Submit nominations for HISD School Nurse of the Year by April 17

Do you know a great nurse at a Houston ISD school? Nominate him or her for the district’s 2014-2015 School Nurse of the Year award!

Nominees must have at least five years of experience as a school nurse and spend at least 50 percent of their time caring directly for students.

Anyone can make a nomination by submitting a form (.pdf) and a letter of support. Applications are due by April 17.

The nominee will need to submit his or her resume, a PowerPoint of no more than 10 slides that includes photos of them interacting with students, an essay describing their personal strengths, and letters of recommendation.

For more information, contact the Health and Medical Services department at 713-556-7280. Also see this related flyer (.pdf) on five ways nurse benefit schools.

HISD elementary school receives $50,000 grant for smart boards, books

Bruce Elementary School was selected this week to receive a $50,000 grant from the Leonore Annenberg School Fund for Children, an organization that provides educational resources to underfunded schools in urban and rural communities.

Bruce Elementary was one of nine schools from across the country to receive the grant, which will be used to purchase interactive whiteboards and nonfiction books for existing classroom libraries to boost literacy through student engagement and teacher effectiveness.

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Student Congress using literacy to cultivate readers, leaders

Students from North Houston Early College High School read to second-graders at Roosevelt Elementary School.

Students from North Houston Early College High School read to second-graders at Roosevelt Elementary School.

Literacy is so important to HISD’s newly formed Student Congress that the organization has already created its own mentoring program.

“Bring a Book” got its start last September, when Congress members began brainstorming ideas for possible service projects. After agreeing to focus on literacy, the group decided to pair high-school students with second-graders to develop the younger children’s reading comprehension skills.

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HISD PD to host ‘Protect Your Identity’ shredding event

The Houston Independent School District Police Department wants to help district and community members protect their identity by hosting a free document shredding event open to the public on Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m.-12 noon.

Personnel from HISD PD and Texas Security Shedding will be on hand during the event at the police department’s headquarters, 3500 Tampa, to shred any document, allowing individuals an opportunity to have their sensitive documents securely destroyed.

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Top Business Operations employees enjoy ‘Breakfast with Leo’

As part of the Business Operations Team’s Service Excellence initiative, each of the five divisions designates an Employee of the Month to recognize outstanding performance and excellent customer service. This week, the five Employees of the Month for April had the opportunity to enjoy breakfast with HISD’s Chief Operating Officer, Leo Bobadilla.

(From left to right): Maria J. Smith, Kathy Sterbanz, Leo Bobadilla, Loretta Galaviz, Delia Garcia and Officer Rick Evans

(From left to right): Maria J. Smith, Kathy Sterbanz, Leo Bobadilla, Loretta Galaviz, Delia Garcia, and Officer Rick Evans.

“I really enjoy this event and being able to show my appreciation for such great work,” Bobadilla said.  “We have a great team, and the recognition is well-deserved.”

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HISD Procurement Team tells all at Workshop Wednesday

procurement wwApril’s Workshop Wednesday presentation was led by members of HISD’s procurement department, and provided valuable tips for businesses interested in doing business with the district.

The standing-room-only event was held at the Hattie Mae White building and featured an overview of the structure of the department, roles and operating procedures of the procurement team, and advice on how businesses can be more successful in winning contracts.

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New ‘Caught in the Act’ video series to showcase great instruction

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HISD is kicking off a new video campaign to recognize highly effective teachers delivering great instruction.

It’s called “Caught in the Act” (CIA), and its goal is to demonstrate what high-quality teaching looks like by spotlighting instructors from across the district. Every month, the HISD video team, along with Chief Elementary Curriculum and Instruction Officer Lance Menster and Chief Secondary Curriculum and Instruction Annie Wolfe, will be dropping in on classrooms to observe and point out examples of great instruction.

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HISD, Sonima Foundation celebrate expansion of student wellness program

Curriculum is now being offered to 14,000 students at 26 campuses

Representatives from HISD and the Sonima Foundation celebrated the expansion of their health and wellness program at Sherman Elementary School on April 7.

The curriculum is now being offered to more than 14,000 students at 26 HISD schools. The program’s yoga-based exercises, mindfulness practices, and nutrition education promote student health and stress reduction.

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