February 8, 2023 edition

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.  

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

Let’s Talk Series

(These count toward agency-wide DEI goals -- returning staff will participate in 2 DEI trainings)

• Courageous Conversations 2/23/2023 from 9:00am-10:30am Sign up in Auzmor
• Characteristics of white supremacy culture 3/2/2023 from 9:00am-10:30am Sign up in Auzmor
• White Privilege 3/9/2023 from 9:00am-10:30am Sign up in Auzmor
• LGBTQ+IA 3/23/2023 from 9:00am-10:30am Sign up in Auzmor
• Microaggresions and gaslighting 4/13/2023 from 9:00am-10:30am Sign up in Auzmor
• Toxic Positivity (2.0 connected to white supremacy culture) 5/4/2023 from 9:00am -10:30am Sign up in Auzmor
• AfroLatine (Multiracial) 5/11/2023 from 9:00am-10:30am Sign up in Auzmor
• Anti blackness 6/1/2023 from 9:00am-10:30am Sign up in Auzmor
• Monochronic & Polychronic Time orientation 6/15/2023 from 9:00am-10:30am Sign up in Auzmor

Equity Fundamentals Training Schedule

**All training sessions begin at 1:00 PM (EST) and last for 1.5 hours**

February 16, 2023: Storytelling Clothed in Dignity

Speakers: Jessica Pontoo (She/Her) and Fredrick Bailey (He/Him)

February 23, 2023: Allies and Accomplices

Speaker: Aisha Bell-Robinson (She/Her)

Register here

LinkedIn Learning DEI Trainings

Downloadable certificates

·        Inclusive workplaces begin with language

·        Cultural Humility and Agility

The Communications Department is looking for campuses to participate in the Spring Photoshoots starting in February. Please reach out to Angela @ [email protected] to schedule your date and time.

Tonnyna Henderson's role at CISCT will now also include Employee Wellness

Help name the for the Employee Wellness Mascot. Submit name suggestions to Tonnyna at [email protected]

"In Living Color" Affinity Group

In Celebration of Black History Month

On this day in Black History:

1986 – Figure skater Debi Thomas becomes the first African American to win the women’s singles at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. A month later, Thomas went on to defeat East Germany’s Katarina Witt, becoming the first African American woman to win the women’s World Figure Skating Championships.

Cultural Happenings Committee

Eligibility, Assessment, and Targeted Needs

CBS team and AmeriCorps Mentors, please review  this one-pager summarizing program requirements for aligning eligibility, assessment, and targeted needs. This is a common issue popping up on audits and we want to make sure you have all the info in one quick place. 😊

Guidance Coming Soon – Performance Levels in CIS-NAV

Determining which Performance Level to select can be tricky, especially with benchmark assessments like MAP and NWEA. We’ll be releasing guidance next week on how to translate various assessment scores to the Performance Levels in CIS-NAV, as all assessments must have a performance level indicated. Stay tuned!

PMD is Hiring!

Do you like data? Want to learn Salesforce? Interested in joining a super cool team that likes owls? PMD is HIRING for two full-time roles; a Database Success Specialist and a Temporary Database Success Specialist. Apply today or share widely with anyone you know who may be interested!

PMD Office Hours

• Fridays from 2:00-3:00pm via Teams; if you have questions or need support, stop by and chat! No need to register, the link will always be the same. 

• The AmeriCorps Site Supervisor Application for the 2023-2024 school year is due February 15th! Click here to review the Application Overview and for a link to the application.
• Save the Date for the Life After AmeriCorps Conference on Monday, February 20^th. Members will receive an email/calendar invite this week with more information.
• Our next Collaborative Learning Space is this Friday, February 10^th from 8:30-9:30am only. We will use this time to have a Q&A and discuss transitions within the AMC Team. Sign up on Auzmor here.  
• We do not have a CLS scheduled for Friday, February 24^th. 

Mental Health and Wellness Update

Attention all campus-based staff:

Be sure to complete the CIS intern interest form. If you will have been in your role for at least a year, have some supervisory experience, and/or hold a BSW or LMSW, LCSW, or LPC. We are hoping to host a diverse group of interns and need a diverse group of supervisors to do so. Please note, that you do not have to have a social work or counseling degree to host some of the interns that we are recruiting.

Menu of Interventions Survey

Campus based staff: Please complete this anonymous survey to help assist us in improving the Menu of Interventions. 

Opportunity for AISD students to attend a HBCU college fair in Austin during SXSW.

HBCU Battle of the Brains, the National Football League (NFL), and 100 Black Men of Austin will host an HBCU College Fair at the Austin Public Library’s Special Events Center (710 W Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701) on Friday, March 10, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Central. 

This event allows 6th through 12th graders and parents/guardians to learn more about our nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 25+ HBCU representatives and local college admissions leaders will be present to discuss completing the FAFSA form, resume and application needs, essay and interview prep, independent scholarships, and more. 

Graduating in 2023? Bring your transcripts, test scores, and resumes for on-the-spot college acceptances. 

This event is open to the public and is FREE for colleges/universities AND attendees. 

If you have any questions, contact Alexis Johnson at [email protected]

We're Hiring! Positions include

• Chief People & Equity Officer, Central Office
• Database Success Specialist, Central Office
• Higher Education Advisors, Austin ISD
• High School Youth Development Specialist

College and Career Success Department

Click here to find a list of scholarships that are currently available to Seniors! This link will be updated throughout the school year as more scholarships become available. If you and your Senior would like some support completing any scholarship application, please reach out to Jami Herrera with the College and Career Success Department at [email protected]

FREE 2-day Live Training Event

Anxiety Certification Course:

Integrate CBT and Exposure & Response Prevention for Treatment of

GAD, Panic Disorder, OCD, Social Anxiety, & Phobias 

February 16-17, 2023 from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Central

Click here to secure your spot



Join Kimberly Morrow, LCSW, & Elizabeth DuPont Spencer, MSW, LCSW-C, LIVE on February 16 and 17 for 2 full days of learning the gold standard of care for treating GAD, Panic Disorder, OCD, Social Anxiety, and Phobias. 

You’ll walk away with:  

• Ways to help clients face their triggers and change their relationship with fear 
• Methods to use exposure therapy in meaningful, successful ways 
• Specific strategies for Panic Disorder, phobias, OCD, and social anxiety 
• Strategies to manage your own anxiety about treating your anxious clients 

Don’t pass on this opportunity to get the anxiety treatment training you need! It may not come again, and capacity is limited. 

The winner of the Apple drawing for a Target Gift Card is

Natalia Ornelas and the winner of a CIS hat is Christy Kelly

Shout out to Sam, Angela, Jose and Ezra for representing CISCT at a Subaru fundraising event this weekend!

The Operations Team - HR, IT, Communications, PMD, Ops - set intentions for the year together with a snow globe craft project. This is one creative group of people!

Congratulations to Deidre, Crystal, Christina and Anna for completing the first session of Strong Voices public speaking training! Y’all did a great job! 

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