 Irving
ISD to Implement New Phone System
During
the summer months, Irving ISD will be installing a new telephone system
in all schools and support facilities, and creating a common exchange of
600. The new IISD Administration Building main phone number will be
972-600-5000, and will be effective on July 3, 2009, as will new numbers
for all other support buildings. New school phone numbers will be
effective by August 24, 2009. |
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 Interested
in Teaching or Developing ONLINE Courses?
Are you interested in teaching or developing an ONLINE course? In an
effort to give students more flexibility in scheduling, Irving ISD is
currently working to develop and teach a limited number of online
courses. If you would like to join a cutting edge group of teachers in
this new and exciting endeavor, please fill out the interest form
attached. . |
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 New Administrative Appointments
Irving ISD
Interim Superintendent Dr. Neil Dugger has announced new administrative
appointments for the 2009-2010 school year: Brenda Bingham, Jane Lampton, Maria Elena Coronado, Wendi Vaughn, Erin Yacho, Steven Wurtz,
and Stephanie Lee. (read more)
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Administration Sets Summer Hours
 In an effort to conserve
energy and reduce operating costs, the Administration Building and
schools are planning to observe four day work weeks with summer office
hours beginning June 15th, 2009. Offices will be closed on Fridays
starting the week of June 15th and will continue four day work weeks
until the week of August 10th. Hours during four day work weeks will be
7:30 am to 5:30 pm (with 30 minutes for lunch.) Since Friday, July
3rd is a holiday (for July 4th), that one week in the summer office
hours will revert to normal business hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (with 1
hour for lunch).
(see schedule) |
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 Tracks
and Athletic Fields Closed to the Public for Renovation
All Irving ISD high school tracks and athletic fields
will be closed to the public from June 8th through July 31st to
facilitate track surface renovations. For questions or concerns, please
contact the Irving ISD Athletic Department at (972) 215-5215. |
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Click here for Video |
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Academy Renamed for Jack Singley
"Jack E. Singley has made significant contributions to
the school district, be it resolved that the name of The
Academy of Irving ISD be and is hereby changed to be in the
name Jack E. Singley Academy." Hundreds of
school district employees, city and state leaders, and
Irving residents filled the three floors of The Academy to
witness the dedication and honor the man for whom the
building is now named, former superintendent Jack Singley. |
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Click here for Video |
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Singley Academy Ceremony
This event was held to celebrate and recognized the career
of Mr. Jack Singley, a distinguished educator. In his
44 years of dedicated service to the students of Irving ISD,
Mr. Singley has had immeasurable impact on students, staff
and community members. His love for this district and
this community have lead to many long days, but he always
did it with a servants heart. Mr. Singley, thank you
for your years of dedication. |
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Instructional Center Closed for the Summer
 Due
to construction at The Ratteree, the Instructional Center will be CLOSED
for the summer months. The last day for help at The Instructional Center
will be Friday, June 5, 2009. We’ll reopen sometime in August. Watch for
the announcement of an opening date. In the meantime, staff can be
contacted via email—Betsy Johnson (bejohnson@irvingisd.net
or Lea Bailey (lbailey@irvingisd.net) |
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Click here for Video |
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Retiree Awards Banquet 2009
Irving ISD's annual Retiree Awards Banquet at the DFW
Marriot this year recognized 25 employees for their years of
service to the district. The formal evening included
dinner and a ceremony congratulating the retirees. |
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OpenOffice Training for Teachers in August
OpenOffice sessions
will be offered on August 14 (morning or afternoon) for teachers to
learn the new application suite. OpenOffice is now the standard
office software on IISD student laptops. OpenOffice is easy to learn,
especially if you are already familiar with other office software
applications. This session will provide an overview of the OpenOffice
suite as well as answer questions about the difference between
OpenOffice and Microsoft Office. |
OpenOffice will Replace Microsoft Office on Irving ISD Student Laptops
 In
an effort to familiarize our students with emerging standards and to
extend our bond funds, all student laptops will now come with OpenOffice as the productivity suite. So OpenOffice 3.0
will replace Microsoft Office 2003 on student laptops. Teacher
laptops will also have OpenOffice, but will continue to have Microsoft
Office 2003 for one more year. For the 2010-2011 school year, the
district will have to move to Microsoft Office 2007 for teachers and
staff. All desktops will continue to have Microsoft Office and
OpenOffice. Teachers and students may familiarize themselves with
OpenOffice by using the Tutorials
& Guides link provided. |
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New Summer Technology Session Added:
 Planning
for Effective Multimedia Projects (with
Marco Torres)
Thursday, August 13 ● 8:30-9:30 ● Room 259
Pre-production is a vital but often overlooked
stage in creating quality media products. Storyboarding is a tool for
planning and organization that promotes creativity while bridging the
gap between concept and production. It is the first stage of producing
an effective audio, video, animation or other multimedia project. Marco
Torres will discuss the importance of this stage of production as well
as strategies for successful planning and pre-production. |
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 Fingerprinting
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is required to be fingerprinted?
