Staff News

Two tournaments, two Saturdays, and one school filled with excitement and suspense as almost 2,000 Dallas ISD elementary and secondary students competed against each other in the fall chess tournaments hosted recently by the Student Activities Department at the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy at A. Maceo Smith. 

The secondary chess tournament in October kicked off the first of two Saturday tournaments with 665 students from 72 middle and high school campuses ready to play the strategy game of chess.

Students were able to play multiple rounds of chess, paired with different opponents, based on their wins and losses after each game. Different strategies were used throughout the tournament, and the winners came home with a gold, silver, or bronze medal.

Even though the king’s pawn is the most popular opening move in chess, Christian de Santiago from H. Grady Spruce High School said he prefers the second most popular opening move. “I like to use the queen’s pawn opening to get most of my pieces free,” the bronze medal winner said about his strategy. “This lets me get a lot of my pieces out on the board and control the game.”

On the other hand, Diego Galvan from Trinity Heights Talented and Gifted said playing fast is his strategy. “I like to play a fast-paced game, predicting future moves and not giving my opponent time to think too much before their next move,” said the gold medal winner.

“Students came ready to use what they have learned from previous years as they played each game,” said Tyne Thompson, coach at South Oak Cliff High. “My students are eager to compete and learn from their opponents, while also sharing their knowledge and love for the game,” Thompson added.

Following the secondary tournament, students in kindergarten through fifth grade had the opportunity to compete in the elementary chess tournament, held in early November. This was the first year that kindergarten through second grade students were invited to compete in the districtwide chess program. Shattering attendance records, 1,265 students from 103 schools attended the elementary chess tournament at Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy at A. Maceo Smith. 

For many, it was their first time participating in an in-person competition. “It was cool to see all the chess boards set up to play in one room,” said Lucie Tims, a fifth grader from Alex Sanger Preparatory School. More than 600 chess boards had been set up the previous night, spread across two gyms and the cafeteria, to be able to accommodate all the students who competed in the tournament.  

At the end of the secondary tournament, 30 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 87 bronze medals were awarded to the sixth through twelfth grade students who competed that day.

At the end of the elementary tournament, 103 gold medals, 80 silver medals, and 300 bronze medals were awarded to the kindergarten through fifth grade students.

Each school participating in the districtwide chess program receives chess boards and pieces as well as Chesskid.com gold memberships, allowing students to play with peers at their campuses. The Spring chess tournaments for secondary and elementary schools are scheduled for April 15, 2023, and May 6, 2023.

Even if you are not planning to retire soon, it’s always a good idea to know what to expect and how to prepare so your retirement years can be all that you hoped for. Dallas ISD is here to help with a series of webinars hosted by the Benefits Department and the Dallas Retired Teachers Association.

The webinars will take place virtually on designated Tuesdays and last about an hour. They will include updates, information on steps to take to prepare, resources, and tips on topics like medical insurance. Representatives from both groups will answer questions. 

Click on your preferred date and time to register to attend. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to join.

Jan. 10 • 5 p.m. 

Jan. 17 • noon

Feb. 14 • 5 p.m. 

Feb. 21 • noon

March 7 • 5 p.m. 

When Vicky Ramirez, a fourth grade bilingual teacher at Hogg New Tech Center, is not busy mentoring two fellow teachers, leading a UIL chess club during lunch or supporting fourth- and fifth-grade robotics teams, she can be found instilling real-world lessons that will last her students a lifetime. 

Hogg New Tech Center is a project-based learning school, so Ramirez is always looking for new ways to help her students make connections to themselves and to the world around them. So when her class began a unit on reducing, reusing and recycling last spring, she encouraged her students to dig deeper into the material. 

They realized they could easily reuse their clothes and hosted a fashion show, and then Ramirez challenged them further with a simple question. 

“The conversation got started, and I know at the time, I was seeing some students who did not have the right uniforms,” Ramirez said. “Twice a year at home, I go through my kids’ closets, and we take out bags. My mom is from Mexico, so we send those clothes to Mexico to people who really need them. I thought about it and told my students, ‘We see that students don’t have uniforms. What can we do?’” 

Together, they started a collection drive for uniforms, giving students across campus the incentive of a free dress pass. By May of 2022, they had collected five giant trash bags of clothes in a variety of sizes, and a group of students had approached Ramirez to ask if they could form a club dedicated to helping their school community. 

