Due to the new tax law, the IRS released new income-tax withholding tables in January. This adjustment has resulted in less taxes withheld and higher net pay for most employees.
If you notice a change in your pay, your February 7 paycheck reflects adjustments to income tax withheld for both the current pay and your January 24 paycheck.
Remember that your February 21 paycheck will not include a retro adjustment.
Check below for exclusive HISD enrollment pricing.
- Deluxe Package at $89 for all services
- Basic Package at $49 for (2) services
ALL TEACHERS
SEL Tips for Better Behavior: In addition to their CHAMPS and DSC trainings, the Department of Social and Emotional Learning wants to share weekly tips that could help you in the classroom. Check out this week’s tips on how you can increase responsible student behavior and student motivation in the classroom. You can also join the department in learning more about restorative discipline at the next training on Feb. 14. Register in OneSource for course #848001.
Attendance Tip of the Week: Did you know you could use attendance data to conduct early intervention and secure needed support to monitor at-risk students for chronic absences? According to Attendance Works research, students who miss 10 percent or more of the current school year, starting in the first month of school, are at-risk for chronic absences. Click here for strategies that are essential to re-engaging students in the classroom and with the teacher. Teachers may also contact the Student Assistance Department (Attendance Office) for more assistance.
Trauma Workshop: Are your students still suffering from trauma related to Hurricane Harvey? Consider attending a FuelEd interactive trauma workshop, learn more about the science of trauma, including the difference between acute and chronic trauma, as well as the physiological and physical symptoms of trauma. Through a combination of activities, discussion, and skills training, this workshop provides participants with the mindset and skills needed to heal trauma through empathic listening and the power of connection. To learn more about the workshop and confirm a date in February through April, click here.
Dental Health Month Poster Contest: In recognition of the National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM), an initiative held by the American Dental Association each February, HISD elementary and middle school students are invited to participate in a Dental Health Month Poster Contest. The month-long observance brings together dental professionals, healthcare providers, and others to promote the benefits of good oral health to children and adults, caregivers and teachers. The poster contest deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 28. For additional details on the contest and how to participate, click here.
ELEMENTARY
Professional Development: The Elementary Curriculum and Development Office is pleased to offer a variety of professional learning opportunities for teachers during the month of February, including literacy training to support Literacy by 3 (OneSource course, #111001). For more info, click the course list here.
Student Writing Contest: All HISD first- through fifth-graders are invited to participate in the Former First Lady Libraries Corp. Winter 2017 essay contest. Students must submit a 400-word essay detailing what they lost and what they found during Hurricane Harvey by Feb. 19. Winners have a chance to receive a $250 Visa gift card and a $1,000 scholarship for their HISD school library from the FFLLC. Click here for contest rules and details.
SECONDARY
Strategic Reading and Writing Monthly Meeting: Need test preparation for struggling readers and writers? Attend the final Strategic Reading and Writing (SRW) monthly meeting, Thursday, Feb. 8 from 4-5:30 p.m. at Lanier Middle School. Our focus will explore Test Genre—Test Preparation with Authentic Reading and Writing Tasks. Register in OneSource for course #171003.
Guided Reading Training: Want to learn how to teach reading to struggling middle school or high school students to read and not sure where to start? Come uncover the mystery of the reading process and guided reading as a method for growing your secondary students as readers. The two-part series will be offered on select Tuesdays beginning Feb. 27 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Hattie Mae White ESC. To find dates and OneSource course numbers, click here. If you have any questions, contact Kerry McArthur at kmcarthu@houstonisd.org.
Literacy in the Middle Tour: Want to see Literacy in the Middle in action? Join the Secondary Curriculum on a self-guided tour of hand-picked campuses and classrooms to view model examples of best literacy instruction. You will leave the tour loaded with ideas on how to best implement strategies and increase literacy on your campus. Register in One Source for course #779003.
Health and Medical Services is encouraging HISD employees to wear red on Friday, Feb. 2 to help raise awareness about cardiovascular disease in women. With heart disease and stroke killing one in three women, the American Heart Association recognizes Friday, Feb. 2 as National Wear Red Day.
