HISD won’t have to add makeup days to the calendar
Dear Team HISD,
HISD will add extra minutes to the end of each school day for the remainder of the 2017-18 year to make up for instruction time lost to this month’s winter ice storm, which closed schools for two days.
- All elementary schools will add 10 minutes to the end of their instructional day starting Jan. 29, 2018.
- All middle schools will add 10 minutes to the end of their instructional day starting Jan. 29, 2018.
- High schools will add between zero and 20 minutes to the end of their instructional day, depending on their current schedule, starting on Jan. 29, 2018. The majority of high schools will need to add 10 or fewer minutes to their schedules, and the changes at individual high schools will be communicated by the schools.
HISD won’t have to add makeup days to the calendar, and no changes will be made to holidays, grading cycles, or the last day of school, which will remain June 1, 2018 for students and June 4, 2018 for teachers.
We are also working with the Board of Education to ensure that all hourly employees, such as bus drivers and Nutrition Services workers, are compensated for the pay lost due to the closure.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Carranza
HISD Superintendent
Leadership across the district is invited to attend the next Manager Resource Group (MRG) ‘Meet and Greet’ on Jan. 25 at Pinch Seafood (10510 Northwest Freeway, 77092) from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
To RSVP, click here.
What’s in it for you?
You’ll have an opportunity to make great connections in a relaxed and upbeat atmosphere to fuel your career or business goals. Including:
- Meet a wide range of other like-minded managers
- Promote your department to maximize your impact
- Stay up-to-date on important trends across the district
All schools to receive two complimentary tickets to Houston ISD Foundation’s State of the Schools
RSVP required by Friday, Feb. 2
The Houston ISD Foundation’s State of the Schools will be held on Thursday, February 15, 2018 at the Hilton Americas Hotel (1600 Lamar Street) from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The theme for this year’s event is “Rebuild. Reimagine.” The annual luncheon is one of the Foundation’s biggest fundraising events and proceeds go directly to support HISD schools and teachers.
The Houston ISD Foundation will be providing all schools with a complimentary ticket for the principal and the campus 2017 teacher of the year. To redeem the two complimentary tickets, schools must fill out and submit this form by 5 p.m. Feb. 2.
School funds may NOT be used to purchase individual tickets or tables at this district fundraiser. This includes the use of the district Procard or MOTE transfers.
Schools are asked to share the electronic invite and ticket sale link below with their corporate and community partners to encourage them to attend the event and further support the district. School staff may attend State of the Schools as a “guest” of a community partner.
www.houstonisd.org/SOTStickets
The district is working on a celebratory event in the future reserved just for members of Team HISD to honor staff, schools, and community partners.
For questions or concerns, please contact Chief Development Officer Ann Scott at AScott10@Houstonisd.org.
Upcoming budget challenges for 2018-2019 school year
Dear Team HISD,
As we begin a new semester, I am excited about the opportunities and challenges the new year holds. For all of us, 2017 brought difficulty and disruption as we dealt with the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath. We are in the process of rebuilding from a storm that will have ramifications long after homes are repaired and schools reopened. Hurricane Harvey may be gone, but HISD continues to grapple with the financial storm left in its wake.
All school districts depend on local property taxes as a primary source of funding. As we look forward, we must consider the possibilities of an expected decrease in our student enrollment and an anticipated decrease in our property values, which will be released in April. When you combine that with our upcoming recapture payment, our district is facing significant budget challenges. These challenges will require us to shift our thinking about how we allocate funds for the upcoming 2018-19 school year at both the school and department level.
In the face of these challenges, it is our obligation to ensure that we deliver a quality education to all students and that all of our schools provide equitable access to essential services, programs and staff. Some of our schools � in particular, the smaller schools � have struggled for years to meet the basic needs of their students. They have not had the essential staff such as a librarian, counselor or nurse, who are critical to encouraging social and academic student success.
Utilizing an equity lens, we have reviewed our current funding model and are recommending that HISD shift to a staffing model for schools in the 2018-2019 school year. Under the new staffing model, or Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) model, principals will still decide whom they will hire, but we as a district will ensure that every school has essential positions. We are recommending this change so we can maximize our austere funding and continue to drive the district�s initiatives � providing wraparound services to support the social and emotional needs of students, expanding fine arts to all students, and ensuring that every school has the essential staff needed to meet the needs of all students. In addition, all HISD departments are taking a hard look at their budgets and staffing models to determine essential services and areas that can be streamlined.
