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Dallas ISD departments and schools wanting to expand their knowledge on the Core 4 culture tenets—focused, fast, flexible, and friendly—have the opportunity to request a Core 4 training. 

You may have team members who are new to the district, or perhaps your team needs a refresher on Core 4 to keep the momentum going. There are a variety of Core 4 trainings offered, which vary in length. They are:

• a one-hour overview of Core 4
• a deep-dive into Core 4 (2-hour workshop)
• a series of four 30-minute Core 4 training sessions
• a mini Core 4 overview  (30-minute session)

In preparation for the training, the facilitator will coordinate a meeting with the person requesting the training to ensure the training fits your department’s needs and expectations. Trainings are offered in-person, virtually, or a hybrid of both. We’re here for you to support your Core 4 goals. 

Core 4 trainings are taking place right now. Don’t forget to reserve yours. To request training for your department or campus, fill out this form. For more resources and more detailed information about Core 4, visit the main website at https://www.dallasisd.org/core4.

Building a culture of reading includes reading at home–so why not earn prizes while doing so? In the Mavs Reading Challenge, students in grades kinder through 12th who read for 20 minutes a day for 40 days can win prizes. The contest runs through March 8. 

Students have until then to log 20 minutes a day of reading for at least 40 days to complete the challenge. Upon completion, students will be awarded a Whataburger completion certificate, a free meal coupon from participating Whataburger locations, and a Mavs swag bag. The top 20 students will receive two tickets to a Mavs game, and the student who reads the most minutes will receive a Mavs Mascot visit to their classroom. 

Team members needing help finding reading lists for their students, can contact their school librarian. You can also visit the Dallas ISD Library and Media Services website for e-books, reading lists, and other resources by visiting:  https://www.dallasisd.org/librarymediaservices

Participants can enter as an individual student or with their class or group. To register as an individual student, click here. To register as a class or group, click here. 

You can also visit https://www.mavs.com/readingchallenge/ for more information.

Dallas ISD team members are guided by a culture rooted in four tenets—friendly, fast, focused, flexible. These culture tenets ensure that all team members work collaboratively with each other and with all other stakeholders for the success of students. While all team members embrace this culture on different levels, some are champions of the Core 4. This quarter, four of these champions in central administration will be recognized for their exemplary work in one of each of the four tenets. The champions were chosen by a committee from a list of candidates submitted by schools and departments. The recognition includes a gift bag with Core 4 memorabilia and use of the Core 4 Champion parking spot at the Linus D. Wright Dallas ISD Administration Building. Meet the winners.

Friendly

Stephanie Espinoza

Accounts Payable

Stephanie is so kind and helpful. She provided information and resources from her department that I’ve never before received in the way she shared it. It was all in one place, well organized, clear and concise. The effort to be of service was evident in her approach and communication. Not only that, she also opted not to delay our request by rejecting an item missing information. Rather, she gave very clear notes on what was missing, instructions to access it and allowed me to send her the information directly. This allowed me to submit the missing item, which she had access to attach, without having to start all the way over on approvals. To receive this kind of service is not only appreciated, it’s made me strive to provide the exact same service to those I work with. It’s inspiring and refreshing.

Fast

Brandon Harper

Career and Technical Education

In the Dallas ISD, the embodiment of our commitment to responsiveness, accuracy, and accountability is personified in individuals such as Brandon Harper. Regardless of the urgency of requests, Brandon consistently delivers exceptional work. In his capacity as the coordinator for special projects, he supports 12 coordinators, two managers, and a director, undertaking responsibilities that include creating social media content, marketing collaterals, event promotions, and data reports, oftentimes at the last hour. Brandon executes these tasks with unwavering fidelity and urgency, delving deep into data, policies, and relevant information sources to ensure the precision of his work.

Brandon’s notable synchronization of time with task importance is evident in his prompt responses to requests from all stakeholders. His proactive problem-solving approach and adaptability to unforeseen circumstances highlight a commitment to fostering equitable outcomes.

