Staff News

Staff members at the  Margaret and Gilbert Herrera International Welcome Center are doing their part to bring joy to the families they serve through their Adopt a Family Program. This endeavor began in 2013 when staff members decided they wanted to do something to give back to the immigrant families they serve. 

“Adopt A Family is something we’ve done every year as a way to give back to our families, to make sure that we are supporting them with other needs throughout the year. The holidays are a great time to do that,” said Amanda Clymer, director at the Margaret and Gilbert Herrera International Welcome Center. 

“We serve all students and families who are new to the country,  who come through us for registration,  enrollment, language proficiency testing and other services,” she said.  This year, approximately 2,700 students and families have passed through the center’s doors. 

Each year staff members identify five families from different parts of the district. Representation from countries with the highest enrollment is taken into account.  

“This year, the families participating are  from Tanzania, Venezuela, Mexico, Afghanistan, and Honduras,” said Adriana Lopez, supervisor in the Dual Language ESL Department. 

“When we adopt a family, we adopt the whole family, which means anyone living in the house,” Clymer said. “Our team reaches out to the families, and we ask them each for a need and a want. A need is something  like shoes or a coat, and a want is something like a toy or a bike, for example. Every family member gets two gifts. We also collect gift cards within our team, and anyone in the district is welcome to donate a gift card. We then divide the gift cards up among the families.” 

Each year, the  gifts are delivered by staff members who dress up as Santa Claus and elves, while some staff members sing and play guitar, making it a festive occasion. This year,  the gifts will be delivered on Dec. 19.

“I’ve had the opportunity to go to the delivery for seven years, and it’s so rewarding to see the kids so excited and the families’ faces light up. It’s rewarding to see them so happy. That’s the most gratifying thing for me,” said Lopez.

It’s these caring efforts that have the Adopt A Family program grow each year, Clymer said. 

“We’re their first experience at Dallas ISD and we want it to be a welcoming one. We want our families to feel they can reach out to us to facilitate anything once they get to the campus. We have people that come visit us from Plano, Richardson and other areas because they have heard that we help,” Clymer added.

For anyone interested in donating a gift card to the Adopt a Family program, contact Diana Gonzalez, Dual Language ESL Parent Coordinator at dianagonzalez@dallasisd.org.

Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde recently met with almost 2,000 campus and central staff in a series of virtual talks to share comments she received during her entry survey and to answer questions.

In case you missed them, you can find the links to the Talks with the Superintendent in English and Spanish below. 

Dallas ISD Talks with the Superintendent – Central Administration – 11/30/22

https://live.myvrspot.com/iframe?v=OGEzYTM0N2ZjMDQ5ZDU5MTBjOTBjODJiNTkwMDY0NTA

Dallas ISD platica con la superintendente – Administración Central – 30 de noviembre de 2022

https://live.myvrspot.com/iframe?v=MjhmY2ExYjVlNjE3ZjFjNzE1ZWRjYWVkZGU4MDU5Mzc

Dallas ISD Talks with the Superintendent – Campus Staff – 11/30/22

https://live.myvrspot.com/iframe?v=NGIwZTAzZGE5N2FmZWE4N2E3ZjRhODY5MjY0MWM1ZDU

Dallas ISD platica con la superintendente – Personal Escolar – 30 de noviembre de 2022

https://live.myvrspot.com/iframe?v=YzkwNWI3YzU0Mjg3OTIyZDI5N2FmZGQ5MTQ0MmQ2MGU

School counselor Valiza Cameron-Patterson joined the team at Solar Preparatory School For Girls at James B. Bonham not long before a crisis. A beloved community member had passed away, leaving students, families and staff bereft. 

Cameron-Patterson dove in headfirst to help them process their grief and to build her counseling program from the ground up to provide daily social and emotional learning, cement strong relationships and give her school community the resources they needed to heal and be successful. 

Her hard work has helped transform student lives over the next few years and earned her recognition as a Texas School Counselor of the Year semifinalist. 

