ALL TEACHERS
Transfer Period Extended: HISD’s Open Transfer Period has been extended to May 26 for those teachers interested in transferring to another HISD campus for the 2017-2018 school year. If you are interested in a specific position, apply directly via email to the principal and provide your name, employee ID, job title, and attach a resume or include a summary of your experience. Click here for more information.
Summer School Training: All teachers hired for summer school positions for elementary and middle school promotion standards and high school credit recovery programs are required to enroll in and complete their respective summer school 2017 course. The course will take about two hours to complete, and the window for completion is May 1-30. Register now in OneSource using the course numbers below.
- Elementary Summer School 2017– OneSource Course #487001
- Secondary Summer School 2017– OneSource Course #494001
Once a teacher completes the summer school course, credit will be awarded in OneSourceMe Learning and teachers should print their certificate of completion and provide it to the campus Summer School Coordinator on or before the campus workday May 30.
ELEMENTARY
Summer Professional Development: Elementary Curriculum and Development will be offering a wide menu of professional development opportunities for teachers this summer. The sessions align to and support Literacy by 3, Dual Language, Writer’s Workshop, Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Fine Arts, Instructional Technology and Early Childhood. Session descriptions and details are included in the program. Teachers can register now in OneSource for selected sessions.
SECONDARY TEACHERS
Summer Professional Development: Secondary Curriculum and Development will be offering a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers this summer. High school literacy training will be offered in June and July. PowerUp and instructional technology training will be embedded within the literacy trainings in addition to instructional planning, strategies for independent reading, writing, small-group instruction, read alouds, and student discourse by content areas. Click here for a list of all opportunities:
DAEP Hiring Fair today: Are you passionate about using strategies in your classroom to support behavior improvement? Are you looking for a campus that utilizes restorative justice practices with its students? Then HISD’s new Secondary Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) may be for you. Middle and high school teachers, social workers, and counselors are invited to attend a hiring fair on Monday, May 15, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Hattie Mae White. Click here for more information.
READ OF THE WEEK:
Improve your health and win prizes along the way
Looking to improve your health and start taking steps to improve your wellbeing? Join the HISD Wellness Program. Employees who take part are given the tools needed to live well. By registering for the program, you can learn your Health Score, start taking steps toward better health, and even win prizes!
The HISD Wellness program helps make wellness fun. When you register for the program, you can dive into targeted programs to build healthy habits for a lifetime, or take part in challenges to compete against your co-workers. With all the different features, the HISD Wellness Program offers wellness your way. When you register, let us know how you’d like to receive notifications—you can even choose to receive text message reminders.
Step 1
- Visit connect.viverae.com
- Click New User Registration
- Enter your last name and date of birth (DOB)
- Enter your identifier: your HISD employee ID
- Enter the registration code: houstonisd
Step 2
- Create a user name (5 – 25 characters)
- Create a password (8 – 12 characters) using letters (upper and/or lowercase), numerals, and/or special characters (such as @?#$~!&^%)
- Select a security question and answer and then click Save
Attend hiring fair May 15 at HMW
Are you passionate about using strategies in your classroom to support behavior improvement? Are you looking for a campus that utilizes restorative justice practices with its students? Then HISD’s new Secondary Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) may be for you.
HISD is looking for teachers, counselors, and social workers to staff its new Secondary DAEP located in the Northeast area of Houston off 59 North at Lyons Avenue/Jensen Drive. The campus will open in August for the 2017-2018 school year. The school is looking for unique, committed, and passionate individuals who:
- Have a strong foundation in academic and behavioral interventions with at-risk students.
- Have a strong belief in PBIS and restorative justice practices
- Are able to teach a variety of courses at varying grade levels (6-12)
- Are able to accommodate a later start and end time to the school day
- Three-plus years teaching experience preferred
Interested individuals are invited to attend a hiring fair on Monday, May 15, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Hattie Mae White.
Tynette Guinn is the principal of the new Secondary DAEP campus. Guinn previously served as the principal of HISD’s Lawson Middle School and High School Ahead Academy.
“I am looking forward to creating an environment that will support some of our most at-risk students in changing their behaviors through the district’s social and emotional learning platform,” Guinn said. “Please consider joining me in this unique opportunity to better serve our students.”
In March, the HISD Board of Education approved a proposal to establish an internal DAEP for secondary students rather than contract the work out to a third-party provider. Bringing the program in-house will allow the district to align academic and behavioral interventions among campuses, improve transitional support for students between their enrolled school and the secondary DAEP, and improve efficiency by deploying DAEP staff members to secondary schools when the DAEP is not at capacity.
