Central Staff News

The hustle and bustle of a typical workday can bring on stress for many employees as they try to juggle multiple responsibilities at once. Continuously jumping from one task to another often leads to something called Directed Attention Fatigue.

Here are some of the symptoms:

• Distractibility
• Irritability
• Impatience
• Indecisiveness
• Difficulty starting or finishing tasks

If any of these sounds familiar, you may need to take a break and recharge. Taking a break doesn’t just mean walking away from your desk. It means not checking your phone for messages and emails, texting, chat, surfing the web, or checking Facebook. All of these activities can worsen Directed Attention Fatigue instead of helping you relax.

Here are a few exercises that you can try to put you back on track:

• Take a real break—step away from your computer, put down your phone and concentrate on breathing in and out for 60 seconds.
• If you can go for a walk, do it! If you can leave your cell phone behind, even better.
• Make time to take a real lunch break. Time away from your workspace can be energizing.

Keep it simple, but make it happen—regularly.

By taking the time to recharge, you’ll find it easier to stay positive throughout the day. Try it and see how it impacts your ability to work with your colleagues and other customers.

If you are interested in joining an enterprising group of teachers working to reimagine how Dallas ISD educates children, the Innovation in Teaching Fellowship is for you. And the window for teachers to apply is now open.

The Innovation in Teaching Fellowship is a 10-month teaching fellowship rooted in user-centered design to re-imagine how we educate every student in Dallas ISD. Over the next school year, fellows will draw from research, best practices, and their own ingenuity to design and test blended learning, project-based learning and design thinking models in their classrooms. Fellows will have access to workshops, pop-up (on demand) professional development sessions, internal and external site visits, and coaching from the Dallas ISD personalized learning team. At the conclusion of the 10 months, fellows will have an opportunity to share their insights and ideas with the education community.

Click here to read more about the fellowship and how to apply. The application is due at 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 3.

If you have any questions reach out to the Personalized Learning Department at personalizedlearning@dallasisd.org.

Whether they are traveling or staying home during spring break, Dallas ISD is working to provide employees with updated district resources and information about the Novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, outbreak.

Regardless of participation in district-offered health insurance, all Dallas ISD employees who are experiencing anxiety related to the outbreak have access to the Employee Assistance Program. The EAP provides up to six counseling sessions at no cost to employees and their families and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The services are private and confidential.

The EAP, offered through Magellan, can be accessed by calling (800) 433-7916 or visiting www.MagellanHealth.com/member.

Keeping staff and students safe is a priority for Dallas ISD, which is why employees who are sick or who have a family member at home who is sick are encouraged to stay home. If employees have traveled to a country that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated as Level 3 (currently Italy, China, Iran and South Korea) and Level 2 (currently Japan), they should stay home for 14 days from the time of their departure from the affected country.

Travelers to other countries and areas affected by the spread of COVID-19 are asked to stay home if they get sick with fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher), cough, or have trouble breathing, and to contact a medical professional.

Employees should also contact their supervisor. The supervisor will work with Dallas ISD’s Benefits Department to establish Emergency Leave. Emergency Leave is available to exempt and non-exempt Dallas ISD employees. Those employees who qualify for Emergency Leave will be granted paid days of leave.  Employees granted approved Emergency Leave will not have time deducted from their existing Paid Time Off (PTO).  Any employee with extenuating circumstances should contact the Benefits Department at Benefits@DallasISD.org.

Dallas ISD employees who participate in TRS-ActiveCare plans have access to Teladoc to get advice and answers on medical conditions, get treatment options and, if appropriate, a prescription from medical professionals over the phone. To access Teladoc and set up an account, call (800) 835-2362. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Good hygiene habits are always recommended:

• Routine handwashing (at least 20 seconds) with soap and water after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, after using the restroom, and before you consume any food and beverages.
• If washing your hands is not practical, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol).
• If traveling, wipe down surfaces such as hand rests, metal seatbelt buckles and tray tables with sanitizing wipes when available and allow to air dry according to packaging specifications.
• Avoid areas or events where large crowds gather and a reasonable distance between people cannot be maintained.

The CDC has put together a quick guide with tips on what you can do at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For additional information and updates, visit the district’s COVID-19 information page.

