Are you new to the district, haven’t had your headshot taken before, or simply in need of an updated headshot? Now is your opportunity. Signups for the quarterly headshot session are now open.
In an effort to meet the growing photography needs of the district, the district’s photographer will offer a professional headshot week with two dates available per calendar quarter. The quarterly sessions will be the only times available for headshots, so don’t miss this opportunity.
Dallas ISD team members are invited to sign up for the upcoming professional headshot sessions on Monday, Nov. 18, or Tuesday, Nov. 19. Hurry, as spots are limited and fill up fast.
The photo sessions will take place at the Linus D. Wright Central Administration Building, 9400 N. Central Expressway, on the 12th floor, suite 1200. The photo will only take a few minutes.
Who can sign up:
Central team members
Campus principals
Executive directors
Associate superintendents
Chiefs and deputy chiefs
Board of Trustees
The district photographer is unable to photograph team members in group photos or accommodate any on-location requests of headshots outside of the scheduled times.
Having a photo taken can be stressful for some. The district photographer will take great care to help you look your best by helping you pose, selecting your best headshot, and providing basic retouching on the finished image.
Reserve your spot for the quarter three session by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13. Additional instructions will be emailed to those who sign up a few days ahead of the session.
As a measure to continue enhancing the district’s cybersecurity, starting during the Thanksgiving break and continuing through winter break, Educational Technology will be deleting any SharePoint sites that have not been used in over a year.
Team members who have important documents or information in SharePoint sites that they have not used recently should access them before the break to avoid deletion or to move these documents and information to another location, such as a Google drive.
Veterans Day is celebrated on Nov. 11 to honor all veterans of the U.S. armed forces. Dereck Enderle, who is a veteran as well as an agricultural science teacher and campus military liaison at Seagoville High School, reminds everyone that honoring veterans also means honoring and remembering their families. He writes about Military Family Month.
November is also recognized as Military Family Month, a time to celebrate and honor the strength, resilience, and sacrifices of military families across the nation. These families play a vital role in supporting our service members, often facing unique challenges and uncertainties that come with military life.
The sacrifices made by military families are significant. Frequent relocations, long separations during deployments, and the constant adjustment to new environments can take a toll. Despite these challenges, military families demonstrate remarkable adaptability and courage, embodying the spirit of service and commitment.
During Military Family Month, communities, organizations, and individuals are encouraged to acknowledge and support the needs of military families. This can include hosting events, providing resources, or simply expressing gratitude for their service. Initiatives like family support programs, counseling services, and community outreach can make a meaningful difference in their lives.
As we honor Military Family Month, let us remember the families behind the uniforms. Their strength and sacrifices deserve our recognition and support, not just in November, but year-round. By coming together to uplift military families, we can foster a stronger, more supportive community for those who serve our country.
Substitute teachers play a vital role in the daily work of educating all students for success, and their efforts are recognized during Substitute Educators Day on Nov. 22.
Whether they are retired teachers or those who have an interest in education, substitutes provide a critical link in the education of children in public schools by stepping in when a regular classroom teacher is absent to provide continued quality education to children on a temporary basis.
Please, use this form to nominate an amazing substitute that has a special love for teaching, is planning to become a teacher, or is a retired teacher with a remarkable story. Nominations will be accepted through Nov. 11. Dallas ISD’s Substitute Office will review nominations and one or more may be featured in The Beat.
And don’t forget to thank and celebrate the substitutes at your school the week of Nov. 18 and, especially, on Nov. 22.
National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated each year in November. It is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation.
One of the most prominent Native Americans today is Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. She is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican.
Haaland grew up in a military family; her father was a 30-year combat Marine who was awarded the Silver Star Medal for saving six lives in Vietnam, and her mother was a Navy veteran who served as a federal employee for 25 years at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She attended 13 public schools before graduating from Highland High School in Albuquerque.
As a single mother, Haaland struggled to put herself through college. At the age of 28, she enrolled at the University of New Mexico where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. Later, she earned her J.D. from UNM Law School. Haaland ran her own small business producing and canning Pueblo Salsa, served as a tribal administrator at San Felipe Pueblo, and became the first woman elected to the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors, overseeing business operations of the second largest tribal gaming enterprise in New Mexico. She successfully advocated for the Laguna Development Corporation to create policies and commitments to environmentally friendly business practices.
Haaland is one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress where she focused on environmental justice, climate change, missing and murdered indigenous women, and family-friendly policies.
Are there any Native American team members or traditions you would like to see featured in The Beat during November? Email us at staffnews@dallasisd.org.
Life has come full circle for Diana Nuñez, who attended Dallas ISD magnet schools, since she was appointed executive director in the Office of Transformation and Innovation over the One Centers, which handle the application process for the district’s more than 100 specialty schools and programs.
“My brothers and sisters, we all went through the academy and magnet system,” she said. “My children attended [George Bannerman] Dealey and [William B.] Travis, so I understand the parent side of things in a unique way.”
