Staff at Title I and Achieve 180 campuses encouraged to attend
HISD will be serving as this year’s host for the 2017 Statewide Parental Involvement Conference held Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near NRG Park. Title I and Achieve 180 schools are encouraged to have staff and parents attend this year’s conference.
Over the course of the three-day conference, parents, and educators will learn strategies for empowering all school community stakeholders in an effort to increase student achievement and to meet the required mandates of the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.
In addition, educators will receive tips and guidance on improving relationships with parents and families, as well as training on statutes and regulations of the ESSA. Parents and families will receive resources and strategies for improving parental involvement skills, as well as enhancing their children’s educational opportunities.
The deadline to register for the conference and receive the early conference registration fee of $125 has been extended to November 3, 2017. After this date, the conference registration fee will increase to $150. For staff attending from Title I campuses, registration fees may be paid with Title I funds. A series of workshops will be held in Spanish, as well as translators at all the general sessions.
If interested, please sign-up at www.implanners.com/parents/register.php, or you may download the form here and fax to (361) 241-7913 or email to implanners@sbcglobal.net.
ALL TEACHERS
Guidelines for Athletic Passes: The HISD Athletic Department no longer issues teacher passes. Teachers will use their school/employee ID badge to enter any game that their school is participating in that is held at either of the HISD Athletic Complexes. The teacher ID will admit the bearer only.
Universal Design for Learning Workshop: Join Career Pathways Teacher Leaders for an evening of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) on Thursday, Nov. 2 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Ryan Professional Support and Development campus, 4001 Hardy St, 77009. Participants will receive exposure to the principles of UDL and the online resource “Goalbook”, which is available to every HISD teacher. Register in OneSource, for course #145002. For more info contact, Desiree Sabari Lancaster at dsabaril@houstonisd.org.
Onsite Application Date: Know someone interested in becoming a teacher? Have them attend HISD’s ACP onsite application day on Oct. 27 at the Ryan Professional Development Center, 4001 Hardy St. Participants need to come prepared with resume and university transcripts, as well as a completed application at www.houstonisd.org/careers (Job ID 46136). Click flier for more information.
ESS Workshops: Do you know you can check your current and past pay stubs online at any time? Do you know what information is contained on every HISD paycheck and why? Do you know about the HISD “total rewards” statement available to you? If you answered NO to any of these questions, then mark your calendar to attend an Employee Self Service workshop. Click here for more details.
Are you up for the challenge? Join schools from over 30 countries participating in the annual Bebras Computing Challenge November 6-17. Bebras is a 15-question, 45-minute challenge that aims to promote student interest in computational thinking. HISD had the largest number of participants in the entire country last year and we look forward to an even larger number of students taking part in the challenge this November. Teachers of students in grades 3-12 can sign up their classes to take this 45-minute problem solving challenge. Register at http://challenge.bebraschallenge.org/admin.
2017 Parental Involvement Conference: Parents and educators are invited to this year’s Title I Statewide Parental Involvement Conference. HISD is hosting the event November 30 – December 2 at the Crowne Plaza near NRG Park. This conference will benefit both school staff and parents. Educators will receive tips and guidance on improving relationships with parents and families as well as training on statutes and regulations in the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). For more information on how to register, click here.
TADS Training Reopened: Due to Hurricane Harvey, the board has approved adjusting TADS completion dates. The Update Training—OneSource course #503001, has been edited to reflect the most current changes. It will be available for completion now thru November 10. This course is not for teachers that have attended NEO in September and October. For those teachers that have completed the course, the resources can still be accessed and the calendar has been updated. Also refer to the TADS toolkit for the most up-to-date revisions and resources. For more info, contact tads@houstonisd.org.
NEW TEACHERS
Professional Development: Want to add new strategies to your teacher toolkit? Come learn concrete, specific, and actionable techniques at the New Teacher Saturday Learning Series (course #363002) on Oct. 28 at Lamar High School from
8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Click here for the flier. Session topics include:
- Transitions and Pacing Tools
- Rewards & Consequences
- Material Management
- Classroom Procedure
Join us for the first SpEd Employee Resource Group meeting of the year on November 1! Enjoy a “Show, Tell, and Share” with your Team HISD colleagues, and learn about new manipulatives, techniques, and best practices.
November 1, 2017
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sterling High School
Registration: https://goo.gl/forms/sr0ve9PD5Be4tZsA2
Counting down the days to Thanksgiving Break? Finish off your first semester at HISD strong by joining us for the New Teacher Resource Group meeting on November 2!
