Leadership Academy

Associate superintendent Roy Garcia takes part in an ice breaker activity with Reginal Mitchell, associate principal at Cypress Falls HS, and Sarah Hubble, assistant principal at Salyards MS, during a recent Leadership Academy training session.

CFISD recently held a Leadership Academy session at the Instructional Support Center. Now in its second year, Leadership Academy is a professional development program for existing campus administrators who are interested in pursuing a principalship in the district.

"The program is designed to refine and extend the knowledge and skills necessary to lead successful schools," said Roy Garcia, associate superintendent of school administration and leadership development.

Leadership Academy sessions are held throughout the year.

Chili Cookoff 2015

CFISD campuses kicked off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo season in tasty fashion this month by hosting chili cook-off competitions. Many campuses got into the spirit by wearing western or chili-themed clothing. Teams prepared their special recipes and presented them for administrators and coworkers to sample. Celebrity judges, including Board members and CFISD administration, were on hand to help judge the competitions. Jeff LaCoke, Ault ES principal, can be seen in the photo at right tasting one of the entries at his campus.


Windfern HS

Windfern staff (L-R) Jennifer Gray, Debbie Huntsinger, Martha Strother and Wendy McAdow are the Hot Chili Cookers at Windfern's chili cookoff.

Teachers Jeremy Otey and Katie Sarzynski, celebrate winning the People's Choice award for their chili entry.

The Divalicious Divas (L-R, front) Carl Van Overdam, Tina Clinkenbeard, Jessica Nance, Karen Walters and (back) Monica James, LeiLani Natale and Kris Schrandt warn that their chili will "bring out the animal in you."

Lieder ES

Blanca Warner, bilingual aide, and Yarah Gonzalez-Hidalgo, teacher, show off their western garb at Lieder's chili cookoff.

Kathryn Gutierrez, campus secretary, celebrates the chili cookoff in style.

Lieder staff members (L-R) Karen Miller, Janet Weimann, Noreen Hughes and Christi Ferrell sample their coworkers' entries.  

Truitt MS

Dan Wilson and Nina Ortiz, assistant principals, are ready to try a bowl of chili from the Truitt cookoff.

The winning table decorations from Truitt feature a Sound the Alarm! theme. 

Jersey Village HS

(L-R) Stephanie Migl, CFISD director of communication; Martha Owens, H-E-B representative; and Ralph Funk, Jersey Village principal, take a break from their duties as event judges. 

New Administrative Hires

CFISD congratulates the following employees on their new administrative positions.

Laura Barrett
Principal at Yeager ES
Read more >>

Laura Ann Novacinski
Principal at Andre' ES
Read more >>

Campus to Capitol

CFISD principals who have been sponsored by Raise Your Hand Texas (RYHT) to attend either the Harvard Leadership Academy or Rice REEP program were invited to the “Campus to Capitol Leadership Symposium” Feb. 4-6 in Austin. 

The principals visited the Capitol, where they met with legislators to advocate for public education and to share the stories from their campuses. RYHT advances public education by igniting fiercely innovative leadership and advocacy for all students in Texas.

CFISD principals attend the “Campus to Capitol Leadership Symposium” in Austin, Feb. 4-6. Pictured (L-R) are: Dr. Cheryl Henry, Campbell MS; Dr. Carrie Marz, Willbern ES; Tricia Reilly, Farney ES; Cheryl Fisher, Keith ES; Kim Sempe, Hamilton MS; Kelly Dalton, Danish ES; Becky Koop, Pope ES; Dr. Carla Brosnahan, Birkes ES; Dr. Karen Stockton, Lieder ES: Maggie Wiley, Cook MS; Kelly Gerletti, A. Robison ES; Sherma Duck, Anthony MS; and Ana Diaz, Holmsley ES.

CFISD principals met with legislators to advocate for public education and shared stories from their campuses during the “Campus to Capitol Leadership Symposium.”

