In this edition:
Panel Inspires In FWISD Convocation 2019 Video | District Web Page Provides First-Day Details | Getting To Know FWISD | Fort Worth ISD Board of Education Schedules Special Election: Candidate Filing Open Through September 4 | 90 Students To Receive Diplomas At FWISD Summer School Graduation Friday | FWISD First-Week Essentials | AC Energy Management System Extends Operating Hours First Weeks of School | Teacher Laptop Exchange Information | Password Reset Information | Fort Worth ISD Snapshot | How Are You Spending Your Summer Vacation? | We Can Help: Self-Care Strategies | Calendar | View more stories throughout the week on the Inside FWISD Blog
PANEL Inspires in FWISD CONVOCATION 2019 Video
What: Fort Worth ISD Convocation 2019
Where: The virtual, pre-taped event will be made available to all Fort Worth ISD campuses so that it can be shared on Friday, August 16 –details will follow
Who: Superintendent Kent P. Scribner and Board President Jacinto Ramos Jr. and principals Myrna Blanchard of North Hi Mount Elementary School; Whitney Scott of Eastern Hills Elementary School; Jeff Bartolotta of Kirkpatrick Middle School; and Rodrigo Durbin of South Hills High School
Summary: Get motivated for the upcoming academic year with Fort Worth ISD Convocation 2019.
This “virtual” event will include District leaders and campus principals discussing a wide range of topics focused on preparing teachers and support staff for the 2019-2020 school year. The pre-recorded discussion is being made available to FWISD’s respective campuses to share with their staffs on Friday, August 16.
“Convocation is a celebration of the start of a new year. Again, this year, we don’t have to all be in the same room to celebrate our commitment to our vocation. In fact, we listened to you all and heard that it is more important to give you all the gift of time at your campuses as you prepare for the new school year,” said Superintendent Kent P. Scribner.
Dr. Scribner and Board President Jacinto Ramos Jr. will host a panel discussion with principals Myrna Blanchard of North Hi Mount Elementary School; Whitney Scott of Eastern Hills Elementary School; Jeff Bartolotta of Kirkpatrick Middle School; and Rodrigo Durbin of South Hills High School.
About the panelists:
Ms. Blanchard joined the District four years ago
Ms. Scott is a 12-year District veteran
Mr. Bartolotta is a 22-year FWISD veteran
Mr. Durbin is a 15-year employee of the District
District Web Page Provides First-Day Details
Get ready to Rise and Shine on 8-1-9!
Start the 2019-2020 academic year, Monday, August 19 prepared.
Answers to questions about Fort Worth ISD’s online registration, school supply lists, campus start times, cafeteria menus, calendars, attendance, transportation and much more are available at www.fwisd.org/backtoschool.
Monday, August 19 marks the District’s 137th year of serving Fort Worth children.
Superintendent Kent P. Scribner and Mayor Betsy Price are visiting multiple FWISD campuses to greet students and parents the first day.
Share your back-to-school photos with us on social media using #FWISDFirstDay to be featured on FWISD Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
GETTING TO KNOW FWISD
Stay in the know of who makes up the Fort Worth ISD.
In "Getting to Know FWISD," Inside FWISD will take a look at the FWISD organization.
This week, check out 2019-2020 employee salary increases unanimously approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday, August 13. For more details, view video from the August 13 board meeting.
Fort Worth ISD Board of Education Schedules Special Election
Candidate Filing Open Through September 4
Candidate filing for the District 4 seat left vacant by the recent retirement of long-time Board of Education member T.A. Sims is underway.
On Tuesday, August 13, the Fort Worth ISD Board of Education approved a special election order for November 5, 2019, to fill the vacant seat. Candidate filing opened on Wednesday, August 14 and will remain open through 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 4, 2019. A notarized candidate filing application and appointment of a campaign treasurer must be filed with FWISD’s Policy and Planning Department.
District 4 candidates must have a residency of one year or more in the state and six months residency in the single-member district prior to the September 4 filing deadline to be eligible. Additional eligibility criteria, important documents and additional election information is available on the Board of Education Election Page on the District’s website.
Drawing for a place on the ballot will take place at 5:30 p.m. Monday, September 9 in the Fort Worth ISD Board Room, 2903 Shotts St.
In-person early voting at designated polling locations runs October 21 through November 1.
For additional information, contact Dr. Amanda Coleman, director/elections officer in the Policy and Planning Department at 817-814-1956 or email amanda.coleman@fwisd.org.
What: FWISD Summer School Graduation
When: 7 p.m. Friday, August 16, 2019
Where: Wilkerson Greines Activity Center, 5201 C.A. Roberson Blvd.