Of course, Ramirez said yes. She and her family members took the clothes to a laundromat over the summer, sorted them by size and added everything to Hogg’s uniform closet. They were ready to go by “meet the teacher” night in August, just in time for a new family to ask for the uniforms their student needed. 

“They came up to me as I was in the middle of greeting parents,” Ramirez said. “That moment brought me immense joy. We were able to help a family! Knowing they had one less thing to worry about made the extra work worth it.”

Her students have been just as excited to contribute. The members of the new club are helping Ramirez keep the uniform closet running and plan to go around asking if anyone needs a new uniform once a month. 

“At first, I worried that students might be embarrassed to ask for a uniform, but Hogg has created a positive environment where we teach our students to ask for help,” Ramirez said. “Our students were also excited to extend our PBL into a real-life application, as reusing items in good condition will leave a positive footprint for generations ahead. The best part is that we are reducing the amount of waste in landfills.”

Moving forward, Ramirez said she hopes to do everything she can to improve her skills and continue transforming student lives. With 13 years of teaching under her belt, she is currently working on her master’s degree in curriculum and mathematics, which she will earn in May.

Her ultimate goal is clear: “I want to create opportunities that empower our students to be the positive change they want to see in the world.”

Families are a key component in educating all students for success, and Dallas ISD is dedicated to equipping them with the tools they need to help their students thrive. The Parents Advocating for Student Excellence (PASE) program was designed to do just that by giving families the opportunity to participate in a nine-week course that teaches parents how to take an active role in the academic success of their children. 

Campuses around the district have used the PASE program before, but Leslie Swann, director in the Graduation, Recovery, Attendance, Advocacy and Dropout Intervention, said PASE expanded during the 2021-2022 school year thanks to federal dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund to support families involved in Phoenix 2.0—a new accelerated graduation program that prepares high school-aged middle school students to enter high school. 

ESSER funds were allocated for two years to provide PASE to families participating in the Phoenix 2.0 Program. Final approval was granted for participation again during the 2022-2023 school year with a virtual edition as well as in-person sessions hosted at Phoenix 2.0-Spruce. The ESSER funds will go to The Concilio, the outside vendor that conducts the PASE program on behalf of Dallas ISD. 

The Concilio has been an ally and champion for the Latino community in North Texas since its founding in 1981, serving over 80,000 individuals with its education and health programming and over 220,000 via its community outreach campaigns. The Concilio’s mission is to provide families equitable access to resources and opportunities to break the cycle of poverty through resources like the PASE program. 

In 2021 alone, The Concilio reported that its parent engagement programming served 1,228 individuals, with 75 percent of parent graduates increasing their comfort level in talking to their children about their expectations for their education and 77 percent of parent graduates increasing their confidence that their children will attend college.  

“We feel that parents in Dallas ISD have been able to learn some of the skills and feel very comfortable asking questions,” Swann said. “At the eighth grade level, there are several options for high school, so they need to be comfortable asking those questions. Our goal is to build capacity with our families; we want to make sure they understand that we are here for them.” 

Some parents believe that if they do not know how to help their child with homework, they cannot be helpful, but PASE teaches them several other ways to get involved. Checking in with their students and monitoring their progress on various assignments can make a world of difference. Parents are also encouraged to attend parent-teacher conferences, understand and advocate for their children’s needs and be their future graduates’ biggest cheerleaders. 

“Student success is a partnership between home and school,” Swann said. “If students see that, it’s a win, because they know that we’re all on the same page trying to support them and push them toward that ultimate finish line of earning their high school diploma.” 

Swann said about 10-15 percent of Phoenix 2.0 families are participating in PASE so far. The goal moving forward is to increase that number, expanding the overall impact of the program through PASE itself and through its graduates. 

The families who graduate from PASE are empowered to share their newfound knowledge with their social networks, organically augmenting parents’ confidence and skills across the district. 

“There is strength in numbers,” Swann said. “Together, we can advance the district’s mission of educating all students for success. We want the parents to feel that way, too. It’s a joint effort.” 

Dallas ISD has many unsung team members working behind the scenes to make sure that district facilities are safe. Edgar Chavez, a pest control technician in the Environment, Health, and Safety Department is among them. 

“Making sure that schools are safe is the priority,“ said Chavez. 