As we make this shift, it is crucial that school leaders are involved in the process of developing the new model and that our schools do not lose the flexibility to meet the unique needs of their community or stifle innovation in the classroom. That�s why all principals will be meeting with our budgeting department to hear more about the proposed FTE model and offer their suggestions, feedback and guidance as we work out all the details of this change.
While we may have made it through Hurricane Harvey, we are now firmly in the financial storm. The financial struggles brought by Harvey, recapture and school finance have put us in a difficult position, but it is our duty to proceed thoughtfully about the resources, materials and staffing we need to ensure we meet our goals of educating the whole child and providing all students with the essential services they need to be successful. Just as Houstonians extended their hands to lift one another up in the face of catastrophe during Hurricane Harvey, we, too, can navigate this financial storm by working together.
I will continue to communicate with you as we navigate this process, and I want to thank you all for your dedication and hard work for the students of HISD.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Carranza
HISD Superintendent
Schools and staff encouraged to participate
All HISD schools and members of Team HISD are invited to participate in the 2018 Souper Bowl of Caring, a youth-led, national food drive that mobilizes thousands of young people to fight hunger and poverty in their communities leading up to the NFL Super Bowl weekend.
HISD has played a very important role collecting food for the Super Bowl of Caring throughout the years. This past November, West University Elementary, received the Humanitarian Award for their consistent commitment participating in the Souper Bowl of Caring and for being the school that has collected the most food donations in Houston for several years in a row.
Schools interested in participating in this year’s campaign are asked to assign a campus coordinator and register online before Jan. 26 to receive a free resource kit. Food items can then be collected from Jan. 29 – Feb. 16, 2018. Collection results must be reported to the Souper Bowl of Caring website by Feb. 16, 2018. Campuses can choose to donate 100 percent of the collected food items to the charity of their choice or to families in need on their own campus.
In addition, central office employees who bring four or more non-perishable food items to the Strategic Partnership office by Feb. 16 can earn a jeans pass.
The Souper Bowl of Caring also provides a wonderful opportunity for students and employees to participate in volunteer activities around our city. Students and members of Team HISD can sign up here to participate.
ALL TEACHERS
Implicit Bias in the Classroom: Join the Office of Leader and Teacher Development Career Pathways teacher-leaders on Feb. 1 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. We will dive into “Implicit Bias,” providing time and space to heighten our awareness and equip us with the language to decrease the impact of biases in our classrooms and campus environments. Space is limited, so register in One Source course, # 422008.
Classroom Management Training: The Department of Social and Emotional Learning will host classroom management trainings for teachers Jan. 24 – Jan. 30. Pre-K through eighth-grade teachers should attend the CHAMPS training, and high school 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.
Attendance Tip of the Week: The Office of Student Support is encouraging teachers to sign up for an attendance webinar through Attendance Works, a clearinghouse for best practices to help teachers support student attendance. Please click here to preview a list of national student attendance, engagement, and success center webinars. If you unable to participate, transcripts are available for download.
Digital Safety Moments Challenge: Kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers are encouraged to get their students involved in the Digital Safety Moments Challenge. Students must produce a 60- to 90-second digital animation and/or video highlighting important tips on how to be safe online. The HISD Ed Tech team has supplied information about possible topics and examples of previous submissions to inspire students’ creativity at the Digital Literacy Moments 2018 website. Digital Safety Moments can be produced in any format, including live video, animation, or a sequence of narrated images. Entries must be submitted by March 30 at 5 p.m.
ELEMENTARY
Win a Trip to UT-Austin: In partnership with Counseling and Student Support, HISD’s Office of College & Career Readiness will host the district’s first annual Elementary College Week Jan. 29-Feb. 2. To celebrate, during each day of Elementary College Week, Pre-K through fifth-grade teachers are encouraged to showcase students’ college knowledge to compete for a chance to win a trip to UT-Austin. Please note that your elementary campus must opt in for the Destination: College! contest. Click here to view all activities, unit plans, contest details, and guidelines.