90 Students to Receive Diplomas at FWISD Summer School Graduation Friday
Summary: Approximately 90 Fort Worth ISD students will receive their high school diplomas at the District’s annual Summer School Graduation ceremony this week.
The ceremony starts promptly at 7 p.m. Friday, August 16 at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center. Cherie Washington, chief of secondary schools, and Board of Education trustees Quinton “Q” Phillips and Anael Luebanos are among the special guests slated to attend.
“We would like to congratulate all of this year’s summer graduates,” said Shannon Hernandez, summer school director.
Students adorned in the graduation caps and gowns of their home high schools will walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.
FWISD First-Week Essentials
Fort Worth Independent School District will once again observe First 5 the initial days of the 2019-2020 school year.
First 5 is an opportunity for campus teachers, administrators, counselors and students to get to know one another as a means of building relationships and classroom community before intensive core instruction begins. This is done through a series of fun activities the initial five days of school.
Activities include classroom procedures, respect/relationship agreements, weekly respect goals and much more.
Campus administrators, teachers and counselors can access First 5 lessons and activities through the Its Learning application under “SSS-First 5-Elementary” and “Secondary” to get a head start on planning for the upcoming school year.
The 2019-2020 school year begins, Monday, August 19. For more back-to-school details, visit www.fwisd.org/backtoschool.
The following memorandum is from Operations and Technology:
AC Energy Management System Extends Operating Hours First Weeks of School
Air conditioning will run continuously through August 26 at all Fort Worth ISD campuses to help maintain cool classrooms.
In addition to an extended schedule, the Energy Management Systems (EMS) specialists are continuously monitoring building temperatures to ensure FWISD facilities and classrooms are comfortable for all students and staff.
“Further assessment will determine if normal operating hours will resume the first week in September,” Art Cavazos, chief of District operations, wrote in a recent memorandum to campus principals and facility managers.
For additional information, principals and facilities managers are urged to contact the energy specialists.
Teacher Laptop Exchange Information
The following content is from the Operations Department:
Password Reset Information
The following information is from Educational Technology Department:
With my.fwisd.org, resetting your own employee password is quick and easy!
To reset your password, you must first create security questions. The FWISD Customer Service Department is urging ALL Fort Worth ISD employees to set up or reset their security questions as soon as possible. Completing this task will empower you with the capability to reset your own password in the upcoming school year, should the need arise.
View this video tutorial for details on resetting your password.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following are recent photos from across the Fort Worth ISD.
Students, Teachers, and Staff Treated to Taste-Test of New School Cafeteria Concepts: Just a few days before the start of the new school year, students, teachers and staff from Fort Worth ISD’s Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School were treated to a sampling of the types of new food items they can expect in the cafeteria in the coming months on Wednesday. The District’s new food service provider, SodexoMAGIC, plans a wide-variety of innovative and nutritious “crowd pleasing” food concepts aimed at engaging and satisfying students and staff who patronize school cafeterias across the District on a daily basis. Read more in next week's Inside FWISD.
Career and Technical Professional Learning event: Marc Istook, a 1994 graduate of Fort Worth ISD’s Southwest High School and a News 8 Daybreak anchor, was the keynote alumni speaker for the District’s Career and Technical Professional Learning event, August 14. More than 300 educators are participated in the mandatory waiver day training, focused on classroom strategies, specialized training, community building, policy and procedures, curriculum and much more.
Principal Appointments: The 2019-2020 Campus Principal Appointments were announced at the Board of Education meeting, Tuesday, August 13. They are: Howard Robinson, O.D. Wyatt High School; Aundra Bohannon, Metro Opportunity High School; David Trimble, J.P. Elder Middle School; Darryl Gentry, Meadowbrook Middle School; Marron McWilliams, Jean McClung Middle School; Quanda Collins, TCC-South Collegiate High School; Kalyn San Jacinto, Carroll Peak Elementary School; Margaret Huff, Carter Park Elementary School; Anthony Avery, Hazel Harvey Peace Elementary School; Marlette Martinez, De Zavala Elementary School; DuVaughn Flagler, S.S. Dillow Elementary School; Nikita Moye, Leadership Academy at John T. White Elementary School; Debora Fuentes, Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary School; Aura Angel, D. McRae Elementary School; Vanessa Cuarenta, Morningside Elementary School; Laura Hill, Mary Louise Phillips Elementary School; Irma Ayala, Richard J. Wilson Elementary School; Jennifer Kennedy, Riverside Applied Learning Center; Victorius Eugenio, Daggett Montessori; Kendall Condit, Westpark Elementary School and Deborah Baez-Carrasquillo, M.G. Ellis Primary School.
