Staff News

Walking through the hallways at Sylvia Mendez CREW Leadership Academy, you will find a colorful student-made mural mosaic with the message of “Four Houses, one CREW,” which students in Mary Vongvivitpatana’s art classes take pride in.

Inspired by the Ron Clark System, Sylvia Mendez is one of the Dallas ISD schools that has the house system in place. 

Vongvivitpatana says the mosaic mural project, which took several weeks, inspired unity and built a sense of community for the students. The mosaic, composed of tiny squares that were shrunk to about an inch, is what the students worked on to create the 60-inch by 30-inch mural.

“Students learned that they had a little part in something that made a big difference,” said Vongvivitpatana.“ 

While it was Vonvivitpatana that constructed the mural because of the use of  hot glue, the students saw each house in the mural come to life little by little and also observed how each one of the squares they created became a part of the big scheme of things.

Students in grades second through fifth worked on the mural. 

American artist and animator Mary Blair, who worked extensively for Disney in the 1940s and 1950s inspired the mural. Blair, considered one of the pioneers of women working in animation, worked in films like Alice in Wonderland. The artist is known for using lots of patterns and geometric shapes in her art.  

Drawing on her artwork as inspiration behind their mosaic tiles, every student made a square on plastic Shrinky Dink paper and chose one of Blair’s designs for the mosaic square they created.

A discovery that came about during the process is the realization that Vongvivitpatana needed something to fill in some space in the mural. She had found some mirror sticky tiles, the kind you would find on a disco ball, and she started putting them in the mosaic. She realized that once she started putting them in, the students started connecting with the art. 

“So I thought the kids needed to see themselves in the art. It was a happy accident,” Vongvivitpatana said. “It wasn’t intentional at first and it had even deeper meaning that the kids could see themselves in the houses.”

Vongvivitpatana also says that these kinds of projects not only instill pride and self-esteem in her students, but also contribute to student success. She says that some students might be struggling in the classroom, but discover their talents in art or may try something that they didn’t know they could be successful in–and it’s that sense of accomplishment that makes them so happy. 

One of the biggest takeaways from this process, according to Vongvivitpatana, is that students are extremely motivated by the work they created.

 “One student said he was going to ask his dad to visit the school so he could take a picture in front of his house,” Vongvivitpatana said. “The fact that the students were able to connect with the art and learn that art can be a way of communicating among themselves and their community was absolutely wonderful.”  

The Student Activities Department has been bringing vertical teams together by providing Dallas ISD cheer teams with buses so that they can participate in Feeder Pattern Nights, first during football season and now for basketball games. So far this semester, more than 50 elementary and 13 middle school cheer teams and nearly all high school cheer squads have participated in the districtwide initiative.

The Feeder Pattern Night initiative gives elementary and middle school cheer squads a chance to cheer alongside their feeder pattern high school cheer teams right at the center of an action-packed football and basketball games, which creates a sense of community for Dallas ISD students and their families.

This sense of community is deeply impactful to the student body, said Sydney Lee, cheer coach for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy.

“Starting with camp and now Feeder Pattern Night, this is the most fun my cheerleaders have had in the past six years,” Lee said. “The cheerleaders are learning a lot and having experiences that will last a lifetime. As for myself, I have gained a lot from this experience so far. I have built relationships with different individuals that will help not only my cheerleaders but my entire campus as well.”

Lee’s cheerleaders, along with those from Dade Middle School, Solar Prep for Girls, and Dunbar Elementary School participated in the Madison High School Feeder Pattern Night.

Sharla Hudspeth, executive director for Extracurricular and Extended Learning Opportunities said that sporting events have been an avenue for the community to show support for Dallas ISD school children, and Feeder Pattern Nights adds to that tradition.

“Feeder Pattern Nights are wonderful opportunities to bring our community of schools together which creates a fun and exciting experience not only for the cheerleaders and athletes but for their families and friends too,” she said.

Moisés E. Molina High School’s cheer coach, Damien Robichaux, is happy to have elementary and middle school cheerleaders on the sidelines with his team. He said “exposure and authentic experiences” are important to build a solid foundation for high school cheer programs.

