Campus Staff News

Following new guidance on notification of positive COVID-19 cases from the Texas Education Agency, schools are having to notify the entire classroom of a test-confirmed positive case. The SchoolMessenger callout system is the most efficient means of providing this communication to parents/guardians by creating and saving classroom lists.

Because the data that is shared with SchoolMessenger does not include classroom assignments, SchoolMessenger coordinators at each campus can create their own lists and saved them in the system to make communicating with parents and guardians easier. To set up a list:

1. Access the classroom roster in PowerSchool and download a list of student IDs in the classroom.
2. Make sure the student IDs are in the first column of the Excel document that you have downloaded (or copy them into the first column of an Excel worksheet).
3. Save the document as a .csv or comma separated values list.
4. Within SchoolMessenger, go to the Broadcasts tab. It will open on Lists. If it does not, click on Lists.
5. Click Create New List.
6. Choose Upload List from the Additional List Tools menu and follow the steps.
   1. Make sure that you name the List for the classroom for which you have the student information.
   2. Make sure that you choose ID# Lookup before you upload the list
7. Follow the instructions and save the list.
8. You will have to follow this process for each classroom.

Once you have the lists, you can choose the one you want to use from the Saved Recipients List menu when setting up a New Broadcast. The same process can be used in creating lists for extra-curricular and after-school programs.

For additional information about creating lists, download this guide. If you have additional questions, email schoolmessenger@dallasisd.org.

Due to the ongoing and severe disruptions in the food and non-food supply chains, Dallas ISD is implementing a program to reduce the use of flatware and related items in schools.

Effective Monday, Sept. 13:

• Breakfasts served on Tuesdays and Thursdays at all school levels–except the “hot” breakfast at select high schools–will all be finger foods. No flatware will be offered to students, except for students with certain conditions and/or whose IEP/504 requires foods that require flatware to be consumed. As an example, schools will not serve cereal (which requires a spoon) on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
• Lunches served on Tuesdays will all be finger foods, so not flatware will be available. For example, chicken tenders and baked fries do not require flatware to be eaten.
• At all other times, students will be limited to a single set of flatware per meal.

If required due to supply chain issues, breakfasts may be served in “to go” bags in place of trays or plates. Lunches may be served on non-traditional plates or trays, as the supply situation dictates.

Dallas ISD is tirelessly working to explore every possible option to find and purchase paper goods and associated items. School districts across the nations are facing similar issues due to the supply chain issues.

With the safety and well-being of staff and students in mind, Dallas ISD is offering a one-time $50 vaccination incentive to students ages 12 and older who have received the required doses of the vaccine against COVID-19. The incentive will be distributed in the form of a card that can be used as cash. To get the card, parents/guardians or students who are at least 18 should fill out the proof of vaccination form and submit a copy of the student’s COVID vaccination card, IMMTrac2 print out or written confirmation from a medical provider by Nov. 15.

The announcement of the student vaccination incentive comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Dallas County Health officials have raised the COVID-19 alert to level red and reported that hospitalizations are rising at the fastest rate since the pandemic began, among all age groups, including children.

Participation in the student vaccination incentive is entirely voluntary and based on the personal preferences of students and their families. The information provided will help the district determine how many students who are eligible have been fully vaccinated and facilitate the contact tracing and quarantine processes, which are different depending on vaccination status.

For more information about the student vaccination incentive, visit https://www.dallasisd.org/studentvaxincentive.

Dallas ISD and the LEAD department are announcing the launch of the Future Principals Institute, a one-year professional development program designed to prepare high-performing leaders to be principal-ready in the next two years. FPI’s curriculum is grounded in the essential work of a school leader: leading instruction, leading people, and leading systems.

Join us for an information session on Monday, Sept. 20, to ask any questions, or visit our program page for more information and resources. If you want to see and hear how leaders across Dallas ISD are reacting to this incredible opportunity, watch a special video about the institute: https://youtu.be/DTutNbwJYB8.

The ideal candidate for this program is someone who:

• Is committed to personal and professional growth
• Is eager to collaborate and share feedback with peers
• Has a passion for the people and future of our district
• Is interested in enhancing their leadership capabilities necessary for leadership
• Is ready and committed to pursue a principal position in the next two years

Applications opened Sept. 7 and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Sept.  26. The application may be accessed by visiting the program page at bit.ly/futureprincipalsinstitute.

To inquire about this program, please contact LEAD at LEAD@dallasisd.org or (972) 794-2518.

Photo: Principal Reymundo Cervantes-Guajardo, Henry B. Gonzalez Personalized Learning Academy

The Post-Secondary Partnerships and Programs Department maintains and manages a list of high school teachers who are credentialed by Dallas College to teach dual credit courses. A high school dual credit credentialed teacher is someone who has completed the Dallas College application/credentialing process and has received official approval and notification from Dallas College.

If you are a high school teacher who is credentialed by Dallas College to teach dual credit courses, please fill out this short survey letting us know your credentialing status. The deadline to submit the survey is end of day Oct. 1.

Ifyou have questions or need assistance, please contact Elizabeth Woodall, Quality Assurance Coordinator at (972) 925-5476.

The Junior League of Dallas and presenting sponsor Texas Instruments awarded 41 Dallas ISD teachers grants totaling more than $86,000 through the annual Grants for Innovative Teaching program. In its history, this JLD Signature Project has had an impact on nearly 7,000 students and awarded more than $2 million in grants to Dallas ISD educators.

The grants program is designed to encourage excellence in education by funding special projects that address reading and literacy enrichment; diversity; special education; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); or arts and culture enrichment across one or more grade levels.

This year, Dallas ISD grant recipients received up to $2,500 each to fund their projects during a hybrid ceremony held Sept. 1 at Junior League of Dallas headquarters and streamed online.