Creando Una Amistad: Fort Worth ISD kicked off tax-free weekend with its fifth Creando Una Amistad, a back-to-school event for families, Friday, August 9 at La Gran Plaza. Fort Worth ISD Board President Jacinto Ramos, Jr. and Dr. Kent Paredes Scribner, Fort Worth ISD Superintendent discussed with parents the importance of welcoming environments for students as well as other issues. The event also provided attendees with online registration assistance, back to school/book giveaways, a fashion show, student performances, merchant coupons and additional resources.
Supplies Galore: Schools in Fort Worth ISD will receive individual school supply kits this week and next week to wrap up the annual Kroger “Backpack Boosters” school supply campaign. Shoppers in North Texas and Louisiana donated money for supplies and school supply kits at their local Kroger in July. Fort Worth schools will receive more than 7,700 school supply boxes delivered in 35 pallets, valued at more than $60,000. This generous donation from Kroger customers and employees will help students start the year with the tools they need to be successful.
Trane Donates School Supplies: Representatives from Trane Commercial Systems donated school supplies to Glencrest Sixth Grade Center, Friday, August 9. This is the second year the heating, ventilating and air conditioning manufacture company has donated supplies to the campus.
Dressing for Success: First United Methodist Church Fort Worth recently donated school uniforms to students at Charles Nash and T.A. Sims elementary schools.
Poly Family Reunion: New Fort Worth ISD teachers, who graduated from Polytechnic High School, were treated to lunch by former Poly administrators, Friday, August 9.
Jumpstart Teacher Academy: An estimated 300 rookie and experienced teachers new to FWISD participated in District’s Jumpstart Teacher Academy, August 5-9. The conference focused on topics to assist the new educators in having a successful first year with students. Participants received a copy of “Teach Like a Champion 2.0,” a book by Doug Lemov with 62 teaching techniques that prepare students for college and career readiness, and other materials to assist them in their first year. Throughout the year, monthly professional learning opportunities will offer new teachers ongoing support.
CIP/PROCEDEO Mixer: The latest FWISD Business and Networking Mixer, organized by the District's Capital Improvement Program and Procedeo, owner representative for the 2017 bond project, was hosted August 1 at Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School. Attendees networked with Capital Improvement Program and Procedeo personnel and other general contractors and subcontractors for the 2017 bond project. The next FWISD Business and Networking Mixer is September 5. RSVP here to attend.
HOW ARE YOU SPENDING YOUR SUMMER VACATION?
Diana Garcia-Allen, a Career and Technical Education teacher at Kirkpatrick Middle School, spent 11 days in Tokyo and Thailand. She said she went sightseeing in Tokyo. In Thailand, she volunteered pouring cement and with landscaping at a rehabilitation center for people struggling with drug addiction. Her daughter, who is a FWISD substitute teacher, met her in Thailand and volunteered at a children's home that cares for more than 100 children.
"We had a great time exploring Thailand as well as giving of our time to these amazing people," Ms. Garcia-Allen said.
Here's some photos her trip:
Thank you, FWISD employees for sharing your amazing summer photos with Inside FWISD.
Don't forget to email us with photos the great things taking place on your campus and in your departments the 2019-2020 school year. We'd love to share some of those photos with your colleagues in future Inside FWISD editions.
WE CAN HELP: Self-Care Strategies
The following information is from the District’s Employee Assistance Program provider, Alliance Work Partners:
You can't always control the circumstances that life throws your way, but you can control how well you take care of yourself. When you're taking good care of your body and mind, you can be more resilient toward whatever comes, use the resources you have in your life to their fullest, and become less reactive toward the stress you face.
Your Employee Assistance Program is here to provide tips, tools and resources to create new habits and meet your goals.
Get started today by using the practices below.
1. Get Enough Sleep
2. Maintain Proper Nutrition
3. Exercise Regularly
4. Maintain Social Support
5. Find Hobbies
6. Pamper Yourself
7. Keep Your Mind Sharp
8. Have the Right Attitude
9. Process Your Emotions
10. Maintain a Spiritual Practice
For more information, contact us at 800-343-3822 or visit www.awpnow.com/main/fwisd-eap-resource-room/.
FWISD is looking for Bilingual Teachers
Online Registration, Ongoing
Benefits Open Enrollment for employees, Ongoing through August 22
Gold Seal Late Application Window, Continues through September 6
Free Back to School physicals, August 12-24
Summer School Graduation, August 16
Convocation, August 16
First Day of School, August 19
Regular Board of Education meeting, August 27
College Colors Day, August 30
Share your story ideas, successes, calendar items, photos, questions and feedback with us at Inside@FWISD.org. Check the Inside FWISD blog, www.fwisd.org/insidefwisd, regularly updated throughout the week with additional content and features.