Colleagues—

 

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

 

• Superintendent Kent Scribner’s spring message: We are family
• New partnership offers new educators the chance to obtain their teacher’s certificate and master’s degree simultaneously
• How to identify a phishing email scam
• Ask Elsie: How to change your name with the District after getting married
• JROTC Staff Ride offers students an up-close history lesson
• How to submit Annual Report ideas
• And more stories and information about and for FWISD employees

Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Paredes Scribner gets extra credit for his involvement with Blue Zones Project—a community-led well-being improvement initiative making healthy choices easier in Fort Worth and across the nation.

Dr. Scribner has played a key role in implementing healthy initiatives in Fort Worth ISD schools, and now Blue Zones Project has again enlisted his support in a campaign to inspire others in the community to get involved.

Blue Zones Project works with schools, worksites, grocery stores, restaurants, and faith-based organizations to create an environment that supports healthy options. When well-being goals are met, Fort Worth will be certified as a Blue Zones Community. The city is well on its way to meeting the Dec. 31, 2018 deadline, with more than 78,000 individual participants and 285 approved organizations, including 30 Fort Worth ISD schools.

“Blue Zones Project is making a real difference when it comes to the health and happiness of our residents, and I’m proud to lend my support,” said Dr. Scribner. “What’s happening benefits families today and lays the groundwork for better well-being for generations to come.”

Dr. Scribner and other leaders, such as Mayor Betsy Price, NBC 5 anchor Deborah Ferguson, and former City Council member Sal Espino are featured on outdoor boards, television and online commercials, Trinity Metro bus ads, print ads, street banners, and benches throughout the community. Their message? Join the Blue Zones Project movement and make healthy choices easier for you and your family.

Take a look at Dr. Scribner’s video.

“Dr. Scribner is an incredibly valuable part of our community success story,” said Matt Dufrene, vice president of Blue Zones Project, Fort Worth. “He understands the link between well-being and academic success and is helping shape a healthier future for our future leaders.”

Dozens of Fort Worth ISD campuses are already approved or in the process of becoming Blue Zones Project Approved schools. Fort Worth ISD is also working to become a Blue Zones Project Approved worksite. Blue Zones Project builds on existing efforts to incorporate movement into the workday, host Purpose Workshops and cooking demonstrations, and encourage staff, faculty, and administrators to take the Blue Zones Personal Pledge to improve their personal well-being.

To date, more than 1,800 FWISD employees have engaged with Blue Zones Project in one of these ways. And more than a dozen employees have taken it a step further by becoming Blue Zones Project ambassadors. To find out how to get involved, visit LiveLongFortWorth.com.

Just like experiments, the first year of teaching can consist of trial-and-error moments.

Experiments are a learning process, said Steve Todoroff, a first-year physics teacher at Eastern Hills High School.

“Sometimes when you do an experiment, it doesn’t come out the way you want, and that’s OK because you learn something from it, then you can do the experiment again,” he said. “You may be get it right, maybe it goes wrong again, maybe you learn something else.”

To guide teachers new to the District through their first year, Fort Worth ISD offers the new teacher induction and mentoring program. Beginning teachers are provided with support such as mentors, specialists who work with the teachers at select campuses, networking events with other educators and ongoing professional trainings.

“It was a really large help to just meet some teachers who’ve had experience and give me a leg up on different techniques to help manage the classroom,” Mr. Todoroff says.

This video takes a peek into Todoroff’s experience as a first-year teacher.

Preparations are underway for multiple invitation-only FWISD career fairs that will be hosted throughout the spring and summer. If you believe that your future is in a FWISD classroom, apply today at www.fwisd.org/careers for a chance at being invited to one of the District’s upcoming events.

For more details on the hiring process and the necessary documents needed for background checks, call 817-814-2717.

Fort Worth ISD Child Nutrition Services will celebrate District employees with a Staff Appreciation Lunch, Tuesday, May 1.

Employees are encouraged to show their FWISD-issued badge for a free lunch including an entrée, two fruit items, vegetables and a choice of milk or tea, if available. All other a la carte drinks and snacks are available for purchase.

“We (CNS) want to show our appreciation to all of the school heroes that make student learning possible,” said Ashley Phillips, assistant Child Nutrition Services director, in a recent memorandum to principals and teachers. “We care about the health and nutrition of our students as well as FWISD staff.”

The May 1 lunch menu will include:

red chicken tamales, cheese enchiladas, fresh chef salad, kiwi, grapes, charro beans and sautéed squash.

There may be additional “express” menu offerings at some FWISD schools, and campuses under construction will offer a modified menu.

Fort Worth ISD is hosting three teacher career fairs in May and June.

On-the spot interviews will take place at the invitation-only events. To be considered for an invite, apply to the 2018-2019 School Year Teacher vacancy pools at www.fwisd.org/careers.

 

Congratulations to the 2018 Fort Worth ISD District Teacher of the Year finalists.

The elementary District Teacher of the Year finalists are:

 

Stacey Barringer is a kindergarten teacher at Western Hills Primary School.

