Staff News

Michael Iwasko has always admired the passion his wife Alicia pours into her work with Dallas ISD families, first as a teacher and now as principal at Annie Webb Blanton Elementary School. That is why when their daughter turned 2, he decided to quit his corporate job and find a way to also make a difference.

“I wanted my daughter [Nadezhda] to look at me with the same pride as when she looks at the work my wife does to make a difference in her school and our community,” Michael said.

These past few weeks, the family, which now also includes 1-year-old Leon, has been spending weekends at the Dallas Arboretum, Klyde Warren Park and other locations sharing Elevate Coffee and the company’s “Extract Hope” commitment to share a quarter of its profits to help children in Guatemala and in Dallas. The family started Elevate Coffee, which partners with coffee farmers in Guatemala—where Michael’s family originates—to create small batch coffees that sometimes bear the name of the farm in which the coffee was harvested. He also partnered with two nonprofits that work in Guatemala to provide clean water and nutritional supplements to children in the poorest regions.

“Fifty percent of children in Guatemala suffer from chronic malnutrition, and one in 20 dies before the age of 4 because of the bacteria in the water supply,” he said. “This could have been my daughter living in this situation.”

Since 2019, between sales and direct donations, the Iwaskos have provided 431,600 gallons of clean water for communities in Guatemala.

“The coffee company gives us that opportunity to give back here and in Guatemala,” Alicia said.

When Michael discussed the idea of quitting his job and running the coffee company full-time, Alicia was fully on board.

“He supported me as I worked to become an assistant principal and then a principal,” Alicia Iwasko said. “I knew I would support him in his dream to give back to the community.”

The Iwasko’s contributions through Elevate Coffee are not limited to Guatemala. They also contribute to local causes, to Dallas ISD by donating free coffee to schools for teacher recognitions, and to Blanton Elementary School, where Nadezhda now attends prekindergarten.

Alicia, who was born in Mexico and attended seventh grade in Houston, knows first-hand how difficult it often is for families to make ends meet, so she and her husband sometimes hold fundraisers through Elevate Coffee to provide extras for families. For example, this Thanksgiving, the company had a flash sale to raise funds to buy turkeys for the school’s famous Turkey Run. Organized by Coach Freddie Harris, the run combines fitness and helping families—95.5 percent of whom are considered low-income—by providing a turkey to students who win the run by grade level the Friday before the break. The more turkeys that are donated, the more turkeys that go home, Michael said.

“They are so proud to be able to carry their turkey home’” Alicia said. “One year, we had 90 turkeys donated. I know how they feel being able to contribute to the special meal.”

While living in Houston, she and a cousin entered a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway at a nearby grocery store they used to frequent. They entered the giveaway so many times that they won a turkey and proudly carried it home.

Alicia, a third-generation educator, returned to Texas 13 years ago as a bilingual teacher through the district’s Alternative Certification program. She met Michael 11 years ago when he crashed her birthday party. Once they started dating, they each realized that one of the attributes they most valued about each other was their passion to help and make a difference. With Elevate Coffee, they now live that passion every day and teach their children that it’s important to follow their dreams, they said.

“How could we teach them to follow their dreams, if we weren’t doing it ourselves?” Michael said. “I wanted to be able to look my children in the face and tell them to also follow their dreams, to be passionate about what they do and to be the change that they want to see in the world.”

T learn more about Elevate Coffee Trading and the work they do in Guatemala and the community, visit www.elevatecoffeetrading.com or follow them on social media at https://www.facebook.com/elevatecoffeetrading and @elevatecoffeetrading.

Elevate Coffee Trading would like to give back to the hard-working educators! Enter for a chance to receive a free coffee service for the staff at your school by filling out the following form: https://tiny.cc/elevatelives.

Future events where you can find Elevate Coffee Trading this season:

While the district may be closed for Thanksgiving, if you need assistance with your benefits, a number of resources are available.

District schools and administrative offices will be closed from Monday, Nov.22, through Friday, Nov. 26; however, the benefits call center will be open regular hours during that time to assist, with the following exceptions when it will be closed:

• Thanksgiving, Nov. 25 
• Day After Thanksgiving, Nov. 26

For those non-emergency health concerns such as cold and flu, TRS ActiveCare participants can utilize Teladoc at a reduced cost. Call 1-855-Teladoc (835-2362) or visit their main page.

If you have questions regarding your HSA/ FSA, you can contact Optum/Connect Your Care at 877-528-9876 or visit www.connectyourcare.com.  Connect Your Care is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You may reach the benefits call center at 972-925-4000 or email benefits@dallasisd.org.  For questions regarding leaves of absence, email benefitsleaves@dallasisd.org.  During the periods in which the district is closed, the email boxes will be monitored periodically to ensure any critical issues are resolved in a timely manner.