“Participation in Feeder Pattern Night is not only positive for young cheerleaders, but it also increases the crowd capacity and adds to the level of excitement in the stadium,” Robichaux said. “It gives those who would never go to a football game a chance to see their daughter or son in a new light, and it helps bring that positive community feeling back to the stands.”

The same is true for cheerleaders who participated in Feeder Pattern Night. The Martin Luther King Jr Academy cheerleaders were extremely grateful for the opportunity.

“This was my first time being inside a stadium, and I cannot believe I was able to cheer in front of so many people!” said Heaven Minnieweather, a sixth grader at MLK.

The experience even motivated cheerleader Robyn Guster to think about her performance in her classes. 

“I am going to work really hard in class to keep my grades up so I can cheer next time too,”said the MLK sixth grader. 

The Human Capital Management Benefits Department is excited to announce the launch of the Dallas ISD Employee Discount Program. This program will provide Dallas ISD employees access to a wide variety of products and services from local and national retailers at a discounted rate. 

Currently, there are 360 discounts available to district team members. The HCM Benefits Department will continually update and add new discounts. Discount categories include the following: 

• Auto
• Beauty
• Dining
• Cultural arts
• MWBE
• Entertainment
• Pet
• Health & Wellness
• Technology Services
• Educational Resources
• Home
• Retail
• Travel
• Additional discounts gifts

The discount inventory is available on the HCM Benefits Department’s website at www.dallasisd.org/benefits by clicking on Employee Discount Program. The webpage is user-friendly and interactive for Dallas ISD employees. For additional questions, contact the HCM Benefits Department at 972-925-4300 or email EmployeeDiscounts@dallasisd.org.

The Beat has interviewed Master Teachers across the district to share their stories and introspections about their careers, including tips for teaching. Meet Master Teacher Bob Adams.

Adams, a Master Teacher at Rufus C. Burleson Elementary School first came to Dallas ISD in 2007 after spending six years teaching at an international school in China. Originally from Marlin, Texas, a small town near Waco, Adams said his plan was always to teach at Dallas ISD. 

Out of the 28 years in education,17 of those have been at Dallas ISD, not counting the three years in the U.S. Peace Corps working with school groups in Honduras and Chile.

What drew you to education?

I have a degree in Accounting from The University of Texas in Austin. After working as an accountant several years, I found it to be an unsatisfying career. To make a change, I joined the U.S. Peace Corps. During my service, I learned Spanish and worked with school groups, which led me naturally to a career in education. Upon returning to the United States, I completed Alternative Certification with Region 10 and completed a Masters of Bilingual Education at Southern Methodist University

How are you creating opportunities for students?

I create opportunities for my students by showing up 100% for them every day. I want them to see me as a role model as to how a person should approach their career. I hope to inspire them to realize all the opportunities that are available and make the right choices to reach their potential and their dreams.

What is your best teaching tip?

Give your best effort and be proud of yourself. Teachers tend to be hard on themselves!

What would your students be surprised to find out about you?

That I was originally an accountant and worked in a bank.

What inspires you the most about being an educator?

The idea that as educators we are doing something to benefit the world and society. We have a great responsibility and privilege to teach our students to be kind and ethical towards others and towards nature.

For the fourth consecutive year, Dallas ISD has received a clean audit on its annual comprehensive financial report, meaning that the district’s independent auditor issued an “unmodified” or clean opinion and found no material weaknesses, no significant deficiencies and no compliance shortcomings in financial statements and federal programs.

The unmodified opinion, issued by independent auditor Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P., is the highest that an independent auditor can issue regarding a set of financial statements or federal programs. The district has achieved this result annually from Fiscal Year 2019 through Fiscal Year 2023.

“This is an excellent result for the district,” said Chief Financial Officer Tamika Alford-Stephens. “It indicates to stakeholders that they can rely on the district’s financial reporting and be assured that the district has strong internal controls and is a good steward of public funds.”

