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Inside FWISD January 26, 2023

In this edition:

Share Your Thoughts on 2023-24 Calendar OptionsEmployees Can Now Access W-2s via Online Employee Self Service | Only a Few Days Remain to Complete Your SafeSchools Training Modules | Here's an Update on the Central Administration Building Completion | Fort Worth ISD Teacher Selected as an SMU Excellent Educator: Lily B. Clayton First Grade Teacher Laura Beard is surprised in front of students, colleagues and family80 FWISD Elementary Schools Sign Up for NCAA® Readers Become Leaders Community Program | Getting to Know the FWISD Board of EducationCity of Fort Worth to Host Free Homeowner Workshops FWISD In the News | Photos of the Week | Videos of the Week

Share Your Thoughts on 2023-24 Calendar Options

Tuesday night’s Board action item to approve the 2023-2024 Traditional, Intersessional, and Early College High School Calendars was pulled from the Jan. 24 meeting agenda for further review. Stakeholder input is important, and recent feedback suggests better alignment with surrounding districts could benefit FWISD students and staff.

As a result, new calendar options have been created, and we want to know your thoughts on all calendar options. Please take a moment to fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/GcLnzVG7ncRXzdmD9

The updated item, based on stakeholder feedback, will return for Board action at the Feb. 14 Special Meeting.

Also at Tuesday's Board meeting:

  • Trustees recognized the Polytechnic JROTC cadets who greeted meeting attendees as they arrived and the Dunbar High School Choir, who performed before the meeting.
  • Board members recognized student-athletes Chase Gunn, an Arlington Heights senior who placed 10th in the UIL 5A Cross Country Meet earning him a state medal, and Diamond Hill-Jarvis junior Angel Sanchez, who won gold at the UIL 4A Cross Country Meet.
  • Trustees recognized the United Way of Tarrant County centennial. The Board recognized the organization for helping many families achieve financial stability, address health concerns, and send children to school with the emotional and material support that allows them to thrive.
  • January is School Board Recognition Month in the state of Texas, and our trustees were recognized for the countless contributions, passion, and support of public education exhibited daily.
  • The Board received a mid-year update about Lone Star Governance Goal 3: College, Career, and Military Readiness.
  • Trustees approved the hiring of Sidney Pounds as Assistant General Counsel and Charles Garcia as Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
  • Trustee CJ Evans recognized Arlington Heights Girls Basketball Coach Tamarah Sanders, who recently reached a career milestone – her 300th win as a coach. "This is a big career milestone for her," Ms. Evans said. "Fort Worth ISD is so proud of Coach Sanders and thanks her for all the hard work that she does."
  • The meeting concluded Tuesday honoring Paschal High School student Zechariah Trevino who was tragically killed on Jan. 20.

View the video recording of Tuesday's Board meeting on the Fort Worth ISD LIVE YouTube channel.

Employees Can Now Access W-2S VIA Online Employee Self Service

Employee 2022 W-2 documents are available now in Employee Self Service (ESS). Please access the site at the MUNIS Online Home Page (fwisd.org) to view/print your W-2.

Paper copies were mailed on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, to employees who opted to receive a mailed copy.

For clarification:

  1. Every employee’s W-2 is loaded into ESS, regardless of W-2 delivery choice
  2. Employees who chose to receive only an ESS copy of the W-2 will not receive a hardcopy paper version in the mail and should retrieve their copy from Employee Self Service.
  3. Employees who left their W-2 delivery setting as Print Only will receive a hardcopy paper version in the mail.

Your user ID and password are the same as your active directory credentials (@fwisd.org not needed).

If you have problems with your password, you can submit a ticket in the platform Footprints.

If you need to contact the Payroll Department, please submit your questions via the Payroll Inquiry Form at Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management.

oNLY A FEW Days Remain to Complete Your SafeSchools Training Modules

Fort Worth ISD employees, the deadline to complete your mandatory SafeSchools training modules is quickly approaching. All training modules must be completed by Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Access SafeSchools training here using your active directory credentials (FWISD employee email address and password).

Employees may opt to test out of some modules and still meet District compliance requirements. However, those who test out will not be able to print a completion certificate. Employees who fail test-out assessments on the first try must watch the entire module and retake the test.

All District employees are required to complete SafeSchools training each year for compliance with state, federal, and District regulations.