The Dallas Education Foundation is once again Dallas ISD’s charity of choice for the United Way employee giving campaign, which goes through Dec. 17.

As Dallas ISD’s direct, nonprofit, philanthropic partner, the Dallas Education Foundation works every day to fulfill its mission to inspire community investment to accelerate student success. Almost every dollar the foundation raises goes directly back to Dallas ISD in terms of teacher, student, and program support to propel our students further and faster.

“We are again extremely excited to be the Dallas ISD charity of choice for this year’s United Employee Giving Campaign,” said Mita Havlick, executive director of the Dallas Education Foundation. “We hope that everyone knows that when you donate to the Dallas Education Foundation, that’s really a direct donation back to Dallas ISD.”

In 2021, DEF provided over $1.1 million in grants and donations directly to Dallas ISD, including:

• $188,000 in teaching and campus grants
• $309,000 in student support
• $577,000 in program support
• $50,000 in event sponsorships

Throughout the year, DEF partners with the United Way in multiple capacities. For example, the foundation disburses the annual United Way DRIVE teaching awards to Dallas ISD recipients, and most recently, DEF played an integral role in securing an in-kind donation from the United Way to Dallas ISD Early Learning for the donation of Vooks, a streaming library of visual books for our 40,000 students in prekindergarten through second grade.

Visit www.dallasisd.org/unitedway to learn how to give to this year’s fundraising drive.

Even if 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.

All webinars will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. Click on your prefered date to register to attend. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to join.

Tuesday, Dec. 7

Tuesday, Jan. 11

Tuesday, Feb. 8

Tuesday, March 8

November is Native American Heritage Month, which recognizes the contributions, history and culture of the indigenous people of the United States. Dallas ISD is commemorating the month by sharing a series of documentaries and films from Chickasaw Nation Productions.

In 1990, The U.S. Congress passed a resolution designating November as the first National American Indian Heritage Month to honor the members of the members of the more than 574 federally recognized tribal nations that govern an estimated 100 million acres of indigenous land. This year, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation praising the contributions of native people in the advancement of the United States, including the Code Talkers of World War II. To read the full proclamation, click here.

The Chickasaw Nation Productions films can be viewed by clicking on their respective links below:

BEARER OF THE MORNING: THE LIFE OF TE ATA THOMPSON FISHER (Documentary)—Born in small-town Oklahoma, Mary Thompson Fisher, later known as “Te Ata,” was determined to pursue her passion as a performer. Supported by her undeniable charisma and oratorical talent, Te Ata entertained and enlightened audiences across the world, including royalty and statesmen. Throughout her travels and performances, Te Ata kept her Chickasaw heritage close to heart and shared the unique story and spirit of the Chickasaw people. By studying and performing traditional Native American stories, she overturned negative stereotypes and advocated the preservation of Indigenous American cultures.

First Encounter (Documentary)—First Encounter explores the actions taken by Chickasaws in 1540 during their first contact with Europeans. The documentary highlights the encounters, struggles and perseverance of the Chickasaw people throughout Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto’s attempted conquest. It was the first European contact for the Chickasaw, but perhaps the most important and set the standard by which the tribe remained for centuries and remains today – “unconquered and unconquerable.”

Pearl Carter Scott: On Top of the World (Documentary)—The story of Native American aviatrix Pearl Carter Scott.

Pearl (Movie)—Set in 1920s rural Oklahoma, Pearl is based on the remarkable true story of Chickasaw aviatrix, Pearl Carter Scott –the youngest licensed pilot in American history. Mentored by world-renowned aviator Wiley Post, Pearl first pilots a plane at the age of 12 and becomes a commercial pilot and local celebrity before she reaches adulthood.

Te Ata (Movie)—This movie is based on the inspiring, true story of Mary Thompson Fisher, a woman who traversed cultural barriers to become one of the greatest First American performers of all time. Born in Indian Territory and raised on the songs and stories of her Chickasaw culture, Te Ata’s journey to find her true calling led her through isolation, discovery, love and a stage career that culminated in performances for a United States president, European royalty and audiences across the world. Yet, of all the stories she shared, none is more inspiring than her own.

While all Dallas ISD staff have been working hard to ensure students have all they need to succeed despite the challenges of the pandemic, the more than 300 nurses and assistant nurses throughout the district have been directly working to ensure the safety of staff and students.

In addition to their usual duties of administering care at the schools and making sure students’ medical records are up-to-date, school nurses have been demonstrating their commitment to Dallas ISD’s Core 4 culture tenets on the frontline of the pandemic. They have administered COVID tests at their campuses, coordinated quarantine, and scheduling vaccine clinics to make it easier for students and staff to get vaccinated.

Their efforts—transforming student lives and striving for the yes with urgency for all—were recently recognized with at Core 4 care package to say thank you. Health Services staff came together to put the thank you packages together and deliver them to the nurses.

