HISD in the News
- Students create 3D printed hand for six-year-old girl
- Q & A with Field Elementary School Principal John Hendrickson
- IB program helps Hogg Middle School make strides
- For some schools, a ‘leap of faith’ may be all that’s needed
- Lamar High School flipping classrooms upside down
National News Links
Sam Sarabia
The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents has selected HISD Chief Elementary Schools Officer Samuel Sarabia as the inaugural 2015 Leaders in Education Hispanic-Serving School District Administrator of the Year.
The 2015 ALAS Leaders in Education Awards are presented to school district superintendents and administrators from across the country who exemplify best practices in public education. Sarabia will be recognized on May 6 during the first annual ALAS Leaders in Education Awards Gala in Washington D.C.
Get that full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Shakiri Hooper, a clerk at Garden Oaks Montessori, and Joyce Rogers, an instructional specialist at Waltrip High School, who were honored recently for their contributions to education by the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce. Get their story here.
- Hogg Middle School and the Leland College Preparatory Academy, which collectively received more than $16,000 from the J.J. Watt Foundation to support their after-school athletic programs. Find out how your middle school can request a grant here.
- Makaila Maniscalco, a seventh-grader at Johnston Middle School, who has been named the winner of an art contest sponsored by the Office of Special Education Services. Makaila created a mask that won first place out of 21 entries from across the district. Get her story here.
- Estefani Berrios (Furr HS), Jessica Dominguez (Waltrip HS), Christian Green (Lamar HS), Bianca B. Rubio-Castañeda (Bellaire HS), Maricarmen Velazquez (Austin HS), and Devon Willis (Sam Houston MSTC), who were named the top six cadets in the JROTC program this year for the HISD Class of 2015. Read more about them here.
- Students Eden Barr and Heidi Tamm (both Condit ES), Viviana Jimenez (Piney Point ES), Sandy Kong (White ES), Alejandra Rodriguez (Garden Villas ES), and Gabriel Velazco (Scroggins ES), who were recognized by the Greater Houston Dental Society and the Greater Houston Dental Alliance for their entries in a poster-designing contest. Read more here.
- Carnegie Vanguard High School senior Tre’shunda James, who was surprised recently with a $20,000 scholar-athlete scholarship from Footlocker. Get her story here.
- Members of the Chávez High School chess team, who celebrated an unexpected victory at a state championship recently after a complicated computer ratings system revealed that they were actually the first-place winner among unrated players. Get that story here.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
As a part of HISD’s focus on developing internal talent, 32 employees recently completed the inaugural Principal Candidate Development Opportunity (PCDO) program.
Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones addresses the participants of the inaugural Principal Candidate Development Opportunity.
The five-week program, which was developed by the Leadership Development, School Leadership, and Talent Acquisition departments, along with the Office of School Support, provided aspiring principals with training on how to give teachers the guidance necessary to become effective educators.
The training focused on observation and feedback, data analysis, data-driven instructional planning, and adult/scholar culture, with the goal of creating a pipeline of future campus leaders who know the administrative and developmental aspects of being a good principal.
On April 27, the participants attended a graduation ceremony, during which HISD Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones congratulated the group for successfully completing the training and the importance of using what they’ve learned to become effective campus leaders.
Kasey Johnson, an assistant principal at Worthing High School, knew she wanted to become a principal when she first started teaching in 2004. And after going through the PCDO – which included learning and applying effective campus leadership practices – she’s ready to take the next step in her career.
“It shows that HISD values growing talent and that as a team, we are willing to believe in those who are currently leading in different capacities,” said Johnson, who has accepted a principal position within the district. “(HISD) believed in my talent and gave me the opportunity to engage in meaningful professional development. I have grown tremendously as a leader and will now apply these principles for the duration of my career.”
Of the 32 participants, most have either interviewed for or already accepted a principal position within HISD.
Participants in the inaugural Principal Candidate Development Opportunity cohort recently celebrated the conclusion of the five-week program with a reception at Chavez High School.
