Hello Team,
As things are ever changing and moving fast with COVID/OMICRON, my formal site visits will be suspended for the month of January. As this pandemic continues to impact our schools, students, and staff, all of the directors, and coaches at the Ed Center are clearing calendars to be ready and available to help cover schools when teaching jobs go unfilled by subs. So, I will be doing some subbing for next few weeks. Please do not hesitate in contacting me when you need support. I will do drop-in visits and by requested appointments. I appreciate all of you and your commitment to our school district.
Have a restful weekend~Juan
To Do
From Dr. Cook (Please Read
YouthTruth Survey
Let’s ensure we get a high participation rate on this survey. Here is the cheat sheet again from Tuesday’s meeting.
Canvas Cleanup
Continue to ensure every teacher has completed Canvas and Synergy set up so their grades are accurate!
Please share this schedule with your teachers:
January 12, next Wednesday, is the Educator Network Day in which teachers meet with content alike teams. Here is the schedule which has been created by the teachers (District ICCLs) leading each team. Admin will not be assigned to Educator Network Teams this time.
From Alandra:
Please see her email and share this with your families Serve Our Schools: Budget Committee
This and That
From Lora
I know you’re all aware of the tremendous pressure our staff is feeling at this point (and you, as well!). While negotiations with BEA over a memorandum of understanding are not complete, it is VERY likely that we will reserve a number of additional SIW times for teacher-directed work times. We will continue to include some high-priority professional learning opportunities on the February and April EN days, but these will be voluntary for staff. Here is the link to the updated calendar:
From Kinsey
Regarding our dates for upcoming forecasting, ACR, and orientation events:
Please ensure that you have interpreters secured in advance for all family events. Since we already know these dates, you can submit your requests now (Linguist Link here).
Ensure all invitations and flyers regarding your family events have been translated prior to sending out.
More from Kinsey – Thank you for reading the winter edition of the Language, Culture, Identity newsletter. This newsletter is shared with administrators, ELL staff, and LEAD cohort members. Feel free to share with your staff/team, and if you have questions, concerns, or ideas regarding the content, reach out to Kinsey.
Literacy Matters: Chapter 2 (FREE, Feb. 5)
This first one, hosted by Aldine ISD in Houston, Tx. is totally free and is on a Saturday so teachers could easily attend. The speakers and organizations presenting have a strong track record of excellent and thought provoking work. Last year’s conference drew thousands of attendees from across the country. This would be a good opportunity for principals to share with their teaching staffs. I do not know if these sessions will be recorded for later viewing.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/literacymatters-in-aldine-isd-chapter-2-tickets-182734342337
Student masking issues
Prior to break, a few of you shared that a handful of students are not consistently following masking protocols after repeated reminders and conversations with the students and their parents. We worked with Greg Colvin to develop a letter that can be sent home for our worst offenders and that could result in moving the repeat offenders to BLPO at the semester. Progressive steps of intervention/discipline need to occur first and be documented. If you think this letter needs to be sent to any of your families, contact Juan first so I can discuss the situation with you.
Test kits
Each school has Covid test kits and should be using them. If a staff member feels symptomatic, thinks they have been exposed, or needs some peace of mind let them test. If we run out we will order more. Tami is trying to make sure that all schools are staying stocked.
From your TLC and DEI Colleagues
For yourself and/or your staff, here are great local opportunities for learning and connection:
- Our state is offering an amazing opportunity for racially/linguistically/ethnically-diverse educators to participate in a racial justice institute fellowship. Details here. Applications are due very soon, so act quickly (and share with teachers/colleagues asap)!
- The Father’s Group (a local collective sponsored by our regional partner Better Together through the ESD) has a wonderful film event in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Details here.
- COCC and partners are hosting book groups in advance of their Season of Nonviolence indigenous author event. Groups and event details here.
Now might not feel like a natural time to engage in deep personal learning, as we grow tired of reacting to Covid. If an opportunity to learn and reflect in community would fill your bucket, rather than deplete it, these might be for you. If that’s not for you at the moment, you may know a teacher or student who would like to take advantage.
Reminders
From Human Resources team
New Request-To-Hire Procedure For Administrators/Supervisors:
We are discontinuing the practice of asking administrators to upload interview packets into google drive. Instead, you will upload Interview Packets directly into Frontline Recruit & Hire.
To do that, you will print the packets (Certified Interview Packet; Classified/Extra Duty Interview Packet) like normal, fill them out during the interview process and then scan them to your email.
Then, we’ve created this short 1.5 minute video on how to upload the scanned packet into Frontline. Here is a step-by-step guide shown in the video. Open Frontline Recruit/HireLocate the forms module on the left-hand side of your screen Click on “Fill Out a New Form”Under the category “Applicant Screening”, click the Interview Packet box On the bottom-right hand corner of your screen, click “Continue With Selected Forms” It will ask you to type in the specific job and applicant’s name. *Please make sure these match your hiring request* You will upload your Interview Packet to the form, answer the questions, and submit
Important: You will need to upload the interview packet BEFORE you make a Recommendation-to-Hire. New hires won’t be approved until the uploaded documents can be reviewed by HR.
The Crown Act
Went into effect as of January 1, 2022. HERE is a quick overview of what you need to know about this important law. Please reach out to Kinsey or me if you have questions.
Calendar
M.S. Horizontal Meeting Schedule
- January 7th-SIF Budgets are due
- January 12th-Educator Network Day Schedule
- January 17th-Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- January 20-Middle School Principal Breakfast, Original Pancake House (West Bend)
- January 24-Middle School Principal Meeting, Sky View Middle School@7:30-9:00 am
- June 20th & 21, 2022 Leadership Training Academy
Fish On…