Leadership Development Continuum

Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent of schools, speaks to members of the Leadership Development Continuum (LDC) Advisory Committee on Nov. 5.

Members of the Leadership Development Continuum (LDC) Advisory Committee met last fall to continue the initiative of improving leadership development throughout the district. Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent of schools, kicked off the Nov. 5 meeting with words of support, followed by small-group discussions facilitated by Roy Garcia, associate superintendent of school administration and leadership development, and Dr. Glenda Horner, director of staff development.

Comprised of principals, associate principals, directors of instruction, assistant principals and heads of departments, the committee seeks to increase student achievement by developing quality leaders who invest in others.

“As a member of the LDC, we talk all the time about learning, leading and investing in others, and my time with LDC has given me the opportunity to ‘walk the talk,’” said Cypress Lakes assistant principal Hoang Pham. “Sharing among fellow leaders has allowed me to learn and grow as a professional, but I also know that the work we are collectively doing will lead to the development of outstanding future leaders here in CFISD.”

From left, director of MS curriculum and instruction Lana Mock, Dean MS principal Chris Hecker and McFee ES assistant principal Sharon Whitfield share ideas during the LDC Advisory Committee meeting.

Roy Garcia, associate superintendent of school administration and leadership development, visits with Willbern ES principal Dr. Carrie Marz and Postma ES principal Kim Freed during the LDC Advisory Committee meeting.

Barbara Levandoski, director of elementary curriculum and instruction, and Cheryl Fisher, Keith ES principal, discuss ideas during the LDC Advisory Committee meeting. 

Cypress Lakes HS assistant principal Hoang Pham and Langham Creek HS director of instruction Tamara Meldahl meet during the LDC Advisory Committee meeting. 

Access the new Leadership Development page on the CFISD website by visiting the Staff tab, then choosing Leadership Development under the Staff Development heading. The page features Leadership Development’s mission, vision and beliefs, as well as supplemental documents that provide further information about this CFISD initiative.

Celebrating CFISD Retireees

CFISD would like to recognize the following retiring employees in appreciation for their many years of service.

Maybelline Carpenter
Principal
Adaptive Behavior Center
36 years with the district

Melissa Ehrhardt
Principal
Walker ES
43 years with the district 

Larry Matysiak

Director Fine Arts

Curriculum and Instruction and School Administration

Nine years with the district

Susan Tyler

Director of Middle School Curriculum and Instruction

Curriculum and Instruction and School Administration

21 years with the district

Carol Billingsley

Technical Analyst

Technology Systems

14 years with the district

Beth Crist

Math Helping Teacher
Curriculum and Instruction
22 years with the district

Janet Epresi

Science Helping Teacher

Curriculum and Instruction

28 years with the district

Connie McCain

Secretary to the Director of Health Services

Curriculum and Instruction and School Administration

11 years with the district

Shelley Rogers

Math Helping Teacher

Curriculum and Instruction and School Administration
30 years with the district

CFISD Leadership Initiative

Hopper MS academic achievement specialist Charlene Davis-Norris and Watkins MS assistant principal Felicia Hayes work together in the CIP: Roadmap to Success course.

Twenty-one participants took part in the Campus Improvement Plan: Roadmap to Success course on Oct. 21 as part of the CFISD Leadership Initiative, the first in the inaugural set of courses to target groups who either aspire to or currently serve in an administrative leadership role.

The course helped leaders gain a deeper understanding of: 

• why campus improvement plans (CIPs) are created and who is involved in the process;
• how the parts of the CIP are interrelated to form a living document that positively impacts student achievement; and
• ways to reflect on the campus planning process and how to become involved at their home campus.
  

Celebrate Texas Public Schools

Districts across Texas are joining the campaign to Celebrate Texas Public Schools. Our public schools bring top quality education to more than 4 million students. Talented teachers and caring staff members and administrators set a strong foundation for this success, which is truly something worth celebrating. 