The audit is done each year to comply with state law. Dallas ISD prepares a comprehensive annual financial report and has its fiscal accounts, the report, and its federal programs audited by the independent auditor. The auditor issues opinions on the report and the district’s federal programs for the benefit of stakeholders such as the Board of Trustees, the public, bondholders, and state and federal agencies that need assurance that the district’s financial reporting is accurate and reliable and that it has complied with federal program requirements.

During its regularly scheduled monthly briefing starting at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7, the Board of Trustees will hear a report of the district’s Environmental Education Center, which is  a 500-acre academic facility located in Seagoville.

The center provides professional development for teachers as well as field trips for students and events for families through its nature trails, 26,000-sq. ft. facility with interactive exhibits, 70-seat ecology theater, four science laboratories, live animals laboratory, working barn with a variety of livestock, and astronomical observatory. More than 30,000 students and families were served in through EEC programs and services during the 2022-2023 school year. 

The board will also consider the renaming of Kennedy-Curry Middle School as well as taking possible action on authorizing, negotiating and entering into agreements with a recommended pool of vendors for psychiatric services for students districtwide. 

The demand for mental health services has risen over the years, which has created a need for additional psychiatry services. The addition of the 13th Youth & Family Center in the Southern sector of Dallas will generate an increase in psychiatric care. The need for mental health services more than doubled in the 2022-2023 school year leading to an increase in psychiatry services for Dallas ISD students.

The Beat has interviewed Master Teachers across the district to share their stories and introspections about their careers, including tips for teaching. Meet Master Teacher Chantrelle Lovett-Andrews.

Chantrelle Lovett-Andrews, a designated Master Teacher at Umphrey Lee Elementary, was born and raised in Fort Worth. She ended up working for Dallas ISD after attending a job fair in July 2002 where she was hired on the spot by Principal Rachel George at Julia C. Frazier Elementary School.

She is now in her 22nd year at Dallas ISD with a total of 27 years in education and said she credits her educational journey to her mother.  

What drew you to education? 

My mother will tell you that I have been a teacher since I was a toddler. During childhood, my pretend play was teaching my two younger brothers everything I knew even if it wasn’t right. She and my dad still give me a daily “I told you so” reminder that they knew I was going to be a teacher when I grew up. I never thought of being an educator. My mind was set on becoming a juvenile probation officer so I could be a changemaker. While pursuing my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, my mother always suggested that I take education courses as my electives, but I didn’t listen. Everyone deserves a second chance, and I wanted to be an avenue to help guide children back on the right path so they could have a brighter future. 

But, of course, what you plan for your life is not always God’s plan. Due to a hiring freeze after graduation, I was unable to begin my journey. My mom suggested that I apply to become a substitute teacher. I took her advice and became a substitute teacher. That was 29 years ago. I worked as a permanent substitute in Fort Worth ISD for two years before starting my lifelong career as an educator. I guess the saying is true: mother always knows best!

How are you creating opportunities for students?

I believe all children can learn no matter what label has been placed upon them by physicians, parents, evaluations, or assessments. What good is it for you to believe children can learn if you don’t teach them like they can? If you teach every child everything and expect them to learn it, then they will achieve it. I am a professional educator who believes that we need to further our children’s educational abilities to be successful, opportunities for academic excellence exist, and student achievement is based on accomplishment and productivity.

What is your best teaching tip? 

Don’t talk, act. Don’t say, show. Don’t promise, prove. Every move you make, do it from the heart and for the kids with passion! While at the district’s CILT training this summer, our illustrious associate superintendent for Region IV, Tanya Shelton, told us, “Your path is harder because your calling is higher!” That statement will forever be etched in my brain.

What would your students be surprised to find out about you?

I was a troop leader for the Boy Scouts of America.

What inspires you the most about being an educator?  

Being an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher motivates me to go the extra mile to ensure our students with disabilities receive as rigorous an educational experience as their peers. Children appreciate you more when they know you genuinely care about them and want to see them be successful. It makes me proud when a parent of a previous student contacts me to thank me for everything I did for their child and gives me credit for the extraordinary gains he/she is continuing to make years after leaving my classroom. It confirms that I am impacting lives and making a difference. My calling is to instill a positive change in the lives of our children so that they will become productive citizens.

