The Apple Staff Bulletin

October 11, 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.

Shoutout to Giselle Dall'Orso for all of the great work you are doing at mobilizing the Navarro CIS Program this Fall!
Shout out to my helpful, thoughtful, and fun AMC Mentor Perla and BSW intern Julianna. You both are bright spots in each day! I am so thankful to have you both on my team.
Claire Benavides and the CIS at Lively team, thank you so much for maintaining the excellent caliber of services our office provides while I am out!
Shout out to Angela Wilborn for accommodating my last minute communications materials request for a community event. We had local firefighters spinning the prize wheel at our National Night Out for students and families!
Shout out to Erica Gallardo for your continued support and advocacy for the San Marcos team! Your hard work does not go unnoticed and you are relentless in your role!

Click here to submit a Shout Out

Employee Excellence Nominee: Nicole Partin

Program Manager, Webb Middle School

“Nicole is able to reach kids by listening to them, trying to understand and see their perspective. She finds places where her students feel like they belong on campus. She advocates for them to get back to school, to adjust their schedules, to participate in school activities. She was able to work through all the barriers to support a student and family to understand what they needed to re-engage and be successful in school. Many families that Nicole works with are dealing with systemic injustices, and Nicole is equitable in her approach to connecting families with resources and support. Nicole is working with at least 15 families that have multiple complex needs and she has explored and accessed various resources and is chipping away at systemic issues in partnership with the families, the school, and community partners. Nicole is also incredibly supportive of the new staff members on her regional team.”

Employee Excellence Nominee: Caprica Neal

Program Manager at Mendez Elementary

“Mrs. Neal leads with kindness and compassion. When I started in the fall, it was clear that she is a beloved part of the community at Mendez Elementary. She plays such a vital role in supporting the campus and fosters strong relationships with students. You can see the excitement on the students faces when they pass her in hallway and say hello! Mrs. Neal is always ready to lend a helping hand. She is attentive to the needs of individual students, Mendez Campus, and community members. My onboarding process was so smooth because she was already ready to help me out with any questions.”

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

Message from Debra Joiner

I recently made the difficult decision to resign from

my Chief Operations Officer position. I am immensely grateful for having had the opportunity to support our organization during Sharon’s first year as CEO and I have enjoyed working with new teams and with staff in new ways as partners and collaborators. I gave a long notice period in order to best

support my team and projects. My last day will be Friday, December 15^th.

Debra Joiner

In the Know Questions Answered

During In the Know last week, there was a question for McClean & Co about our employee engagement survey methodology. Click here for a document that explains this in detail.

Two questions came in from the event.

Question 1: What plans do we have to increase transparency around salary scales?

Answer: Our Compensation Philosophy is posted in Members Only and accessible by all staff. Find this in Members Only Documents – Human Recourses – Comp Philosophy & Total Rewards – CISCT Compensation Philosophy FY24. Click here to access. CEO Sharon Vigil has also been sharing video messages about the agency budget and salary increases for the past several years to add additional context for staff.

Question 2: Last year we received retention bonuses in December. Will that happen again this year?

Answer: Yes, longevity bonuses will be paid again this year on December 15th in recognition and appreciation of our tenured employees for their years of service.

$250 for 3-5 years of service
$500 for 6-10 years of service
$1,500 for more than 10 years of service

CIS National Student Supports Institute

February 21 – 23, 2024

In-person in Las Vegas or Virtually

CIS of Central Texas will be sending 4 CISCT staff members to attend the 2024 Student Supports Institute. If you would like to be considered to attend on behalf of our agency, please submit this form by Friday, October 13^th.

Click here Last Years Micro Grants presentations!

Committee Sign-Up

Through committees, we create spaces and opportunities for employees to bring their authentic, personal, and professional selves and ideas to the workplace in an environment that elevates the work of Communities In Schools of Central Texas. Committees are a great way to connect with your CISCT colleagues and give input. 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.

This year we have 4 affinity groups! In Living Color, Neurodiverse Staff Members, Restorative Practices, and Latinidad affinity group.

