Our Mission: Communities In Schools of Central Texas surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
|
|
- Mastering Manhood Conference
- Free Dental Clinic this Saturday, 9/15
- Gabby Mejia spotlight
- Texas Onstar College & Career Resource
- Photos of the week
- And more!
|
|
- Huge THANK YOU to Erik Volper and Chelsey Dhamanwala for helping sort and deliver teacher school supplies request at Lanier HS
- Yay team! Shout out to Javier Sanchez for helping move big, heavy cabinets to three different campuses/sites around town!
- A shout out & thank you to Brittini, Anna B., Rosie, Beth, Kimberly & Jane for hosting Deslaune & Malia as they get acclimated to their new PM roles!
- Shout out to Cynthia McCollum for organizing distribution of 8 pallets of school supplies at Randall's last week!
- Shout out to Kris Downing for facilitating the CIS Alumni Network kickoff meeting last week and helping the group set norms for meetings.
- Shout out to Meredith, Deaven, & Lindsey for hosting a fun SK kickoff! They made it super special by incorporating a farewell for Lindsey and warm welcome for Deaven! You all are great!
Use the easy online form to recognize a CISter & say thank you for a job well done!
|
|
Carolina Hernandez
began her role as the new Bilingual Child Abuse Prevention Specialist in late August. She is already providing a vital service by translating our program for several students during our workshops. We are very pleased to welcome Carolina to the Pebble Project team! Please introduce yourself when you see her in the halls at central or on your campus!
|
|
CIS Town Hall Update
The CIS National Town Hall was scheduled to begin today in Charleston, South Carolina.
Kris Downing, Mari Gamez, Lisa Raphael, Stephanie Hooton, Max Casero, Suki Steinhauser, Carmine Salvucci, John Duck and Sharon Vigil
were all scheduled to be presenters at the conference. 600 attendees were expected from across the country.
Due to Hurricane Florence, the Town Hall event was cancelled.
Virtual Town Hall Events are open to everyone in the CIS network:
Today at 2:00 p.m.
–
This link
will take you to the State of The Network address. Join CIS National for a deeper dive into the issues during a live webinar later
today at 2:00 p.m.
Register for that webinar
here
.
Submit questions in advance
here
.
Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
– National will deliver other important presentations that had been scheduled for Town Hall, also via webinar.
Here is that registration link
- Branding and Communications
- The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Planning team will review progress to date and take an informative look at real-life examples of systemic barriers in the lives of students.
- And announcements and closing remarks
Everyone is welcome to watch the webinars at Central in the
Large Conference Room.
|
|
|
How to request CIS Client Immediate Needs Funds
|
|
AmeriCorps program welcomes 40 new FT and HT AmeriCorps members who all began their first week on campus this week. Nine are returning members this year.
|
|
Food For Thought | September 20th
Food For Thought is scheduled for Thursday, September 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at ACL Live. The event is Communities In Schools’ largest fundraiser. Last year we raised over $670,000, thanks in large to our fabulous volunteers who make the annual event possible. The event is a fun, elegant tasting benefit featuring Austin’s hottest restaurants, live music and an exciting live auction.
Click here to see more about this year’s event.
|
|
Gold’s Gym Membership
Did you know that CIS has a corporate membership arrangement with your neighborhood Gold’s Gym? Sign up before Sept. 29
th
and your enrollment fee is waived! Everyone should have a gym buddy, and you can add your roommate, your significant other, your neighbor, even your teenager to your membership. (No enrollment fees for them either.) Monthly dues are deducted from your payroll deposit. Click
here
for the member agreement form. Email
[email protected]
if you have questions.
Already have a personal Gold’s membership? No problem! Complete the new CIS enrollment form, including your current membership information at the top, send it to Dian, and then be sure to tell Gold’s to stop charging dues to your credit card every month.
For those of you who wish to discontinue your CIS/Gold’s membership, September is the month to do it. Please send an email to
[email protected]
before Sept. 25
th
requesting cancellation otherwise your membership will automatically renew for another 12 months.
|
|
CPR/First Aid Certification in September
All Direct Service staff are required to provide a copy of active (within 2 years) CPR/First Aid certification to HR by Sept 30
th
. If you do not have active CPR/First Aid certification please sign up for the CIS-offered American Red Cross blended learning CPR/First Aid
training here
.
