Two students from the Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men explain their robotics program during a showcase at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.
During the past summer, Stephanie “Spoony” Witherspoon and some colleagues were discussing preparation for UIL robotics competitions. The conversation went off on a tangent, and the group soon began chatting about how they could help other HISD campuses begin their own robotics programs.
That’s when the idea for the HISD Robotics Showcase was born. So students from all grade levels gathered at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Sept. 11 to show off and describe their programs to attendees. They demonstrated their current projects, which included drones and remote-controlled robots. read more…
Literacy is crucial to our efforts at HISD and to the future of our students, our city, and our workforce. The Read Houston Read volunteer program, which provides reading mentors to our elementary school student, is part of the district’s Literacy By 3 movement to ensure every student is reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade. All HISD employees are encouraged to volunteer.
You can spend 30 minutes virtually at a computer working with one student or an hour in-person working with two students each week to improve their reading skills. This reinforcement and practice will increase students’ confidence and help them become better readers.
If you’re interested and were NOT a Read Houston Read volunteer last school year, please follow the steps below to sign up. Employees who volunteered for Read Houston Read during the 2014–2015 school year do not need to register but DO need to select a training session in eTRAIN and bring their signed form to the training. All staff who attend a training will receive a one-day jeans pass.
1. Click here and register online using your HISD email address (you do NOT need to sign up for a VIPS background check)
2. Log on to the employee portal and select a training session in eTRAIN (pick CU2615 if you want to mentor in person or CU2616 if you want to participate virtually)
3. Fill out the employee volunteer form, have your manager sign it, and bring it to your scheduled training.
Sign up and become a mentor to one or more of our students. One hour a week of sharing, caring, and listening to our students read can make a huge difference in their lives.
A variety of resources are available to HISD schools and staff to create awareness and understanding among their students and parents surrounding HISD’s mission to create Global Graduates. During the month of September, all schools will receive a large Global Graduate banner to hang on their campus, which lists the six competencies of the profile. A variety of print materials — including fliers, posters, and a PowerPoint template — can be downloaded at www.houstonisd.org/globalgraduate. read more…
Focus on developing teachers and appraisers
HISD teachers and appraisers will notice several improvements to the district’s Teacher Appraisal and Development system, also known as TADS, for the 2015-16 school year. Many of the updates are a direct result of input and recommendations from HISD teachers, many of whom served on the PECAS advisory committee. The bulk of the changes reflect the district’s overall commitment to ensure teachers get the feedback, coaching, and support they need to grow and develop.
During the past month, appraisers had the opportunity to utilize the new Coaching and Development tool to frame face-to-face conversations with their teachers and to give them bite-size feedback and action steps for improvement throughout the year.
[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/138347919″] read more…
Apply for grant from Houston Texans and Texas Children’s Hospital
All HISD schools are encouraged to apply for a grant to fund equipment for P.E., sports, or after-school programs, field, gymnasium or playground refurbishments, activity trails, interactive fitness technology installations and other projects that will get kids moving. Up to $40,000 will be awarded to Houston area schools from Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Texans as part of Play 60, which is the NFL’s campaign to encourage kids to be active for 60 minutes a day in order to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity
Schools wishing to apply must fill out an “intent to apply form” with the HISD Grant Department as soon as possible. Contact them at 713-556-6785.
Schools must also submit a request to texanscare@houstontexans.com by Oct. 16, 2015, with the following information:
- Principal’s name, contact number, email, and school address
- Narrative of no longer than 500 words with details on how the grant will be used, the estimated number of youth that will benefit from the grant, demographic information about the school and students, and detailed spending budget of how funds will be used
- Copy of the school’s 501(c) (3) determination letter
Winners will be selected based on how great the need, how many students will be impacted, and how the equipment aligns with PLAY 60.
Visit www.houstontexans.com/community/play60grants.html for more information.
Last year, HISD adopted a comprehensive anti-bullying policy and implemented a districtwide program to protect employees from harassment. This year, Nutrition Services has incorporated that training into its in-services to educate employees on what is — and is not — considered bullying.
“We are informing the department as a whole on HISD’s anti-bullying policy,” said Human Resources Business Partner Rosario Beltran. “The message is clear: Bullying will not be tolerated in the district.”
Workplace bullying does not include the legitimate exercise of authority by management, including task assignment, employee coaching, and work-related discipline. But all employees, regardless of position, are responsible for knowing and adhering to the district’s bullying policy.
“If bullying were to happen, we would put a stop to it immediately, and retrain this person to provide them with the necessary tools to be successful at Nutrition Services,” explained Nutrition Services’ General Manager of Operations Mark Welch.
The in-service training is being provided by the Houston Education and School Personnel (HESP) association.
“HESP is working in partnership with HISD to help change the culture,” explained Wretha Thomas, HESP president.
For a more complete definition of workplace bullying and the steps necessary to report it, Nutrition Services’ employees may consult their employee handbook.
Board of Education approves signing/retention bonuses for teachers in struggling schools
Bonuses will go to teachers in core subject areas at hard-to-staff schools
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday, Sept. 10, voted to expand the current signing and retention bonus program to include teachers in core subjects at struggling schools.
The $5,000 annual bonus is part of a pilot program proposed by district administration. Eligibility is based on campus, as well as grade and subject taught. Teachers must be assigned to subjects in third through 12th grades that are tested by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. This includes high school level STAAR End-of-Course exams. read more…
Dear Team HISD Member:
Today, I informed the HISD Board of Education that I have decided to step down as superintendent, effective March 1, 2016. I thanked them for the opportunity to lead this great school district for the past six years. I am truly honored to have been chosen for such a job. I will miss the daily adrenaline rush that comes with working in the dynamic, challenging, and rewarding environment of public education. read more…
Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier on Thursday announced his decision to end his six-year tenure as the leader of Texas’ largest school district, effective March 1, 2016. Dr. Grier assumed the superintendency with unanimous school board approval in September 2009, promising to improve student academic achievement, slash the dropout rate, and re-establish HISD as the best urban school district in America.
[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/138881807″ ]
Through student-centered innovation and an unwavering focus on equity, Dr. Grier opened doors for students that had previously been closed: to Ivy League schools, advanced coursework, project-based learning, and millions of dollars in scholarships. read more…
HISD employees noticed an increase in their paychecks on Wednesday, Sept. 9, thanks to raises approved in June by the Board of Education for the 2015–2016 school year.
All non-instructional staff received a two percent bump in pay, which coincided with a pay raise for all teachers. In addition, all hourly workers received a raise, including increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 per hour.
Teachers and principals received pay hikes as well. HISD’s new starting salary for teachers was increased to $51,500, and all other teachers received at least a two percent raise for the new school year.
The updated pay rate or salary is listed on employees’ paystubs, which can be viewed by logging in to Employee Self Service (https://ess.houstonisd.org). To read more about the recent pay increases, click here.