Its efforts to teach children about healthy lifestyles using Texas agriculture has earned Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services a Best of the Bunch recognition.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller recently congratulated the department for its performance in the Farm Fresh Challenge, which has led Texas to be as a leader in child nutrition.

Approximately 20 percent of Texas school districts and charter organizations participated in the Farm Fresh Challenge this year, and Dallas ISD was one of the few that went above and beyond to achieve Best of the Bunch. In addition to teaching children about healthy lifestyles, participating schools spent nearly $15 million on Texas products during the challenge. Choosing to buy local foods supports the Texas economy, contributes to job growth and keeps businesses thriving.

Food and Child Nutrition Services will be recognized for its achievement and dedication to healthier communities during Mega Con 2020, a new conference from the Texas Department of Agriculture to be held in Austin in May.

The open transfer period for teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists begins March 6, and high priority campuses are looking for outstanding teachers.

Working with School Leadership and Evaluation and Assessment, Human Capital Management has identified  75 district schools as High Priority or ACE Campuses for the 2020-2021 school year. Interested, eligible teachers who are interested are encouraged to participate in the open transfer process and register to attend the March 26 Hiring Event.

Eligible teachers serving at high priority and ACE campuses in the 2020-2021 school year will:

• Earn additional DTR points on the TEI Scorecard, replacing the existing Tier I process.
• Earn additional stipends through state HB3 Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) designation. Proposed stipend amounts are shown in the chart below.

Open transfer process

Each year, Dallas ISD teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists who meet certain guidelines can accept a position at another campus for the following school year during the open transfer period.

Starting March 6, HCM will begin accepting principal recommendations. Eligible employees must apply online using their EAD login at www.dallasisd.org/careers using the internal openings link. Employees who do not apply will not be eligible to participate. The deadline for principals to submit a recommendation for the open transfer period is 11 :59 p.m. April 10.

More information about the open transfer window is available here.

On March 10, Dallas ISD will celebrate and showcase the hard work of teachers and assistant principals who have been imagining how the next generation of teaching and schools could look like in the district.

District teachers and assistant principals who are interested in being part of future Innovation in Teaching and School Retool fellows cohorts can learn more about the programs at the fourth annual Innovation Showcase—Tuesday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Emmett J. Conrad High School. The current fellows will be recognized and share their reflections. The evening includes an opportunity to learn how to apply for future cohorts and to explore and talk with fellows about the design projects they completed this year and displayed at the Innovation Exhibition.

To attend, register at bit.ly/dallasinnovationshowcase. 

Innovation in Teaching Fellowship

A teaching fellowship rooted in design thinking to equip educators to grow in their understanding of and pilot next-generation models of learning [blended learning, project based learning, and design thinking] in their classrooms. Learn more and apply at www.thepltoolbox.com/fellowship.

School Retool Fellowship

School Retool is a professional learning fellowship that helps school leaders redesign school culture to support deeper learning practices using small, scrappy experiments called “hacks.” This is executed in partnership with the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University and IDEO. Learn more at www.schoolretool.org.

District staff marked National School Breakfast Week by sharing some of their healthy—and not so healthy—breakfast favorites through The Beat’s poll.

“My favorite breakfast was at Robert L. Thornton Elementary School,” said one respondent. “They used to serve pancakes and sausage in the mornings upon arrival. Those were the best days. Of course, that was the late ’80s.”

Cinnamon toast and French toast were popular choices for breakfast, especially on weekends when there is a bit more time to enjoy them.

Traditional breakfasts of cereal, bagels, eggs and even tamales were among the popular answers.

“On weekdays, I like a quick microwave oatmeal at my desk. On the weekends, I usually take the time to fry or scramble some eggs and have them with either biscuits or toast and a big glass of milk.”

Many clamored for more fresh fruit to be available in school cafeterias—apples, pears, oranges, bananas—and even yearned for banana day.

“We loved eating bananas with breakfast last year.”

Half Price Books supports literacy not only by offering a wide variety of books, but also by giving educators, schoolteachers and librarians in the community a 10-percent discount on their purchases with an Educator Discount Card.