Taking care of pests in district facilities provides Chavez and his coworkers with a variety of experiences. They can be found treating grounds for ants and wasps and other unwanted insects, removing wild animals from underneath the schools, or saving kittens stuck inside a wall, Chavez said. 

Chavez, who has worked six years for the district, believes in catering to the needs of his clients while always observing regulations and safety standards. It was his customer service that has led to Chavez being recognized as Employee of the Month by his department twice this year. 

“Mr. Chavez exemplifies many of the traits that make the Environmental Health and Safety Department great,” said Gregory Shortes, a department manager. “With the Core 4 in mind, Mr. Chavez is always customer focused and willing to help. What won him team member of the month was his willingness to go above and beyond. Whenever his assigned work orders are complete, he is quick to offer his assistance to his fellow team members.” 

Chavez admits that helping others is one of the most rewarding things about his job, as he has the opportunity to work with custodians and maintenance staff from the thirty or so schools he serves. The friendships and camaraderie that he has developed are invaluable to him. 

Another aspect of his job that he enjoys is the science of it, such as learning about animals and insects in order to learn how to treat them effectively.

“For example, there’s a type of feral ant, that if you spray it, you can make the problem bigger. You have to know what you’re doing to come up with a good solution for it,” Chavez said.

Maintenance Supervisor Michael Downum recognizes the initiative Chavez takes to learn new things: “Edgar is a hard worker. He strives to learn new things and helps people when he can. I’m glad he is on our team!” 

Outside of work, Chavez counts bike riding and reading among his passions. He is currently taking software classes to design apps and enjoys anything that challenges him. 

Happy New Year to all! After what should have been a restful winter break, we are excited for the spring semester and for continuing to educate all students for success.

For anyone still needing inspiration, these words of wisdom and encouragement might help: 

• “Every year you make a resolution to change yourself. This year, make a resolution to be yourself.” —Unknown 
• “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called ‘Opportunity’ and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” —Edith Lovejoy Pierce
• “In order to be successful in the new year, stay focused, develop a positive attitude and be passionate with your dreams.” —Bamigboye Olurotimi
• “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “New year is the glittering light to brighten the dream-lined pathway of future.” —Munia Khan
• “Any new beginning is forged from the shards of the past, not from the abandonment of the past.” —Craig D. Lounsbrough
• “You can get excited about the future. The past won’t mind.” —Hillary DePiano
• “I hope you realize that every day is a fresh start for you. That every sunrise is a new chapter in your life waiting to be written.” —Juansen Dizon
• “Enter this new year with a gratitude for this new chance to create your dreams.” —Avina Celeste
• “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

If you or anyone you know is struggling, help is available through Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program by LifeWorks. The confidential, secure online platform has on-call counselors available 24 hours a day, as well as practical tips on subjects like setting social media boundaries for your kids, finding happiness, avoiding family conflict and more. 

Reach out to LifeWorks at (972) 925-4000, or visit www.dallasisd.org/benefits and click on Benefits Resources to access online EAP information. 

When Monique Jackson was preparing to teach her third-grade math students at Stevens Park Elementary School about division, she wanted them not only to learn division, but also to understand what division was. Knowing her students were into music, specifically tik tok, Jackson wasted no time writing a song about division to engage her students. 

“On the first day that I taught them division, I told them that I wrote a song for them,” Jackson said. “I literally wrote it from scratch. I used the instrumental to the song ‘I’m Different’ by 2 Chainz and they were super pumped. The reason I did it was because I wanted to engage them with something that was cool, fun and would hype them up for a new unit of learning, which was division.” 

The results went above and beyond Jackson’s expectations.  

“Because of the song, if you go up to any of my students and you ask them what division is, they will answer the problem with the total given. They rap the lyrics,” she said. 

Omar Feliciano, principal at Stevens Park Elementary, acknowledges the great work that Jackson is doing. 

“Who doesn’t want to learn math in an exciting way, with a teacher who is creative, caring and innovating?! Our third graders have a great time in Mrs. Jackson’s math class every day because she consistently thinks about how they feel, what they like and what they need to know in order to gain their trust, engagement and ownership of their learning,” he said. 

The impact of Jackson’s work has extended beyond her classroom as her rap song about division has gained popularity with students of different great levels. 

“Fifth graders to Pre-K students will see me in the hallway and say ‘hey Mrs. Jackson, I heard you’ve been rapping.’ Parents have come up to me and have told me they play it on the way to school,” Jackson said. 