Some of the projects selected include: Voices of Vickery, Building a Better Future, Conversations from the Library Podcast and Building Global Competencies. The projects awarded GFIT grants will provide students with diverse experiences and highlight the innovation of the Dallas ISD educators.

Download the list to see the projects and teachers who received this year’s grants.

Hundreds of educators have left their mark on Dallas ISD and its students during the district’s 137 years of existence, but few are woven so tightly into the tapestry of Dallas education as the Crowder family. With a combined 94 years of experience as educators, Willie Crowder, Keisha Crowder-Davis, and Jonica Crowder-Lockwood are proud to call Dallas ISD home and work tirelessly so students can also call the district home.

Willie Crowder, who retired as associate superintendent in the district’s human capital division, began her tenure in Dallas ISD in 1970—a year fraught with racial tension and social change, including the desegregation of Dallas schools. She began as a history teacher at what is now Boude Storey Middle School. As her career progressed, a passion for education and an ability to connect with students and parents paved the way for her to serve in numerous roles, including assistant principal, principal, minority recruiter, policy administrator, and associate superintendent.

“You can’t be a clock watcher,” said Crowder, who attributes her success to hard work and late nights. “You work until the work is done”.

Both of her daughters—Keisha and Jonica—can attest to their mother’s commitment to her profession. They recall countless nights at their kitchen table, watching their mother prepare lesson plans, manage master schedules, and review large policy binders, even while preparing dinner.

“We were raised like teachers,” Jonica said. “We were students in the Willie Crowder Training School! Learning and teaching were so much a part of who we were that we played school. My dad installed a chalkboard, and the neighborhood kids became students. That’s how we learned leadership.”

“All of our role models were educators. That’s all we saw,” Keisha added. “MBH was the standard of our family: Make the Best Happen.”

Crowder’s example rubbed off on her daughters beyond childhood play. They are now both distinguished educators in their own right. Graduates of Justin F. Kimball High School, Keisha and Jonica are Dallas ISD through and through. Keisha currently serves as executive director of Centralized Enrollment and Magnet Programs while Jonica is principal at D.A. Hulcy STEAM Middle School.

Like their mother, they describe themselves as lifelong learners who are committed to making an impact on the community. For them, working in Dallas ISD is how they give back and help young people and their families.

“We are Dallas ISD proud,” Keisha declared with a smile.

Dallas ISD provides staff free COVID-19 tests with results available in 15 minutes at its testing site at 3609 Botham Jean Blvd (formerly Lamar St.) in the portable near the main road. The testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Appointments are required and can be made by filling out a form found here. For convenience, all schools have testing supplies so school personnel can get tested on campus.

An employee who has received a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis or come in contact with someone with COVID must notify Health Services within 24 hours by submitting the Staff COVID-19 Reporting Form.

Visit www.dallasisd.org/covidstaffinformation for additional COVID-19 resources and protocols, including the Staff Safety Protocol Handbook.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges, but with a Core 4 approach to customer service, these challenges can be turned into wins. In Dallas ISD, we are responsive, accurate and accountable to each other as we seek timely solutions for our customers.

When interacting with customers—such as our students’ parents and guardians—it’s important to keep in mind the Fast core tenet of the district’s culture. Parents are also finding it difficult to navigate the challenges brought about by the pandemic, making it even more important we remember that behind every call or email with which a parent reaches out to ask a question or share a concern, there is a person who needs to feel heard and understood.

This understanding happens when you practice active listening—a pillar of good customer service:

• Adopt an attitude of understanding and focus. Even on a busy day, make the customer feel they are important and not a distraction from other priorities.
• Focus on the speaker and listen without interruptions to learn what he or she needs from you or the district.
• When the customer stops speaking, ask clarifying questions to make sure you have understood.
• If you can’t help, don’t just connect the call. Stay with the customer until someone answers on the other end. And if you don’t know who can help, take down their information and offer to call them back. Then call them back.

This approach also applies to emails. Whether you are actively listening or reading, keep in mind that how you respond to a parent’s request could make a difference in how that parent feels about his or her child’s school or all of Dallas ISD.

The Fast core tenet guides the urgency with which we approach our service to each other and our customers every day. The expectations are that you will:

• Deliver accurate email and phone responses within 24 hours during normal business
• Access data, policy, and all other relevant information sources to provide accurate and timely responses, regardless of requestor
• Align time in relationship to task importance and consistently respond in a timely manner to requests between students, families, employees, and equity groups
• Consistently adjust responses for problems and unforeseen circumstances to ensure equitable outcomes

To learn more about the Core 4 tenets that guide the district’s culture, visit www.dallasisd.org/core4.

New Translation Services electronic request forms are available now to expedite the processing of requests for interpreters and document translations. This service is free for district staff.

Language support is available to help teachers and staff communicate with non-English-speaking parents in the languages most spoken in the district. District interpreters who speak American Sign Language, Arabic, Burmese, Chin, French, Italian, Kirundi, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili can assist at school meetings and provide document translations.  Assistance with languages not listed may be requested as needed.

For interpretation requests, please complete the Interpretation Request form.

For translation requests, please complete the Translation Request form.

Language support for students who are new to the country and whose native language is Arabic, Burmese, Chin, Kirundi or Swahili also is available. To inquire about this service, please contact Adriana Cabeza at interpreters2@dallasisd.org or (972) 925-5884.

Another high-demand service is the Interpreter Hotline. When calling the hotline, district staff can request assistance from Translation Services interpreters to communicate with non-English proficient parents via a three-way conversation.  This service is available Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For Spanish: (972) 925-5880. For other languages: (972) 925-5884

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