It’s simple to get one at any Half Price Book store. Just bring your district issued ID to apply for the discount card, which must be renewed every fall. Once you have the card, you can stock up for your classroom and get something for yourself. It’s Half Price Book’s way of saying, “we appreciate you” and what you do as an educator in the community.

The Educator Discount Card will be offered to teachers and librarians (including college/university teaching assistants) or a school or city librarian. Discounts are valid in-store only; not valid online.

On March 6, as part of the celebrations for National School Breakfast Week, Dallas ISD students and staff will be able to order the Galaxy Parfait during lunch in cafeterias across the district.

Galaxy Parfait—which combines traditional breakfast items into a tasty treat that resembles a banana split—is the brainchild of Betsy Wooldridge, a nutritionist and trained chef who is a menu-planning supervisor in Food and Child Nutrition Services.

“It’s beautiful and tasty,” she said. “Having bananas in the lunchroom is hard because they brown quickly, that is why this is a special treat.”

In addition to bananas, the parfait combines low-fat vanilla yogurt, fresh strawberries, and a new cocoa-covered granola to show that breakfast is good at any time of the day by.

According to the School Nutrition Association, studies have shown that school children who eat breakfast are more likely to:

• Reach higher levels of achievement in reading and math
• Score higher on standardized tests
• Have better concentration and memory
• Be more alert and maintain a healthy weight

Currently, Dallas ISD offers breakfast to students in three ways: a lunchroom line, a kiosk strategically placed so students can grab breakfast and go to class, or breakfast that is distributed I the classroom. Food and Child Nutrition Services works with principals to determine what is the best option for their campus.

“Students are just like adults,” Wooldridge said. “They get cranky and can’t focus when they don’t eat. Some students don’t get a meal at home in the morning and others haven’t eaten since the previous afternoon. Breakfast is important so they can start their day with concentration and energy.”

While National School Breakfast Week focuses on the importance of breakfast for school children, Wooldridge believes that everyone benefits from having a nutritious breakfast.

“Basically, when we don’t eat for a long time, our body starts to slow down and takes energy from fat and protein sources,” she said. “Breakfast gets the body going and gives it the energy it needs to concentrate.”

Wooldridge doesn’t have a big breakfast herself but makes sure that it’s balanced—start with a fruit or vegetable and then add a protein or a whole grain.

“You don’t need to make a fruit salad to include fruit in your breakfast,” she said. “You can have an apple or a banana. If I have a bar, I check the amount of sugar and sodium. If you are going to have a muffin, also have carrots and a glass of milk.”

Katrina Phillips has been the sponsor for Skyline High School’s Common Cents campaign for the last six years, but this year was a special one for her and the school. The Skyline students who participated in the program raised a record almost $15,000 for several area nonprofits.

“It is inspiring to watch the kids because they take the lead on it,” said Phillips, Student Senate sponsor and government teacher. “Over the time the raise the money, their lives change, your life changes. It’s a competitive process, but it’s also about charity and giving to others.”

While the schools that participate in Common Cents raise money in different ways, Skyline taps into its homecoming court to raise the money among family and friends. Each student who wants to run for a homecoming court position must raise at least $100, but some go well beyond that minimum—senior Princess Fulcher raised more than $6,500.

“These are amazing kids,” Phillips said. “More than one of these students takes at least three Advanced Placement classes, participate in athletics, are in clusters and academies, and several have jobs where they work more than 20 hours a week.”

This year, the 37 schools that participated in Common Cents—a program that has been in the district for more than 20 years—raised almost $51,000 for 44 nonprofits in the community, which ranged from animal rescue organizations and physical and mental health advocacy agencies to those that offer legal immigration assistance and help for victims of domestic violence. The handed the checks to the nonprofits at a special ceremony Feb. 25.

Another group of students who stood out this year were the Common Cents participants at Thomas Jefferson High School. Despite the challenges they have faced this year after their school was damaged in October by a tornado and they were displaced to West Dallas, the students raised $450 for outlastyouth.org, a nonprofit that helps LGBTQ homeless youth.

“After the experiences with the tornado, how it affected us and how many people came to help us, the least we could do was stay focused on our goal and give back and impact the world,” said senior Marysol Ortega.