Join your colleagues at these stores to update your wardrobe and classroom
Several local stores are offering special discounts for new and veteran HISD teachers to help get them and their classrooms looking their best for the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Sign up here for the following shopping events.
Banana Republic Shopping Event
July 15 and July 29 (All day)
Houston Galleria location
Shop the latest fashions for fall and show staff your employee ID to receive a discount.
LOFT Private Shopping Event
July 16, July Houston Galleria location
Houston Galleria location
The staff at LOFT will explain details of their everyday teacher discount and will offer a special event discount. In addition, attendees will have an opportunity to get a preview of the latest fall fashions, network, and enjoy refreshments as they shop for new clothes.
The Container Store Open House
July 19 (10 to 11 a.m.)
Houston Galleria location
The Container Store will discuss classroom organization and products to help you get ready for the school year. A teacher discount will be provided.
Crew Shopping Event
July 22 (All day)
Houston Galleria, Highland Village, City Centre.
Get a first look at the latest styles and an exclusive 20 percent off your purchase of $125.
Painting with a Twist
July 17 (Heights) July 20 (Midtown) 7 to 9 p.m.
Join new teachers and others to paint a canvas for your classroom or office. The $35 cost will cover your painting as well as some refreshments.
- Heights – July 17 – Sign up here – tinyurl.com/PWATHeights – password: HISD
- Midtown – July 20 – Sign up here – tinyurl.com/PWATMidtown – password: APPLE
- Feel free to invite other teachers you know or friends and family.
Lakeshore Open House
July 17 – July 21 (8 to 10 a.m.)
Lakeshore Learning invites HISD teachers a private shopping event. Learn about products, how to purchase items for your classroom through the district’s purchasing process, and discounts available to teachers. RSVP to Rita Sanchez at rsanchez@lakeshorelearning.com.
Soul Cycle
July 18 and July 26 (7 to 9 p.m.)
Enjoy a free Soul Cycle class with fellow teachers and HISD employees.
- NEW RIDERS: Please create a new account online (no need to book yourself in the actual class – we have that covered – see below) and fill out a waiver form (tinyurl.com/HISDSoulCycleWaiver) and bring with you.
- ALL RIDERS: RSVP at the following link – tinyurl.com/HISDSoulCycle
Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early so everyone is squared away.
- Shoes: If you own bike shoes, bring them. Otherwise, you will receive a complimentary rental
- Dress: You can change into workout clothes at the studio or change before arriving.
- Water and Towels: Water available for purchase at the studio, towels provided.
Food Bank Volunteer Event
July 31 (1 to 4 p.m.)
Help kick off the annual New Teacher Academy Week by volunteering at the Houston Food Bank. Sign up at tinyurl.com/HISDSuperheroSocial
Chancery will go offline for Year End Processing (YEP) at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 14 and will be back online Wednesday, Aug. 2.
Summer school programs must complete all data entry – including report cards, summer promotion statuses, and Extended Year PEIMS – by close of business on July 14. The SIS department will immediately begin the End of Year and Summer Promotion/Retention processes.
Elementary and middle schools must ensure all students have a summer promotion status and generate the necessary summer reports and report cards. All students in grades 1-8 MUST have a summer promotion status.
Conference focuses on meeting the needs of every student
Special education and general education teachers, teacher leaders, and school administrators are encouraged to attend the fourth annual HISD Special Education Conference July 18 and 19 at Pin Oak Middle School. This year’s conference, entitled Design with the End in Mind, focuses on designing curriculum and instruction for the unique needs of every student. This includes students in the margins such as those with disabilities, English language learners, and students at risk of falling behind academically.
Presenters at the conference include staff from the Office of Special Education, teachers from various HISD campuses, and nationally known experts in Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
For a conference schedule, session descriptions, and biographies of keynote speakers check out the interactive conference website.
To register for the conference use course #446002 in OneSource.
Literacy Empowerment training in June and July for all core content teachers
The Secondary Curriculum and Development team is proud to announce the expansion of Literacy by 3 and Literacy in the Middle to high schools, called Literacy Empowered. Focusing on independent reading, writing, and student discourse in a one-to-one classroom environment, Literacy Empowered sets out to implement best practices and resources for the four core classrooms in HISD high schools.
High school principals should attend a two-day school training on June 14-15 or June 21-22. Register in OneSource using #470002.
Literacy Empowered training for core content high school teachers is available June 26-28 at Waltrip High School or July 17-19 at Ortiz Middle School. Teachers will receive a $100 stipend for each day of training they attend. Teachers can register in OneSource using the course numbers below. School leaders are also invited to attend the trainings.
- Social Studies #462001
- Math #474005
- Science #470005
- English Language Arts #455002
(All ELA teachers can attend 4 days of training June 26-29, July 17-20, or July 24-27)
During training sessions, participants will have the opportunity to explore and apply the elements of Literacy Empowered including disciplinary content, literacy best practices, hands-on experience, and instructional technology
A comprehensive list of all secondary training opportunities can be found at https://www.tinyurl.com/summerisgreat.
