Dallas ISD Talk It Up! Toastmasters Club is recruiting employees who want to improve their leadership and communication skills. The club is hosting an open house at 6 p.m., Wed, Feb. 27, at the H.B. Bell School Support Services Building, 2909 N. Buckner Blvd., which is also the location of regular Wednesday meetings. The club is part of Toastmasters International, a global organization that offers public speaking and leadership training opportunities. Go here for a flyer with more info.
Do you know a friend or family member who might be interested in becoming a certified teacher? Refer an aspiring educator to the Dallas ISD Alternative Certification Teaching Program today! The first 100 Dallas ISD employees to refer a candidate will receive a token of appreciation. Simply complete the referral form by close of business Thursday, February 28, 2019. The Alternative Certification team will reach out directly to follow up with recommended candidates. For more information, go here to visit the Alternative Certification web page.
Thanks to the generosity of Dallas ISD employees, the district raised $157, 880.19, which exceeded the $150,000 for the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. The funds raised will likely benefit hundreds of district families through a variety of programs under the United Way umbrella.
“We are immensely grateful to our wonderful Dallas ISD employees for stepping up to support the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas,” Dallas ISD Chief of Staff Pam Lear said. “These contributions will have a positive impact on our students who receive valuable services—from pre-school preparation to college readiness— provided by United Way.”
Dallas ISD is partnering with Dallas County Community College District, Ana G. Mendez University, University of North Texas at Dallas, and Texas Tech University to offer a series of informational events for all district staff who are interested in becoming teachers and advancing their careers in the district.
The first in the series of informational fairs will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, March 2, at Ana G. Mendez University, 3010 N. Stemmons Freeway.
Representatives from DCCCD, Ana G. Mendez University, UNT Dallas, and Texas Tech will be at the event to conduct presentations and to host breakout sessions to speak with interested parties about how their program works. They will address information that includes how to complete degree requirements for those who need to finish a bachelor’s degree; how to obtain a master’s degree in education or business; and how to become a certified, credentialed teacher in Texas. Financial aid advisors will be there to discuss FAFSA, scholarships, and other financial aid options.
Participants are encouraged to bring for review multiple copies of their resume and their college transcripts even if still working on completing the degree.
To register for the event and to receive additional details, visit the following link: https://tinyurl.com/y7kasy7o.
Additional events at other locations around Dallas will be announced at a later date.
District students will not attend classes Friday, Feb. 15, due to teacher professional development. On Monday, Feb. 18, all district schools and offices are closed for Presidents Day. Schools and offices will reopen Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Volunteers are needed to support the annual Dallas ISD African American READ-IN, a project of trustees Joyce Foreman, Justin Henry and Lew Blackburn and the Dallas ISD Racial Equity Office. The event is designed to promote a love of reading, celebrate cultures and support diverse learners in grades K-5. District employees are invited to serve as volunteers to help with pre-event setup, registration, arrival and departure of students from buses, distribution of breakfast and lunch, crowd control and workshop facilitation.
African American Read-In: Poetry and Literature in Motion
February 9, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Justin F. Kimball High School
3606 S. Westmoreland Road
Dallas, Texas 75233
To sign up to assist:
If you are an approved (cleared) Dallas ISD Volunteer:
To help with set-up, Friday, February 8, click here.
To assist at the day of the event, Saturday, February 9, please click here.
To become a Dallas ISD Volunteer and complete an application and orientation, click here.
Once approved as a volunteer, choose below:
To help with set-up, Friday, February 8, click here.
To assist at the day of the event, Saturday, February 9, please click here.
For additional information contact Dallas ISD Volunteer Services 972-925-5440 or volunteer@dallasisd.org
Do you want to sharpen your professional skills, develop your leadership ability, and become a more confident communicator?
At Dallas ISD Talk it Up! Toastmasters, you can accomplish these goals in a self-paced supportive environment alongside others pursuing the same goals. Toastmasters learn by doing, by following a proven program of speeches and leadership activities. Want to learn firsthand how Toastmasters can help you give voice to your potential? Register through Cornerstone to attend Dallas ISD Talk It Up! Toastmasters Open House on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m. at the Linus D. Wright Administration Building, 9400 N. Central Expressway, Room 300.
Dallas ISD Talk It Up! meets Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Meetings are held at the H.B. Bell School Support Services Building on the first, third and fifth Wednesdays of the month and at the Linus D. Wright Dallas ISD School Administration Building on the second and fourth Wednesdays.
Educators looking to continue their education and service to Dallas ISD students can apply for the annual $20,000 scholarship offered by Credit Union of Texas in honor of former Dallas ISD administrator William H. Cotton Scholarship. The scholarship offers $20,000 in financial assistance to a Dallas ISD educator seeking to pursue post-baccalaureate education to further their career in the field of education at Dallas ISD. The deadline to submit the application is March 29, 2019. Go here to download the application. Finalists for the award will be contacted by April 30, 2019, and the winner will be named by May 30, 2019.
Principal of Jose “Joe” May Elementary, Israel Rivera, received the 2018 scholarship.
To support the district’s early college high school initiative, Texas A&M University has created a program to recruit and develop teachers who are certified to teach high school and college credit courses (dual credentialed teachers) in the following areas at the high school level: English, speech, government and psychology. The dual credentialing program is seeking teachers with a master’s degree in any area and at least a minimum of three years of high school teaching experience.
Those interested in the program should complete an interest form and attend one of the interest meetings to apply and interview for the program. The program is scheduled to begin Jan. 22, 2019.
For questions or additional information, contact Tiffany Gilmore at tigilmore@dallasisd.org or (972) 925-8915.
Seven Dallas ISD teachers were recognized on Wednesday, Nov. 28, for being selected for 2018 Texas Instruments Innovations in STEM Teaching Awards. Each receives $10,000 to divide equally between their classrooms and themselves.
STEM is shorthand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
The 2018 Dallas ISD recipients are:
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said there are two Dallas ISD programs that the district leads nationally, but does not always get due recognition for. One is dual-language and the other is STEM. Both are programs he said he brags about when giving speeches throughout the country.
“I think we are best-in-class, especially for a big urban district,” he said. “And the fact that we’re honoring you, the best of the best, in the best-in-class program in the country, is really meaningful.”
Terri West, chairwoman of the TI Foundation board, said that since the awards program began 12 years ago, nearly $2 million has been awarded to teachers in six Dallas-area school districts. There have been 74 Dallas ISD teachers, including the 2018 winners, who have received a total of $865,000 in awards.
West said education is the top priority of the TI Foundation’s philanthropy, specifically STEM education.
“Certainly part of it is for selfish reasons because science, technology, engineering and math are really important to TI,” West said. “But also we understand at the foundation what a STEM background – a STEM education – can do for a student. It truly can change a student’s life.”
West said a basis in STEM can boost a student’s earning potential but also give them the chance to spend their careers working on rewarding and exciting projects.
“We are so delighted to support a strong STEM program in our own back yard,” she said. “Congratulations to the winners, and more importantly, thank you for what you do. It makes a great deal to your students.”
Oswaldo Alvarenga, Executive Director of Dallas ISD’s STEM Department, listed the requirements to be considered for the TI award.
Candidates have to teach a STEM-related subject at the secondary level, be eligible for Distinguished Teacher Review in the previous school year, be nominated by their school’s principal, fill out an application and be subjected to a classroom visit.
“So it was a very rigorous process,” Alvarenga said. “After all the numbers were added up, this is how we came down to our seven.”
