers and non-teacher performance appraisals:
October 12
- deadline for IPDP completion in NTAS (for 9, 10, 10.5, 11 & 11.5 month employees)
- deadline for Student Performance Goals Worksheets completion and for uploading assessments and rubrics for AAA and AAPT in TADS
October 19
- deadline for Goal-Setting Conferences in SLAS (all duty schedules)
- deadline for appraiser acknowledgement of teacher IPDPs in TADS
- deadline for Goal-Setting Conferences in TADS
- deadline to finalize Goal Setting Conferences (GSC) in NTAS for 12 Month Employees.
- deadline to finalize Goal-Setting Conferences (GSC) in SLAS (all duty schedules)
November 2nd
- deadline for Goal-Setting Conferences in NTAS (for less than 12 month employees)
Weekly Teacher Download for October 15
ALL TEACHERS
National School Lunch Week: Nutrition Services will celebrate National School Lunch Week beginning Monday, Oct. 15. National School Lunch Week is a great opportunity for Nutrition Services to reinforce the importance of eating good food while also challenging students to expand their palette. To celebrate this week, Nutrition Services will have several activities, contests, and giveaways planned. Click here for an easy-to-follow guide that provides step-by-step instructions on how you can participate in celebrating National School Lunch Week. To promote on campus, click here for a poster.
Pop Up PD: The HISD EdTech team is offering a session of PopUp PD to any HISD teachers who would like to brush up on their technology skills on October 24 from 4-6 p.m. Choice topics will include advanced tips in Microsoft Office 365, Google Basics, and other fun tools and apps to use with students in the classroom. For location details and to reserve your spot, register in OneSource, course #1134001.
Teacher Grants Deadline Extended: Teachers who are still trying to recover their classroom and replace materials, supplies, and technology damaged from Hurricane Harvey are encouraged to submit an application for funding up to $1,500. If you have previously applied for the relief grant and received funds, you are still eligible for additional funds. The Foundation has extended the deadline to Friday, Oct. 19. Partial or full grants may be awarded based on need, volume of applications, and available funds. Click here to submit an online application.
November Teacher of the Month: Through a sponsorship with Group 1 Automotive VIP Services, HISD launched a new Teacher of the Month recognition program last year to honor the district’s hard-working teachers. This month, the program returned and recognized fourth-grade teacher Hillary Smith at DeAnda Elementary as October’s Teacher of the Month. Every month, an HISD teacher will be surprised and presented with a luxury loaner vehicle from a different Group 1 Automotive dealer. Read more about Hillary Smith’s surprise.
ELEMENTARY
STAAR Writing PD: The Elementary Curriculum and Development will offer a four-part series called “STAARting Write” to grow the district’s kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers as writers and teachers of writing. The six-hour grade-level specific sessions will provide teachers with strategies and best practices for effective writing instruction as the school year progresses. The first part of “STAARting Write” will be offered at the PK-12th Writing Summit on Saturday, Oct. 13 with additional part one sessions repeated throughout October and early November at the HISD Ryan Professional Development Center. For more information on dates, locations, times, and course numbers, click here.
2018-2019 Collection of TSDS PEIMS Minutes: TEA requires the collection of monthly minutes for each elementary subject taught from teachers. These minutes entered must reflect the four weeks of October (Week 1: October 1-5, Week 2: October 8-12, Week 3: October 15-19, and Week 4: October 22-26) and are due by November 3. If you do not know how to enter the information in GradeSpeed, please take a few minutes to watch the training video. Early childhood, pre-K and kindergarten teachers are not required to enter this information. If you have any questions, please contact your Federal and State Compliance Senior Student Information Rep.
Christmas Cantata Tickets for HMW employees
Dear Team HISD,
To officially kick off the fall season, Strategic Partnerships is rewarding Hattie Mae White employees with FREE performance tickets to the Christmas Cantata on Saturday, October 13 at NRG Arena.
Employees can pick-up tickets at the Strategic Partnerships office on the first floor at Hattie Mae White on Wednesday, October 10 from 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Distribution is first come, first served. There is a very LIMITED amount of tickets.