Appraisals due to employees June 22 with final completion June 29
In an effort to meet the needs of districtwide non-teacher employees and appraisers, the deadline for completion of 2016-2017 Non-Teacher Appraisals has been extended.
The extended deadline for submission of the appraisal to the employee for review is now Thursday, June 22. It is important to allow the employee up to five days to review the appraisal document prior to the End-of-Year Conference. The extended deadline for final completion is Thursday, June 29. Keep in mind that the employee will be the final person to acknowledge and complete the document after the End-of-Year Conference. Therefore, it may be necessary to finalize the appraisal document prior to June 29 in the event of a planned absence.
Refer to the 2016-2017 Non-Teacher Appraisal EOY Conference Guide for guidelines regarding the End-of-Year process including navigation instructions for completing the appraisals in OneSourceMe. A Video Tutorial for EOY Navigation is also available.
Note that the deadline indicated on the appraisal document in OneSourceMe will not be updated to reflect the extended deadlines.
For any questions or concerns regarding Non-Teacher Appraisals, please contact the Performance Management team at 713-696-0633.
Attend June 8 kickoff to learn more
HISD managers are encouraged to attend the 2017 Summer Book Club kickoff meeting this Thursday, June 8 at 11:30 a.m. in room 2C16 at Hattie Mae White.
This summer’s selected book, which includes an assessment on improving leadership strengths, is entitled StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath.
The kickoff meeting on June 8 will include an overview of the book’s purpose, planned summer activities, and testimonials from managers who simply love the book.
For more information contact Paul LeBlanc at paul.leblanc@houstonisd.org.
Register now in OneSource for June 12-13 professional learning series
“Creating the Right School Culture and Climate” is the focus for the 2017 Professional Learning Series (PLS) June 12-13. Schools teams that have yet to sign up for the conference should register via OneSource using course number #460003. School teams at PLS 2017 should include the principal and leadership team members such as assistant principals, special education chair, IAT/RtI chair, counselor, 504 coordinator, nurse or other individuals who may accommodate the social emotional needs of students.
PLS 2017 is scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. June 12 and June 13, and will be held at the Kingdom Builders Center (KBC), 6011 West Orem, Houston, Texas, 77085.
The conference will emphasize the connections between adult behaviors and positive school/community culture. Learning activities will highlight how improving school culture and climate can reduce high-risk student behaviors while increasing student attendance and engagement, academic performance and graduation rates.
For more information about PLS 2017, visit the Leadership Development PLS 2017 webpage, or contact Berti Brown at bertha.brown@houstonisd.org or (713) 696-0633.
Department and school deadlines to close out 2016-17 budget cycle
As the 2016-2017 budget cycle comes to a close, schools and departments need to be aware of several important deadlines in OneSource regarding shopping carts, purchase orders, and the use of PROCARDS. See below:
- The SAP system should not be used between 6-29-17 and 7-1-17.
- PROCARDS not available for use after 6-15-17.
- Goods Receipts need to be posted by 6-29-17 for orders received. Posting will resume 7-1-17.
- Unapproved system requisitions will be carried forward with pre encumbered funds.
- Last day to enter and approve requisitions/shopping carts is 6-16-17.
- All shopping carts approved and received by 6-16-17 will be converted to PO’s on or before 6-29-17.
- Continuous PO/Shopping Cart reviews for closure from now thru 6-29-17.
- Summer School Goods Receipts need to be posted by 7-15-17.
HISD’s Energy & Sustainability Department has announced Lantrip Elementary School as the winner of the Earth Month 2017 contest.
The annual Earth Month contest encourages schools to participate throughout the month of April in a variety of environmentally friendly activities in exchange for participation points. The group with the largest amount of participation points wins the grand prize – an outdoor classroom.
The contest aims to raise awareness about the environmental impact of HISD campuses and promote sustainable behaviors and actions that can reduce carbon footprints.
Lantrip students, staff, parents, and community members won more than 2,000 points by bringing in high attendance numbers at both the Urban Harvest farmers market and the school’s week of Earth Day celebrations focusing on issues such as the importance of recycling and animal conservation.
“We are beyond ecstatic,” said Lantrip Principal Magdalena Strickland, who credits her science team with ensuring that the school met all eligibility requirements to participate in the activities. “They truly went beyond the call of duty.”
Lantrip’s new outdoor classroom, sponsored by Volunteer Houston and Points of Light, will be built this summer. The school also will receive a one-year membership to Urban Harvest and AARP.
HISD administrators and educators interested in learning more about school safety are invited to attend the 2017 School Safety Summit on Monday, June 12 at the Harris County Department of Education.
The daylong conference is being held in partnership with Crime Stoppers and will feature breakout sessions on mental health, human trafficking, internet crimes, police-student interactions, restorative discipline, juvenile law updates and other topics.
The keynote speaker is Juliet Stipeche, the education director for the City of Houston.
Register online at Crime Stoppers of Houston. The program is eligible for TCLOE credits. Presenters also include representatives from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Restorative Justice Collaborative of Houston.
For more information, contact Crime Stoppers of Houston Safe School Manager Michelle Sacks at 832-849-1585 or msacks@crime-stoppers.org . The Harris County Department of Education is located at 6300 Irvington Blvd.
