Sharpen your skills

Dallas ISD is offering a variety of professional development sessions for staff as well as an opportunity to participate in a special leadership development program.

 

Manager 101 Leadership Development Program for central staff

Dallas ISD has partnered with The University of Texas at Dallas to offer comprehensive leadership development and business acumen programs. The Manager 101 program aims to cultivate leadership potential at every level.  Forty participants will be selected to experience four full-day sessions tailored to increase leadership effectiveness. All sessions will be held at UT Dallas—Naveen Jindal School of Management.

Those interested in being considered for the program can register in Cornerstone and submit an application and supporting documentation to Shantell Grant at sgrant@dallasisd.org by the close of business Friday, Jan. 10.  Selected participants will be notified by Friday, Jan. 17, 2020.

 

Other professional development sessions for central staff:

Mindset in the Workplace—The differences between growth and fixed mindset will be explored.  Participants will consider their own mindset and discover how fostering a growth mindset voice supports personal development.

Results Focused Leadership: Goals and Check-Ins—Discover how check-in meetings make it easier to manage day-to-day work of the staff and ensure it is connected to big picture goals that impact results.

Multiple Generations at Work—This session will identify the multiple generations in the workplace and formulate a better understanding of their needs and motivations.  Language skills to effectively communicate and collaborate will be discussed.

Excel for Busy People—Excel for Busy People is a mix of time-saving tips for users of all experience levels, powerful features that aren’t widely known, and an introduction to the game-changing Power Query for advanced users (or users who wish to become advanced).  The more you use Excel in your job, the more you will get out of the class.

Let’s Talk About It: The Core 4 key to effective communication

Happy new year and welcome back to a fresh new start in 2020. Listen up, did you know that almost everything you do in life involves some form of communication?

Any time you interact with another person, you are communicating. Whether you smile at a stranger or ignore them, speak to someone or listen attentively when that person is talking to you, you are communicating.

We communicate for numerous reasons: to make decisions, solve problems, get answers, resolve conflicts, discuss events or tasks, or gather information. A person’s success often depends on good communication skills.

As an employee of Dallas ISD, no matter your role, you are the customers’ point of contact and often the primary source of communication.  If parents and students see you in the local grocery store or out in the community, in their eyes, you not only represent the district, you are the district.  As a district communicator, how you interact with customers is important. In fact, it is one of the most important jobs required to establish and develop relationships.

As we move forward this semester, challenge yourself to commit to doing one thing differently or better to ensure you make a positive impression on your customers. Smile. Engage. Be helpful.  Show you care.  One thing, no matter how small, can improve your communication skills and make a huge difference in building positive relationships with customers.

SOC students are back home

Hundreds of South Oak Cliff High School students were welcomed back to their school when the spring semester started Tuesday. But it wasn’t quite the same building they left when the renovation work began.

The building structure is the one that’s been there since 1952, but it has been through a $52-million overhaul that includes a gym addition, new administrative offices, a cafeteria expansion, new roofing, and interior and exterior renovations to the entire campus. The renovation work and upgrades to the building were completed using funds from the 2015 bond program.

For more information about projects from the 2015 bond program, visit Bond 2015 Progress.

Get positive with Core 4

Core 4 tip: Interacting Positively with Customers

Given a choice, most people would prefer to be around positive people who approach life and others in a friendly way. No one wants to work side by side with someone who is always negative, consistently bringing down the room, and clearly uninterested in being helpful. Don’t be that person.

Strive to establish rapport with colleagues and other customers and continue building a collaborative relationship by interacting with them in a positive manner. When you are positive and upbeat, people will respond similarly. Here are a few tips to consider.

Be helpful. Show your customers, including your colleagues, you are here to help them. Go the extra mile. Even if the question or request is not in your area, offering to find the best person to help, and following up to see if the customer’s needs were met is a key step in providing excellent customer service. Set a personal goal to help someone every day. You will feel better when you meet that goal, and it’s a great habit to start working on, today.

Be committed. People who are committed to their work and customers look for ways to make things better by anticipating the customers’ needs. It’s easier to do this by placing yourself in the customer’s shoes and considering what you would want if you were the customer. No matter your role, give your customers 110%.

Be a problem solver. Be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Look for answers instead of focusing on what’s wrong. People who focus on problems complain; people who focus on solutions find ways to make a difference.

Be credible. Customers appreciate nice employees, but they value knowledgeable employees. Learn as much as you can about your department.  If you need additional training, speak to your manager. Taking the time to find out what each area in your department does, is a great way to start.

Get ready for summer 2020

Similar to this past summer, central staff employees will work a four-day workweek, and the district will close on Fridays during a portion of the summer. Central office hours during the summer will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Monthly Employees

  • Employees paid monthly will work the four-day work week June 1 through July 31.
  • Monthly employees will resume their regular work hours on Aug. 3.

Biweekly Employees

  • Employees paid biweekly will work a four-day workweek June 5 through Aug. 6.
  • Biweekly employees will NOT work on June 5 if they participate in the four-day workweek.
  • Biweekly employees who participate in the four-day workweek will resume their regular hours on Aug. 7.

Supervisors may allow employees to work a schedule other than the four-day workweek as long as the change does not negatively affect the functions of the department. Employees are responsible for consulting with their supervisor to determine the start, end, and lunch times of their daily work schedule during the summer.