For additional details, contact Aracely Chavez, FWISD IT Training and Compliance Executive Director, at Aracely.chavez@fwisd.org or view the SafeSchools FAQ.

hERE'S AN Update on THE Central Administration Building Completion

Fort Worth ISD Teacher Selected as an SMU Excellent Educator

Lily B. Clayton First Grade Teacher Laura Beard is surprised in front of students, colleagues and family

Lily. B. Clayton Elementary School teacher Laura Beard was surprised to learn that she had been selected as an SMU Excellent Educator. First graders and their teachers gathered in the auditorium for a mystery assembly. Principal Stephanie Hughes described the award and announced that one of their own first grade teachers was selected, and she named Mrs. Beard. Hugs and cheers broke out, and then the curtain opened to Mrs. Beard’s husband, her two children, who are students at Lily. B. Clayton, and lots of festive balloons, flowers and cake.

NBC5’s "Texas Today" has partnered with Southern Methodist University over the past five years to recognize North Texas teachers who are inspiring and changing the lives of their students. Each year, five teachers are selected. They are nominated by viewers online, and each selected teacher is awarded $1,000 for their school on behalf of SMU.

Mrs. Beard’s Excellent Educator segment, including an interview and some of the video footage, will air on NBC 5 (KXAS) on Thursday, Feb. 2, during the Texas Today show that runs from 11:30 a.m. to noon. After the segment airs, it may be viewed online at: NBCDFW.com/texastoday.

Watch the surprise at Lily B. Clayton here.

80 FWISD Elementary Schools Sign Up for NCAA® Readers Become Leaders Community Program

M.H. Moore Elementary School, backed by the W.A. Meacham Middle School Band and cheerleaders and the Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School Drum Line and cheerleaders, hosted the Readers Become Leaders program kickoff event to encourage students at 80 elementary schools to log as many reading minutes as possible for the next 10 weeks. Readers Become Leaders is an NCAA initiative in partnership with the National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships, the Fort Worth Sports Commission and Fort Worth Independent School District. Special guests included Fort Worth ISD Chief of Schools Jerry Moore, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, Trustee Roxanne Martinez, TCU athletes, and Fort Worth Sports Commission.

Guests addressed the crowd of students and talked about the importance of reading. Mayor Parker took reading-related questions from students, such as what the mayor likes to read and who her favorite authors are. M.H. Moore Principal Ricardo Alvarez, whose school won the contest last year, enthusiastically challenged students to beat their record. TCU athletes and Clifford the Big Red Dog made surprise visits to classrooms to read to students at the conclusion of the event. Elementary librarians attended the kick-off to support the program.

The Readers Become Leaders program encourages and incentivizes students in grades K-5 to read on a consistent basis. More than 55,000 FWISD students participated in the program the past four years, reading a combined 29 million-plus minutes, making it the biggest NCAA community outreach program in history.

The first 40 schools that signed up will receive a library refresh of 150 new books donated to their libraries by the Fort Worth Sports Commission. Students will also receive a wide variety of fun gifts to keep them motivated to read. The winning school will receive prizes for the school itself, all of its teachers, and every student, along with a pizza party attended by Clifford the Big Red Dog.

The top six schools will be invited to attend the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Open Practice on April 13, where the winning school will be announced.

Getting to Know the FWISD Board of Education

January is Board Appreciation Month.

This month, we caught up with FWISD Board trustees to learn more about them.

The result is a special segment we like to call " Getting to Know the FWISD Board of Education."

Enjoy!

Dr. Camille Rodriguez, District 1

Hometown: Fort Worth North Side!

Education: Dunbar High School, Prairie View A & M University, New York College of Podiatry Medicine in New York City

What is your favorite book or movie and why?: My favorite book is "Sula" by Toni Morrison. It’s a story about motherhood, friendship, and love.

What inspired you to serve on the FWISD Board of Education?: I ran to ensure all our students receive a quality education and are able to reach their potential.

What do you enjoy most about your role as a Board trustee?: I am truly honored to give back to the community which helped to rear me. As a first-generation college educated doctor, I know I never would have achieved my dreams without the FWISD teachers and staff believing in me.

Learn more about Dr. Rodriguez here.

Tobi Jackson, District 2, Board President

Learn more about Ms. Jackson here.

Quinton Phillips, District 3, Board 1st Vice President

Hometown: Fort Worth, TX (Stop Six)

Education: I attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Prairie View A&M University (Bachelor's), and Eastern University (Master's).

