Colleagues,

In our latest edition of Inside FWISD, you will find information about:

• Texas Plus Policy Fellowship Looking For Great Teachers
• FWISD Issues Central Administration Building Update
• Pre-K/K Registration: What You Need To Know About Registration Customer Service 
• Online Forum To Discuss New Partnership at J. Martin Jacquet MS
• FWISD District Advisory Committee Nominations Due At 5 p.m. Friday
• HCM To Host Pre-K Career Fair April 27  

And more stories and information about and for FWISD employees

Don’t forget to view stories throughout the week on the Inside FWISD blog

Panel interviews are underway for the Fort Worth ISD’s 10 District Teacher of the Year finalists.

Recently, the District recognized the 10 finalists with surprise campus visits. Schools were creative in the way they surprised their honorees, with drum lines, cheerleaders, banners, balloons, and student performances to show their appreciation.

The Elementary and Secondary District Teacher of the Year winners will be announced in early May.  Each of the two award winners receives a $5,000 honorarium from Central Market.  The eight finalists will receive a $1,500 award from Central Market.

The finalists are:

Elementary

Angela Ferguson, fourth grade Math and Science – Lowery Road ES

Brigit Lopez, K-1 Physical Education– Western Hills Primary

Mary McKinnie, Pre-K – sixth grade Special Education – Jo Kelly School

Olivia Olalde, fifth grade Bilingual – Alice Contreras ES

Anthony Smith-Wright, fifth grade Science and Social Studies – Eastern Hills ES

Secondary

Ann-Denise Anderson, ninth – 12^th grade Art 1, Photography 2 & 3, AP Studio Art, Drawing, 3D – Polytechnic HS

Vanida Chanthaphone, seventh and eighth grade English and Reading – Monnig MS

Casey Kirchner, 11^th and 12^th grade U.S. History, Pre-AP U. S. History, Leadership – R. L. Paschal HS

TeNeal “Charlie” Metcalf, ninth, 11^th, 12^th grade AP & Pre-AP Biology– Young Women’s Leadership Academy

Tobie Moser, sixth and seventh grade Science – Young Men’s Leadership Academy

Each finalist received a floral arrangement and a gift card from Central Market, the sponsor of the District Teacher of the Year award program.

Content submissions for next week's Inside FWISD are due no later than 10 a.m. Friday.

Inside FWISD implemented new content deadlines, Thursday, April 8. Because Inside FWISD has become such a widely read publication, we have had to make some adjustments as we grow.

All content submitted for inclusion in the newsletter must be sent to the Inside FWISD inbox, Inside@fwisd.org. Exceptions are only made after the deadline for content approved by the superintendent or a department chief.

If the content submitted is not time sensitive, it will be considered for a future edition of the newsletter. Content that is time sensitive will be forwarded to the FWISD social media and web coordinators for possible publication sooner.

Persons interested in submitting content for Inside FWISD must complete a News Release Worksheet and return it to Inside@fwisd.org.

Additional questions about the content deadline may be emailed to the Inside FWISD team at Inside@fwisd.org.

The Fort Worth ISD is observing the Week of the Young Child 50th anniversary this week with a series of events bringing awareness to early childhood education.

Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children that advocates for public attention on the needs of young children, their families and the early childhood programs and services that meet their needs. At a March 22 Board of Education meeting, FWISD trustees issued a proclamation declaring April 10-16 Week of the Young Child in the District.

Throughout the week, the District will highlight Pre-kindergarten/kindergarten registration, which is currently underway, and host fun, interactive themed activities daily at schools throughout FWISD. All FWISD Pre-K teachers will receive the book, “The Very Impatient Caterpillar” / “La oruga muy impaciente” by Ross Burach. Pre-K students will go home with the book, “Misunderstood Shark” by Ame Dyckman and a weeklong family activity calendar.

The following daily activities are scheduled to celebrate Week of the Young Child throughout FWISD classrooms this week. Schools are encouraged to create social media posts of how they’re celebrating the week:

• April 12- Music Monday
• April 13 – Tasty Tuesday
• April 14 – We read Wednesdays
• April 15 – Artsy Thursday
• April 16– Family Friday

Look for the Fort Worth ISD Bookmobile in communities throughout the District during the week. The Family Communications Department is partnering with community centers, apartment complexes and places of worship for pop-up events to promote the District online Pre-K and kindergarten registration which began April 1. Families will receive free resources on District early childhood programs, books for toddlers and young readers, and other community resources at the pop-up events.

The Bookmobile will roll into the following locations during the Week of the Young Child:

• April 13: 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Family Action Center, 3409 Stalcup Road, 76119
• April 14: 2-4 p.m., Waverly Park Elementary School, 3604 Cimmaron Trail, 76116
• April 14: 5-6 p.m., Columbia Renaissance Square Apartment, 3801 WG Daniels, 76105
• April 15: 2-3 p.m., Victory Forest Community Center, 3247 Hemphill St., 76110
• April 16: 8-11 a.m., Como Community Center, 4660 Horne St. 76107

Pre-K and Kindergarten in the Fort Worth ISD provides safe spaces that inspire discovery, learning, and there’s enough room for every child. To learn more about our early childhood programs, visit www.fwisd.org/prek.