— from CelebrateTPS.org

CFISD supports the Celebrate Texas Public Schools campaign and encourages campuses to get involved. Below are suggested activities that can be used. Share the ways your staff and students celebrate by sending photos and stories to communication@cfisd.net.

National Principals Month (October)

Activities:

• Shadow your principal for a day and write a report to publish in the local school/community paper or on social media about what you learned and how difficult a job it is.
• Participate in the Principal Props Video Contest for a chance to win a $200 Best Buy gift card. Visit http://www.principalsmonth.org/contest.php for more information.
• Organize an Opposite Day where students dress like the principal and the principal dresses like the students.

National School Bus Safety Week (October 20-24) 

Activities:

• Share school bus safety tips every day during morning announcements; make sure to include tips for passengers and pedestrians. 

Red Ribbon Week 
(October 23-31)

Activities: 

• Have a door decorating contest at your campus. 
• Have theme days where students can dress up based on that day’s theme. 
• Go to redribbon.org for more activities, contest and ideas on celebrating. 

Video Contest

Enter for a chance to win $1,000 for your campus. The contest is open to all public schools in Texas. Read the complete guidelines for submissions on CelebrateTPS.org.

SchoolMessenger for Employees

CFISD’s mass notification system, SchoolMessenger, provides an easy way for campus and district administration to send accurate, real-time notifications by phone, text and email. SchoolMessenger replaces the Phone Master system as an improved means of communicating.

SchoolMessenger pulls contact information directly from the Employee Access Center (EAC), so it is very important for all employees to log into the EAC from inside.cfisd.net and update their contact information. Having the correct contact information is especially vital in an emergency situation. Adding your cell phone number to the personal cell phone field will allow you to receive text messages from your campus and the district. To opt-in for critical communications, employees will first need to:

1. update their contact information at inside.cfisd.net (or my.cfisd.net from home); then
2. text Yes to 675-87 to opt-in to receive text messages. This option is for employees only, not parents.

CFISD staff members responsible for sending messages through SchoolMessenger should refer to inside.cfisd.net for useful information. For questions regarding sending and recording messages, contact SchoolMessenger at support@schoolmessenger.com or 1-800-920-3897.

Edit 10/15/14: SchoolMessenger syncs with Employee Access Center each night. There may be a delay of up to 24 hours, after you update your contact information, before your correct information is in the SchoolMessenger system. If you receive an error message from SchoolMessenger after updating your information, wait 24 hours and try again. 

Heart Walk 2014

For the past several years, CFISD has supported the American Heart Association by participating in the annual Northwest Harris County Heart Walk. The Heart Walk is scheduled for Nov. 8 at Lone Star College—CyFair. District teams can register at www.nwharrisheartwalk.org. If you have any questions regarding the event, call 281-897-4103. 

Documentation Workshop

Amanda Davis and Andrea Kuhn of the CFISD human resources department look at example documentation.

Seventy-five participants took part in a recent workshop for employees in supervisory positions who evaluate staff. Although the majority of the participants were from CFISD, staff members from Alief ISD, Aldine ISD and Barbers Hill ISD also participated. 

Dr. John Cain of TASPA was a guest speaker at the workshop.

Approximately 75 participants attended the workshop.

New Administration Day

New campus administrators gather as a large group for the opening session.

New campus principals and administrators with less than one year experience in an administrative role in CFISD took part in orientation sessions on July 17 at the Instructional Support Center. Attendees were split into groups based on campus level (elementary, middle and high school). Groups rotated through three separate sessions covering educational support services; curriculum and instruction; and school improvement and accountability. Humberto Abitua, who is beginning his first year as assistant principal at Thornton MS, said, "The presenters took informative content and introduced it in a fun and meaningful way." The new principal at Frazier ES, Gloria Vásquez said, "I feel ready and energized to begin my new journey in CFISD."

Dr. Linda Macias, associate superintendent of curriculum and assessment & accountability, welcomes new administrators.