Staff News

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on health—physical and mental—for millions of people. Actions taken to stay healthy have often lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, weight gain and other issues that particularly affect heart health.

But according to the American Heart Association, it’s time for you to “Regain your Rhythm” by starting new activities and making changes that improve health to celebrate National Heart Health Month in February. Visit www.heart.org for suggestion on managing stress, getting more active and rethinking your meals.

Dallas ISD staff celebrated heart health during the district’s Go Red week. Tatiana Vélez, a teacher assistant at Ida B. Wells Downtown Montessori and her children—Silvana, Demi and Manolo—who all attend district schools wore red to support the campaign.

Student Transportation staff also did their part in highlighting the importance of heart health.

February is Career and Technical Education Month, and Dallas ISD schools have much to celebrate with 14 career clusters providing students practical and marketable skills.

Dallas ISD Career and Technical Education (CTE) students have opportunities to acquire skills and knowledge in career clusters such as Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, Audio-Visual Technology, and Communications; Business, Marketing, and Finance; Education and Training; Energy; Health Science; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law and Public Service; Manufacturing; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); and Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.

Join Dallas ISD CTE as we celebrate this month by showcasing the great achievements and accomplishments of our CTE students and programs. Learn more at Dallas ISD CTE Month here.

Career Pop Up Shop Events

Throughout the month, CTE industry partners and selected high school teachers from various career clusters and programs of study will visit participating middle school campuses to meet and greet and showcase their prospective careers and industry trends. Students will have an opportunity to get up close and personal to extend their learning outside the classroom with experiential activities to increase their interest in an immersive setting.

Guest Speaker Series

The First Fridays’ Speaker Series will have a special guest for a virtual engagement every Friday in the month of February. The one-hour virtual engagement will focus on various topics of interest for all programs of study.

CTE Teacher Night

The CTE teachers of Dallas ISD have been working harder than ever for students, and their work and efforts will be acknowledged and honored on the evening of February 22 at W.H. Adamson High School.

To view the full CTE Month 2022 Calendar of Events, visit this website.

Two Dallas ISD schools are among 26 public schools in Texas nominated for the National Blue Ribbon, to be awarded in the fall.

The School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering, both at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, are nominated for the ribbon, the highest honor a U.S. school can achieve. The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools that have high student achievement or demonstrate exemplary progress toward closing achievement gaps.

“It’s an honor to be nominated among the 26 high-performing schools in Texas,” said Principal Arnoldo Zuñiga, of the School for the Talented and Gifted. “It wouldn’t be possible without the help and the hard work of the staff, the students and the community. They are the ones who drive the work here, and they are the ones who make it happen.”

Principal Andrew Palacios, of the School of Science and Engineering, said, “We are continuously researching the best way to enrich our student learning experience. We are honored to be nominated as a potential National Blue Ribbon School. The team at the School of Science and Engineering Magnet is a group of people who care and work hard for our students. Our faculty, staff, parents, and community work hard to create experiences where our students win the most.”

The nominated schools must now complete a rigorous process conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. National award winners will be announced in September of 2022. Schools that receive the designation will be recognized at the National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

As part of the district’s Black History Month celebrations, the Racial Equity Office has been hosting virtual career webinars each Wednesday of February, from noon to 12:30 p.m. on Zoom. The last virtual webinar will take place Feb. 23.

The panels have focused on career pathways that are lacking representation from Black professionals, such as healthcare, law, architecture and technology, which will take place Feb. 23. During the final 10 minutes of each webinar, there will be a question-and-answer session with the speakers, and live participants will have the opportunity to win prizes.

Through the webinars, students have been in direct contact with career professionals and practitioners, which encouraged career exploration. By connecting exciting career options to learning, classwork will become more valuable to the students, reinforcing the idea that school is a path to something that can be fun and rewarding.

The webinar is open to all Dallas ISD students and teachers after registering on Zoom https://dallasisd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ocbYFbsPQ5CjYe_Wdo5eVA.

Are you a teacher, instructional coach, counselor or media specialist looking for a challenging but rewarding assignment? Dallas ISD’s open transfer period provides the opportunity to accept positions at high priority campuses and other schools for the 2022-2023 school year.

Principals in high priority and ACE campuses—including those with Intersession and School Day Redesign calendars—can begin sending recommendations for teachers, instructional coaches, counselors, and media specialists to Human Capital Management starting March 7. The district’s open transfer period for the 2022-2023 school year for schools that are not considered high priority campuses begins March 23. The open transfer period for all schools ends April 15.

The open transfer process allows current Dallas ISD teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists, who meet the guidelines outlined below, to accept a position at another campus for the following school year. During the open transfer period, current principal approval is not required.

Interested eligible employees must complete an application online by logging into www.dallasisd.org/careers with their EAD credentials and then use the internal openings link. Employees who do not apply will not be eligible to participate.

