ConnectED, Fort Worth ISD’s first virtual teacher conference, will offer teachers a variety of opportunities to earn FLEX hours this summer.

The online professional learning, which starts June 8 and continues through August 7, offers teachers up to 30 in-district FLEX hours. A glimpse at the session offerings goes live Monday, May 25. Additional sessions will be added throughout summer.

“We are excited to bring you the first virtual teacher conference in Fort Worth ISD. This is a cross-curricular event,” said Sharolyn Chitwood, FWISD Professional Learning and Innovation coordinator. “Different sessions will be offered weekly, and sessions will be added throughout the event. Most of the sessions will repeat, so if you miss one you wanted, you will have another opportunity to participate.

“We hope you take advantage of this exciting opportunity to collaborate you’re your colleagues and to get "connectED!"

Most sessions are flexible and self-paced with specific start and end dates or set ranges of time to complete, Ms. Chitwood said. Repeat sessions offer teachers additional opportunities to participate.

All “core content” sessions are created in-district. Other sessions include in-district and a few out-of-district pre-approved offerings, Ms. Chitwood said.

“We have several exciting courses from our Equity division, including ‘Intro to Courageous Conversations about Race’ and ‘The Anti-Racist Classroom,’” Ms. Chitwood said. “We also have social-emotional sessions, such as ‘I Hope You Step on a LEGO.’ There will also be content-specific courses for teachers.”

Pre-registration is not required to participate. However, some sessions with live components, such as a video call, may require registration. Details on how to register for those sessions will be provided in the course description.

For more details, visit www.fwisd.org/connected or email pli@fwisd.org.

Help Fort Worth ISD students further their education this summer while Learning at Home and earn some extra money in the process.

The District is currently accepting teacher applications for the next phase of the Learning at Home curriculum – June summer school programs.

"FWISD is excited to be able to provide robust and diverse summer programming to support all of our students throughout the summer," said Dr. Marcey Sorensen, FWISD Teaching and Learning assistant superintendent. "We want to make sure all of our students have the opportunity to be engaged in summer learning so we are prepared for next year!"

Teachers interested in applying are encouraged to complete the FWISD Summer School Jobs Form at https://bit.ly/FWISDsummerschool2020. Interested candidates must be logged into their FWISD Google account through MyFWISD to respond.

An overview of programs offered this summer, beginning June 3, are available online:

• Elementary Summer Programs - https://bit.ly/FWISDElemSummer2020
• MS Summer Programs - https://bit.ly/FWISDMSSummer2020
• HS Summer Programs - https://bit.ly/FWISDHSSummer2020

Have a question about the summer school programs? Contact your campus principal or a District lead for the program:

Elementary Summer Programs

Hilda Caballero – hilda.caballero@fwisd.org

Middle School Summer Programs

Joseph Niedziela – joseph.niedziela@fwisd.org

High School Summer Programs

Shannon Hernandez – shannon.hernandez@fwisd.org

For questions about the FWISD Summer School Jobs Form, contact Mr. Niedziela at joseph.niedziela@fwisd.org.

“June Summer Programs will be a model of continuous growth. A collective effort focused on educating students and supporting families in these extraordinary times,” Mr. Niedziela said. “Thank you in advance to those employees who will continue serving on the front lines this summer.”

The Fort Worth ISD is closed Monday, May 25 to observe Memorial Day.

General District business and virtual classes will resume Tuesday, May 26.

Memorial Day remembers the service men and women who died serving in the U.S. military.

Originally observed as Decoration Day, Memorial Day’s origins date back to 1868 when Americans would visit the graves of fallen soldiers from the Civil War. They would decorate the burial grounds with flowers. Since 1971, Memorial Day has been a federal holiday observed the last Monday in May.

For those who fly the United States flag on Memorial Day it should be flown at half-staff until noon and then raised to full staff for the remainder of the day.

While Fort Worth ISD’s unanticipated school year is quickly coming to a close, planning is now underway on defining what education will look like in the “new normal.”

This survey asks important questions of students, parents, teachers, staff and community members. Your answers will help District leaders better understand and respond to your needs during the ongoing pandemic – and beyond.

We want you, as a Fort Worth ISD stakeholder, to tell us what you think about online learning, the school calendar, and when they believe will it be safe enough for children to return to school.

In a special message to the entire community Superintendent Kent P. Scribner explains that the survey focuses on three key points, including the District calendar.

“This is a pivotal moment in education – a time to embrace new and more effective ways of teaching and learning,” said Dr. Scribner. “So please, whether you are a student, a parent, a teacher, or a community member take just a few minutes to give us your input…we are better together!”

 

Then, please complete the survey and let us know what your current role is, whether you are a student, parent, teacher, staff member or community member. The survey will be open for the next two weeks. Please share it with your friends and colleagues. 

Take the survey

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following memorandum regarding an update to vacation, non-duty days for 240-day or more employees is from FWISD Chief of Staff Karen Molinar.

 

Fort Worth ISD is accepting applications for the 2020 Chairs for Teaching Excellence awards through June 25. There are two Performing Arts Teaching Chair categories and 14 Academic Teaching Chair award categories.

The Chairs for Teaching Excellence program recognizes outstanding classroom teachers with honorary titles of Chairs for Teaching Excellence for one year and a $5,000 honorarium.

Our teachers have risen to the challenge of teaching online, from home. They are more student-centered than ever before, using creative and innovative tools and techniques, including social media, to engage and motivate their students. 

Campus Teacher of the Year winners within the last five years (2015 – 2020) or educators who’ve received a significant award in the teaching field within the last five years (2015 – 2020) are eligible to apply. 

Applicants who’ve taught in the District for at least three years and have at least a total of five years teaching experience are eligible for the award.

The application submission deadline is 5 p.m., Thursday, June 25. So, apply today!

Performing Arts online applications (music, theater/dance) are available at: https://form.jotform.com/93105417242146 

Academic Teaching Chairs online applications (14 non-performing arts categories) are available at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3qcmoaAnUnGy7UGSyydbKbtrXFCByi3z37TArcoTyk2BMWQ/viewform

Teachers with questions are encouraged to contact Judy Ramos, judy.ramos@fwisd.org or Peg Murphy, peg.murphy@fwisd.org.