She earned bachelor’s degree in education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has taught for 23 years.  As a kindergarten teacher, Ms. Barringer recognizes the responsibility of serving at the starting point of her students’ formal education and makes an effort to identify and support both the academic and social emotional needs of each student.  

 She aims to craft an environment where her students know that they are safe, respected, loved, and challenged to be the best individual they can be.

 

Andrew McKenzie is a fourth-grade teacher at North Hi Mount Elementary School.

 He earned his doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Texas and has 17 years of teaching experience.  

Dr. McKenzie began his teaching career through the Teach For America program in East Los Angeles. Dr. McKenzie strives to build an inclusive classroom community where all students know that they are valued members and aims to empower his students with new tools, skills, intellectual curiosity, and the confidence to meet any challenge they may face.

 

Isabel Moore is a fourth-grade reading and writing teacher at Charles E. Nash Elementary School.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and a master’s degree in education from Dallas Baptist University and has taught for 24 years. As a child, her lifelong dream was to be a bilingual teacher and help students like herself.  

Ms. Moore believes that teachers must build a student’s confidence and work with their individual learning abilities to ensure that they can achieve their goals. The “lightbulb” moments her students experience after they have struggled is her greatest reward.

 

Lauren Ruth is a first-grade teacher at Bonnie Brae Elementary School.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Trinity University and has nine years of teaching experience. Ms. Ruth began her teaching career through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme, which ignited her passion for working with students and watching their growth.  

An avid athlete, Ms. Ruth shares her love for fitness by hosting yoga practices for faculty and coaching students at the Cowtown 5K every year. She believes that when students feel safe, healthy and loved, learning follows.

 

Laurie Stillwell is a librarian at Burton Hill Elementary School.

She earned her master’s degree of library science from Houston State University and 23 years of teaching experience. Ms. Stillwell is a fourth-generation teacher and has brought her love of students and reading to Burton Hill Elementary for 19 years.

Her guiding principle is that learning should be interactive on all levels,  and prides herself that even her tech-savvy students still ask her what “board story” will be read that week. Her greatest reward is to build up her students and watch them succeed.

 

The secondary District Teacher of the Year finalists are:

 

Alexandra Checka is a seventh-grade English teacher at Applied Learning Academy.

She earned her master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and master’s degree in English from Middlebury College.  Her instruction is driven by the firm belief in the power of literature to allow students to develop a rich interior life.

 She values her students as thinkers and aims to show them the skills they need to make their ideas shine.  Her students know that she not only expects the best of them, but also that she cares about them as people.

 

Megan Ngo is an eighth-grade science and biology teacher at W.P. McLean Middle School.

 She earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Texas Wesleyan University and has taught for seven years. She believes that a science lesson should serve to entertain and engage the audience, as there is a potential career path behind every lesson.  

 Her goal is to ensure that students do not feel like science is foreign or frightening, and that they learn to welcome rigor and embrace challenges. Ms. Ngo aims to fill the workforce with scientists who believe anything is possible.

 

Zachary Reimer is a social studies teacher at Polytechnic High School.

 He earned his bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University, his master’s degree in history from the University of Texas at Arlington and has taught for nine years.  Mr. Reimer aims to “teach people, not history.” He takes pride in serving as a counselor, life coach, and cheerleader for his students when necessary.

 Recently, one of his students asked Mr. Reimer “how to become a good man.” When he asked the student what that meant to the them, the student replied, “I guess I mean - how do I become a good man like you?”

 

Orion Smith is a social studies teacher at Arlington Heights High School.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social science from Michigan State University and has taught for eight years. Mr. Smith began his career as a software developer and has used his software skills to create academic programs, including a virtual economic simulation and software to help students study.  

He hopes his lessons create good students, good citizens, and good people. He aims to always “work smarter and harder,” so that his students are inspired to do the same.

 

Samuel Wilson is a history teacher at Southwest High School. 

He earned his bachelor and master’s degrees in history from the University of Texas at Arlington and has taught for 17 years.  Mr. Wilson feels that the role of a teacher is to be a facilitator; teachers should enable students to become responsible for their own learning.

He believes that greater diversity leads to increases in the breadth and depth of learning, and that the diversity in Fort Worth ISD makes our District one of the most enjoyable and exciting places to work.

 

The 10 finalists will be celebrated, and an elementary and secondary District teacher of the Year winner will be named May 9 at an awards dinner hosted by Central Market. The dinner will take place at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

The two award winners will each receive a $5,000 honorarium from Central Market. The eight finalists will each receive a $1,000 award, also presented by Central Market.

 

Fort Worth ISD has launched a student application portal, a central space where students can access their most frequently used apps, according to the FWISD divisions of technology and academics.

The portal can be accessed at my.fwisd.org. The portal includes access to approved apps with District-level licenses or subscriptions.

“The application portal allows students to gain access to FWISD applications faster,” said Charles Carroll, chief academic officer, in a recent memorandum to campus principals. “The app portal promotes learning, by giving teachers more time for instruction instead of waiting for students to find a site and log in.”

Beginning Monday, April 23, a password reset function will be available to adults and students in the fifth through 12th grades. When setting up the login, a user will be prompted to answer three security questions that will be used anytime in the future to reset a user’s portal password.