Committees include: Addressing Substance Misuse, All-Staff, Culture of Philanthropy, Employee Recognition, Family Engagement, Let’s Talk, Mental Health Training Needs, Micro Grants, Program Support Services, Social Committee, Stakeholder Survey Revamp, and the Work Life Balance committee. Click here to learn more!

Click here to sign up by October 20^th.

RESOURCE REMINDERS

NEW video resource - How to Create a List View in Apollo. This video is linked on the Video Walkthrough Guide as well.
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 Checklis t List View to see BOY requirements for your students on caseload.

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

CISCT Job Openings

Click here for a list of available positions!

MH & W Department Updates

REMINDER – The “Strategies to Engage Students to Meet Behavioral Needs” is today, Wednesday October 11^th, 10:00am-12:00pm. Sign up in Auzmor

REMINDER – The 1^st bilingual case consultation session is Monday, October 16^th,, 10:00am-11:30am. This 1^st session is virtual. The rest will be in-person at Central. Come to this first one and if you can’t make the others, you will have the presenter’s contact information for future questions. This event is for all staff working directly with students and families who language in Spanish – Campus-Based Services, ASPIRE, Care Coordination, and MSAP.

Promoting Healthy Choices and Support for

Vaping Cessation Among Youth and Families

Tuesday, October 17, 2023 12-1:15pm (CDT)

The Vaping Cessation Webinar is for students in grades 4 through 12 as well as parents and community members. It aims to provide knowledge, skills, and resources to make informed decisions about vaping, overcome addiction, and build strong coping strategies. The webinar covers comprehensive education, mindfulness techniques, therapy resources, and peer support to address the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of vaping addiction. Register here!

Title: Supporting LGBTQ+ Communities

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 18

Time: 1-2 p.m. ET

Speakers:

Damien Alan Lopez, Transgender Advocate and Queer Author
Caroline Davidson, MPH, Director, Practice Improvement and Consulting, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Join us for our October 2023 Social Justice Leadership Academy (SJLA) Learning Series event, Supporting LGBTQ+ Communities! This session will review terminology, incidences and lived experiences of those within LGBTQ+ communities. Participants will develop skills on how to cultivate a safe space for transgender and gender nonbinary individuals in both professional and private environments. We’ll also discuss how we can increase our knowledge and debunk misconceptions and biases related to LGBTQ+ communities.

Learning Objectives:

Define terminology and describe concepts associated with LGBTQ+ identities.
Understand federal and state laws as they apply to LGBTQ+ individuals and understand the current national climate.
Develop practical skills on how to cultivate safe spaces and be an effective ally.

CapMetro Upcoming Community Workshops

CapMetro and the City of Austin invite you to help shape the North Lamar Transit Center and South Congress Transit Center Station Area Vision Plans! In this next phase of our Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) planning, we’ll share options for the future of these CapMetro transit centers based on what we heard from you this past spring. Come and go as you need during this in-person workshop, where you can provide your insights and chat with the ETOD project team and other CapMetro and City of Austin partners. Snacks and kid-friendly activities will be provided.

As part of this workshop there will also be a resource fair where you can get connected with healthcare providers, assistance agencies, workforce training opportunities, CapMetro services, and more. Stay tuned for more information about those partners!

ETOD Workshops for the North Lamar Transit Center and South Congress Transit Center Station Area Vision Plans

Thursday 10/19, 4-8pm at TA Brown Elementary School

Saturday 10/21, 10am-2pm at St. Elmo Elementary School

RSVP for the workshops!

Keep up-to-date by visiting the ETOD webpage!

Congrats this weeks Winner of a Chipotle gift card is Gracy Lopez!

Click to enter this week's drawing for a prize!

Team Elgin putting Ms. Angela to work! Team T shirt ✔️

“AmeriCorps Central Texas (ACT) Swearing-In Ceremony. Our Communities In Schools of Central Texas members joined the other ACT eight organizations last Friday. Together they pledged “to Get Things Done!” AmeriCorps members, we are grateful for your service!”