“I attended the conference my first year as a school counselor, and I remember thinking, ‘One day, that could be me,’” Cameron-Patterson said. “To be in the same room as counselors who have 15 or more years of experience was a big deal, especially when this was something that I had been working toward as I got my program off the ground.” 

Cameron-Patterson, who taught for five years and is now in her fifth year as a school counselor, first found out that she had been nominated for the award last March. When she heard, she said she felt “overjoyed.” 

“My mom has always said, ‘When you enter the world, you should be an asset to the world,’ and I felt being a school counselor was the best way to help,” Cameron-Patterson said. “I make sure that I am a part of every single student’s life here at Solar, because I want to be a part of their family.” 

Each day brings new challenges as Cameron-Patterson delivers guidance lessons, offers student and parent consultation sessions and manages crises, but she is up for the task. One of her goals moving forward is to research and implement additional social and emotional practices that specifically catered to the needs of middle school students. 

“Some people think school counselors are in the background, but the parents here know me by name,” Cameron-Patterson said. “When they see me in the hallway and say they need to call me, I say, ‘Let me call you.’ I just want to ensure that students feel seen and heard and so do their parents and teachers.”

Cameron-Patterson is proud to be among Dallas ISD’s 400+ school counselors as they work to sustain comprehensive programs that encourage social, emotional and academic growth while challenging students to become independent thinkers and responsible citizens. While she is excited to represent them as a semifinalist for Texas School Counselor of the Year, her commitment stems not from the accomplishment but from her passion to make the world a better place.

“Our students push us even as adults to be the fiercest females possible,” Cameron-Patterson said. “It’s nice to show them that even though we have made it into our career, we are all still striving for greatness.”

April Castillo, a fifth grade ELAR teacher at William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted, celebrated her students’ State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) results by letting some of them pie her in the face. She had promised all 88 of her students that they could, but only if they received a score of 100 on the test.

“I thought they would forget about it,” Castillo said. “I told them, ‘I’m not going to stress you out about it. You just have to do it on your own.’ But they came back once those scores were released, and I got pied in the face by 22 students who made 100—and I had to wear a Cowboys jersey because I’m a Tom Brady fan.”

But that was not all. Every single one of her students reached mastery on the STAAR test, up from her previous year’s accomplishment of 98 percent mastery. This is only Castillo’s fourth year teaching, and she has already earned the distinction of Campus Teacher of the Year. 

“April goes above and beyond,” Principal Tom Brandt said. “She also earned the highest Student Perception Survey results out of all our elementary school teachers and presented her strategies to our staff to start the school year. She recently sent two students down to the principal’s office with positive referrals. She is a rock star teacher.” 

Castillo was inspired to become an educator by her parents. Her mom worked as a teacher assistant in Dallas ISD for 25 years before retiring, while her dad is a custodial lead in the district who is planning to retire this year. They instilled a passion for education in Castillo that carried her through her own schooling at Dallas ISD and the Tech Teacher Program at Texas Tech before leading her back to the classroom. 

Her approach to teaching is all about building trust with her students and empowering them to guide their learning. She has done this by incorporating data practices, one-on-one conferences, student-led activities, independent pathways and more, always striving to be a facilitator and a cheerleader. 

“I had kids coming in who were approaching and were barely not meeting,” Castillo said. “Seeing them go from, ‘I’m not good at reading, I get zeros,’ to, ‘I got a 100,’ on everything was my absolute favorite part of last year.”

One of her units includes novel studies, which she always demonstrates the first time before sending her students off to choose a book of their own the second time. She encourages them to select books of any genre, even if they have read them before, as long as they have a plot. 

“Once they start realizing they have the freedom to choose things according to their interests, they start to like reading because it’s not something that’s forced upon them,” Castillo said. “They love going to the library now. They absolutely love it.” 