Employees are also encouraged to attend the department’s information fair Feb. 2 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Hattie Mae White, 3SW Lobby. There will be heart health information available, blood pressure checks and healthy snacks.
For the final installment of Wellness Wednesday this quarter, the Benefits Office encourages all HISD employees enrolled in a medical plan to explore all of Cigna’s programs and services that foster healthy lifestyles. It’s important that employees take advantage of an annual physical or seek care when they are not showing symptoms. Simply having a wellness visit or getting a diabetes screening could prevent long-term or critical illnesses from happening.
Stay healthy
At no additional cost, employees should choose a doctor who participates in their Cigna network and schedule a wellness exam. During a wellness exam, the physician will determine what tests and health screens are right based on age, gender, personal health history, or current health. Preventative services and screenings may include:
- Wellness visits
- High blood pressure and cholesterol screenings
- Diabetes and colon cancer screenings
- Clinical breast exams and mammograms
Health and Wellness Discounts
For an additional cost, members may gain instant access to health and wellness products and services at discounted prices through the Cigna Healthy Rewards programs. From weight management and nutrition to vision and hearing care, employees can learn about the different offerings.
To learn more about Cigna’s Healthy Rewards programs:
- Log in at myCigna.com
- Select the ‘My Health’ tab at the top of the page
- Hover mouse over “Programs & Resources” in the dashboard
- Select “Discount Programs – Healthy Rewards”
Personalize your care
The Benefits Office hopes this series has been beneficial and has helped each employee become familiar with HISD’s newest medical provider, Cigna. By now, employees enrolled in a medical plan should have become familiar with how to create an account at myCigna.com; explored the offerings within their medical plan such as Cigna’s Telehealth Connection; and enjoyed a simpler way to personalize your health care.
To learn more on how to make the most of your health plan, click here.
Do you know the policies that have been approved for the district? As a member of Team HISD, you have access to read and review district policies that may affect you. The Annual Policy Update for 2017-2018 is now available and includes links to important governance documents, some of which were recently modified.
These documents are intended to inform employees of policy requirements, convey the school board’s intent regarding core initiatives and goals, and describe the district’s programs and practices. Hard copies or CDs may be purchased from Administrative Services using department or school budgets. You may also access these documents directly via the Policy Online Manual.
As a reminder, HISD’s governance documents are incorporated into a single online manual called Policy Online. If you have questions or concerns, contact policy.admin@houstonisd.org or call 713-556-6017.
ALL TEACHERS
CHAMPS and DSC Training: The Department of Social and Emotional Learning will host classroom management trainings for teachers Feb. 5 – Feb.6. Pre-k through eighth-grade teachers should attend the CHAMPS training, and ninth- through 12th-grade teachers should attend the Discipline in Secondary Classrooms (DSC) training. Participants will gain an understanding of the Safe and Civil Schools’ framework for proactive and positive classroom and behavior management, as well as explore comprehensive and practical strategies to improve their current classroom management plan. Click here for dates and OneSource course numbers.
Chick-Fil-A Teacher of the Month: Does your campus co-worker deserve the ultimate recognition for their hard work? Then nominate him or her for the Telemundo Chick Fil-A Teacher of the Month award. Click here to learn how you can nominate one or more HISD educators going above and beyond in the classroom. Teacher finalists will win a catered Chick-Fil- A breakfast and Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwiches for an entire year.
Attendance Tip of the Week: Make the most of your parent-teacher conference. The Student Assistance Department is providing a step-by-step guide for teachers to maximize teacher/parent communication and conference time for nurturing a non-threatening setting. Teacher and parent can work more collaboratively to increase attendance and student learning with this framework. For the guide, click here.
FACE Empowerment: Is your school personnel looking for ways to increase parent and community engagement at your campus? Join HISD’s Family and Community Empowerment Department (FACE) for hands-on and interactive sessions to learn how to guide your feeder pattern on empowering families and building partnerships. To learn more about these sessions and their dates, click here.
ELEMENTARY
Young Historian Challenge: Bring history alive with your students through HISD’s Young Historian Challenge. The Young Historian Challenge gives students the opportunity to develop and hone the skills of a historian through the creation of a micro research project. Students will bring history alive as they analyze primary sources to interpret a historical event. Topics may focus on leaders and events from history, ELA, poetry, STEM, art, LOTE, and any other classes or units you teach. Directions for teachers and students can be found here.