Once you sign up for the in-person session,
follow this link
to complete the 2.5 hour online portion of training and bring your confirmation email to the in-person training session.
|
|
The CIS of Central Texas
Personnel Policies
were recently approved by the Board of Directors.
Click here
to access the redlined version of the Personnel Policies with the material changes highlighted. This document can also be found in
Members Only Documents
in the
Human Resources
folder,
Policies and Procedures
sub-folder.
Please don’t just read the new parts! We strongly encourage all staff to read the whole Personnel Policies document, especially if it’s been awhile since you’ve read the whole thing.
Click here
to find the Acknowledgment Form that must be signed and dated as an acknowledgment that you’ve actually opened the link and read the revised policies. Signed Acknowledgment Forms are due to Tonnyna no later than Sept 28. If you have any questions about the policies, please contact your supervisor or send an email to
[email protected]
for clarification.
|
|
The Baby Closet at Central is up and running!
If you have a client that could use some baby clothes, come help yourself. The baby closet is made up of the 3 white cabinets in front of the Klein Room. Clothes range in sizes from newborn-5t. If you have any questions about it, or would like to donate any items, please email Gabby Mejia at
[email protected]
.
|
|
|
Gabby Mejia
, LMSW, is a CIS Care Coordinator and celebrating 3 years of service.
Gabby interned at Lehman High School with the Outreach Counselor and worked alongside CIS staff and interns there. She says, "I identified with the mission and thought it would be a good place to grow professionally."
Gabby is a Care Coordinator, supporting students and families at Webb MS and Harris ES. "In my role, I’m involved with a family for about a year, or longer. It’s great to see how much growth occurs with the family over the course of the program, and it’s humbling to have some part in that." Gabby says her favorite thing about working at CIS is the Care Coordination Team. "They are awesome and I consider myself lucky to work with such a great team."
|
Look for more employee spotlights in upcoming editions of the Apple & Staff Connections. Erin Jones will be featured in the September edition of Staff Connections.
|
|
Gabby's advice for new employees:
Breathe. You’ll probably make mistakes, and that’s okay. There’s definitely a learning curve, so I would encourage leaning on your supervisor and/or team members.
|
|
ZOOM ANNOUNCEMENT
Jen and Cori have started offering Program announcements via Zoom:
- So that valuable team meeting time can be spent collaborating, learning and supporting with peers
- So that the same information gets to everyone
- So that people can ask clarifying questions using the chat box instead of just reading an email or Apple Juice announcement
Video and Audio - click
here
One Pager with highlights – click
here
|
|
Thank you for reading the Apple Juice weekly staff bulletin!
Click here
to enter to win one of three CIS Prize Packs: $10 Gourmet Popcorn/CIS Koozie, $5 Target Card/CIS Koozie, $10 Gourmet Popcorn/CIS Hat
|
|
Employee Excellence Award
|
|
Nominate a CIS employee for an Employee Excellence Award!
* NEW this year *
|
|
The CIS Wellness Committee encourages you to focus on your personal wellness goals to keep your mind, body and soul healthy and happy for the new school year! You may use
this form
to digitally track your self-care activities, which can be anything from reading a book to hitting the gym. Submit your completed form by the end of the month to
[email protected]
to be entered for a chance to win a $20 gift card! The winning entry will be drawn on the 5
th
of each month. Participants throughout the year will be eligible for a grand prize drawing of $100 in June.
August wellness winners are
Kim Umch
and
Carolyn Moreau
!
Thank you to everyone that participated!
|
|
Are you on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter?
Remember to tag CIS when you post photos from events on campus - @ciscentraltx on Twitter & Instagram.
Questions about photos & media releases & appropriate social media posts for work? Consult with Debra Joiner, Director of Communications.
Make sure to connect with Communities In Schools of Central Texas on your social channels to stay connected to all the great things happening on CIS campuses and in the community!
|
|
The photo directory is located on
Members Only
in the Human Resources section.