In every interaction, Brandon not only demonstrates intentionality and urgency but also underscores his dedication to the values of responsiveness, accuracy, and accountability within the Dallas ISD. His proactive stance in seeking solutions and anticipating potential issues reflects a commitment to excellence that permeates every facet of his role.

Focused

Tabatha Sustaita-Robb

Library & Media Services

Tabatha is the library services coordinator. She is strategically-minded, intentional, and focused on supporting the district’s goals through the services the department offers. Tabatha has supported the updates in the district-library evaluation, planned and led effective professional development for librarians, and even supported students directly last year when she served as a substitute teacher at H. Grady Spruce High School. She is a team player who moved her way up from a librarian at Thomas Edison Middle School and Dallas Environmental Science Academy to library coordinator. She has supported the Alternative Certification Program by conducting training sessions for their evening cohort. She runs the department Twitter account (now known as X) with almost 4,000 followers and ensures the department always finds ways to collaborate with other groups for maximum impact. 

Flexible

Lacey Kalina

Devan Trussell

Academic Services Curriculum Videographers 

The videographers demonstrate flexibility in their approach, acknowledging the challenges of attending all requested shoots due to the high volume of demands. However, they also provide alternatives such as creating final products from footage shared by the requester, revisiting existing footage to meet specific needs, and offering guidance on capturing footage or using video editing software to empower others in the process.

Art teachers looking for opportunities for their students’ work to be featured can look into the 2024 DART Student Art Contest. This year’s theme is “Explore DART’s 13 cities.” The deadline to enter is Thursday, Feb. 29. 

 The contest is open to students in kinder through 12th grade. Judges will select one “Best of Show Winner” from all the entries. The Best of Show winner will have their artwork featured on DART rail stations and buses and DART website and will also receive a cash prize. 

 The first-place winner in the kindergarten through second-grade category, the third- through fifth-grade category, and the middle school category will receive a cash prize. The first-place winner in the high school category will receive a prize and will have their art featured at DART rail stations and trains. Runners-up and honorable mentions in all categories will receive prizes.

For more information about the contest, visit here or contact chuerta@DART.org. 

Students, colleagues and community members at Seagoville High School are proud of the accomplishments of Charque Chenard, a drill team director and dance teacher at the school. Most recently, Chenard was one of six Dallas ISD dance educators who were literally in the spotlight when they were paired up with local celebrities in a dancing challenge. 

The Dancing-with-the-Stars-like competition and showcase was part of the Dallas Education Foundation’s annual gala, “HeART of Teaching: Dancing with the Stars,” which raises funds that benefit district initiatives and students.

Charque was paired up with Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who she says stepped up to the challenge and was a joy to work with. To watch a video of Charque and some of the dance educators who participated, click on this link.

According to Charque, participating in the gala and working with Judge Jenkins allowed her to not only work with one of the top leaders in the county, but also to do one of her favorite aspects of her job: choreographing and creating. So when she got chosen along with the other educators to participate, she embraced the challenge.

Through this type of work, she is teaching her students to seize opportunities and challenges. She is leading by example. 

“I showed my students that even though I’m their teacher, I’m out here advocating for arts education and still moving and doing things as a professional dancer,” Charque said.

Chenard has been teaching at Seagoville High School for the past two years, and previously taught for six years at Seagoville Middle School. She said it was her students who made the transition easier, as her former middle school students who were now in high school, took on leadership roles, helping new students adjust to the rules and expectations of her dance classes. 

She not only teaches them different dance genres, such as modern, contemporary, and ballet, she also teaches them skills that will help them be successful in their high school and college careers. She tries to show her students the connections between the lessons that they learn in dance and the lessons that they use in life. Being professional in dance and in life is something they talk a lot about in her classroom, she said Chenard.

“I tell them to listen to these lessons for life—lessons about being responsible, committing to something, showing up on time, and so on,” Charque said. “I help them connect the dots between what my expectations for them are and how that could play out in their everyday life once they leave my classroom.” 

 Last school year, Charque took her students to visit her college and showed them her old stamping grounds at Texas Woman’s University so they could see where she trained to be a professional dancer and to be their teacher. 

