February 2022

Dallas ISD has put together a playlist with a variety of videos that celebrate Black history. The videos feature Dallas ISD students, staff, and community members celebrating Black History Month in various ways. The play list can be found here.

Throughout the month, Food and Child Nutrition Services has been serving special dishes to honor and celebrate the African American culture.

• Collard Greens
• Beans & Rice
• Jambalaya

Information and videos on the history and cultural significance of these dishes, how to grow the main ingredients, and different ways to prepare them can be accessed by teachers at BHM 2022 Programming Guide.

On Tuesday, March 1, 113 district facilities will be used as voting centers for the primary election.  Department heads, principals and office managers of facilities assigned to serve as polling locations are reminded to prepare and staff their facilities accordingly.

All listed facilities should be opened promptly at 5:30 a.m. to allow the election judges to set up.  Election judges will need access to the buildings until 10 p.m. or until the election staff is finished for the evening.  Please ensure that staff cooperate with the election judges regarding set-up requests, and that campuses and polling locations are presentable.  lease note that at no time should a district facility be left unattended by district personnel.  Please direct questions to Orlando Alameda at (972) 925-5142, or OAlameda@dallasisd.org.

District staff are reminded election laws related to political electioneering and political advertisement. Although district employees do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate, neither an employee nor anyone else has an absolute constitutional right to use all or parts of a school building or its immediate surrounding areas for unlimited expressive purposes. Therefore, the time, place and manner restrictions outlined in this memo are imposed regarding electioneering on district property. Questions on this matter should be directed to the Board Services Office at (972) 925-3720.

How do you talk about coping with stress with your family, friends, or coworkers? Stress is a reality of modern life but, according to John B. Arden, author of Rewire Your Brain, “rather than run away from stress and anxiety, you should learn to manage it. By managing it, you’ll promote a healthy, thriving brain that generates neuroplasticity.”

There are three types of stress, Toxic, Tolerable, and Positive. Triggers, such as a person, place, or situation, contribute to unwanted emotional, health, and behavioral responses. Identifying your triggers and practicing self-management or cool-down strategies will help you grow your coping and self-control toolbox and impact both your mental and physical health positively. The next time you feel stressed, try taking a short walk, drinking water, a quick breathing strategy, or writing in a gratitude journal. Learn more at www.dallasisd.org/sel.

High priority campuses are ready to welcome teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists who are passionate about accelerating learning and whose heart lies with helping students succeed no matter what. Those who are interested in making the move to one of these 80 schools to meet the challenge and earn additional compensation can take advantage of the open transfer window that opens March 7.

Those who are in the Teacher Excellence Initiative System can earn not only thousands of dollars more through stipends but can also get additional DTR points. And for those who choose one of these schools that have an Intersession or a School Day Redesign calendar, the earning potential is even greater.

Working at a high priority campus has benefits beyond making a difference. Eligible teachers serving at high priority campuses in the upcoming school year will:

• Earn up to 10 additional DTR points on the TEI Scorecard
• Earn additional stipends. Proposed stipend amounts are shown in the chart below.

For example, a teacher who has an effectiveness level of Proficient II who wants to work at a high priority campus that is also an Intersession/SDR school could earn a base salary of $67,500, a $4,000 HPC proposed stipend and more for the additional proposed 23 days on the extended-year calendar. The amount is greater at an ACE school, where the proposed stipend for a Proficient II teacher is $12,000; if it’s also an Intersession/SDR school, that amount increases with the additional days.

Working at an Intersession or School Day Redesign school also affords teachers the opportunity to design and learn new, innovative and fun ways to deliver instruction that can accelerate learning.

Download the list of High Priority Campuses. Intersession campuses are in teal and School Day Redesign campuses are in green.

Principals at HPCs can begin making recommendations to Human Capital Management for the 2022-2023 school year beginning on March 7. But in order to be considered, teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists must first show their interest by applying online using their EAD login at www.dallasisd.org/careers  using the “Current Dallas ISD Employee” link. The district’s open transfer window closed on April 15.

 To connect with HPC campus principals, interested teachers are encouraged to participate in an upcoming job fair at Emmett J. Conrad High School from 4 to 6 p.m. on March 8. To sign up for the job fair, visit www.dallasisd.org/hcmjobfair.

In addition to the job fair, interested teachers may connect with an HCM recruiter by email at futureteacher@dallasisd.org.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on health—physical and mental—for millions of people. Actions taken to stay healthy have often lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, weight gain and other issues that particularly affect heart health.

But according to the American Heart Association, it’s time for you to “Regain your Rhythm” by starting new activities and making changes that improve health to celebrate National Heart Health Month in February. Visit www.heart.org for suggestion on managing stress, getting more active and rethinking your meals.

Dallas ISD staff celebrated heart health during the district’s Go Red week. Tatiana Vélez, a teacher assistant at Ida B. Wells Downtown Montessori and her children—Silvana, Demi and Manolo—who all attend district schools wore red to support the campaign.

Student Transportation staff also did their part in highlighting the importance of heart health.

February is Career and Technical Education Month, and Dallas ISD schools have much to celebrate with 14 career clusters providing students practical and marketable skills.

Dallas ISD Career and Technical Education (CTE) students have opportunities to acquire skills and knowledge in career clusters such as Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, Audio-Visual Technology, and Communications; Business, Marketing, and Finance; Education and Training; Energy; Health Science; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law and Public Service; Manufacturing; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); and Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.

Join Dallas ISD CTE as we celebrate this month by showcasing the great achievements and accomplishments of our CTE students and programs. Learn more at Dallas ISD CTE Month here.