What is your favorite book or movie and why?: My favorite book is "The Miseducation of The Negro" by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. This is my favorite because it speaks to issues that concern the Black community and helps towards finding the proper solutions through upliftment and empowerment.

My favorite movie is "300." This is my favorite because of the leadership and sacrifice of King Leonidis. This movie showcases that it only takes a focused few of us to make a difference.

What inspired you to serve to serve on the FWISD Board of Education?: I was inspired to run for the Board by my community and the people that were pouring into me. People that I saw making true impact in our community. Christine Chadwick Moss had been working so hard on our behalf for 29 years and Dr. Jacinto Ramos Jr. was also doing amazing community work, and I wanted to contribute in any way possible. I wanted to be a part of the solution that was going to make my community better, and I knew that education was the proper avenue.

What do you enjoy most about your role as a Board trustee?: I enjoy my community. I love my people, and getting to serve them in this capacity has been the honor of my life. I love interacting with the parents, students, and District personnel. I love hearing their stories and helping to make things better for us all.

Learn more about Mr. Phillips here.

Wallace Bridges, District 4

Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana

Education: Walter L. Cohen HS and Tarrant County College

What is your favorite book or movie and why? : My favorite book is Stacey Abrams' “Our Time Is Now." The reason I love this book so much, is because Stacey gives great examples of how to talk directly to the people you serve.

My favorite movie is “Lean on Me." This movie gives the greatest example on how one person can turn a community around.

What inspired you to serve on the FWISD Board of Education?: When I look into the eyes of so many of our young people and I know that the eagerness is there to learn, therefore I take that as a personal responsibility to fight harder for our families.

What do you enjoy most about your role as a Board trustee?: I love celebrating with the students when they achieve success.

Learn more about Mr. Bridges here.

Carin 'CJ' Evans, District 5, Board Secretary

Learn more about Ms. Evans here.

Anne Darr, District 6

Hometown: Dallas, Texas (I am a product of Dallas Independent School District.)

Education: Hillcrest HS (Dallas), I have two degrees from Texas Christian University – B.S. in Deaf Education and M.S. in Educational Administration

What is your favorite book or movie and why?: Books: "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr (a novel about two young people during WWII, one of whom is blind), and "One Child" by Torey Hayden (the true story of a special education teacher who connects with a 6-year-old student who has experienced significant emotional trauma in her life.)

Movies: "Children of a Lesser God" (this movie inspired me to become a Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing), and "Overboard" with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell (because I laugh out loud every time I see it!)

What inspired you to serve on the FWISD Board of Education?: Serving as an elected official was never a personal goal of mine, yet I serve because I’m fiercely passionate about public education, devoted to services for students with varied learning needs, and committed to giving back to my community and modeling that for my children. I have this quote posted on my back door so I will see it every time I leave the house: “At the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of my life, I want to be able to say that I contributed more than I criticized.” (Brene Brown) That’ll preach!

What do you enjoy most about your role as a Board trustee?: THE STUDENTS, interacting with the community, seeing the teachers and staff “in action,” celebrating student/staff successes, being inspired over and over and over and over again by the students, teachers, staff, parents, and community that I am blessed to serve!

Learn more about Ms. Darr here.

Dr. Michael Ryan, District 7

Hometown: Fort Worth

Education: Paschal, TCU, East Texas State University, Texas A&M

What is your favorite book or movie and why?:  Book: Anything by W.E.B. Griffin

Movie: "Secondhand Lions" and "Big Jake"

What inspired you to serve on the FWISD Board of Education?: Having been a teacher, principal and central office department leader, I wanted to bring knowledge from those experiences to support our students and teachers in their quest for excellence.

What do you enjoy most about your role as a Board trustee?:  I get to hear the opinions of other Board members and what their neighborhoods care about in our schools. In addition, it is educational to get the thoughts and opinions of the citizens in the community and city we serve.

Learn more about Dr. Ryan here.

Anael Luebanos, District 8

Learn more about Mr. Luebanos here.

Roxanne Martinez, District 9 , Board 2nd Vice President

Learn more about Ms. Martinez here.

City of fort worth to Host Free Homeowner Workshops

Editor's note: The following content from the City of Fort Worth provides details about free workshops for homeowners. The workshops will cover homestead exemption applications, the appraisal process, water and utility bill payment assistance, and more.