“Nurses have always played a crucial role in the health and well-being of our campuses, but for the past few months, they have taken on so much more and have done an admirable job of holding the line against the virus,” said Jennifer Finley, executive director of Health Services. “Dallas ISD has not seen the numbers of COVID cases this fall that other districts have in great part due to the work of our wonderful nurses—they have been Core 4 all the way, and we are all grateful.”

As Dallas ISD continues to recover from the challenges of the pandemic, the safety, well-being and retention of the district’s highly qualified staff is a priority. A retention incentive for all eligible staff—whether campus-based or central—will be implemented for the 2022-2023 school year.

ESSER funds will be leveraged to fund the retention incentive.

Staff who return for the 2022-2023 school year would be eligible to receive the retention incentive, which would be included in employees’ paychecks in three installments. The first installment—$500— would be paid in September to welcome staff back to the new school year. The rest of the retention incentive would be included in the December and May paychecks. Part-time employees are also eligible to receive the incentive, and the amount will be prorated to their position. For example, an employee who is .5 would get half the corresponding incentive while a .75 position would get 3/4 of the corresponding incentive.

“In a competitive market, this retention incentive will not only help us keep the outstanding staff who have been working tirelessly for our students this year but will also give us an advantage in recruiting staff to fill existing vacancies in our campuses and departments,” said Robert Abel, acting chief of Human Capital Management. “We know everyone from teachers to maintenance and bus drivers have been giving it their all to help create a learning environment in which our students can be successful, and we wanted to recognize their efforts and tell them they are valued.”

For those employees who are part of an excellence initiative, the total amount of the incentive will be based on their upcoming earned 2022-2023 effectiveness level (TEI, PEI, APEI, EDEI) or 2021-2022 CSEI evaluation rating. (See chart for retention incentive by effectiveness level and CSEI evaluation rating.)

To accommodate changes in assignments and salary schedules, employees who receive a promotion for the 2022-2023 school year and have no effectiveness level or CSEI evaluation rating in the new position will receive a retention incentive tied to their prior effectiveness level CSEI evaluation rating. For example, if a Proficient III assistant principal becomes a principal in an elementary school for the 2022-2023 school year, the incentive would apply to the previous position’s earned effectiveness level.

For eligible staff who are not on an excellence initiative the amount of the incentive will be the same across the board.

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Conforme Dallas ISD continúa recuperándose de los efectos de la pandemia, la seguridad, bienestar y retención de nuestro personal altamente calificado es una prioridad. El distrito implementará un incentivo de retención para empleados—ya sea que estén basados en las escuelas o sean parte del área central—para el año escolar 2022-2023.

Los fondos de ESSER serán utilizados para pagar este incentivo de retención de empleados.

El personal que regrese para el año escolar 2022-2023 recibiría este incentivo de retención de empleados, el cual se incluirá en los pagos de salario de los empleados en tres entregas. La primera—de $500—se incluiría con el pago de salario de septiembre para dar la bienvenida al personal al año escolar. El resto del incentivo se incluiría en los pagos de salario de diciembre y de mayo. Los empleados de medio tiempo o tiempo parcial también podrán recibir el incentivo de retención de empleados aunque la cantidad dependerá de las horas de su posición. Por ejemplo, un empleado cuya posición es .5 recibirá la mitad de la cantidad correspondiente mientras que un empleado cuya posición sea .75, recibirá 3/4 de la cantidad de incentivo correspondiente.

“En un mercado tan competitivo como el que tenemos, este incentivo de retención no solo nos ayudará a conservar en el distrito el excelente personal con que ya contamos y que ha estado trabajando arduamente por nuestros estudiantes, sino que también nos proporcionará una ventaja al reclutar empleados para las vacantes que tenemos en nuestras escuelas y oficinas centrales”, dijo Robert Abel, jefe en funciones de Human Capital Management. “Sabemos que todos, desde maestros hasta empleados de mantenimiento y choferes de autobús, han estado dando todo de si mismos para crear un ambiente de aprendizaje en el que nuestros estudiantes puedan tener éxito y queremos reconocer sus esfuerzos y decirles que los valoramos”.

Para aquellos empleados que son parte de una iniciativa de excelencia, el total del incentivo dependerá del nivel de efectividad que hayan recibido para el año 2022-2023 (TEI, PEI, APEI, EDEI) o el rango en la evaluación CSEI del 2021-2022. (Vea la tabla de datos arriba para la cantidad del incentivo por nivel de efectividad o rango de evaluación de CSEI.)