“I try to really just lead by example and show them every day the effects that the arts have had on me,” she said. 

It was when she was a student at David W. Carter High School, where she was co-captain of her dance team, that she found her calling to pursue dance as a profession. But it wasn’t until she was studying dance at TWU that her dean suggested she become a dance educator, because not only would she be fulfilling her passion, but would also add to the diversity that was needed in this field. Students need to see teachers that look like them, said Charque. 

“To see a teacher of color that the students can relate to, I think it impacts them in a major way,” Charque said. 

Even after receiving feedback from community members who considered dance as a hobby and not a profession, she received support from her grandmother throughout her journey to become a professional dancer and dance educator. 

“I remember having so many conversations with her, and it was interesting to see everything come to fruition—to see everything unfold for her,” Chenard said. “I want my students to see that everything is possible.”

 Charque says that not all of her students are interested in dance or in becoming performers, but she keeps them informed about the different opportunities available in the dance field other than being a dancer, such as technical designers that work on lighting, sets, costumes, sound engineers, stage managers, and many other careers in dance and the performing arts. 

One of her favorite things about being a dance educator is the connections she makes with her students, and getting to make a difference on a personal level. Several of her former students who are in college reach out to her, and she still calls them to see how they’re doing.  

Whether her students pursue dance or any related field or not she says the work that her students put in her class pushes them mentally and physically, and these experiences help them grow and prepare for future opportunities. 

To learn more about the Dallas Education Foundation event, visit dallasedfound.org/heart-of-teaching-2023. 

Whether team members work at the Linus D. Wright Dallas ISD Administration Building or visit from other district locations, parking can sometimes be a challenge. But making sure to remember the district’s culture tenets of the Core 4 by being flexible and friendly can lead to a positive experience for all. 

While some lots and levels may fill quicker than others, it’s important to follow all parking guidelines and to be patient.  

Please keep in mind the following:

• Dallas ISD team members are prohibited from parking in visitor spaces, which allows students, families, and guests easy access to the building.
• Four main areas for Dallas ISD employees to park include the west, east, and north garages. 
• All garages, except the north, require an access card to enter for those based at 9400. The lower east garage is reserved.
• Team members who have forgotten their access card may use the call button to enter general employee garages.
• Double parking is not permitted. This includes blocking other cars in and occupying more than one parking space at a time by straddling the lines. Those who do not follow this guideline may receive additional action from the district.
• Compact car parking spaces are designated only for small vehicles that can easily move in and out of the spot without blocking others on either side or taking up two spaces.
• Team members are not allowed to park at Dave & Buster’s under any circumstance. Employees who are observed using that lot risk being towed.

Please remember, being courteous and considerate is part of the Core 4 culture and will help everyone have a more positive parking experience. For additional questions or information, please contact Scherry Byrd at scbyrd@dallasisd.org.

The start of the year is a good time to review financial trends, establish goals, and make choices that will help you have some financial discipline. This financial discipline—how you spend and save—will help you achieve long-term monetary goals. Often, that means prioritizing a larger, long-term reward over an enticing, but smaller, short-term benefit. For example, enjoying an extravagant dinner is fun for a few hours, but using that money to pay down your credit card may save you a lot in interest over the long run. And if one of your long-term goals is to be debt free, making a larger credit card payment now moves you closer to achieving that goal in the future.

Conforming spending and saving behavior to financial goals may come easier for some than others. But everyone can work on honing this skill. Researchers have found that certain strategies can establish and improve the self-control needed to spend and save wisely.

Build the habit of self-discipline

Whatever your age, income, or life situation, these steps can help you lay the foundation for a disciplined approach to managing your money.

Assess your financial situation. To exercise financial discipline, you need to know where you stand currently. How in control of your finances do you feel? How prepared would you be if you were to face a financial setback or emergency? At this point, you may want to consider your future financial goals.