Her personal experience will be helpful because Nuñez has had to hit the ground running since starting in her new position at the end of September because the districtwide event—Discover Dallas ISD—that kicks off the application window for the 2025-2026 school year takes place Nov. 9 at Fair Park. Nuñez said she is fortunate to have a great team in place that is outstanding at collaboration, takes ownership and has supported her during the transition into the new role.
“I am so excited to collaborate with the community for Discover,” Nuñez said. “We have registrars ready to help parents fill out applications, and principals ready to highlight their schools.”
Nuñez is also excited about a new feature in this year’s Discover—the inclusion of legacy schools, which are the schools within students’ attendance zones. All these schools will be at the event so families can explore the opportunities they have to offer from elementary through high school and fill out a transfer application if they are interested, Nuñez said.
“By having the legacy schools also at the event, we are bringing back pride, tradition, connection with the community, connection with the families to show them they can come back to their roots and find opportunities,” she said.
Nuñez is finding her own opportunities in her new role. After 25 years in the district, she is working in a new side of school administration. After being a teacher, she worked as a principal at Arcadia Park Elementary School, Dallas Environmental Science Academy and W.H. Adamson High School before becoming an executive director over the W.W. Samuell and Seagoville elementary schools and then the Seagoville vertical team.
For Nuñez, who earned a doctorate in 2022 and holds a superintendent’s certification, helping families find the best fit education for their children and enrolling them in Dallas ISD gives her the chance to lead districtwide systems and use the skills she gained working in all levels of School Leadership in new ways.
Recently, she helped a parent submit paperwork by reaching out to the campus and giving the executive director for that school a heads up about the issue, she said. They got the issue resolved quickly because she knew who to contact and what steps to take from her time as a principal and as an executive director.
“I still get to interact with schools in a different way but also with parents, helping them navigate the process,” she said. “It’s a blessing to be able to help and have the insight to be of help.”
Cybersecurity is a topic that affects everyone at work and in our personal lives. Being aware of what is in your inbox and not clicking on emails without making sure they are legitimate. Here are some helpful tips:
At work, report emails that you don’t recognize, expected to receive or seem like phishing by creating a ServiceNow ticket. Always verify the sender’s email address in case of impersonation before taking any action.
Use strong passwords for all your accounts, including your Dallas ISD accounts. Never use the same password for your personal and work accounts.
If you receive a DUO MFA request that you did not request, report it as fraudulent by selecting the ‘deny’ option. If this happens continuously, deny the requests, and change your district portal password.
Shutting down your computer at the end of every week will help with receiving routine updates to your devices and software applications.
For all technology questions and concerns you should always reach out to members of the Dallas ISD EdTech department via the Help Desk at (972)-925-5630 or https://www.dallasisd.org/informationtechnology
The HCM Employee Experience team is accepting applications for the spring 2025 cohort of Foundations of Leadership for Aspiring Leaders, a leadership development program for central team members hosted in partnership with the Naveen Jindal School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas. The Foundations of Leadership program is a learning opportunity for aspiring Dallas ISD central team members in professional positions interested in growing their leadership capacity.
The cohort will engage in learning modules, discussions, and projects aligned to the central performance evaluation domains—Shaping Culture, Developing Talent, Driving Impact, and Engaging Stakeholders—and focused on the Leader of Others indicators.
Important information for prospective applicants:
This is a competitive application process, meaning applicants are not guaranteed a spot in the cohort. Please submit a complete and thorough application.
HCM will communicate with supervisors to request their support and partnership in the professional development journey of cohort members.
Cohort members will be expected to attend all four full-day sessions on The University of Texas at Dallas campus on the following dates:
Wednesday, Nov. 6 (2-3 p.m.)—Optional application open lab. The HCM Employee Experience team will host aTeams Open Lab to answer questions and provide support on the application process.
Wednesday, Nov. 13 (2-3 p.m.)—Optional application open lab. The HCM Employee Experience team will host aTeams Open Lab to answer questions and provide support on the application process.
Sunday, Nov, 17 (11:59 p.m.)—Application closes. All applicant materials must be submitted.
Friday, Dec. 6—Notification. HCM notifies all applicants of application status and next steps. Status will be “Accepted” or “Please Reapply.”
Please contact the HCM Employee Experience team at centralstaffpld@dallasisd.org for questions or comments.
A mentor is someone who allows you to see potential and restore the hope inside yourself, and that is what has led Gerardo Gonzalez Gomez, an instructional specialist in the Dual Language Department, and Isaac Nkurunziza, once his student, to collaborate in an organization that is making an impact on many lives.
Nkurunziza, who once was a student in Gonzalez Gomez’s ESL class at Bryan Adams High School, is studying to become a mechanical engineer, but he is not your typical college student. At 23 years old, he launched the Dream Nziza Foundation, whose mission is dedicated to empower children living in rural areas of Rwanda by helping them improve their English skills and ensuring they have access to important educational materials and uniforms they need to succeed. The foundation also makes sure children are nourished.