SECONDARY
Guided Reading Training: Want to learn how to teach my middle school or high school student to read and you aren’t sure where to start? Come uncover the mystery of the reading process and guided reading as a method for growing your secondary students as readers. The two-part series will be offered on select Tuesdays beginning Feb. 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Hattie Mae White. To find dates and OneSource course numbers, click here. If you have any questions, contact Kerry McArthur at kmcarthu@houstonisd.org.
Strategic Reading and Writing Monthly Meeting: Need test preparation for struggling readers and writers? Attend the final Strategic Reading and Writing (SRW) Monthly Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 8 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. at Lanier Middle School. Our focus will explore: Test Genre—Test Preparation with Authentic Reading and Writing Tasks. Register on OneSource course #171003.
Literacy in the Middle Tour: Like Literacy in the Middle but want to see how it works in action? Join the Secondary Curriculum on a self-guided tour of hand-picked campuses and classrooms to view model examples of best literacy instruction. You will leave the tour loaded with ideas on how to best implement strategies and increase literacy on your campus. Register on One Source course #779003.
History Day: Registration for HISD’s History Day is now open. As a reminder, the competition will take place on March 24, and judges are still needed. Essays, websites, and documentaries will need to be submitted by March 9 here. Exhibits and performances will be judged the day of the event on March 24 at Hattie Mae White. If you need a History Day tutorial, visit nearpod.com and use code GATUJ.
Dear Team HISD,
Your 2017 W-2 form is now available to view and print through the employee self-service feature in OneSource.
To view and/or print your form, log into OneSource using your district user name and password. Then select the “Employee Self-Service” tab in the upper left-hand corner, followed by “View Online W-2.” Click on the row to highlight the 2017 W-2 form, and then click “Display.”
If you have further questions or need additional technical assistance, email ServiceDesk@houstonisd.org or call 713-556-7400.
HISD Payroll Department
Are you a sixth through 12th grade teacher with three or more years of experience? HISD invites you to an informative webinar for Enhancing STEM Teacher Leadership through Equity and Advocacy Development (LEAD) on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.
LEAD Houston is an NSF funded Fellowship that includes a master’s degree and professional development on the topics of culturally responsive teaching, instructional coaching, and policy advocacy along with STEM education seminars provided by National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI).
This fellowship provides a unique opportunity for leadership development through ongoing coaching by faculty and professional development at the University of Houston, as well as through NMSI. Teachers will be empowered to serve as leaders at the local and national platform.
The fellowship program is set to start during the summer of 2018. The master’s coursework will span 14 months followed by four years of professional development and coaching provided by University of Houston faculty.
Teachers will receive a stipend to cover the cost for tuition, as well as, an annual $10,000 stipend for the four years of fellowship and will be expected to attend one week summer professional development as well a minimum of two instructional coaching sessions per semester.
If interested, tune in to the webinar on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. To join, click here.
Get the care you need right at your fingertips
In a world of technology where you can order groceries or call a taxi on an app, HISD’s newest medical administrator, Cigna, provides access to quality healthcare services right at your fingertips through Telehealth Connection Services.
From a minor cold to a prescription refill, members can now get the care they need 24/7 through two options called AmWell and MDLIVE, which allow members access to a board-certified doctor via video chat or by phone without leaving the comfort of their desk or home.
According to research, using telehealth services costs less than receiving treatment at convenient or urgent-care clinics, and it costs significantly less than a visit to the emergency room. Just like any other visit with your primary care provider, your out-of-pocket costs remain the same or less. Please note, these services should not be used for life-threatening conditions.
Click here to learn which minor conditions can be treated and how to sign-up.
Sign up today
- Set up and create an account with one or both AmWell and MDLIVE
- Visit AmWellforCigna.com or call 855-667-9722
- Visit MDLIVEforCigna.com or call 888-726-3171
- Complete a medical history using their virtual clipboard
- Download vendor apps to your smart phone
AmWell and MDLIVE are both quality national telehealth providers and are ready to use whenever and wherever you need them.