SECONDARY
Young Historian Challenge: Bring history alive with your students through HISD’s Young Historian Challenge, which gives students in grades 6-12 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.
AP Teacher Training: The Advanced Academics Department invites Advanced Placement educators and their Pre-AP colleagues to “AP: The Countdown on Feb. 10 at Carnegie Vanguard High School. The theme “90 Days Out” will guide teacher-led sessions and collaborative roundtables as HISD educators prepare for AP exams in May. The department will provide a light breakfast to all participants, as well as a $50 stipend for full-event attendance. Teachers can register for the mini-conference using OneSource course #927001.
ALL TEACHERS
Classroom Management Training: The Department of Social and Emotional Learning will host classroom management trainings for teachers. 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.
Attendance Tip of the Week: Attendance should be closely monitored and articulated to parents and guardians throughout the year, especially after breaks in the school schedule. To help monitor and track attendance with parents, the national nonprofit Attendance Works is providing a Student Attendance Success Plan that helps parents meet with teachers to set applicable goals that help boost student attendance, as well as the My Family’s Help Bank, which helps families create strategies and back-up plans for challenges that may threaten timely attendance. To view the templates, click here.
WeTeach CS Training: Are you interested in teaching computer science? The Advanced Academics department encourages you attend Computer Science Teaching at Rice (CSTaR) this spring and summer. CSTaR is a program for teachers of all grade levels to learn coding and programming basics and how to teach it as a class. No background in computer science is necessary. You can even earn a $1,000 stipend. For more information on the program, click here.
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.
ELEMENTARY
2018 Math & Science Summit: It’s not too late! Register for the 2018 Math & Science Summit on Jan. 20 in OneSource, course #835001. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues, expand their learning, and deepen their understanding of effective instruction. Learn more about the event here.
Win a Trip to UT-Austin: In partnership with Counseling & Student Support, HISD’s Office of College & Career Readiness will host the district’s first annual Elementary College Week Jan. 29-Feb. 2. To celebrate, during each day of Elementary College Week, pre-K through fifth-grade teachers are encouraged to showcase students’ college knowledge to compete for the chance to win a trip to UT-Austin. Please note that your elementary campus must opt in for the Destination: College! contest. Click here to view all activities, unit plans, contest details, and guidelines.
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
AP Teacher Training: The Advanced Academics Department invites Advanced Placement educators and their Pre-AP colleagues to AP: The Countdown on Feb. 10 at Carnegie Vanguard High School. The theme “90 Days Out” will guide teacher-led sessions and collaborative roundtables as HISD educators prepare for AP examinations in May. The department will be providing a light breakfast to all participants, as well as a $50 stipend for full-event attendance. Teachers can register for the mini-conference using OneSource course #927001 and have the opportunity to present. If interested, submit a proposal here by Friday, Jan. 19.
Teachers by Teachers Social Studies Conference: Join the Secondary Social Studies Curriculum and Development Department for the Teachers by Teachers Social Studies Conference on Jan. 20 at the Ryan Professional Development Center. The department will be providing breakfast and lunch for all who attend and encourages teachers to share the event with their peers. To help plan accordingly, please register in OneSource course #837001. Non-HISD participants can register here. If you’d like to review the schedule at a glance, click here. You can also view the flier for more information.
WeTeach Workshop at U of H: Are you an eighth-grade through 12th-grade teacher interested in becoming certified in computer science? If so, the Advanced Academics department is encouraging you to attend the WeTeach Certification Prep Workshop Jan. 22-23 at the University of Houston. You’ll learn everything you need to know to pass the TExES 241 CS 8-12 certification exam. The department will be covering registration fees for HISD teachers. Contact James Wigfall at james.wigfall@houstonisd.org for event and payment information.
Compete for the chance to win a trip to UT-Austin
College access begins early, and requires consistent awareness. In partnership with Counseling & Student Support, HISD’s Office of College & Career Readiness will host the district’s first annual Elementary College Week from Jan. 29 – Feb. 2.
To celebrate, the department will be conducting the Destination: College! contest for a chance to win a trip to UT-Austin. During each day of Elementary College Week, students in grades pre-K through fifth are encouraged to showcase their college knowledge.