FWISD in the News

Paschal High School celebrated its history-making state championship cheer squad with a pep rally that appeared in the Fort Worth Report and on WFAA and Fox 4 (KDFW).

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram looks at the chances for Fort Worth ISD soccer to advance to state this year.

A Fort Worth Star-Telegram article examines how tutoring helps students improve academically and how a loss in funding for tutoring can impact Fort Worth schools.

Inclement weather arrived in North Texas this week, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram provided readers with details on how Tarrant County schools were preparing for possible closures or delays.

A prayer vigil was held this week for Paschal High School student Zechariah Trevino, who was tragically killed on Jan. 20. The vigil was covered by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Fort Worth Business Press, the Fort Worth Report and CBS 11.

A 1946 match between Paschal and North Side high schools holds the stadium attendance record for Farrington Field, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

A story about FWISD’s search for bilingual teachers appeared on Telemundo Dallas (KXTX).

An article about the Cowtown Marathon organization giving Fort Worth ISD students new running shoes and socks appeared in Fort Worth Magazine.

FWISD Board of Education trustees Anne Darr, CJ Evans, and Tobi Jackson have all filed to run for re-election as well as some first-time candidates, according to the Fort Worth Report.

Check out this Communities in Schools of Greater Tarrant County video about board Trustee Roxanne Martinez.

Photos OF THE Week

Setting the Foundation

Volunteers spent last weekend planting orchards at Diamond Hill and Western Hills elementary schools. Both orchards are funded with grants from The Giving Grove organization. Diamond Hill Elementary named its first three of 25 trees “Respectful, Responsible, and Safe,” honoring the school's daily pledge. Western Hills Elementary planted six trees -- two Asian pear, two European pear, two fig and blackberry bushes -- in the school garden.

Paschal HS Honors State Champion Cheerleaders

Paschal High School honored its cheerleader squad with a pep rally Jan. 20 at Gus Bates Center after winning the 2023 UIL State Spirit Championship. Cheerleaders performed one of their winning routines from the competition, and each of the more than 30 cheerleaders was presented with their championship medal.

Western Hills ES Hosts Math & Literacy Night

Last week, Western Hills Elementary hosted “Math & Literacy Night” for parents and community members. Students showcased their academic abilities through fun and engaging activities. WHES would like to express its gratitude to the GT department and “Zero to Five” program for coming out and supporting our campus by interacting with our students and families. In our continued efforts to promote oral reading fluency, students were able to select a book of their choice to showcase the skills they have learned throughout the year by completing various collaborative tasks with their parents. Additionally, students were able to write and illustrate their own books with their parents. The mathematical activities promoted automaticity by using math facts to reveal hidden pictures and problem-solving skills through 2–4-person(s) games using concrete and abstract problems created by the students. WHES would also like to thank our community donors, as each family was able to take a book of their choice home as a keepsake for attending the family event.

Working Together

Monthly, the seven elementary schools in the O.D. Wyatt Pyramid dedicate a Monday afternoon to allow pyramid educators to come together for professional learning. The purpose is to collaborate on upcoming TEKS and lessons, discuss student success and strengths and create effective classroom practices to ensure student success. Educators develop relationships with one another and reinforce the idea of "not working in silos." Executive Director Dr. Marion Mouton, as well as all campus administrators, are always involved and engaged in the sessions.

South Hills HS Places at FBLA Area 7 Competition

The following students placed at the Texas Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Area 7 Competition Jan. 21: Oluwafunke Adebo and Kalani Jenkins - Introduction to Social Media Strategy - second place; Luis Fuentes, Pamela Vasquez, and Maria Tovar - Digital Video Production - third place; Taegang Kim - Business Calculations - fourth place; Anthony Ocegueda and Alex Perales - Social Media Strategies - third place; Marcos Porras Mendoza, Angel Rosales, and Francisco Ximello - Public Service Announcement - fourth place; Berenice Puga, Ralph Castilleja and Stephanie Sotelo - E-Business - third place; Nathaniel Ramos - Job Interview - third place and Nicholas Vazquez - Introduction to Financial Math - third place.

Videos of the Week

Share your story ideas, successes, calendar items, photos, questions and feedback with us at Inside@FWISD.org. Content submissions are due no later than 10 a.m. Fridays for the next edition.

Credits:

Created with an image by mehaniq41 - "The pen lies on the tax form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement. The time to pay taxes"