October 18, 2023 edition

Shout Outs

Share appreciation and gratitude for a fellow CIS employee. Giving a shout out is a great way to recognize an individual or group for their extra effort and talent, and to contribute to a culture of appreciation, community, and kindness.  

• Thank you, Angela Wilborn for hosting an arts and craft day for team Elgin. You rock!
• SHOUT OUT TO the PE Team at ASPIRE for facilitating the first session of Parent Classes. Clients were engaged and willing to speak English in a new group setting as they shared their routines with their children.
• Shout out to my Program Director Javier Sanchez Jr. for solving, in a few minutes, a calendar view issue that stymied even an MS representative!
• Shout Out to PM Gabbie Vargas, SmartKids Coord. Andrea Figueroa, and AmeriCorps member Kathy Estrella for an amazing Campus Visit at Martin MS! Insightful student panelists and exceptional student greeters! What a wonderful start to the new school year. Thank you!!
• Shout Out to PD Nicole Ornelas and Sr. PD Jackie Platt for your assistance and support with Tuesday's Campus Visit at Martin MS.

Nominate someone for Employee Excellence. Click here for the form and here to learn about employee recognition & appreciation at CIS of Central Texas. 

Pulse Survey: Do you have the resources needed to do your job effectively?

One of our agency goals this year is to ensure that staff have the resources needed to do their jobs effectively. Feedback from this pulse survey will help the organization and departments know what to work on this year in order to make progress toward this goal. Please respond by October 31, 2023. Thank you in advance for your time!

Micro Grant Updates

• Micro Grant applications are OPEN!
• For eligibility, application details, and the link to apply, please review the linked Micro Grants Manual
• Want to know more? Join this week’s office hours (Click the linked times below to join) 
• 10/17 @ 12-1pm – Micro Grants Overview, Q&A
• 10/19 @ 9-10am - Micro Grants Overview, Q&A

Click here to see more Virtual Application hours and the MS Form application

Click here to view last Years Micro Grants presentations!

Committee Sign-Up



Last chance to sign up to participate in a committee!

Participating on committees is a great way to connect with your colleagues, to give input, and to make a meaningful contribution. This year we also have 4 affinity groups you can choose to participate in: In Living Color, Neurodiverse Staff Members, Restorative Practices, and Latinidad. Please limit your commitment to no more than 2 committees for the 2023-2024 school year and consult with your supervisor about the time commitment before you sign up.

Click here to sign up by this Friday, October 20^th.

CONTACT AND PC AUDITS

As a reminder, PMD has begun auditing both Parent Consent forms and Contact Record information. If you get an email from us stating that you have corrections, you will need to take action. Not sure what to do? Please see this reference video for how to manage an audit task. Instructions are also listed in the body of the correction email.

APOLLO SUPPORT TIP

Please include the NAME of the student or the # of the Case when sending an email to request support. We will need an example to be able to see what issues you are running into, and including the name (or First Initial Last Name) helps eliminate back-and-forth while we answer your questions.

RESOURCE REMINDERS

• We have put together short videos of Apollo functions based on topics covered in Apollo 101 and 102 training. Please use these videos, paired with the Apollo FAQ doc and the Apollo manual, to reinforce the topics we covered in training over the last few weeks. The videos are linked through the Apollo FAQ doc as well. 
• Check out this Requirements Checklist List View to see BOY requirements for your students on caseload

ONGOING SUPPORTS

• PMD Office Hours are Mondays 3-4pm and Fridays 8-9am via Teams.
• Email [email protected] if you need support, have questions, or have a feature request/suggestion.
• Apollo FAQs is a document that contains answers to commonly asked questions. PMD updates this on a weekly basis.

 Settlement Home Garage Sale-Voucher Requests (2).xlsx

Rundberg Fall Fest Volunteer Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084AAEAE29A4FDC25-45118643-rundberg

The CIS Community Outreach Department and the Professional Development Department are partnering up to provide PD opportunities for our volunteer community throughout the school year. We are opening trainings for any CIS staff who would like to attend. Please complete sign-up sheet! Link to training will be sent out to staff!

CISCT Job Openings



Click here for a list of available positions!

MH & W Department Updates

Attention Campus-Based Staff:

The final deadline to request UT Austin Spring 2024 BSW interns is this Friday, October 20^th by 12pm. Instructions for requesting interns can be found here.    

Special Shout Out to Nicci Contreras for the video that was done via HCISD (Facebook link below to view) -Ada Gonzalez

From her grade school days at Kyle Elementary School to graduating from Hays High, Hays CISD alumna Nicci Contreras always remembered having a trusted teacher or counselor that helped to illuminate a path toward a successful future. Today, Nicci is giving back to the next generation of Hays CISD students by doing the very same – mentoring and guiding students in her role as Program Manager of Community in Schools at Tom Green Elementary School. In this edition of Homegrown Hays, we spotlight Hays High Class of 2005 graduate Nicci Contreras!

https://www.facebook.com/100064303407280/posts/pfbid02JsrG1vMdPjYn3o2M3LNroNrwYPNqzgGHh9pyY5dCDXsdK5NtMDY4mKmT76y9jpnZl/?app=fbl

We are thrilled to have valuable resources to enhance mental health support for Spanish-speaking communities:

· Culture, Community, and Connection: 2023 BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit - The BIPOC Mental Health Month campaign and toolkit were designed to provide culturally responsive mental health information to highlight three core pillars of culture, community, and connection and how integral they are to BIPOC communities. The toolkit includes factsheets, worksheets, shareable images, and more that can aid community discussion and guide individuals to helpful resources.

· Selfies, Social, and Screens: Navigating Virtual Spaces for Youth: 2023 Back to School Resources - The Back to School campaign and resources were developed to help increase understanding of how online activity affects the mental health of children and teens. The factsheets, shareable images, and other materials in the toolkit can be used to help manage the challenges of virtual spaces and empower youth to make informed decisions for their mental health and well-being.

· New Mental Health Resources Hub in Spanish: Our Spanish-language resources hub provides a comprehensive collection of mental health materials to assist individuals, families, and others in accessing valuable mental health resources for the Spanish-speaking community.

We invite you to download our campaign materials, explore the resources on our website, and share them within your communities. Together, we can foster mental health awareness and support for all.

Congrats this weeks Winner of a Panera gift card is Kenia Ocegueda!

Central Staff Keyanna and Angela help PM Deja Gamble at Govalle ES get ready for "Unity Day" (Jessy from MH&W Dept. also pictured).

If you still have a prize wheel out, please get it back to the Communications Department!

Communities In Schools of Central Texas surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.