SB9 requires all
certified educators, substitute teachers and classroom aides to be
fingerprinted for the national criminal history review by the FBI.
Other school support staff hired BEFORE January 1, 2008, are
subject only to a background check of state criminal records, which does
not require fingerprinting. However, support staff hired in 2008 or
later will be subject to the fingerprinting requirements, as will
contractors who perform work in public schools. Irving ISD will send
SBEC a list of all employees. SBEC will determine those who need
fingerprinting and will then return the list and notify the District as
to who will need fingerprinting. (read more) |
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Keynote Speaker: Marco Torres
We
are excited to announce that Marco Torres is going to be our
keynote speaker for our technology sessions this summer. Marco
Torres is an educator and media artist focusing on classroom innovation,
the power of digital media in the classroom, and how we can empower
students and teachers to add value to learning by using today's
technology and resources. As a classroom teacher, Marco communicates a
practical perspective on how we, as a learning community, can adapt and
change to best accommodate today's needs (while having fun along the
way, too!). His keynote
presentation will
be on Thursday, August 13, 10:00. Marco will also have a
workshop Thursday afternoon (1:00-4:00) on
integrating digital photography with curriculum in meaningful ways and
creatively telling stories through photography to provoke, inspire, and
celebrate.
●
Planning for Effective Multimedia Projects with Marco Torres
(8:30 am)
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Technology Keynote Session: Marco Torres (10:00 am)
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Meaningful Digital Photography with Marco Torres (1:00 pm)
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List of ALL Summer Technology Sessions |
Take the Challenge: Read a Book this Summer
 The
BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the books they listed.
How do your reading habits stack up? Also this
summer would be a great time to get caught up with reading some of the
most popular books on the web. Over 1 million books are downloaded from
Project Gutenberg each month. So make use of this great FREE resource
of quality literature that should be part of your education.
Project Gutenberg offers FREE books online to the public that can be
downloaded or read online. |
Session Spotlight
 Turning
Up the H.E.A.T with LoTi - with Chris Moersch. This
summer session is designed to help teachers understand how to design
lessons that are engaging, tailored to fit IISD curriculum, and go
beyond the knowledge and comprehension level. Using the LoTI framework,
teachers will begin with a lesson they already teach and look at ways
technology resources could be implemented to increase engagement and
understanding. (Click
here for a list of ALL summer technology sessions.) |
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 Insurance
ID Cards
Just as an FYI,
new insurance ID cards will NOT be generated for employees that
are currently enrolled. Cards only will be sent when someone is new to the plan,
changes from one plan to another, or requests a new card online (or by
calling customer care). The Humana Specialty Benefits logo will be
printed on the ID Card. Members will still need to access provider
search, claims information, plan information by accessing the
www.mycompbenefits.com
website. |
 Teacher
Salary Schedule for 2009-2010 Approved
The Board of Trustees approved a resolution
authorizing 2009-2010 salary schedules for teachers with new money in
the amount of 4.5 percent during the April 20 board meeting. Starting
salary for new teachers with a bachelors degree for the 2009-2010 school
year will be $48,300. |
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Click here for Video |
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Professional Development
2009-2010
Dianna Hopper,
division director of staff development in Irving ISD, talks
about the staff development that we will have for this
year. She explains the vocabulary that we use and about the
professional growth that we expect here in Irving ISD.
Stream
Video |
Download Video |
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Online Workshops for District Distributed Learning
Credit
 Some
teachers have not had the opportunity to attend after school
workshops for District Distributed Learning Credits. Staff
development has now approved the Department of Education
Teacher-2-Teacher online workshops for this. They must be done in
the content area of the teacher or general education (example of
general education workshop: “No Child Left Behind Basics”).
These must be done outside of school hours and must be turned in to
our office
before
June 1st.
Each of these workshops is worth 2 credits. |
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Grant for Candidates Seeking Alternative Teacher
Certification
 Irving
ISD has entered into a grant partnership with Quality ACT
Alternative Certification Program. If a recommended candidate for a
position in Irving ISD is enrolled in the Quality ACT program for
certification, they may qualify for a $1300 grant to offset
the cost of their certification program. The teachers must be
seeking certification in selected fields. |
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 Pre-AP
and AP Summer Institutes for Teachers
Pre-AP and AP Summer Institutes are being offered this summer.
Teachers who are being assigned AP during the 2009-2010 school year for
the FIRST time are required by the district to complete the 5 day
training this summer. Any teacher who
is assigned Pre-AP or AP for the 2009-2010 school year MAY
attend. All expenses are at the cost of the district and all
registration must go through the GT office and its secretary, Toni
Morales. Please follow the checklist guidelines so that your
registration can be handled in a timely manner. |
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Opportunities for Masters Degree
 The
TEACH grant allows math, science, special education, and bilingual
education teachers who teach on high needs campuses to qualify for
up to $4,000 per year to pursue their online Masters in
Instructional Technology degree from Sam Houston State University.