Program offers up to 30 additional leave days for catastrophic illness/injury
HISD’s Supplemental Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) program offers participants up to 30 additional leave days in the event of a catastrophic injury or illness resulting in an extended work absence.
SSLB membership confirmations and enrollment materials will be emailed to eligible employees during the week of May 8, 2017. Enrollment forms and plan details are also available on the SSLB webpage.
Please note that current SSLB members are automatically re-enrolled in the program.
Eligible employees may enroll or cancel membership during the pre-enrollment period through May 26. An open enrollment period will be held in September 2017 for employees to enroll or terminate membership. A final enrollment period for the school year will be held in November for enrollment only.
Contact Employee Support Services at 713-695-5561 for additional assistance.
ALL TEACHERS
Electronic contracts coming May 12: For the 2017-18 school year, all employment contracts will be processed electronically instead of on paper. On May 12, all teachers will receive an email to log into OneSource Employee Self Service, click a link, and choose to either accept or reject their employment contract. Teachers will only have two weeks to accept or reject their contract before the end of their duty schedule. On May 26, 2017, at midnight, the contract link will no longer be available.
5K hiring/retention incentives for Achieve 180 teachers: Current HISD teachers who have been rated as effective or highly effective are invited to attend an informational session on Wednesday, May 10 at 5 p.m. in the Hattie Mae White Board Auditorium to learn about career opportunities and a $5,000 hiring/retention incentive available for eligible teachers who transfer to Achieve180 schools for the 2017-2018 school year. HISD is launching Achieve180 at 32 campuses. The research-based action plan is designed to support, strengthen, and empower underserved and underperforming HISD feeder pattern communities to increase student achievement. Best practices from successful school turnaround initiatives, including effective teachers, strong principal leadership, and an environment of high expectations for both students and staff, are incorporated into the plan. Click here for more information about Achieve180.
Goodbye EdPlan. Hello OnTrack: As HISD transitions to the new OnTrack assessment platform during summer school, campuses will only use EdPlan for historical assessment reporting needs. May 31 will be the last day for EdPlan assessment scanning and data recording. All teachers should have benchmark Running Records, District Pre-Approved Assessments, and other assessments scanned by the end of the day on May 31. Teachers will have access to EdPlan reports for summer school; however, any reports that teachers wish to archive should be completed before the end of day June 30, 2017. All Summer School Post Assessments and Summer Benchmark Running Records assessments will be administered using OnTrack. Teachers taking part in summer school can learn OnTrack basics by enrolling in the following online courses:
- OnTrack Fundamental Skills (Course #443001)
- OnTrack Navigation Basics (Course #442001)
HISD Summer Expo May 10: As the 2016-17 school year comes to a close, students aren’t the only ones who start dreaming of summer. On May 10, plan your best summer yet with the help of organizations from across Houston. From volunteering your time with a worthwhile organization, planning a trip to the beach, or attending dynamic professional development, you can experience it all this summer. Organizations at the expo include: YMCA of Greater Houston, 24 Hour Fitness, Volunteer Houston, Camp Gladiator, AAA Texas, Northcutt Travel Agency, HISD Teacher Career Development, Region4, and more.
| When: | Wednesday, May 10 4:00-6:00 p.m. (come and go as you please) |
| Where: | United Way Community Resource Center 50 Waugh Dr. Houston, Texas 77007 Auditorium G/G |
DEALS OF THE WEEK:
Teacher Appreciation Week Deals
READ OF THE WEEK:
Weaving social-emotional learning into academics
The entire city is rallying around the Houston Rockets as they continue their quest for the NBA Championship.
In HISD, we want to show our support for a team that has brought pride and excitement to our community, and for the many Rockets players and staff who regularly give their time and resources to Houston schools.
In recognition of the Houston Rockets’ contributions to HISD, all HISD students, staff, teachers, and central office employees are encouraged to wear Rockets team attire and jeans on “Houston Rockets Spirit Day,” which will be this Friday, May 5, in HISD.
HISD’s top Human Resources leaders are being recognized by The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at Texas A&M University for their years of service in public education. HISD Chief Human Resources Officer Gloria Cavazos and Officer of Human Capital Jeff McCanna will be honored this Friday at the 2017 CEHD Dean’s Roundtable.
Established in 1991, the Dean’s Roundtable has recognized more than 550 individuals who have been role models, mentors, and servant leaders in their communities. Over the years, sponsors of the event have raised over $450,000 in support of scholarships, programs, and college initiatives. This year’s honorees include superintendents, principals, classroom teachers, professors, counselors, and other education professionals.