Teniendo en cuenta cambios en posiciones y salarios, los empleados que hayan recibido una promoción para el año escolar 2022-2023 y no tengan nivel de efectividad o rango de evaluación en CSEI en su nuevo puesto recibirán el incentivo que corresponda a su nivel o rango previo. Por ejemplo, un asistente de director que sea Proficient III y que sea promovido a director en una escuela primaria para el año 2022-2023 recibirá el incentivo de retención que corresponde al nivel de efectividad recibido en su puesto anterior.

Para los empleados que llenan los requisitos y que no son parte de una iniciativa de excelencia, la cantidad del incentivo de retención de empleados será la misma.

El incentivo de retención no contará para propósitos de TRS y estará sujeto a retención de impuestos.

The Assessment Department has created videos detailing how to navigate the embedded tools and accommodations within the STAAR Online Practice Test. Students should have multiple opportunities to become familiar and comfortable with the online testing platform prior to the STAAR testing window and are encourage to explore the practice test at least four times before the upcoming testing dates.

• Cambium Tools Tutorial #1: Setting Preferences Link: https://youtu.be/3z6oEnb5VnU
• Cambium Tools Tutorial #2: Navigating the Student Interface Link: https://youtu.be/ZlHqgDW2uAg
• Cambium Tools Tutorial #3: Global and Context Tools Link:  https://youtu.be/8B3S_TWL848
• Cambium Tools Tutorial #4: Content and Language Supports Link:  https://youtu.be/9MIvzpa-SUo

Timeline for upcoming STAAR testing:

• Prior to Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 – December EOC Re-testers should have
• Prior to Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 – December EOC Re-testers should have multiple opportunities to explore the STAAR tutorials before testing.
• Prior to Friday, Jan. 14, 2022 – Emergent Bilingual students should have
• Prior to Friday, Jan. 14, 2022 – Emergent Bilingual students should have multiple opportunities to explore both the STAAR and TELPAS tutorials.
• Prior to Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 – ALL students should have multiple opportunities to explore the STAAR tutorials in preparation for STAAR Field Tests.

STAAR and TELPAS online tutorials/practice test links

• Practice Test Login (Click Sign In < select grade level < select test < choose
• Practice Test Login (Click Sign In < select grade level < select test < choose settings < click begin)

Guide to Cambium Practice Tests for STAAR and TELPAS

Akash Patel, who teaches Spanish at Ignite Middle School, was recently elected to the highest office in the country for foreign language teachers. Patel will serve the next three years as president-elect, president and immediate past president of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Patel’s main focus will be on addressing the foreign language teacher shortage. In his role as leader of the national organization, he will advocate for equitable access to foreign language certification, support the teaching of multiple languages in elementary school, and address state legislatures to push for foreign language teacher representation in the states’ educational agencies.

Patel is in his fifth year in Dallas ISD and his seventh teaching. Originally from India, he speaks six languages and has visited over 60 countries. His passion is connecting students with others from around the world and creating empathetic global citizens. In 2018, after the passing of his twin brother, Anand “Happy” Patel, he and Dallas ISD’s World Languages Director Amy Anderton created the nonprofit Happy World Foundation Inc. to promote global citizenship education, cross-cultural understanding and citizen-to-citizen diplomacy in schools and communities worldwide.

For more information about ACTFL, please visit www.ACTFL.org.

During its regular monthly briefing, which takes place earlier this month because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Board of Trustees will consider several items and reports from district departments. Under consideration this month are name changes for several schools as well as several reports.

Superintendent’s Report:

• ESSER Progress – Group 1B Activities
• Extra-Curricular Progress
• iLearn Prep
• Operation Connectivity
• Central Staff Excellence Initiative
• Operation Comeback

Minority/Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Quarterly Report, FY 2021-2022, Quarter 1

Consider and Take Possible Action to Authorize, Negotiate and Enter Into Agreements with Recommended Pool of Vendors for Early Learning Home Visiting Programs and Services for Districtwide Use (Not to Exceed $5,000,000 Over Five Years Including Renewal Options / General Operating/Special Revenue/Bond Funds)

Consider and Take Possible Action to Approve the Waiver to Board Policy CW (LOCAL) and Approval of the Renaming of Herbert Marcus Elementary School to Marcus Leadership Academy

Consider and Take Possible Action to Approve the Waiver to Board Policy CW (LOCAL) and Approval of the Renaming of Julius Dorsey Elementary School to Julius Dorsey Leadership Academy

Consider and Take Possible Action to Approve the Waiver to Board Policy CW (LOCAL) and Approval of the Renaming of Eddie Bernice Johnson Elementary School to Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy.

Consider and Take Possible Action to Approve the Waiver to Board Policy CW (LOCAL) and Approval of the Renaming of Oliver W. Holmes Humanities Communications Academy to John Lewis Social Justice Academy at Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Consider and Take Possible Action to Approve the Waiver to Board Policy CW (LOCAL) and the Naming of a Future Site Currently Referenced as the Downtown Project that will House Multiple Schools to be Named Nolan Estes Plaza