For more details, contact Jason Spears, digital learning coordinator, at 817-814-3100 or send an email to jason.spears@fwisd.org.

The My Brother’s Keeper Program is asking for nearly 30 people to sponsor a suit for its graduating seniors.

A $350 donation covers a tailored suit, shirt, tie, belt and dress shoes from Jos. A. Bank, which the young men can use for graduation, senior events, interviews and as they transition on to college.

Rickie Clark, My Brother’s Keeper coordinator, said that it “means the world” to the seniors who receive their very own tailored suit. Eligible students must have at least a 70 percent attendance rate in the My Brother’s Keeper program.

“They feel confident about themselves. They feel like someone cares,” Mr. Clark said. “It increases their self-esteem. They’re more confident.

“I don’t think people realize what these suits do for these boys, and in encourages the other young men to participate.”

Learn more about the My Brother's Keeper program here.

For more details on becoming a sponsor, contact Mr. Clark at 817-448-2787 or Dana Harris, executive director for Education Foundation for Fort Worth Schools, at 817-720-5210.

Students at Eastern Hills Elementary were face to face recently with representations of just how far reading can take you.

On Tuesday, April 17, eight TV news personalities from NBC 5 (KXAS) and Telemundo 39 Dallas-Fort Worth (KXTX-TV) visited classrooms at the school and read to third-grade students and dual language kindergarten, first- and second-grade classrooms. The visit was a joint partnership of the Fort Worth ISD, Read Fort Worth, NBC 5 and Telemundo.

The journalists chatted with students about the books they read, their jobs in TV news and how important reading is to the students’ future successes.

Katy Blakey, an NBC 5 anchor, said she was pleased to see the joy students at Eastern Hills Elementary have for reading.

“If they can do this well and learn how to read and have a passion for reading, it will take them wherever they want to go,” she said.

 Principal Whitney Scott said she’s hopeful her students see the excitement the TV news reporters and anchors have for reading and that they adopt the same mindset. From kindergarten to third-grade, children are learning to read, and it takes a community effort to ensure children are reading on grade level, she said. The TV personalities are a representation of where reading can take these students, Ms. Scott said.

The District’s mission is to preparing all students for success in college, career and community leadership, and that starts with learning to read, Ms. Scott said.

“It’s everything because they’re going to contribute to our society,” she said of her students. “This is not just a school effort. This is all of us coming together. Everybody is rooting for them and investing in them.”

100 X 25 FWTX is a District goal that 100 percent of third-graders are reading on grade level or above by the year 2025. Superintendent Kent P. Scribner is partnering with Mayor Betsy Price and BNSF Executive Chairman Matt Rose to lead the community-wide Read Fort Worth initiative. This collective impact strategy engages parents, grandparents, and caregivers as well as volunteers from the city’s business sector, higher education, non-profit organizations, and the faith-based community and encourages them to read to the city’s youngest readers.

View the full photo gallery from the recent visit here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ask Elsie is a column where Chief Financial Officer Elsie Schiro tackles employee queries, or in areas outside her purview, asks other District leaders to answer them.

Dear Elsie,

Technology is moving fast and heavy and now FWISD is staying up on the latest trends. It appears the District is migrating to Windows 10 platform. Has there been any training on this? If not, why not? I’ve been with the District for 20 years, and STILL I think it’s unfair to migrate a new operating system to our computers without training us how to use it.

Thanks,

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

I reached out to Becky Navarre, assistant superintendent of technology, and she had this to say on the matter: “During the summer of 2016, the District began upgrading laptops and desktops to Windows 10. As support for District employees, educational technology offered trainings during the summer. The training class was titled: Turn it Up to 10: Windows 10 and Google Chrome. The training was advertised through the campus technology liaisons and the District’s technology learning coaches via email and flyers.

As a follow up to the training, quick references guides were placed on the educational technology website: https://www.fwisd.org/Page/2697. Windows 10 was offered as training to central office departments as well.

Educational technology offers campus-based trainings and works with school administrators to offer training that is personalized to the needs of the school. We encourage all teachers to communicate training needs to their school administrator, first, to impact the entire school. Training requests can be made directly to technology learning coaches or educational technology at 817-814-3100.”

Thank you for your question.

Elsie

Dear Elsie,

Parking at the Administration building is difficult. How many parking spots at Admin does the District own, both garage and service? And, how many people work in the Admin building full time?

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your question. I reached out to safety and security regarding this matter.

There are 433 parking spaces available to be assigned to employees in the garage and surrounding properties at 100 N. University Drive. There are approximately 430 full-time employees. Many of these employees are deployed to campuses and various other District facilities throughout the day.

Total, there are 542 spaces at 100 N. University Drive, which include visitor and handicapped parking.

Thanks again for your question.

Elsie

Direct your questions to Inside@fwisd.org and put the words "Ask Elsie" in the subject line. Please close your letter with your preferred signature as you wish it to appear in the column. When there are multiple queries on the same subject, we will select the one that is most representative of the subject. We will try to answer as many questions as possible.