Jackson doesn’t plan to stop with the rap song about division. She has become a Dallas ISD celebrity and is often asked when her next single will drop. She already has another math rap song about fractions. To see Jackson’s video on division, click here.

As far as what Jackson hopes for her students, she often uses words like college bound to instill those expectations at an early age. “I’m very passionate about growing future leaders and I look beyond the classroom and look at my students as a whole. I want them to grow to be genuine, confident, kind human beings in life. I try to not only teach them math, but teach them things like respect for oneself and others,” said Jackson. 

“Mrs. Jackson’s original rap song is just a small part of how she leads her classroom, it is an absolute joy and blessing to have teachers like her at Stevens Park Elementary. Her third graders are going places, and so is she,” said Feliciano.

The holidays are a great time to bring friends and family together to practice gratitude, enjoy favorite traditions and strengthen bonds. While developing positive relationships can be complicated, having them has also proven to contribute to decreased stress and enhanced healing. Strong relationships can also promote healthier behaviors and give people a stronger sense of purpose. 

Positive relationships are ones where any two (or more) people encourage and support one another, both practically and emotionally. While family relationships can be complicated, you can put intentional practices in place to strengthen those ties this holiday season. 

Identify what gives you meaning

Even within one family unit, people may have different values and belief systems, so take some time to identify what your loved ones find most important during the holiday season. You can do this by having everyone write down their favorite traditions or talk about why certain rituals or practices make them feel valued or loved. 

A tradition can be as simple as baking a favorite dessert or singing a specific song. If you get stuck, ask yourself what makes you feel connected, how you like to express your love for family and how you would prefer to have fun as a group.

Spend meaningful time together

It can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of the holiday season, whether it’s going to the grocery store one more time or working hard to find a great gift, so make it a goal to schedule quality time with your loved ones. Some ideas include: 

• Going for a walk in your neighborhood or enjoying another outdoor activity. 
• Cooking or baking a holiday staple as a group, with someone different choosing the recipe, heading to the store, preparing the ingredients and putting everything together. 
• Form your own caroling group and sing along to your favorite songs in a park or in the comfort of your living room. 
• Participate in a clothing, toy or food drive to give back to your community and honor some of the values you share. 
• Call an animal shelter and see how you can volunteer, especially if you have children who love animals. 
• Attend a holiday concert, tree lighting or recital, taking care to review the options as a family and trying one that sounds most interesting to everyone. 
• Gather around a fireplace or the dinner table to share your favorite memories with each other.

Show how you feel  

Make it a point to express your love for your family, whether it is through meaningful gifts, words or acts of service. By doing so, you will remind your loved ones that they are what is most important to you and that you can enjoy time together whether your holiday budget is large or small. 

If you find yourself in need of additional support over winter break, help is available through Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program by LifeWorks. The confidential, secure platform has countless resources online for free. From 24/7 on-call counselors to practical tips on subjects like relaxation tips and mindfulness exercises to help manage stress, employees can find what they need, when they need it. 

Reach out to LifeWorks at (972) 925-4000, or visit www.dallasisd.org/benefits and click on Benefits Resources to access online EAP information. 

Sources: Northwestern Medicine and Lifeworks 

Dallas ISD implemented numerous strategies to support employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.  One such strategy was the conversion of the federally-legislated Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provided paid leave for those suffering from COVID, to a local leave administered by the Benefits Department in December of 2020. Dallas ISD was the only district in the state to convert the FFCRA leave to a local leave to continue to support employees.

Through the course of the pandemic, the district aligned its response strategies and timelines to the CDC and Dallas County. These strategies included the mask mandate, social distancing, and periods of time in which an employee may quarantine or be eligible for Emergency Paid Sick Leave.

While EPSL was an absolute necessity during the pandemic, as of Aug. 19, President Joe Biden declared the COVID pandemic over. Furthermore, Dallas ISD positive cases are in line with what is being reported for Dallas County. Cases peaked the week of Sept. 8 with a combined total of 121 cases and have been on the decline since.

The COVID-related EPSL will end as of Jan. 5, 2023. With 84% of district personnel vaccinated, and the readily available booster vaccines, COVID-19 should be treated as an annualized, seasonal illness similar to the flu. For illness for any reason, employees may use PTO as needed or avail themselves of other resources available through the Benefits Department such as FML or general medical leaves of absence.