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Build your professional toolbox: Non-instructional staff invited to upcoming workshops

2016 September 9
by HISD Communications

HISD’s Organizational Development Department is hosting a series of professional development workshops for non-instructional staff members during the month of September and October. All workshops are aligned with the competencies of the Non-Teacher Appraisal System.

The next workshop is Business Writing Part I: Drafting Your Message, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 22. Registrants will learn the art of composing professional emails, reports, and memos and how to craft concise, clear messages. This workshop will review the basic principles of composing a well-written communication, including the appropriate style for your audience and intent, techniques for overcoming writer’s block, prioritizing your topics, and writing for print or online distribution.

Register in OneSource using course number 55001. Time and location details will be sent with a successful registration.

Click here for times, date, and topics of upcoming workshops

Share your campus’ efforts to promote Attendance Awareness Month

2016 September 7
by HISD Communications

September is National Attendance Awareness Month, and HISD’s goal this year, and every year, is to ensure every HISD student attends school regularly.

If students miss too much school – regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically.

Campuses, principals, and teachers are encouraged to share how they’re promoting attendance in their classrooms using #SchoolEveryDay. Also, Sunday, Sept. 10’s #HISDAdminChat discussion on Twitter will feature campus leaders sharing their best practices to ensure students are school each day. read more…

Weekly Teacher Download for the week of Sept. 5, 2016

2016 September 2
by HISD Communications

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ALL TEACHERS

  • Learn and lead at the HISD Edcamp Unconference: The Edcamp model is always designed with YOU in mind. There is no set agenda. The participants determine what they learn about, what they share, and how they do so. You will have a chance to show others what you are working on, share questions with them, hear and see what they are doing, and make lots of new friends with whom you can continue to grow. Start thinking about your questions and the ideas that you want to share! The next Edcamp is set for Oct. 8 at Heights High School. Visit houstonisd.org/edcamp to learn more and register.
  • Want to improve your student-teacher relationship? It’s no secret that a strong student-teacher relationship is vital to academic success. Want to learn how to better connect with your students? Use the free web-based “Get to Know You” survey in your classroom, featuring questions on interests outside of school and learning styles. Students instantly see what they have in common with their teacher, and teachers can explore similarities with their students. Use your shared interests to start conversations and connect what you are studying in a way that will help your students learn. The survey, which was recently featured in EdWeek, is available here: https://backtoschool.panoramaed.com.
  • Help your students with mathematical skills: Think Through Math (TTM) is an adaptive online learning program that deepens students’ understanding of critical mathematics concepts and problem-solving skills. The program is free this school year through funding from the Texas Success Initiative, and it is the recommended mathematics intervention resource for HISD students in grades 3-8 and Algebra I. A mathematics universal screener is now provided through the TTM platform for students in Grades 3-8 and Algebra I. The TTM beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year universal screener takes approximately 45 minutes to complete and provides quantile reports at the student level. Webinars and trainings have been scheduled to support teachers in analyzing and effectively utilizing their TTM universal screener reports. Access information about upcoming TTM trainings by clicking here.

read more…

A message from the Superintendent

2016 September 1
by HISD Communications

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jX686X5OIw”]

Dear Team HISD Member,

At the start of every new school year, I would get “butterflies,” whether I was a parent sending my child off to a new grade, a teacher meeting my next crop of young scholars, or a principal in charge of an entire campus. It’s no different as superintendent, but I promise you these are good butterflies – they signal excitement and anticipation about the great possibilities of what’s ahead.

The 2016-17 school year has begun, and my first act as your new superintendent was visiting several HISD campuses across this vast and diverse district on the first day of classes. read more…

Email scammers targeting HISD employees

2016 August 31
by HISD Communications

All HISD employees need to be aware of email scams that look like official messages from the district.

Please remember that the Office of Information Technology or other district offices will never ask for your log-in information or ask you to verify it through emails or websites. If you receive a suspicious email that asks you to provide your username and password – which is called a phishing email – you should immediately delete it before clicking on any links. read more…

FACE provides reading resources to all HISD campuses

2016 August 31
by HISD Communications

FACE_booksHISD’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department sent all HISD campuses a collection of books to support and sustain the common use of research-based, effective best practices in engaging parents and families. These resources were delivered during the summer, just in time for the beginning of the new school year.

The collection – consisting of nine books by well-known authors in the parent and caregiver engagement field – were provided to support to every school in their effort to enhance family and community engagement in their respective communities. Publications such as “Beyond the Bake Sale” by Henderson, et. al and “Engaging Every Family” by Dr. Steven Constantino provide specific strategies and effective practices to implement caregiver engagement policies and activities in schools.    read more…

School teams invited to Wrap-Around Services Summit on Sept. 7 

2016 August 30
by HISD Communications

School leaders, counselors, and other campus staff members are invited to attend the district’s Wrap-Around Services Summit to help identify resources that support student academic achievement and progress towards high school graduation.

The summit is scheduled from Wednesday, Sept. 7 at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. Principals will tour the summit from 10:30 a.m. to noon following the general session of the September principals’ meeting, but other school staff members are invited to attend between 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.   read more…

Lead testing to begin at all schools starting with elementary campuses 

2016 August 30
by HISD Communications

Due to concerns about lead in drinking water in various states across the nation, HISD is taking precautionary measures to ensure that all water consumed by students is of a quality nature.   read more…

Movie outing leads to deeper understanding of UDL

2016 August 29
by HISD Communications

School viewing of autism documentary helps staff understand needs of all students

A recent trip to the movie theater has the staff at Patterson Elementary thinking differently about how to serve all their students, particularly those with special needs.  During in-service week, Patterson Principal Juan Gonzalez took his entire faculty to see the documentary LIFE, ANIMATED. Based on the bestselling book, the film explores the life of a young man with autism and how he was able to make sense of the world through Disney characters.    read more…

Weekly Teacher Download for the week of Aug. 29, 2016

2016 August 26
by HISD Communications

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ALL TEACHERS

  • Compliance training due for all teachers: All teachers must complete their Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention and Workplace Bullying compliance courses by Wednesday, Aug. 31. The courses are to be completed using OneSource Me, and employees are automatically enrolled under the “Learning History” tile. Read more.
  • Are you developing expert learners? The targeted outcome of every great instructional practice is not to develop content experts but to develop expert learners. But what is an expert learner? What type on instruction leads to expert learning? The Office of Special Education encourages all teachers to watch this video featuring Universal Design for Learning educators who explain how UDL practices can create expert learners.

read more…