To add or change a photo any time, or to update your information, please
request by email
.
|
|
|
Resources | In the News | Events | Community
|
|
Texas OnCourse
has a new resource to help educators support highly-mobile students.
Students who move frequently and change schools, including children of military families or migrant workers, face unique needs and challenges. Regardless of the reason for moving, school counselors and advisers play an important role in smoothing the transition after each move and monitoring academic risk factors.
“Advising Highly Mobile Students,” the latest module in the Texas OnCourse Academy, provides information regarding common needs of highly mobile students and best practices for helping these students transition from high school to their best-fit postsecondary option.
|
|
Mastering Manhood Conference
empowering men for personal and professional development
When: Saturday, September 29th
Where: Austin Community College Eastview Campus
3401 Webberville Road, Austin, TX 78702
|
|
Free dental clinic in Austin, TX on Saturday, September 15, 2018 at the Castle Dental office on South Lamar Blvd will offer pro bono dental services provided include x-rays/exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, oral cancer screenings, fillings and extractions. To be eligible to receive care, an individual must be low income and underinsured. All ages are welcome. We do have a limited number of appointments available, provided on a first come first serve basis.
|
|
OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH STATE REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
For the past two years the CAN Community Council has focused its efforts on better understanding the issues affecting families living in poverty. Last year the council submitted a report to the CAN Board of Directors entitled "A Closer Look at Child Poverty in Travis County." The report summarizes the council's discussions on issues relating to child poverty and included suggested strategies and actions that might help to better address the needs of low-income families. During the September meeting of the CAN Community Council there will be a forum discussion with members of our local delegation about how we can better support families with children living in poverty. There will be an opportunity to visit with
State Representative Gina Hinojosa, State Representative Donna Howard, and State Representative Eddie Rodriguez
about their legislative priorities for the 2019 legislative session that relate to children and families. This session will be interactive and will allow space for people to engage in conversation with our elected officials.
This meeting will take place on September 17, 2018 from 6 pm - 8 pm at 700 Lavaca St. in Multipurpose Room A and B and is free and open to the public.
Click here
to view the Community Council's full report on child poverty.
If you would like to attend the Legislative Forum,
Click Here
.
|
|
Austin Health Commons: Truth, Racial Healing, Transformation
October 13 & 14, 2018
Event Details
· Cost - FREE
· Lunch and snacks provided
· Please register for each day separately
|
|
Urban Roots Fall 2018 Food & Leadership Fellowship
Young adults ages 17-23 who participate will grow food and serve in the community to help improve food access in Austin while building critical life, job, and leadership skills (and their resumes). If the service and hands-on learning focus of this paid professional development opportunity might be of interest to the youth you serve, the online application is available
here
and the deadline is
September 18th.
The Urban Roots team would also love to visit CIS campuses to share additional information about the Fellowship with any interested youth. Contact:
Kasey Williams,
o: 512-750-8019
,
e:
[email protected]
|
|
Resources
Alice's Kids
: I
f you have any children in need of things like soccer shoes, field trip fees, uniforms, prom tickets, senior dues, etc. email
[email protected]
for a referral form
|
|
This week, University of Texas at Austin SEEK volunteers (Student Engineers Educating Kids) were back on the Norman-Sims campus reporting for another great year of science and mentorship! #allinforkids
|
|
Chief Development Officer Carmine Salvucci poses at the school supply distribution event last week at Randall's --- 8 pallets of school supplies were distributed!
|
|
AmeriCorps members demonstrated teamwork and creativity building marshmallow and spaghetti towers during Pre Service Orientation.
|
|
Submit a photo to share, by text to 512-296-7661 or
Find more photos of all the great things happening at CIS on
Facebook
and
Instagram
.
|
|
Communities In Schools Employee Assistance Program
Benefits include law access, HelpNet, Safe Ride, Work Life, Well Coach, and 1-6 Counseling Sessions. Benefits can be accessed by phone: 800-343-3822 or 512-328-1144, or TDD 800-448-1823.
Click here
to access and select Access Your Benefits. Registration Code: AWP-CISA- 198
|
|
|
|
|
|
|