Queinnise Miller, director of the Office of School Leadership, said these types of grow-your-own programs are vital to producing effective and engaged candidates who are interested in helping the district reach its goals.
“It builds confidence for talented educators to conceptualize career pathways within the district,” Dr. Miller said. “Moreover, it shares commonality of investment between the participant and the district.”
Amy Poerschke, an assistant principal at Garcia Elementary School, is one such candidate.
Poerschke decided to be a part of the program because she understands the need for effective leaders to develop effective teachers in each HISD classroom. She’s eager to apply the lessons she’s learned because she believes she now has additional tools to ultimately impact student achievement.
“HISD is setting the bar high for public school districts across the country,” Poerschke said. “This is a long time coming; as the need for highly effective leadership continues, so, too, must this work.”
Miller said a second PCDO is already being planned.
Although Administrative Professionals Day took place on April 22, the appreciation continued on April 29, with HISD’s fourth annual Administrative Support Professionals Summit, which gave employees an opportunity to further enhance their job skills.
HISD employees learn about assertive communication during the fourth annual Administrative Support Professioanls Summit at the Ryan Professional Development Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2015.
About 250 participants took part in two half-day sessions at the Ryan Professional Development Center to learn about assertive communication.
Jarry Wilson, a senior secretary in Business Development, attended the seminar because she believes there’s always “room for improvement.” Wilson added that she’s attended several other professional development programs and feels she’s a better employee because of the lessons she’s learned along the way.
“You learn so much about yourself,” said Wilson, who added that she constantly checks the eTRAIN system for other professional development opportunities. “You find things that need to be addressed that you might have put on the back burner before. I thoroughly benefited from (the assertive communication seminar). If you go in with the intent to learn, you walk away with principles that you can use and share with others.”
Jordan Jensen leads a discussion about assertive communication during the Administrative Support Professionals Summit.
Since many of these employees are the first point of contact for visitors on campuses or other HISD offices, it made sense to offer a communication-based seminar, said Sandy Henderson, organizational development specialist with Onboarding and Organizational Development.
“It’s vital that when we offer professional development for our employees, it includes practical skills they can use in their everyday jobs,” Henderson said. “Whether an administrative support professional is dealing with a difficult customer or juggling an increasing workload, assertive communication skills are essential to maximizing their effectiveness in their roles.”
The assertive communication seminar was led by Jordan Jensen, a communications expert who covered topics such as increasing your “emotional intelligence,” finding the courage to communicate, and how body language and tone affects communication with another person.
To learn about additional non-instructional staff development opportunities, click here.
If you have not yet completed the Texas Education Agency-mandated child abuse prevention training, please log into HISD’s eLEARN system and complete the course by May 31.
Before the school year, the TEA updated and strengthened its training surrounding child abuse prevention, maltreatment, and the sexual abuse of children. HISD is providing online training for all employees through the HISD eLEARN system.
To begin the training, log into eLEARN, click “Self Registration” in the upper right-hand corner, and search for course LD0349_0014. Click on the course title (“Child Abuse Prevention: Maltreatment, Sexual Abuse and Child Abuse Reporting”), then click “Register.” You can now complete the course.
Please note that there are two pieces to the child abuse prevention training: one by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and the second by HISD. Employees must complete both parts to receive credit for finishing the training.
If you have any questions, please email healthms@houstonisd.org.
A team of five students from Bellaire High School will be presenting its findings to professional scientists this summer, after winning the annual Exploration of the Moon and Asteroids by Secondary Students (ExMASS) contest.
The contest challenges students to research an idea in either lunar science or asteroid science, and Sue Anne Davis, Kevin Nguyen, Jennifer Wang, Afton Widdershins, and Steven Zhou-Wright discovered evidence of an asteroid that had broken up in the solar system’s ancient past.