“By identifying transformational leaders to be honored at the Dean’s Roundtable, sponsors elevate the accomplishments of dedicated individuals who positively impact the lives of people throughout the great state of Texas and beyond,” stated CEHD Dean Joyce M. Alexander. “This year, as always, our benefactors have chosen to honor a distinguished group of professionals who share our vision of transforming lives.”
Click here to read more about the honorees.
Key deadlines and training for new platform
As HISD transitions to the new OnTrack assessment platform during summer school, campuses will only use EdPlan for historical assessment reporting needs. All school staff need to be aware of the following deadlines.
- May 31 will be the last day for EdPlan assessment scanning and data recording. All teachers should have benchmark Running Records, District Pre-Approved Assessments, and other assessments scanned by the end of the day on May 31.
- Teachers will have access to EdPlan reports for summer school. Any reports that teachers or campuses wish to archive should be completed before the end of day June 30, 2017
All Summer School Post Assessments and Summer Benchmark Running Records assessments will be administered using OnTrack. Teachers taking part in summer school can learn OnTrack basics by enrolling in the following online courses:
- OnTrack Fundamental Skills (Course #443001)
- OnTrack Navigation Basics (Course #442001)
Refer to the OnTrack Transition Calendar attachment for additional OnTrack transition details. For more information regarding summer school assessment using OnTrack, click here.
If you have questions, contact the HISD Student Assessment Department at 713-349-7460.
HISD Summer Expo to offer ideas and resources
As the 2016-17 school year comes to a close, students aren’t the only ones who start dreaming of summer. On May 10, plan your best summer yet with the help of organizations from across Houston. From volunteering your time with a worthwhile organization, planning a trip to the beach, or attending dynamic professional development, you can experience it all this summer.
Organizations at the expo include: YMCA of Greater Houston, 24 Hour Fitness, Volunteer Houston, Camp Gladiator, AAA Texas, Northcutt Travel Agency, HISD Teacher Career Development, Region4, and more
| When: | Wednesday, May 10 4:00-6:00 p.m. (come and go as you please) |
| Where: | United Way Community Resource Center 50 Waugh Dr. Houston, Texas 77007 Auditorium G/G |
Free parking is available in the United Way garage for all attendees. Check out the Eventbrite Page!
ALL TEACHERS
Career Opportunities at Achieve180 Schools: Current HISD teachers who have be rated as effective or highly effective are invited to attend an informational session on Wednesday, May 3 at 5 p.m. in the Hattie Mae White Board Auditorium to learn about career opportunities and hiring incentives at Achieve180 schools. HISD is launching Achieve180 at 32 campuses for the 2017-18 school year. The research-based action plan is designed to support, strengthen, and empower underserved and underperforming HISD feeder pattern communities to increase student achievement. Best practices from successful school turnaround initiatives, including effective teachers, strong principal leadership, and an environment of high expectations for both students and staff, are incorporated into the plan. Click here for more information about Achieve180.
Vote on Important Issue to HISD: On May 6, HISD voters will choose how the district should pay its Recapture obligation. Proposition 1 asks voters to choose between two options — purchase attendance credits from the state or have commercial property detached. A vote for purchasing attendance credits means that HISD will write a check to the state comprised of local property taxes and continue to make annual recapture payments for the foreseeable future. A vote against purchasing attendance credits means detachment of the most valuable non-residential, commercial properties from the district’s tax roll. Early voting ends May 2, and Election Day is May 6. Click here to find your polling location.
Who is Your Fan Favorite? The districtwide elementary and secondary Teachers of the Year will be announced May 19, but back by popular demand this year is the “Fan Favorite Teacher” award. All campus-based Teachers of the Year are eligible for this honor, which will be determined by who has the largest number of fans. Anyone can vote—including colleagues! Click here to cast your vote for a colleague.
HIGH SCHOOL
Register for NMSI Summer Institute: Registration is now open for select courses for the National Math and Science Institute’s (NMSI’s) Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI) held at Westside High School from August 7-10. Classes will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Endorsed NMSI trainers will provide in-depth training using NMSI materials, the latest classroom technologies, laboratory experiments, and online resources. Created by master classroom teachers, the NMSI materials and resources can be used immediately in the classroom to add rigor to the existing curriculum and help teachers prepare their students for college and career readiness in the 21st century. Teachers participating in NMSI Training will receive access to the diagnostic materials and resources available on the NMSI website for one calendar year, consumable participant materials, and support from NMSI trainers and staff members. For more information, contact Jennifer Datray in Advanced Academics at 713-556-6823 or JDatray@houstonisd.org,
DEALS OF THE WEEK:
Free Chick-fil-A sandwich May 2
Buy one, get one free at Chipotle May 2
READ OF THE WEEK:
The Big List of Educational Grants and Resources