November 2, 2017
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Children’s Museum of Houston
Registration: https://goo.gl/forms/GXKKNupdcyKIr9ZH2
District’s alternative certification program hosting info session
Do you know someone looking for a career change? Do they enjoy working with children? Have they expressed interest in becoming a teacher, but they aren’t sure what’s involved in getting a certification?
The Houston ISD Alternative Certification Program invites prospects to attend its upcoming ACP Teacher Information Sessions and On-site Application Events. Prospects can learn more about the ACP program and candidate selection process, as well as meet current teachers with HISD and those enrolled in the HISD ACP program.
They can RSVP today at hisdacp@houstonisd.org to reserve a seat.
Information Sessions
Thursday, Oct. 19 ● 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Ryan Professional Development Center, Building B, 2nd Floor, Room 203-205
4001 Hardy St., Houston, Texas 77009
Tuesday, Nov. 14 ● 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Ryan Professional Development Center, Building A, Room PL3
4001 Hardy St., Houston, Texas 77009
For those ready to take the next steps in joining Team HISD, we encourage them to submit an application at www.houstonisd.org/careers and search JobID 46136 – HISD Alternative Certification Program.
Save the Date
Friday, Nov. 17 ● 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
On-site Application Day
Ryan Professional Development Center
4001 Hardy St. Houston, Texas 77009
Prospects will need to submit their application at www.houstonisd.org/careers – JobID 46136, and bring a resume and unofficial transcripts from all universities. Please forward any additional questions to hisdacp@houstonisd.org and follow @ETF_HISD on Twitter for updates.
ALL TEACHERS
Accessing universal screener reports: Testing on Renaissance 360 began three weeks ago and many schools have completed their assessments. Teachers eager to use the data to improve instruction can click here for an FAQ providing answers to common questions about accessing screener reports.
Earn a $1000 stipend: WeTeach_CS is offering a $1,000 stipend to currently certified Texas educators who add a Computer Science certification to their resume. For complete information about deadlines and requirements, please read and follow all steps of this checklist. Prior to testing, Texas teachers must meet eligibility requirements and be accepted to the program to qualify for the $1,000 stipend. See the Get Certified page for more information on CS Certification.
Are you up for the challenge? Join schools from over 30 countries participating in the annual Bebras Computing Challenge November 6-17. Bebras is a 15-question, 45-minute challenge that aims to promote student interest in computational thinking. HISD had the largest number of participants in the entire country last year and we look forward to an even larger number of students taking part in the challenge this November. All teachers can sign up their classes to take this 45-minute problem solving challenge. Register at http://challenge.bebraschallenge.org/admin.
Nominate your principal or teacher colleague: Does your principal or campus coworker deserve the ultimate recognition for their hard work? Then nominate him or her for
H-E-B’s Excellence in Education award. You can even nominate yourself. Click here to nominate one or more HISD educators by Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017. Teacher finalists will win $1,000 for themselves and $1,000 for their campus. Principal finalists will win $1,000 for themselves and $2,500 for their campus.
Digital Safety Moments: Students K-12 are invited to work as teams to produce a 60-90 second digital animation and/or video, highlighting important tips about how to be safe online. The HISD Ed Tech team has supplied information about possible topics, examples of previous submissions to inspire student’s creativity at the Digital Literacy Moments 2018 website at http://sites.google.com/houstonisd.org/diglit2018 . Submissions will be accepted through March 29, 2018 and can be sent to http://tinyurl.com/DigLitMoment.
NEW TEACHERS
Professional Development: All new teachers are invited to attend one or more workshops on Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Ryan Professional Development Center located at 4001 Hardy St., 77009. Click here for a flier.
Join us in enhancing your skills in effective instructional practices, classroom management, checks for understanding (CFUs), transitions, organizing your classroom, blended instruction and more. Workshop topics include:
- Transitions and Pacing Tools (course #515007)
- Classroom Procedures (course #804003)
- Threshold (course #515001)
- Strong Voice and Precise Praise (course #515015)
ELEMENTARY
University of Houston Athletics is offering the Extra Yard for Teachers Grant to all HISD elementary teachers. Teachers can submit requests for classroom supplies and/or any essentials on www.donorschoose.org/. Requests for funding will be accepted until Oct 20, 2017. Contact Annie Torres at asong@houstonisd.org or 713-556-7218, if you have any questions.
Get healthy and network with others
Monday, October 16 is the last day to register and receive a running shirt and goody bag for Houston’s “Largest Office Party”—the Houston Corporate 5k Run at Memorial Park. The purpose of the event is to promote health and fitness amongst the corporate community and provide a great opportunity to network with fellow Houstonians.