Read the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Graduating seniors from five HISD campuses who were awarded college scholarships from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. Eleven students from Kashmere, Madison, Waltrip, and Washington High schools and Leland College Preparatory Academy took home scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $4,000. Get the full story here.
- The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which received six nominations for Tommy Tune Awards this year for its production of The Sound of Music. Get the full story here.
- Ten students from eight HISD schools, who will be travelling to Israel this summer through the Mickey Leland Kibbutzim Internship Foundation. Every summer since 1980, that organization has sent juniors who live or go to school in the 18th Congressional District to experience life on a kibbutz. Get the full story here.
- Almost two dozen juniors and seniors who were selected to attend the 2015 Rice Summer Business Institute (RSBI). The program is designed to broaden the expectations of students from low and moderate income communities as to possible career paths and to develop business leaders for Houston’s future. Get the full story here.
- Members of Sánchez Elementary School’s ballet folklorico, whose dancers took first place in the Pre-Junior Elementary and Duet categories at the ACADEZ dance competition on April 18, in San Antonio. They competed against schools from across the country. Get the full story here.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Dr. Kimberly Booker, Photo courtesy Fisher Effect Photography
This week’s Shout Out goes to Dr. Kimberley Booker, the dean of instruction at Welch Middle School, from teaching assistant Jasmin Phillips.
“This is Dr. Booker’s first year at Welch,” said Phillips, “but she has fit right in with her big personality. She displays passion and hard work to ensure that each student and math team member has what they need.”
Phillips noted that even though Dr. Booker commutes to her job from Humble each day, she often stays after school to lead an organization called Young Ladies of Elegance, which she launched after noticing a need for positive role models among the girls of Welch.
“Dr. Booker is also the administrator for eighth-grade students, as well as the math department,” said Phillips. “I believe she deserves a double shout out!”
| Know someone who deserves a shout out? Send an email to info@houstonisd.org with the subject line “Shout Out for eNews!” and tell us why. |
If you think you might need office supplies, classroom materials, or furniture from HISD’s Warehouse Operations in the next six weeks, then order early, as the office will be closed for inventory starting at the end of business on Thursday, May 14, 2015.
Warehouse Operations will reopen for business on the morning of Friday, May 22.
For more information, call Inventory Control at 713-676-9471.
Starting a new job is an exciting and sometimes confusing process. So it’s helpful to have an on-demand resource to answer questions you may have about your new workplace.
To help guide new employees through their first few months at HISD, the Onboarding and Organizational Development team has improved its website to provide employees with information they need to start their careers at HISD.
The site, www.houstonisd.org/newhires, features improved navigation and access to important resources, including sections for particular employee groups.
“The website is a vital resource for any new employee, whether they’ve been with us for one day or one year,” said Cecilia Singh, an onboarding program specialist. “By giving it a make-over, we’ve created a place where people can more easily find the information they need in order to be successful.”
The website breaks down the new-employee experience, including instructions on how to get an employee ID badge, information about attending a New Employee Orientation session, deadlines for enrolling in various benefits, and answers to frequently asked questions. It also includes phone numbers and email addresses for IT, TRS, and payroll questions.
There also is a “Your First Year” section, which outlines important tips and tasks employees need to know throughout their first 12 months at HISD, including opportunities for professional development.
“We want employees to know that HISD is invested in their success,” Singh said, “and this website is one way we can help ensure they have the necessary resources in order to positively impact our students’ lives.”
Need to have a piece of furniture or equipment brought to or removed from your work area? If so, you should know that there are new procedures in place to make this happen.
Last month, the Property Management Department, which oversees everything relating to HISD assets, changed its name to Fixed Assets Accounting. And in order to keep track of all HISD-owned assets, the department has developed a new system.
All HISD personnel who would like to request the transfer of any HISD asset must complete an electronic PC-2 form available here: Furniture Services Electronic PC-2 Form. They must also complete a site transfer request within TIPWeb-IT, which is an inventory management system that can be accessed here.
For questions regarding any of the steps in the process described above, please see the Academic Services Memo here.