For a week this summer, a team of seven educators, which included Gonzalez Gomez, spent time teaching English at a small school in the village of Kanzenze, Rwanda.
“Beyond the classroom, we made a lasting impact through the foundation by providing the students with new uniforms, essential school supplies, and daily meals to support them throughout the upcoming school year,” said Gonzalez Gomez. “The experience was deeply gratifying and profoundly humbling.”
He added that he was taken aback the moment he first stepped into the classroom where he would be teaching.
“The heat was intense, a wasp nest clung to the ceiling, and the desks were old and worn and made from rough wood,” he said. “It was a stark contrast to the classrooms we’re used to in the United States.”
But as soon as he began teaching, all those concerns faded away. The students’ bright smiles and eagerness to learn drew him in completely, he said.
“This made me forget everything else as I immersed myself in the joy of teaching and connecting with them,” he said.
He was also moved by how the community took care of the teachers. Families would send the educators messages on WhatsApp asking if they had eaten or if they needed anything.
To watch a video of some of the highlights of the trip, visit here.
Gonzalez Gomez remembers when a young Nkurunziza first arrived in the district from Rwanda in 2017 and spoke no English. He said he has seen him grow into a determined scholar who is passionate about making a positive impact in the community.
As he learned more about the Dream Nziza’s Foundation’s goals and mission, Gonzalez Gomez felt more inspired to get involved.
“For me as an educator, it’s part of my nature to support others and make a difference in our communities,” he said.
“Mr. Gonzalez, he’s my hero,” Nkurunziza said. He credits Gonzalez Gomez with sparking in him the confidence to follow the direction of his dreams, including starting his foundation.
“You feel so good when you help others,” Nkurunziza said. He visited Rwanda in 2023 and funded the medical bills for 130 people. He said he was able to do this by working hard, sacrificing and using the money he made in his internship to pay for the medical bills of those in need.
“But the idea came after I got back from Rwanda, and I decided that I really wanted to show Mr. Gonzalez and my other friends here in America how my country has transformed from being the genocide country where horrors happened 30 years ago to where it is now,” Nkurunziza said. Now, Rwanda is one of the safest countries in Africa, and he said he wanted his friends like Gonzalez Gomez to learn from Africa but also teach from Africa.
Gonzalez Gomez called it a life changing experience. He said one of his favorite memories is when the students read the story called “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.” The students built small windmills as a way to fully engage in the reading, he said. Witnessing the joy that the students expressed in building and playing with the windmills was something Gonzalez Gomez shared in. Another memorable moment was when Nkurunziza invited his whole team and parents to join in the distribution of uniforms.
“It was the first time that I would say that all the students have worn uniforms, and their smiles were just radiating. Their families were just so grateful,” Gonzalez Gomez said.
Nkurunziza said that when he first set out planning the trip to Africa and recruiting the volunteer teachers, he didn’t know how much they were going to impact the community in Kanzeze, Rwanda.
He saw a shift in the mindset of the parents. He saw the parents using their resources to buy a notebook for their children, rather than spending it on something else.
“What surprised me is how much the parents are now dedicated to their sons and daughters reaching their education goals,” he said.
Nkurunziza and his team were able to help 300 students.
Nkurunziza said he will continue this work and is already planning to return to Rwanda with a group of educators next summer and continue to build a legacy as the program continues growing.
“If there’s anything that I’ve learned is that there’s going to come a time where I will not be on the face of this earth, but my memories, the people that I’ve restored hope in will have been worth the effort,” he said. “When you restore hope in a person, it’s priceless for me.”
In 1987 then President Ronald Reagan declared Oct. 28 through a presidential proclamation as National Immigrants Day to coincide with the 101st anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty from whose “beacon-hand/Glows world-wide welcome.” The proclamation reads “that welcome is America’s welcome, which has ever beckoned millions upon millions of courageous souls to this land of freedom, justice, and opportunity.”
In Dallas ISD, at least 102 languages are spoken in students’ and team members’ homes, the Translations Services Department provides interpretation for families in 11 of them, and this school year, the district welcomed almost 2,700 students who are new to the country.
“Our national celebration of Immigrants Day is a moving reminder to us that America is unique among the nations. We are the sons and daughters of every land across the face of the Earth, yet we are an indivisible Nation,” the proclamation reads. “We are one people, and we are one in that which drew our forebears here—the love of freedom’s Holy Light.”
Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation. 
Life has come full circle for Diana Nuñez, who attended Dallas ISD magnet schools, since she was appointed executive director in the Office of Transformation and Innovation over the One Centers, which handle the application process for the district’s more than 100 specialty schools and programs.
As he learned more about the Dream Nziza’s Foundation’s goals and mission, Gonzalez Gomez felt more inspired to get involved. 