The district will be closed for summer break June 29 through July 3. Employees will not be permitted to work for pay while the district is closed unless the employee has received prior written approval from their department chief. All central staff employees will return to work on July 6.

The Mavericks appreciate educators

Come join the Dallas Mavericks for Teacher Appreciation Night on Wednesday, Jan. 8. All educators, friends, and family can enjoy a special discount on tickets for the game by going to www.mavsgroup.com/mavsteach1920 to purchase the tickets. In addition all attendees can shoot a free throw on the Mavs’ court after the game.

For more information, contact Breanna Kellogg at (214) 658-7643  or Breanna.kellogg@dallasmavs.com.

Future principals—your time is now

The district’s Leader Excellence, Advancement and Development program wants teachers and instructional coaches to know that the district has three university principal prep program partnerships, of which two are currently accepting applications. The district offers partial tuition reimbursement for participants who are selected into one of these programs. One of the goals of the LEAD program is to grow high-potential teachers and instructional coaches as rising leaders for the district, ensuring that year after year, each school has an effective leader.

Winter break is the perfect time to apply for the two master’s degree principal prep programs whose deadlines are approaching.

University of Texas at Austin—Texas Principal Leadership Academy

Application deadline: Wednesday, Jan. 15

Program Highlights:

  • Fast-tracked 12-month program resulting in an M.Ed in Educational Leadership and Policy with principal certification
  • 12-month residency with hands-on training as a leadership intern under the guidance of a mentor principal
  • Classes take place in Austin, online and in the Dallas area

For more information and to apply, visit education.utexas.edu/principal

Southern Methodist University—Aspiring Leaders Program

Application deadline: Monday, Feb. 17

Program Highlights:

  • Two-year program resulting in an M.Ed in Urban Educational Leadership with principal certification
  • Second year residency under the guidance of a mentor principal and on-the-job support and coaching from Teaching Trust staff

For more information and to apply, visit smu.edu/urbanleader

University of North Texas at Dallas—Future Leaders Academy

The application window is not yet available.

Program Highlights:

  • 18-month program resulting in an M.Ed in Educational Leadership with principal certification
  • Classes held at a central Dallas ISD location
  • Internship course taught by Dallas ISD leaders

For more information, email LEAD@dallasisd.org

You are not alone

While the district may be closed, if you need assistance with your benefits, a number of resources are available.

District schools and administrative offices will be closed for winter break from Monday, Dec. 23, through Friday, Jan. 3, but the benefits call center will be open regular hours during that time to provide assistance, with the following exceptions:

  • Dec. 24 – available from 7:30 a.m. to noon
  • Dec. 25 – closed
  • Dec. 26 – closed
  • Dec. 31 – available from 7:30 a.m. to noon
  • Jan. 1 – closed

For those non-emergency health concerns such as cold and flu, TRS Aetna ActiveCare participants can utilize Teladoc at a reduced cost.  Call 1-855-Teladoc (835-2362) or visit their main page.

If you have questions regarding your FSA, you can contact Connect Your Care at 877-528-9876 or visit www.connectyourcare.com.  Connect Your Care is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You may reach the benefits call center at 972-925-4000 or email benefits@dallasisd.org.  For questions regarding leaves of absence, email benefitsleaves@dallasisd.org.  During the periods in which the district is closed, the email boxes will be monitored periodically to ensure any critical issues are resolved in a timely manner.

It’s better to give

The last thing the Class of 2020 of Thomas Jefferson High School expected was to go back to middle school before graduating this spring—something they had to do when a tornado severely damaged their campus. They also did not expect to each get a $100 gift from JCPenney to make their stay at the temporary campus at Thomas Edison Learning Center a little less difficult.

JCPenney this week surprised and delighted the Thomas Jefferson Class of 2020 by donating $50,000 so that each senior could get a $100 gift card to spend at will. The rest of the 500 gift cards will be distributed to students who might need the extra help. Several seniors said they would be giving their gift cards to their parents so the whole family could share in their good fortune.

“We think it’s really important to give back to communities where our associates and our customers live and work and shop, and Thomas Jefferson was right in our backyard,” said Aubrey DeZego, Sr. Manager, Philanthropy and Community Relations at JCPenney.

While the community has been very generous with Thomas Jefferson, the JCPenney donation was the first one to go directly to students for their use, said Principal Sandi Massey, who got emotional as she spoke to students about the importance of striving to succeed in the face of the current circumstances.

 

Checking it twice

The Oracle multifactor authentication protocols are now in effect and employees are being prompted to provide a secondary security code to access the system. This secondary identification code is not unlike those used by banks and other sites to increase cybersecurity.

Oracle is used not only by district departments and schools to prepare payroll, purchase goods and services from approved vendors, and conduct other district business. It is also used by employees to access iExpense for mileage and travel expense submission, to check PTO balances, download statements of earnings and perform other activities.

Multifactor authentication is a two-step verification process that usually uses a username and password and an additional way to identify the user, such as a code sent via text message or email or provided through an app. Only one is necessary for verification, but IT recommends employees set up more than one.

Instructions and manuals to help employees with the process of accessing Oracle are available here. If you need help with setting up the multifactor authentication, you can download this helpful quick guide that is available in English and Spanish.