Develop a financial plan. Once you’ve assessed your situation, identify any areas in which your current actions don’t line up with your future goals. Then, think about what you could do to improve this alignment. Let’s say one of your goals is a secure retirement but you’re currently contributing little or nothing to your retirement account. You might draw up a budget that allocates more money for retirement savings—and less for clothes, gifts, or entertainment.

Set guidelines and rules for yourself. Setting guidelines for yourself is a prerequisite for financial discipline. You can’t follow your own rules if you don’t know what they are. Speak with a financial counselor if you need some help creating your financial plan.

Set target dates for goals. For example, you might set a goal to pay off your mortgage early. First, focus on a date instead of how many weeks, months, or years are left to go. Then, create a detailed plan outlining how much you will have to pay extra each month to pay it off by that date. Studies show that framing time this way is more conducive to long-term financial patience. 

Expand your knowledge. No matter how much or how little you know about money management, there’s always more to learn. Consider taking a class or webinar on investing or buying a home. You may leave with not only more information but newfound inspiration for avoiding impulsive choices.

Manage your emotions. Do you make impulse purchases when you’re feeling stressed or depressed? If your emotions rule your wallet, you may have an increased likelihood of spending more than you intended or making regrettable purchases. Pay attention to your emotional triggers for spending. Then, develop strategies for handling them in a less costly way.

Bolster your financial willpower

Financial discipline is like any skill: You can improve it through practice. These tips can help strengthen your self-control with money.

Keep close tabs on spending. Make a habit of recording and reviewing what you spend each day. Use a notebook or money-management app and compare what you’ve spent to what you have budgeted. Research shows that self-control is more likely to falter when you lose track of your behavior. 

Don’t overtax your self-control. Studies show that trying to make too many choices at once can deplete your willpower. When that happens, you’re prone to hasty, ill-advised decisions. To avoid this, pace your financial decision making as much as you can. Prioritize your goals and focus on the one or two most important goals. If you start feeling overwhelmed, take a break and do something else for a while, but set a time and date to go back and make those pending decisions. Give your willpower a chance to recover.

Remove the element of choice. Another way to give your willpower a break is by reducing the number of choices you need to make. Set up automatic contributions to your savings and investment accounts. 

Focus on dreams for the future

The ability to focus on your future is important for prioritizing long-term goals. Take a few minutes to visualize what your future will look like.

Imagine yourself at different points in time—two or five or 20 years from now. Then remind yourself that the choices you make today influence where you will be at those times. It’s easier to stick to the plan when you think of financial discipline not as depriving yourself today but as giving yourself the future you want. 

Source: Lifeworks

If you need additional support with managing debt and mental health, take advantage of Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by LifeWorks, which is free for employees, 100 percent confidential, and available to all employees and their dependents. 

Sessions through the EAP are available by phone, virtual, and in person. Employees can also find tips, articles, self-assessments, and topical features focusing on specific EAP resources available through the EAP smart App.

To start on your wellness journey please visit dallasisd.lifeworks.com or reach out to the EAP by calling 972-925-4000 and selecting option 3 for EAP.

District school and administrative offices will be closed Monday, Dec. 25, through Friday Jan. 5, 2024. While the district is closed for winter break, team members can still get assistance with their benefits.

Non-emergency assistance

You may reach the Benefits Call Center by calling 972-925-4300 option 2 for wellness. The Benefits Call Center will be closed on Monday, Dec. 25, and Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.

For 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 never used Teladoc before, you will have to set up your account before you can access the services. You will need to have your name, date of birth, and BCBS member ID number to register.

Flexible Spending Accounts/ Health Savings Account

If you have questions regarding your HSA/ FSA, contact Optum at 877-528-9876 or visit www.optum.com. Optum is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. When you call, you will need your FSA/HSA card number, name, and date of birth. If you are visiting the website, you will need your name, date of birth, social security number or employee ID.

Employee Assistance Program

The holidays can be a difficult time for some employees. If you need assistance making it through this time, please reach out to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by calling 972-925-4300 Option 3 EAP. They are available 24 hours/seven days a week.

To access the website or the Telus Health One app you will need your district email address, district username, and password.

• the website Telus Health
• the app: Telus: Health One  

Leaves of Absence

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.