Sincerely,
Strategic Partnerships
Weekly Teacher Download for October 8
ALL TEACHERS
HISD Special Olympics: HISD and Special Olympics Texas are proud to present the Sixth Annual HISD Special Olympics Field Days on Tuesday, Nov. 13, Wednesday, Nov. 14 and Friday, Nov. 15 at Butler Stadium from 9 a.m.-2p.m. All eligible student athletes will have a chance to experience track and field, basketball, flag football (high school only), soccer (middle school only), and tennis. Each individual class and teaching staff must register separately using their own HISD email address. Special Education Department Chairpersons may complete registration for the campus, only if each teacher and class are entered separately. To register your campus, contact Aaron Keith @akeith@sotx.org by October 25 to register your campus.
ELEMENTARY
Pre-K/Literacy by 3 Survey: In an effort to help HISD make continuous improvements and enhancements to Literacy by 3, Research and Accountability is asking teachers to offer their feedback on the program. The survey was developed in partnership with the Houston Education Research Consortium at Rice University (HERC) and was created on behalf of the district to understand school-level policies and practices related to Literacy by 3. The survey should take approximately 15 minutes and should be completed by Monday, Oct. 15.
Early Dismissal Trainings: The Elementary Curriculum and Development is committed to providing teachers with high quality professional development, which includes early dismissal trainings. The trainings will consist of just-in-time curriculum-based professional development and instructional planning sessions. Sessions will be aligned to the HISD Elementary Scope and Sequence and Unit Planning Guides. The target audiences are PreK through fifth-grade teachers in the content areas of reading/writing, math, science and social studies. For more information on the next trainings on October 19 and OneSource course numbers, click here.
2018-2019 Collection of TSDS PEIMS Minutes: TEA requires the collection of monthly minutes for each elementary subject taught from teachers. These minutes entered must reflect the four weeks of October (Week 1: October 1-5, Week 2: October 8-12, Week 3: October 15-19, and Week 4: October 22-26) and are due by November 3. If you do not know how to enter the information in GradeSpeed, please take a few minutes to watch the training video. Early childhood, pre-K and kindergarten teachers are not required to enter this information. If you have any questions, please contact your Federal and State Compliance Senior Student Information Rep.
SIM Study Pilot: The Elementary Mathematics Curriculum & Development Department is excited to announce a Simulation Instruction in Mathematics (SIM) Study Pilot for fourth- and fifth- grade math teachers. Simulation Instruction in Mathematics, or SIM, is a pilot study of an exciting, new professional development program being conducted by American Institutes for Research (AIR), in collaboration with the University of Central Florida. Teachers are encouraged to attend either information session for an overview of the program on Thursday, Oct. 11 at Hattie Mae White from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.- 11a.m.
SECONDARY
Souper Bowl of Caring:The Souper Bowl of Caring is seeking creative, responsible Houston area high school students to lend their voices to the organization’s mission of fighting hunger and poverty in communities, surrounding the NFL Super Bowl. Teachers and counselors can share the attached application with any students who may be interested in becoming part of the Local Youth Advisory Board. The deadline for applications is Friday Oct. 12.
CTE Classroom Management and Instruction Training: CTE instructors are invited to attend a training hosted by Region 4 on classroom management and instructional best practices within the CTE classroom. The training will be held on October 19 at Hattie Mae White in room 1E02. Register in OneSource, course #1283001.
Small Group Instruction: The CTE department is pleased to announce the start of their pedogeological series of professional development sessions targeted to strengthen instruction in the classroom. The first three-hour session will be held on October 11 at Hattie Mae White in room 1E02 and focus on small group instructional strategies that can be implemented in the CTE classroom. This is repeat of the session offered during Job-a-Like for those instructors who were unable to attend. Register in OneSource, course #1299001.
Certiport Lab Training: CTE instructors are invited to attend a training on Certiport Test labs on October 12 at Scarborough High School (4141 Costa Rica Rd, Houston, 77092) from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Participants will learn to establish a Certiport Test Lab needed to facilitate industry related certifications such as Microsoft Office (MOS) Word, Excel, Power Point, Adobe, and QuickBooks. Participants should bring a laptop to the training. Register in OneSource, course #1157002.