For additional information, contact Olayinka Ojo, director of FWISD Early Leaning, at 817-814-2450 or by emailing olayinka.ojo@fwisd.org.

Editor's Note: The following content is from Amphibian Stage and have been modified for clarity.

Amphibian Stage's Artistic Director, Kathleen Culebro, and I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA educator and podcaster Dev'n Goodman have collaborated to create a video project amplifying the voices of Black men using personal storytelling, poetry and music in a new film titled THIS IS MY STORY.” Among the storytellers in the film is Dr. Carlos Walker, a FWISD Family Action Center director.

Filmed and edited by Fort Worth-based production company Shiny Box Pictures, “THIS IS MY STORY” explores the ways many Black men feel the need to self-censor.

Beginning today, April 11, the program is available at no cost for streaming on Vimeo via the Amphibian Stage website. “THIS IS MY STORY” premieres virtually at 3 p.m. Central Standard Time.

About ‘THIS IS MY STORY’

“When have you been silenced?” We asked this question of Black men living and working in Fort Worth and received deeply personal responses. “THIS IS MY STORY” presents three stories from an educator, an event planner and a Veteran Peer Service Coordinator, each of whom have learned to be silent as a means of self-preservation – but at what cost?

With poetry from Calvin Walker and George Njomo, and a music performance from Amphibian Stage favorite, Tha Band, “THIS IS MY STORY,” a video project inspired by LaJohn McDonald Jr. and conceived by Ms. Goodman, challenges viewers to look deeper, shed assumptions and envision what is possible when we approach one another with understanding and compassion.

Click here for additional details about the film. View the trailer here.

One week reamins to submit Fort Worth ISD staff nominations to the District Advisory Committee (DAC) in Places 1-12.

The DAC is a 21-member group that meets four to six times a year advising the superintendent and Board of Education on educational plans, goals, performance objectives, and major classroom instructional programs. The committee annually evaluates the District’s academic progress and assists staff in making appropriate changes in the District Educational Improvement Plan, according to FWISD Policy and Planning officials.

Nominations are being accepted April 1-16. District employees will vote for DAC members, in their peer groups, April 19-30. Nominations and self-nominations are due no later than 5 p.m. April 16 here.

The committee includes representatives from the District’s professional staff, parents with children enrolled in the FWISD, business and community partners. Terms on the committee are two years.

Have additional DAC questions? Contact Dr. Amanda Coleman, director of Board policy, governance and strategic support/elections officer in the Policy and Planning Department at 817-814-1956 or email amanda.coleman@fwisd.org.

Spring into success and receive insight into a future career with the Fort Worth ISD by attending a District Networking Event.

Twice monthly, prospective employees and current employees looking to enter a new District role are invited to participate in the FWISD Networking Event. From 1-2 p.m., prospective employees may sign up for an exclusive 15-minute one-on-one virtual meeting with Central Office Staffing Coordinator Patrick Taylor or a Human Capital Management representative. In the sessions, attendees receive information on what to expect when applying with the District, a resume review and feedback, insights for a future career with FWISD and much more.

The next scheduled FWISD Networking Events are April 15 and April 29.

Limited slots are available for the FWISD Networking Events and are first come, first serve. Visit the Fort Worth ISD Careers pages on Facebook or Twitter for additional details on how to register for an available slot at a future network event.

Fort Worth ISD offers many career paths to help you spring into success. Hop into a career with FWISD today.

 

Colleagues,

In our latest edition of Inside FWISD, you will find information about:

• Fort Worth ISD Selects 2021 District Teacher of the Year Finalists
• What You Need To Know About Pre-K/K Registration Promotion
• Join Eastern Hills Pyramid Thursdays for Eastside Reads 
• FWISD To Observe Week of the Young Child 50^th Anniversary with Daily Themed Activities, Bookmobile Pop-Up Events April 12-26 

And more stories and information about and for FWISD employees

Don’t forget to view stories throughout the week on the Inside FWISD blog

 

Inside FWISD is implementing new content deadlines, effective Thursday, April 8, 2021.

All content submitted for inclusion in the newsletter must be sent to the Inside FWISD inbox, Inside@fwisd.org, no later than 10 a.m. Friday. For example, content requests submitted for the April 15, 2021 Inside FWISD edition are due no later than 10 a.m. Friday, April 9, 2021.

Exceptions will only be made after the deadline for content submitted by the FWISD superintendent or a department chief. All submissions received after the deadline will be considered for a future Inside FWISD edition.

Persons interested in submitting content for Inside FWISD must complete a News Release Worksheet and return it to Inside@fwisd.org.

Additional questions about the content deadline may be emailed to the Inside FWISD team at Inside@fwisd.org.