October 25, 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.  

Employee Excellence Nominee: Deja Gamble



“Deja's an advocate for her students, their families, and for equitable systems at her campus. She is an incredible leader throughout her campus and CIS. I admire Deja's continuous ability to create sustainable excellence, that she is flexible, adaptable, and so student centered in her practice. Deja goes above and beyond for all her students and program! Some of the light and joy that she has led is through Unity Day, Fall Family Movie Night, as a speaker/facilitator at two conferences in the Spring, a teammate you can always count on, an advocate for her equity and sustainable systems, and a person who is inspiring hope and possibility every day! Deja is All In For Kids!” 

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

All-Staff Training | Valuing Difference in the Day-to-Day Work

Click here for the presentation.

Click here for the recording Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 (password: empower)

Facilitator Melanie Rivera is collecting themes from the chat in today’s training to share with the CISCT Executive Team. If you have additional comments to share based on today’s training, you may send them to her email: [email protected] by end of day Friday, October 27^th.

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!

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.

Micro Grant Updates

• Applications are OPEN and DUE Wednesday, November 1st!
• For eligibility, application details, and the link to apply, please review the linked Micro Grants Manual
• Want to know more? Join virtual office hours (Click the linked times below to join) 
• 10/25 @ 3:30-4:30pm – Topics: Logic Models, Q&A
• 10/31 @ 12-1pm – Application Support
• Ready to apply? Submit your application HERE!

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

Micro Grant Opportunity Spotlight:

Interested in applying but unsure of where to start? Check out these potential vendor / training resources:

• Out Youth - https://beabeacontx.org/
• LGBTQIA+ Competency Training for K-12 Staff: Be A Beacon training (3 levels of asynchronous training), which helps school-based staff (who work with youth) learn how to create supportive learning environments for LGBTQIA+ students. $35/per person/grade level

• NEST Foundation - https://www.nestfoundation.org/upcoming-workshops-events
• Nest designs and delivers workshops, presentations, and events not only for educators, but for all members of schools and the wider community. 



• The Kindness Campaign - https://www.tkckindness.org/programs
• From music to movement and puppets to paintbrushes, The Kindness Campaign® offers fun, engaging content & activities to spread kindness in your communities.

CISCT Job Openings



Click here for a list of available positions!

ASPIRE Family Literacy Program

Learning Opportunity

About the Event:

Name of Event: Latina Voices Against Domestic Violence

Date: November 2, 2023

Time: 3:00 PM EST

Registration Link: https://bit.ly/LREU

This event will be open to the general public and feature insights from policy experts, elected officials, and advocates from across the country who are working to protect and support survivors of gender-based violence. 

Participants will have the opportunity to learn about Esperanza United’s policy and advocacy work focused on ending gender-based violence within Latina communities, as well as Latinas Represents work to increase the number and diversity of Latinas in public service. This collaboration will shine a light on the crucial role that advocates and Latinas in public service play in shaping effective policies and driving positive change in our communities.

Congrats this weeks Winner of a Starbucks gift card is Edith Rivera!

PM Deja Gamble at Govalle ES celebrating "Unity Day"

Manor Vertical Team's Wellness Day!

PM Darian Salinas at Campbell ES had a booth where students could play cornhole and spin the wheel for a CIS Prize. Additionally, Darian was able to connect with parents and campus staff regarding CIS services. 

Finished another successful event? Get your borrowed items 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.