To be eligible for an open transfer, employees must:

• Hold a valid Texas Teacher Certificate in the requested subject-area vacancy and meet TEA/SBEC Certification Standards for the position
• Not be identified for non-renewal at the end of the current school year due to performance and/or misconduct
• Not be entering their fourth year of an Alternative Certification Program
• For Instructional Coaches only: must receive approval from recommending campus executive director

Next week: Learn about the advantages of working at a high priority campus, including access to additional compensation.

Dallas ISD staff can hear from published authors about their experiences and their work through the Reading Language Arts #DallasWrites! Author Series. The series is designed to inspire and encourage those who want to rediscover their voice and talent as readers, writers and thinkers.

These sessions feature a published author who speaks about his or her inspiration, process, craft, obstacles, background, books, and usually “book talks” one particular title, said Melanie Sangalli, director of Reading Language Arts.

“We can use this inspiration to build our own reading and writing confidence and skill set to use with students in any content or grade level,” she said. The sessions are also open to central staff who are interested in reading and writing.

Each attendee will receive a copy of the author’s book and some lucky participants will also receive a class set. All sessions are scheduled in the afternoons from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m.

Upcoming Author Events:

Kelly Yang, author of Three Keys.  Wednesday, Feb. 23.  Some lucky attendees in grades third through seventh will win a class set!  Zoom Link 

Alyson Gerber, author of Taking Up Space, Braced, and Focused.  Monday, March 7. Some lucky attendees in grades third through seventh will win a class set!  Zoom Link

Aida Salazar, author of In the Spirit of a Dream and Land of the Cranes. Wednesday, March 23^.  Some lucky attendees in grades kindergarten through second will win a class set!  Zoom Link 

To see past authors and learn more about the project, please visit our Reading Language Arts site.

For more information, please reach out to RLA Director, Melanie Sangalli, at msangalli@dallasisd.org

As adults spend more time in front of their computers working and in meetings, sitting has become the newest threat to heart health. Fortunately, there is a way to counteract the sitting effects: regular physical activity and Dallas ISD is here to help with a series of exercise and meditation videos.

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adults who clock in at least 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours, of heart-pumping physical activity are well on their way to maintaining heart health. The study recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both during the week.

Currently, only about one in five adults and teens get enough exercise to maintain good health, according to the American Heart Association. Increased activity not only helps the heart, it also improves sleep, mood, and general wellbeing.

Dallas ISD HCM Benefits has worked with a local fitness coach to create a series of quick exercises and meditation sets to help staff embrace heart health throughout the year. To explore these exercise tips, visit the playlist at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpyhyA1qUPMaZuWLIYnto0A5_UO9e5MYL and start showing your heart some love.

Did you celebrate Go Red for Heart Health Week by wearing red? Send us your photos to staffnews@dallasisd.org so we can share them later this month.

Other than sleeping, work is where most adults spend the significant part of their day.  While fulfilling and important—it’s a source of income and important relationships—work can also be a source of issues that affect mental health.

According to a national study conducted by Mental Health America, four in five employees feel emotionally drained from their work and nine in 10 report that workplace stress affects their mental health. Mental health doesn’t stay the same all the time, and it can fluctuate as people move through changes and stages in their lives.

Dallas ISD staff who are feeling overwhelmed or stressed can take advantage of the Employee Assistance Program to get help.

Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program by LifeWorks is a confidential and secure service that offers help with personal and work-related issues. The EAP encourages employees and those close to them to seek help early before a minor problem becomes more serious. The EAP is designed to address short-term issues, identify resources and referrals for emergency and long-term problems. It can provide support, referrals and, resources related to many concerns like depression, conflict at work, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, grief and loss and many others.

With EAP, there is no contribution that staff need to provide. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Reach out to LifeWorks at (972) 925-4000 or visit www.dallasisd.org/benefits and click on Benefits Resources to access online EAP information.

Are you working to get ahead as a leader in your career? Few skills shout leadership potential like the ability to speak and communicate clearly. In fact, numerous experts list communication skills as the top talent managers need to effectively lead teams.

Dallas ISD Talk It Up! Toastmasters can help you develop those skills. Learn more about it at the group’s virtual open house at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16. Dallas ISD Talk It Up! Toastmasters is inviting district employees to the open house to learn what Toastmasters is all about. While there is a nominal membership fee, there is no charge to attend the first few meetings to learn if Toastmasters can help you reach your personal or professional goals.

Offering a learn-by-doing curriculum, global leadership, and communications training organization Toastmasters International has equipped millions to lead and communicate effectively. Toastmasters offers its program in a club format where people who are interested in becoming more effective communicators and leaders meet regularly to practice and receive feedback.

Among the Dallas ISD leaders who have benefited from their experience with Toastmasters are Cecilia Oakeley, assistant superintendent of Evaluation and Assessment; assistant principal Roderick Goudy; and recently retired Communications executive director Lawana Porter.

If this sounds like something you’d like to try, mark your calendar for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, to join via Zoom. (meeting ID 488 896 308, passcode 391641). You are also welcome to direct questions to member Lawana Porter at (214) 384-2792.