Career Pop Up Shop Events

Throughout the month, CTE industry partners and selected high school teachers from various career clusters and programs of study will visit participating middle school campuses to meet and greet and showcase their prospective careers and industry trends. Students will have an opportunity to get up close and personal to extend their learning outside the classroom with experiential activities to increase their interest in an immersive setting.

Guest Speaker Series

The First Fridays’ Speaker Series will have a special guest for a virtual engagement every Friday in the month of February. The one-hour virtual engagement will focus on various topics of interest for all programs of study.

CTE Teacher Night

The CTE teachers of Dallas ISD have been working harder than ever for students, and their work and efforts will be acknowledged and honored on the evening of February 22 at W.H. Adamson High School.

To view the full CTE Month 2022 Calendar of Events, visit this website.

Two Dallas ISD schools are among 26 public schools in Texas nominated for the National Blue Ribbon, to be awarded in the fall.

The School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering, both at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, are nominated for the ribbon, the highest honor a U.S. school can achieve. The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools that have high student achievement or demonstrate exemplary progress toward closing achievement gaps.

“It’s an honor to be nominated among the 26 high-performing schools in Texas,” said Principal Arnoldo Zuñiga, of the School for the Talented and Gifted. “It wouldn’t be possible without the help and the hard work of the staff, the students and the community. They are the ones who drive the work here, and they are the ones who make it happen.”

Principal Andrew Palacios, of the School of Science and Engineering, said, “We are continuously researching the best way to enrich our student learning experience. We are honored to be nominated as a potential National Blue Ribbon School. The team at the School of Science and Engineering Magnet is a group of people who care and work hard for our students. Our faculty, staff, parents, and community work hard to create experiences where our students win the most.”

The nominated schools must now complete a rigorous process conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. National award winners will be announced in September of 2022. Schools that receive the designation will be recognized at the National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

As part of the district’s Black History Month celebrations, the Racial Equity Office has been hosting virtual career webinars each Wednesday of February, from noon to 12:30 p.m. on Zoom. The last virtual webinar will take place Feb. 23.

The panels have focused on career pathways that are lacking representation from Black professionals, such as healthcare, law, architecture and technology, which will take place Feb. 23. During the final 10 minutes of each webinar, there will be a question-and-answer session with the speakers, and live participants will have the opportunity to win prizes.

Through the webinars, students have been in direct contact with career professionals and practitioners, which encouraged career exploration. By connecting exciting career options to learning, classwork will become more valuable to the students, reinforcing the idea that school is a path to something that can be fun and rewarding.

The webinar is open to all Dallas ISD students and teachers after registering on Zoom https://dallasisd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ocbYFbsPQ5CjYe_Wdo5eVA.

Are you a teacher, instructional coach, counselor or media specialist looking for a challenging but rewarding assignment? Dallas ISD’s open transfer period provides the opportunity to accept positions at high priority campuses and other schools for the 2022-2023 school year.

Principals in high priority and ACE campuses—including those with Intersession and School Day Redesign calendars—can begin sending recommendations for teachers, instructional coaches, counselors, and media specialists to Human Capital Management starting March 7. The district’s open transfer period for the 2022-2023 school year for schools that are not considered high priority campuses begins March 23. The open transfer period for all schools ends April 15.

The open transfer process allows current Dallas ISD teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists, who meet the guidelines outlined below, to accept a position at another campus for the following school year. During the open transfer period, current principal approval is not required.

Interested eligible employees must complete an application online by logging into www.dallasisd.org/careers with their EAD credentials and then use the internal openings link. Employees who do not apply will not be eligible to participate.

To be eligible for an open transfer, employees must:

• Hold a valid Texas Teacher Certificate in the requested subject-area vacancy and meet TEA/SBEC Certification Standards for the position
• Not be identified for non-renewal at the end of the current school year due to performance and/or misconduct
• Not be entering their fourth year of an Alternative Certification Program
• For Instructional Coaches only: must receive approval from recommending campus executive director

Next week: Learn about the advantages of working at a high priority campus, including access to additional compensation.

Dallas ISD staff can hear from published authors about their experiences and their work through the Reading Language Arts #DallasWrites! Author Series. The series is designed to inspire and encourage those who want to rediscover their voice and talent as readers, writers and thinkers.

These sessions feature a published author who speaks about his or her inspiration, process, craft, obstacles, background, books, and usually “book talks” one particular title, said Melanie Sangalli, director of Reading Language Arts.

“We can use this inspiration to build our own reading and writing confidence and skill set to use with students in any content or grade level,” she said. The sessions are also open to central staff who are interested in reading and writing.

Each attendee will receive a copy of the author’s book and some lucky participants will also receive a class set. All sessions are scheduled in the afternoons from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m.

Upcoming Author Events:

Kelly Yang, author of Three Keys.  Wednesday, Feb. 23.  Some lucky attendees in grades third through seventh will win a class set!  Zoom Link 

Alyson Gerber, author of Taking Up Space, Braced, and Focused.  Monday, March 7. Some lucky attendees in grades third through seventh will win a class set!  Zoom Link

Aida Salazar, author of In the Spirit of a Dream and Land of the Cranes. Wednesday, March 23^.  Some lucky attendees in grades kindergarten through second will win a class set!  Zoom Link 

To see past authors and learn more about the project, please visit our Reading Language Arts site.

For more information, please reach out to RLA Director, Melanie Sangalli, at msangalli@dallasisd.org