Moving forward, Castillo hopes to get her master’s degree through the LEAD program and help shape the culture and climate of a campus for future students. In the meantime, she is working hard to continue developing her skills and is encouraging new teachers to “ask questions and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”

“I love Dallas ISD,” she said. “Growing up in Oak Cliff and having teachers who took the time to get to know me and build relationships with me put me where I am today. While my story and my success are part of me, my teachers led me here. I have always known that the district gave me so much, so I want to stay and give back.” 

School districts across the state were seeing nursing staff shortages before the pandemic even began, and those vacancy rates increased when COVID-19 hit and created additional strain. Dallas ISD has invested $260,000 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds each school year to hire and retain nurse assistants to get students the medical support they need. 

The initial goal of this ESSER project was to hire and retain 10 additional nurse assistants, specifically on campuses following the Intersession or School Day Redesign extended year calendars. Health Services has filled all 10 of those positions, adding to the 40 nurse assistants that were already in place during the 2021-2022 school year. 

Nurse assistants around the district provide crucial care for students of all ages and grade levels. Their routine vision and hearing screenings identify issues early, which helps keep students on track. They also put communicable disease control measures in place—like monitoring immunization statuses—to keep their communities safe, and they support RNs when they are paired together. 

“We’re hoping to see increases in immunization compliance at the schools where the nurse assistants have worked, and just an overall increase in the services provided to students,” said Jennifer Finley, executive director of Health Services. “And then an improvement in our vision and hearing screening rates, because these students would not have been served as well as they have been without these employees.”

According to Finley, the ESSER-supported nurse assistants are not necessarily paired with a nurse on campus, so the Health Services team had to think outside the box to give these full-time employees the resources they needed to thrive. Not only did they deliver additional training, but they also gave each nurse assistant a mentor from central staff to guide them through their work, as all nurse assistants work independently under the direction and support of a nurse. Initial feedback from school principals has been positive, leading Finley to believe the program has been successful.

ESSER funding will continue for this initiative for the next few years with an objective to further increase hiring and retention rates. In the meantime, Health Services will continue to monitor the impacts these nurse assistants are having. 

The pandemic has created additional stress for everyone, so Finley is encouraging students, families and staff to practice self-care and seek help as needed. 

“We are so fortunate that the district has a wealth of resources, not only physical health resources but also our mental health resources to support overall wellness,” she said. “Please keep that in mind, and reach out if you find yourself in a situation where you’re feeling stressed or concerned.” 

To learn more about Dallas ISD’s federally-funded efforts to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, visit https://www.dallasisd.org/esser. 

The LEAD department is excited about the return of Bridge2LEAD, a professional development series designed specifically for individuals who have their masters’ degree and principal certification and have not served as campus administrators. The LEAD team developed this program for individuals who have a strong desire and commitment to grow themselves as leaders. 

The Bridge2LEAD 2022-2023 cohort of 55 participants will benefit from a custom curriculum and authentic learning experiences led by current Dallas ISD principals, equipping them with research-based instructional leadership skills in the following topics: 

• Observation and feedback
• Living the learning framework (see it, name it, do it)
• Defending your time: Prioritizing instructional leadership
• Leading school culture
• Leading change
• Resume/interview clinic

For more information about Bridge2LEAD reach out to the LEAD department at LEAD@dallasisd.org or connect with them on Twitter at @LEAD_DallasISD. 

Schools across Dallas ISD are honoring teaching excellence by introducing their extraordinary campus teachers of the year. 

These teachers represent a wide variety of diversity and years of experience in the district, and campuses are coming together to celebrate their passion and dedication to accelerating student success and achievement.

These teachers have 11.6793 years of experience on average and a collective total of 2,768 years of experience. Additionally, eight of the teachers have over 30 years of experience, while two of them have over 40 years.

Each honoree will have the opportunity to apply to be considered for the district teacher of the year award. Based on the teachers’ applications, Dallas ISD’s selection committee will name nine finalists from three categories by campus type and school level. 