The translators and interpreters of the district’s Translations Services Department help schools make meaningful connections with families every day by bridging the language gap, but since 2017, the department’s tutors are helping students make important connections by providing academic support in languages other than English and Spanish.

Translation Services Department offers document translation and interpretation during meetings, as well as services through the interpreter hotline and academic support in Arabic, Burmese, Chin, Kirundi, Swahili, and, recently, Pashto. The academic support offered through the tutors in these six languages is offered at no cost to the school.

Every day, over 80 languages are spoken in schools throughout Dallas ISD. According to data from the home language surveys collected by schools during enrollment, the top five languages for the district are Spanish, English, Swahili, Amharic, and Arabic.

“Given the number of newcomer students from various countries, these types of services are important,” said Adriana Saucedo, director for the Translation Services Department. “Not only do the tutors provide academic support to contribute to student success, they also serve as a bridge of communication between the families.” 

The tutors also help newcomer students adapt to what could be the first time they are exposed to a school structure or schedule as well as a new environment, which can be overwhelming at first, Saucedo said. On top of that, there’s a language barrier. 

“Having a team in our district that is able to communicate with the student directly, is almost like a relief for the student, to know that there’s somebody there to help make the transition smoother,” Saucedo said. 

For example, the tutors often provide support at the school by serving as interpreters, assisting the school in connecting families to community resources, or talking to them about successes and/or challenges the student may be experiencing. 

While the tutor might not be at the school everyday, the school coordinates with Translation Services to determine which days work best for the school and the tutor.

To inquire about how to bring these free services to your school, schools can contact Desi Mier, who oversees the program, at 972-925-5882 or at dmier@dallasisd.org. You can also visit the Translation Services Department for more information at https://www.dallasisd.org/translationservices.

As the district begins planning for the busy spring semester, it’s important to avoid conflicts, and the best way to do it is to make sure that big events that affect several schools or departments are included in the Districtwide Datebook. This online calendar is the chief means of scheduling districtwide activities and keeping everyone up-to-date on major happenings around the district.

The Districtwide Datebook can be found at https://www.dallasisd.org/datebook. Placing your department’s major events on the datebook will help others avoid booking events on the same date. Departments who already have scheduled dates for events and activities on their online calendars in the district’s website are encouraged to push them to the datebook as soon as possible.

Department directors and administrative assistants are asked to update their department calendars (when available) and the districtwide datebook by following the steps below. If your department has a calendar on the district’s website, post your events there with the following information:

• the name of the event or activity
• a short description of the event
• the start and end time
• the venue name and address of the event location
• a department contact person and phone number or email address

If you need help pushing an event from your department calendar to the districtwide datebook, send an email to webservices@dallasisd.org.

What events should be included in the datebook? The datebook is only for events that involve (or are of interest to) the entire school district or large sections of it. For example: STEM Day, Discover Dallas ISD, MLK Oratory Competition, districtwide principal meetings, recognition events and opportunities, job fairs, flu clinics, retirement seminars, districtwide trainings, etc. 

Departments that do not have a website-based calendar can add districtwide events to the datebook by visiting www.dallasisd.org/datebook and clicking on the form to submit the required information. 

For questions about adding items to the Districtwide Datebook of the district’s main calendar, send an email to staffnews@dallasisd.org.

With all the excitement and feelings of generosity that the season engenders, it’s easy to overspend and find yourself facing big bills in the new year, which can affect your mental health by creating stress you don’t need. The key to keeping holiday spending under control is budgeting. Below you’ll find tips for celebrating while setting and sticking to a holiday budget.

Setting a holiday budget

Preparation is key to getting holiday expenses under control. There are four main areas in which most people spend: gifts, entertaining, travel, and decorating. And each of these areas comes with hidden expenses. Knowing in advance what your commitments are and how much you can spend in each area will help you make better decisions and look for creative solutions. Keep in mind that there are often hidden costs beyond the price of a product. For example, gift-giving costs can be much when you consider the cost of wrapping and shipping gifts.

