News

The arrival of fall brings with it flu season. Seasonal flu mimics many of the same symptoms as COVID-19, which can make it difficult for patients and providers to tell the difference between the two illnesses. Getting a flu shot is an important step we can all take to protect ourselves and our families.

Dallas ISD has partnered with CVS Pharmacy to administer flu shots this year. The district and CVS will be taking extra steps to ensure employees feel safe with receiving a flu shot by introducing new on-site drive through locations and door-to-door, classroom to classroom services. The high dose flu shot for employees over the age of 65 or at high risk will be offered on-site as well.

The district would like to provide you with a convenient service of getting your flu shot while at your work location or a nearby location. Please assist us with providing you the best services by completing a. survey through the link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/disdfluclinics

Procurement Services is removing the blanket requirement for Assignments of Work, Customized Supplemental Services Agreement, and routing forms in an effort to continue to streamline the procurement process. The blanket requirement for these forms will be replaced with a quoting process that will include a Statement of Work for Awarded Suppliers checklist that end-users fill out and attach to requisitions when they are submitted for review and processing.

The new process will begin in late September after recent awards of services for district approved proposals. End users can go to the district’s Procurement website to obtain the awarded supplier’s contact information. The end-user will use the new Statement of Work checklist to determine what documents are needed. End-users who need help with this process can reach out to the assigned buyer based on the category codes listed on the procurement website.

Procurement will use the approval routing hierarchy, budgetary features, and document attachment elements contained within Oracle to replace the current process.  Documentation that needs execution should still be routed to Procurement Services via Docusign.

The Statement of Work checklist can be found on the Procurement Services website.

District guidelines call for everyone—employees, visitors, vendors, parents, tenants, etc.—who is in a district facility wear a mask. Employees are expected to use their personal face masks that cover their nose and mouth, but the district will provide one if needed.

Personal face masks must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Fit snugly over the nose bridge, mouth and chin.
• Be secured to minimize the need to adjust frequently.
• Be work-appropriate, non-offensive, not considered derogatory or otherwise disrespectful to team members or visitors. Logos, graphics, and designs must be professionally appropriate as outlined in the district’s dress code policy. (This includes, but is not limited to, vulgar slogans/designs/graphics, profanity, etc).
• Not be loose material that could get caught in machinery or cause injury.
• Be worn prior to entering the building at all times.

Some recommendations:

• Masks do not need to be medical grade.
• Masks or respirators with exhalation valves are not recommended, since they are not effective as source control and decrease protection of persons around the wearer.
• Gaiter type neck fleece are not advised as face coverings for COVID-19 prevention, as there is evidence they offer little protection, and may increase transmission and dispersion of small droplets.
• Personal face masks should be placed in a bag or bin until they can be washed

This school year may look a little different, but that doesn’t change the impact teachers have on student success. That’s why Academy Sports and Outdoors is thanking them with a 10% discount of the entire purchase for the month of September.

To redeem the discount on Academy.com, verify your teacher status with the id.me buttons on the Shopping Cart page. Once verified, copy and paste promo code into the promo code section on the Shopping Cart page for a single-use redemption.

To redeem in the store, simply present your valid teacher professional ID at checkout.

Dallas ISD is committed to providing exemplary customer service in every corner of the district. We’ve committed to the tenets of Core 4— Focused, Fast, Flexible, and Friendly—which ensure we are delivering professional, high-quality service. To ensure this commitment continues to be part of everyday life in the district, we have redesigned Core 4 to include cultural tenets rooted in our principles of racial equity and cultural responsiveness, comprehensive accountability, responsible use of resources, and collaboration. These changes will benefit our staff and improve communications with our students, parents, and the community.

The first step is for each department/campus to assign at least one employee to serve as its team’s Cultural Tenets Ambassador. This individual will be responsible for training his or her colleagues in the upcoming months on the Core 4 tenets. The goal is to have every Dallas ISD employee trained by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Departments/campuses consisting of 100 or more employees, are encouraged to select two employees to serve as their ambassadors.

When choosing an ambassador, please consider choosing a member of your team who demonstrates leadership skills and can execute training at a high-level.

Once employees participate in the activity at the department level, there will be an online assessment to complete. It will be essential to ensure employees complete this assessment as it will be the tracking mechanism for ensuring all employees received the training. It will also be used to gauge how well they have internalized the tenets and be able to fully apply them to their daily tasks.

Please submit the name(s) of your campus ambassador by Tuesday, Sept. 15, here.

Dallas ISD’s Office of Transformation and Innovation will open the application process on Sept. 8, 2020 for the Innovation Engine, a program designed to provide funding and support to neighborhood schools interested in implementing innovative programs or initiatives. The program will select up to 20 neighborhood schools to receive $50,000 each to implement their proposed model during the 2020-2021 school year. Principals can submit applications, with executive directors approval, by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020.

There will be three live Q&A sessions hosted through September click here to register.

Visit the Innovation Engine web page to view application materials and learn more. For questions, contact Shakeatha Butler, OTI Director shakbutler@dallasisd.org

The Extended Learning Opportunities Department is looking for talented teachers with a unique skill set that can teach virtually or in-person as part of the afterschool enrichment program. Classes and programs offered need to be enriching, engaging, and empowering for students in grades kindergarten through 12.

Interested teachers please visit the Extended Learning Opportunities website and click on the Enrichment Teacher Application link to submit information.

The Social and Emotional Learning Team encourages all staff to practice self-care in preparation for the new school year and as a way of dealing with stress. District employees are invited to participate in free weekly 60-minute virtual mindfulness and emotional intelligence sessions provided by Mastermind.  The sessions will focus on science-based mindfulness strategies for cultivating self-awareness and self-management. Each session will include information and teachings on emotional intelligence, formal and informal mindfulness exercises, and key takeaways for daily life.  Join us every Wednesday at 7 p.m. through Dec. 16.  Register here to join the class.  We are excited to share this transformative practice with you!

The Benefits Department, Human Capital Management, provides employees is providing you an opportunity to access professional support from LifeWorks—an innovative, confidential, and free employee assistance program.

Whether you are looking to overcome an obstacle, improve your overall well-being, or reach a personal goal, LifeWorks can support you with your mental, emotional, and physical health goals. You can personalize the content based on your needs and interests in the areas of life, family, health, and work.

Talk with experts, access community resources, or receive trusted referrals for challenges such as:

• Marriage and relationships
• Stress, anxiety, depression
• Personal conflicts
• Achieving life goals
• Coping with loneliness
• Alcohol and drug issues

Connect today with LifeWorks 24/7/365 by phone, online, or mobile app. You can access the LifeWorks Portal through the OneAccess Portal at https://oneaccess.dallasisd.org. Once logged in, you can click on the My Applications option and it will take you to individual apps, including LifeWorks. You can also call (972) 925-4000.