Please note that your elementary campus must opt in to participate by Jan.26. To view all activities, unit plans, contest details, and guidelines, visit http://houstonisd.org/ECW.
Complete unit plans will be available on Tuesday, Jan. 16, to introduce your students to college and career options in a way that is both creative and engaging. Students will complete one college-related activity each day in their classrooms. The week will culminate in a student display incorporating each of these activities.
As part of the competition, teachers are encouraged to post pictures and videos of Elementary College Week activities daily on Twitter or Facebook.
Tag the College Readiness team on Twitter @HISD2College, and use #HISDElem2College to ensure that your entry is tracked.
If you have questions or need additional information, contact Mia Bradford at MBRADFO2@houstonisd.org / 713-556-7570.
Office of Student Support Services recognizes campuses each month for attendance performance
As we kickstart the second semester at HISD, the new year is always a great time to hit refresh on your campus goals and resolutions. In an effort to help campuses across the district finish the school year strong, the Office of Student Support Services will recognize campuses and its leadership each month, for their excellence in attendance performance and best practices.
According to Attendance Works, a national nonprofit organization designed to promote attendance, research shows that stimulating positive relationships amongst students motivates them to attend every day. Whether it’s welcoming students at the door of your classroom or informing the student on what they missed while they were absent, it is these types of reinforcements that can help improve attendance.
January Principal Spotlight
This month, the department recognizes Principal Ruth Ruiz of Stevenson Middle School. Her latest attendance strategies involving everyone from counselors to parents have proven to be successful and reenergized students to reach for perfect attendance. Here are just a few of Ruiz’s best practices:
- The campus has a designated box at the counselors’ office where students can recognize themselves or other classmates practicing good attendance
- Led by a parent group, the campus held fundraisers to support the purchasing of gift cards for recognized students
- Every six weeks, multiple students have the opportunity to be recognized school-wide during the morning announcements and at their grade-level lunch. The students also receive a $5 gift card
- To reinforce the importance of attendance, the campus website provides a link to the district’s attendance page
Do you want to incorporate your own best practices and have an opportunity to improve your attendance performance? Check out the Weekly Teacher Download each week for best practices and talk with your attendance team to identify your strengths and areas of improvement.
Get the most out of your plan
For many, celebrating a new year symbolizes a time when people can hit the reset button on their healthcare and wellness goals. For HISD, it’s when employees can begin taking action on their medical plan and flexible spending account through Cigna, our new healthcare administrator.
As of today, any employee who has enrolled in a medical plan for 2018 should have received their ID card(s). If you have not received your card, you can go online to myCigna.com and order a new ID card. Pharmacy benefits remain through Express Scripts, so no new ID cards were issued unless you are new to the plan.
Employees are encouraged to register at myCigna.com. This tool is an effective way to review your benefits, search for a provider, access Telehealth Connection (a virtual visit with physicians), and much more!
Learn how to register and create an account with Cigna here.
Cigna Debit Cards
By now, all employees enrolled in an HISD medical plan were mailed a debit card, which is only effective for members who contribute to a flexible spending account (FSA) and/or have a rollover balance in their health reimbursement account (HRA), also known as a health fund through Aetna.
Please note that the full amount of your 2018 annual FSA election is now available for use. You should keep your explanation of benefits and itemized receipts to substantiate debit card claims. If you do not have a balance in the previous health fund account with Aetna, and you did not elect to contribute to a health care FSA, please destroy the debit card.
Health Reimbursement and Flexible Spending Accounts
To allow Aetna sufficient time to process 2017 year-end claims, employees with health fund rollover amounts can expect those funds to be available on their Cigna debit card by March 19. If you believe you have a remaining balance in your previous health fund account with Aetna, contact Aetna customer service at 877-224-6857 or aetnanavigator.com.
Once your health fund rollover amounts are added to your Cigna debit card, these funds will be initially allocated to pay for any existing medical and pharmacy claims (vision and dental expenses are not eligible). Once your health fund rollover amount is exhausted, your current health care FSA funds will become available for eligible expenses, which includes vision and dental.
If you have any questions, contact Cigna 24/7/365 at 1-800-244-6224.