Make a gift list. Take the time to make a list of everyone for whom you’d like to buy gifts. Include teachers, mail carriers, co-workers, newspaper delivery people, and anyone else you may give a gift to. Next, consider your list. Are there people who could receive a card rather than a gift? Finally, set a price limit on each gift. For example, you might decide that you’ll set a $30 limit on immediate family members, $20 on children in your family, and $10 on acquaintances like co-workers or teachers. Don’t forget to include the cost of wrapping paper and shipping.

Plan your entertainment. Are you going out to a party and need to bring a dish? Are you having a party? Are you hosting the family dinner? Many people forget to factor in the cost of holiday entertaining, and those costs can quickly add up. Try to think of ways in which you can cut back in this category. For example, if you are hosting the holiday dinner, ask family members to contribute a dish to your holiday meal instead of supplying all the food yourself.

Map out your travel. If you’ll be traveling during the holidays, even if it’s by car, be sure to include these costs in your budget. 

Decking the halls. Decorating can add up even when you are using previous years’ elements, but planning ahead can help you decide how big you want to go and if that extra reindeer for the yard is worth the cost. 

Add up the estimates from all four areas. If the total amount is more than you can afford, go back to your lists and see where you can cut back. If you find you can’t cut out anything else, we have some tips below that can help you save.

Ways to spend less

Don’t blow your budget. Remember that you can still celebrate and show your loved ones you care within your budget. The best gifts are those chosen with an eye toward what’s personal and meaningful to the recipient. These kinds of gifts don’t have to cost a lot.

Set expectations with friends and family. If you’re worried about finances this holiday season, talk about it with friends and family. Let them know if you’ll be cutting back on the number of gifts or how much you plan to spend. This is especially important for children, who often have unrealistic expectations about gifts and don’t fully understand the cost factors. Discuss having a gift exchange for adults and setting a limit on the price. 

Make a shopping plan. If you are able to plan a trip to brick-and-mortar stores, don’t head out without a specific list of gift ideas and price limits. This is how you end up spending more than you budgeted for. Look through catalogs or websites for ideas and develop a list before you add it to your cart.

Look for bargains. Take the time to look for ways to save money on decorations and gifts. Consider buying items during the post-holiday sale season and put them away for next year. Try to buy several things from one Internet site to save money on shipping, or better yet, look for sites that offer free shipping. Comparison shop using the fliers that come in the weekend papers to find the best deal around or use sites like the Google shopping site, Pricegrabber, or Honey. Consider buying gifts on sites like eBay or Overstock, both of which offer many new, high quality items at discount prices.

Cut back on mailing expenses. If you always send boxes of gifts or holiday cards to loved ones far away, think of ways to save on or eliminate shipping costs this year. Buy magazine subscriptions or send online gift certificates instead of shipping gifts. Send holiday postcards or even e-cards instead of regular cards. If you’ve already bought cards, save the leftovers for next year. And be sure to mail things early so you don’t have to pay extra for fast shipping.

Keep it simple. Focus on enjoying the simple pleasures of the holiday season, like spending quiet time with family or taking a walk to see the holiday decorations in your neighborhood. These kinds of activities often capture the spirit of the season better than expensive gifts or elaborate celebrations.

Use your credit card wisely. Finally, be very careful about using your credit card to pay for holiday expenses. Don’t use your card unless you know you can pay it off right away. If possible, use a card that doesn’t already carry a balance. Remember, buying a sweater on sale with a credit card and making monthly payments could end up costing double the price. You don’t want to start the new year off with an oversized credit card bill.

Source: Lifeworks

If you need additional support with managing debt and mental health, take advantage of Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by LifeWorks, which is free for employees, 100 percent confidential, and available to all employees and their dependents. 

Sessions through the EAP are available by phone, virtual, and in person. Employees can also find tips, articles, self-assessments, and topical features focusing on specific EAP resources available through the EAP smart App.

To start on your wellness journey please visit dallasisd.lifeworks.com or reach out to the EAP by calling 972-925-4000 and selecting option 3 for EAP.