The 36 semester hour
Masters program is designed for educators who wish to learn more about
the use of instructional technology in the classroom. All courses
offered online!!! |
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 Application
for College Coursework Reimbursements
Irving ISD does NOT have a reimbursement program to receive a
Masters. However, there are certain college/university courses
(graduate and undergraduate) that are reimbursable under the conditions
listed. (1) Critical Shortage Teaching Areas, (2) Hours in
Specific Teaching Field Beyond Master's Degree, and (3) Gifted and
Talented Certification. |
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 Take
your Health Risk Assessment Today
Take your Health Risk Assessment Today by registering for your Personal
Health Manager website at
www.bcbstx.com. Did you know that one in three Americans have
one or more types of heart disease? When you take your online Health
Risk Assessment (HRA) in Blue Access® for Members, you’ll learn about
potential health risks, including heart disease and you’ll get tips on
how to improve your health. And, when you take your Health Risk
Assessment by February 20, 2009, BlueCross-BlueShield will donate
$5 to the American Heart Association. By completing your HRA you
can help the American Heart Association build healthier lives, free of
heart diseases and stroke. |
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BlueCross
BlueShield Mailing Address
 If
you haven’t noticed, our insurance card does not have an
address to mail in claims. We checked BlueCross
Blueshield’s website and they don’t have that
information posted there either, but their customer
service provided us with the following:
BlueCross BlueShield of Texas
P.O. Box 660044
Dallas, TX 75266-0044
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Employee Discount List
Updated
 (Updated
Spring '09)
As an employee of Irving ISD, the following businesses are extending
a discount exclusively to you. Discounts are listed for
LASIK eye care, home improvement, travel, restaurants,
retail and entertainment. Discounted services can be found for
telephone services, banking services, medical services, legal
services, apartment leasing, real estate and more. |
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Notice of Unclaimed Property
The following property is presumed abandoned and subject to Chapter 76
of the Texas Property Code. Any person possessing a legal or beneficial
interest in the following property may obtain information concerning the
amount of the property and establish your right to receive the property
by presenting proof of the claim. |
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 Staff
Development - Frequently Asked Questions
• How do I tell if I need to complete an
online workshop evaluation?
• How can I check my staff development
transcript to see what credits I have?
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Academic Vocabulary
Word Lists
The Curriculum and Instruction
Department of the Region 10 Education Service System has provided a list of
Academic Vocabulary words. The vocabulary list is organized by content area,
offering approximately 30 essential vocabulary words per grade level or course.
Region 10 developed these 30-word Academic Vocabulary lists as per Marzano and
Pickering. These would be those absolutely100% mastery words. You might want to
compare some of the many word lists floating around our district to theirs. |
21st Century
Learners: Tech Tools
 Engaging
today’s learner and placing them in the middle of the content isn’t an
easy task, but by becoming open to new and innovative teaching practices
it makes the journey more exciting. The decision to enter the digital
world is one step out of many towards creating the ultimate digital
student. If you aren’t familiar with terms like: podcasts, Google docs,
blogs, wikis, geocaching, ePortfolios, del.icio.us, or open source it is
possible you aren’t supporting your digital students in a way that will
promote their learning to the fullest. These technology tools are in
their toolbox and they need to be in ours as well. To help put this in
perspective view “A Vision of a K12 Students Today” a moving video about
digital natives. The video, produced by B.J. Nesbit is a powerful
testament to how teachers need to view our current educational status.
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Cancellation/Deferment Options for Teachers with Student Loans
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is excited to roll out this year’s
Teacher Loan Forgiveness program at both the federal and state levels.
Each year TEA establishes a list of teaching assignments in shortage
areas and a list of low-income schools. Teachers serving in eligible
assignments can receive student loan forgiveness benefits. School
principals are authorized to act on behalf of the Commissioner of
Education to certify that a teacher has met the minimum qualifications
required. |
 Spanish Oral Proficiency Stipend
The Irving ISD Board of Trustees has approved a $500 Spanish
Oral Proficiency Stipend. The stipend is annualized and
paid during a 12 month period and available to Professionals and
Paraprofessionals. Information and forms are attached on
how to qualify and apply for the stipend. |
Nominations for Outstanding Teacher or Employee of the Month
Administrators and Staff: It is never too late to nominate
outstanding teachers and employees for the Outstanding Teacher or
Employee of the Month Award. Committees select one from each
category to honor at a school board meeting each month and we are
always in need of new nominations! Thank you for your input!
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Got a Project That You Would Like to Get
Funded?
Have you looked at the Grant Services Web site
lately? A variety of grant announcements has been posted to the
Grant Services website. Take a look at
the Irving ISD Grant Services website ... |
 Free
Online Training Videos for School Districts
Free, online training at your convenience! You can watch these
tutorial videos from any computer connected to the internet that has
the free QuickTime plug-in installed.
Their library contains
hundreds of tutorial videos for multiple software applications.
Their content is created by certified teachers, for teachers and
students. |