Participants can sign up at https://runsignup.com/CorporateTeams/hisd, and choose any date and time that fits your schedule during Thursday, October 26 to Saturday, October 28. The 5k main loop course will remain open at Memorial Park over the four-day period from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Please note HISD is not sponsoring any registrations. Participants will be responsible for the $35.00 plus processing fee near the end of their registration.
A portion of all registration and sponsorship proceeds will directly benefit Memorial Park Conservancy, which is committed to restoring, preserving and enhancing Memorial Park for the enjoyment of all Houstonians. What are you waiting for? Sign up. Grab your sneakers. We’ll see you there! Visit www.houstoncorporate5k.com for additional information.
Making sure all of our students are reading on grade level by the end of third grade is the mission of Literacy by 3. We know elementary teachers on the front lines in the classroom can’t do it alone. They need the help of everyone on Team HISD.
HISD employees are encouraged to become volunteers for Read Houston Read, the district’s signature volunteer effort to provide reading mentors for elementary school students. All it takes is one hour a week — either in-person or virtually (online) — and you can help a student get on the path to literacy success. For more information on the program and a list of participating schools, visit www.ReadHoustonRead.com.
Employees new to the program are invited to attend a training session at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. Register for one of the sessions below in OneSourceMe Learning.
Tuesday, Oct. 24 (Hattie Mae White, room 2E02)
- 9:00-10:00 a.m. In-person volunteer training (Course # 87003)
- 10:30-11:00 a.m. Online volunteer training (Course # 87004)
Wednesday, Oct. 25 (Hattie Mae White, room 2E02)
- 1:30-2:30 p.m. In-person volunteer training (Course # 87003)
- 3:00-3:30 p.m. Online volunteer training (Course # 87004)
In order to volunteer, employees must have supervisor approval. The volunteer approval form can be accessed here. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of the document. All volunteers should bring the approval form with them to the initial training. This year, hourly employees will need to enter time via OneSource ESS and request “off campus duty” for the time each week they are volunteering and traveling to and from a school. Volunteering for Read Houston Read does not include in-district mileage reimbursement for employees.
ALL TEACHERS
Deadline extended for compliance courses: The deadline for all district employees to complete mandatory courses for compliance purposes has been extended to Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Teachers who attended August pre-service training on their individual campus may have already completed most of the courses. However, several additional mandatory online trainings have been added. They include:
- Suicide Prevention
- Dyslexia – Overview and Responsibilities
- Intervention Assistance Team
- Foundations of Special Education – Overview and Responsibilities
Teachers can view their compliance course completions in their OneSourceMe “Learning History” tile. Courses that have yet to be completed will appear on OneSourceMe Learning “My Learning Assignments” list. All employees must successfully complete the quiz for each online course to receive completion credit.
Ed Tech PD Catalog: The EdTech Department has launched their 2017-2018 Professional Development Catalog to promote and support teachers utilizing technology with students. Topics include Adobe software, Apple and iPad apps, audio and video creation, tools for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), Discovery Education, district tools, Google, SMART, social media, Windows/Office, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Teachers can register for courses through OneSource. Visit http://www.houstonisd.org/edtechpd to learn more about the course offerings.
NEW TEACHERS
Oct 11 TADS Open Lab: New teachers are invited to attend an open lab on Oct. 11 from 4-6 p.m. at Hattie Mae White to get hands-on support working within the TADS Tool. Teachers will have the opportunity to work on various Teacher Appraisal and Development System deadlines. Whether you are still completing your IPDP or you are ready to begin working on your Goal Setting and Results Worksheets in the TADS tool, we are here to help. Click here to register.
ELEMENTARY
New date for Literacy by 3 sessions: The Literacy by 3, day 3 sessions for teachers in grades K-1 and 2-3 has been rescheduled. The original date was Oct. 17. The new date is Oct. 26. The change has been made in OneSource, so those who registered prior to Oct. 4 will receive a notification of the change. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you have any questions, please contact Tammy Wall at twall@houstonisd.org.
SECONDARY
Literacy Empowered Digital Resources: To complement the classroom libraries in high schools for Literacy Empowered, there are many digital resources now available to high school students this fall. Teachers can access guides and supporting documents for the below resources through this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0By9_HR7CULo8cUJ0bFJmdFdtY28?usp=sharing
- Achieve 3000
- Discovery Science and Popular Science Resources
- Houston Public Library Resources
- com
- MackinVia Digital Books (including audio books and books in Spanish)
Two additional training sessions have been scheduled for middle and high school teachers who still need to be trained on Achieve 3000. Both sessions will be held at the Ryan Professional Development Center on Monday, Oct. 16. The first will be 8:30-11:30 a.m. and the second from 1-4 p.m. To register, use OneSource course #762001