Anna Sifford, a history teacher at Hillcrest High School exemplifies the phrase service above self—which is the name of the award she received from the Rotary Club earlier this year. While she admits her classes challenge students to think beyond their comfort zone, she meets her students where they are and encourages them along the way. 

Sifford teaches International Baccalaureate 20th-Century world topics, IB history of the Americas, and Advanced Placement U.S. history, and she said she feels she is not just  preparing her students for college, but that her classes also prepare them for life and to be future leaders. 

Sifford has visited 34 countries and is involved with the World Affairs Council. Some of her accomplishments include being part of the United Arab Emirates Study Tour this year, T.E.A.C.H. Fellow (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), U.S.-Morocco Alliance education cohort, Marshall Fellow through the World Affairs Council, and is a previous recipient of the International Educator of the Year given by the World Affairs Council.

 “Winning the Rotary Club award showed me that what I’m doing is right,” Sifford said. She says she established a nonprofit—Action Allies United—inspired by the award for students, hers and those from across the community, who hope to major in international relations, diplomacy or policy, or medical anthropology, which is a brand-new major.

 The purpose of the Rotary Club of Dallas “Service Above Self Award” is to call attention to the importance of service in our community and provides teachers an opportunity to recognize and reward those who have demonstrated excellence in their profession by “going the extra mile,” according to their website. The winners each received an engraved plaque and a cash award. 

“The award showed me that it’s worth all those hours, and that it’s worth every Saturday where I go to have coffee with someone who’s just going to cry for an hour and then we’re going to work on their essay, ” she said. 

 Sifford says that it’s about hearing her students and helping them get through those hurdles. For example, a student might need help writing something they feel like they can’t understand, but she knows they can. 

 “I’ve had nothing but lovable kids, and I think it’s all just because of the mindset,” Sifford said. “We do work for them, and as a teacher you have one job: to make sure they succeed, right? So you do whatever it takes to make that happen.” 

 One of the things that Sifford does to help her students be successful is a podcast on Spotify in which she creates content from her class that her students can tune into and learn. For example, students may have a unit test coming up, and they can tune into her podcast to help prepare them for the exam.

“These kids learn through podcasts. I didn’t,” Sifford said. “So that’s very foreign to me, but it’s not to them. Service above self is meeting kids at their level, right?”

 Sifford graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where she studied dance—specifically tap and flamenco. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from SMU and a master’s degree in diplomacy and international relations from Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Her previous careers before becoming a teacher included working for seven years at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City and the United Nations. She began her career as an educator in 2007 and came to teach at Dallas ISD in 2014. 

 When Sifford was in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the United Arab Emirates Study Tour, she was one of the 50 faces of persons from around the world to be the face of the UAE. The pictures are part of a campaign celebrating the country’s 50th anniversary.

 Through her years as a teacher, Sifford has always had a Junior World Affairs Council on every campus she has taught. The nonprofit she created serves the same purpose. 

 One of the upcoming projects that Sifford has with her nonprofit is taking 17 students in March to Casablanca and Marrakech to do earthquake disaster relief for a girls’ dormitory that was hit by the earthquake this past September. In addition to taking the money her organization has raised for the project, they will be meeting with an IB school in Casablanca. They have also created their own negotiation simulation. Instead of Model UN, they have created their own called “Lunar Accords” to address the current crisis in the Middle East. 

“The intent is about how their generation can move forward because it’s going to be up to them,” she said. 

 Sifford said that she is doing what she loves to do because her passion is history. One of her favorite things is giving students the tools inside her classroom to be historians. Her class is very different from just lecturing from a podium. She challenges her students to research and question. 

“So, in my class, the higher the grade usually means you argued with me the most, because that’s what history calls for. So, I need a room full of contrarians,” Sifford said.  

Sifford’s classes have the reputation of being among the hardest on campus, but it’s the class that students have told her goes by the fastest, where they can speak their mind, she said. Some of them even change their areas of interest to history or diplomacy. 

“I think it’s only because I’ve given them the power to interpret history their own way,” she said.