One winner will be selected to represent the elementary, secondary and choice/magnet campuses, and the finalists and winners will be honored at a special event next spring.

See the campus teachers of the year by downloading the list: https://www.dallasisd.org/cms/lib/TX01001475/Centricity/Domain/17649/Campus teachers of the year 22-23.pdf.

As the end of the year approaches, so does the issuance of W-2s. Dallas ISD recommends that employees set up their W-2 form to be retrieved online.

This is faster and more secure than receiving a paper form, especially considering recent delays in mail delivery service. The guidelines to update your delivery for the form can be found on the Payroll Services website under Resources.

If you are already set up for online delivery, there is no need to do anything. You will be notified via email as soon as the forms are ready for access.

If you need help in updating your Oracle preferences, please send an email to notifypayroll@dallasisd.org and make sure you include the request in the subject box. Also include your contact information so you can receive the assistance you need.

As a free resource to the community, volunteer attorneys will answer legal questions at no cost from 4 and 8 p.m. on Wednesdays in December, via a LegalLine E-Clinic, sponsored by the Dallas Bar Association.

To participate, you must complete the online form found here for the upcoming LegalLine. This month’s LegalLine E-Clinics are Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, between 4 and 8 p.m. The way it works is a volunteer attorney will call the participant to provide up to 15 minutes of free legal advice.  Space is limited and registration will close at 12 p.m. on the Tuesday prior. Due to the holidays, there will be no LegalLine services on Dec. 21 or 28.

It is important to know that the volunteer attorney will remain anonymous. Participants should watch for a call from an unknown number that should be labeled “No Caller ID” or something similar. No attorney-client relationship will be established. It is not a guarantee that the attorney will speak any language other than English. Individuals seeking consultation may also receive referrals to local, legal, or social service agencies. 

For legal assistance at any time, contact the DBA’s Lawyer Referral Service at www.dallasbar.org/index.cfm?pg=LawyerReferralService.

Service has always been one of math teacher Jill Emery’s core beliefs, one that she works hard to instill in her students at George B. Dealey Montessori Academy. So when she earned a 2022 “Service Above Self” Dallas Rotary Club Award, she said it was the “most meaningful award” she has ever received. 

“As a person, I’ve always felt like it is important to help others,” she said. “Just knowing that this award is not just honoring what I have done, but is honoring who I am—that is really important to me. In everything that I do, I am always striving to give more and to help others be better and do good.” 

For Emery, service has looked like stepping up amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in several ways. She joined a team of teachers to develop a free video series of math lessons for public radio station KERA and Dallas ISD that were aired over the summer in 2021 and 2022 to bridge the learning gap for students.

Those videos evolved into a library that she now uses in her flipped classroom, in which her students can learn at their own pace by accessing the majority of her lessons from home. The system empowers her advanced students to participate in bonus lessons and feel challenged, while anyone who is struggling can revisit the information and get the support they need. 

“In my classroom, everything is about mastery; it’s not just about checking boxes,” Emery said. “I was just working with a student on a topic that he had struggled with all of last year, and by the end, he was saying, ‘Wow, is it really this easy?’ He came in feeling defeated and left with a big smile on his face. I had never seen him so excited to be in a math class, as math was always his scary class.” 

Emery also took on additional responsibilities to help Dealey’s leadership team during a period of turnover, assisting with testing coordination, family communication, student discipline, master scheduling, teacher collaboration and academic support. 

One of the programs she developed was designed to foster the “love of giving and serving” in students in higher grade levels by having them help students in lower grade levels, and the students have benefited from giving each other that encouragement. 

“I am always looking for opportunities for my students to give beyond themselves,” Emery said. “I feel like this particular award helped me demonstrate to them that service really is important, and that people don’t do service to be recognized, but people do recognize leaders who serve.” 

Emery is currently working through a one-year master’s program in educational leadership at SMU with a goal of becoming a better leader. She said she hopes her students will continue to see her passion and dedication for helping others and develop that same core foundation of service in their own lives.