March 7, 2024 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.  

Employee Excellence Nominee: Christy Mitchell

Christy runs such a successful program at Langford Elementary. She has a created a safe and welcoming environment for students and staff in both programming and with in the classroom. She provides a nurturing space for her team to be able to work on their own programming. Any AmeriCorps member working with Christy Mitchell, learn a great deal about developing relationships with students and staff. The environment at Langford Elementary is enriched by the CIS program, carefully curated by Christy over the years.

-Excerpt

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

Every employee who was eligible for health insurance coverage from CIS of Central Texas in 2023 was mailed a Form 1095-C at the end of last week. Form 1095-C is sent to employees annually and provides information about your employer-provided health insurance offer and months of coverage. Even if you declined to sign up for the CIS health plan last year, you were mailed a form 1095-C. Per the IRS, you are not required to submit this form with your 2023 tax filing. However, you should keep this form with any 2023 tax records. If you didn’t receive the form or have questions about it, contact Dr. Hunt [email protected].  

Click to answer questionnaire

CIS Central Texas Spotlights!

CISCT Job Openings

Visit our Career Page: https://ciscentraltexas.org/career-opportunities/ for a complete list of career opportunities.

Intern Department Updates

Attention campus-based staff: Be sure to fill out the Intern Interest Form if you would like to supervise CIS interns during the Fall 2024-Spring 2025 academic year. Please note, you are eligible to host interns if you have been in your role with CIS for at least a year. You do not have to have a social work or counseling degree to host some of the interns that we are recruiting. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions. 

Mental Health and Wellness Department Updates

Hello Field instructors and Task Supervisors, Thank you for your commitment to providing valuable learning opportunities for the interns you are hosting. Just a couple of reminders as it is likely that interns will begin to identify and work on their capstone or final projects for the semester. 

1. Final or capstone projects should bring some value to the agency either as direct resources for CIS students and/or families or as resource information for the agency staff and school community. Ideally, ideas for topics and projects are discussed collaboratively with the field instructor and/or task supervisor. There should not be any undue burden on our students or families in answering questions that may have some implicit or explicit bias. Best practice is to work with the extensive data we already collect.
2. We ask that if there is a presentation requirement for the assignment, any presentations of their project/outcomes/recommendations be coordinated by the field instructor to an internal audience. In the past field instructors have identified a few CIS staff (other PMs, PDs, Sr. PDs and Officers) to be the audience for the interns’ presentations via TEAMS or Zoom. While still completing their internship with CIS, it is not permissible to reach out to community members with these projects since this is outside of agency communication policies and procedures. "S:\Shared Folders\Common\Volunteer\9. Interns\Internship\Start of internship\Spring 2023\Intern CIS_Policies & Procedures 2023-2024.pdf" see Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out directly to Dorothy Garza, Sr. PD of Mental Health and Wellness.

Reminder: Art in Therapy for Children and Adolescents, Advanced Training

Registration is in Auzmor for Wednesday 3/20/24 10-12 pm at Central. 

For more information related to LGBTQIA+ belonging, and how schools can support

»Part 1 of the Trans 101 Workshop Series - Foundations of Knowledge & Action

»Part 2 of the Trans 101 Workshop Series - Working with Families of Trans & Non-Binary Youth

»Rising Practices & Policies in our Workforce, Session 2: Interrupting Bullying & Fostering Belonging for the Youth and Young Adult Mental Health Workforce

»Rising Practices & Policies in our Workforce, Session 3: Interrupting Bullying & Fostering Belonging for the School Mental Health Workforce

NO OFFICE HOURS THIS FRIDAY

Have a great Spring Break, everyone!

CAMPUS FEEDBACK SURVEY REDESIGN WORKSHOP

Help us redesign the Campus Staff Feedback Survey to align with the new versions of the Student and Family Feedback Surveys! Sign up for one of two redesign workshops on Tuesday, March 26th, at either 12:00pm or 2:00pm. Register on Auzmor today!

TIP OF THE WEEK

Uploading a PC? Use the 'Upload Consent Form' button on the Recommendation object to upload the PC and enter the PC Received Date all at one time. Remember – the PC gets uploaded to the Contact record page, since it's a multiyear form.

Uploading ABA Documentation? Use the 'Files' section on the Program Engagement record for the student, since these documents are school-year-specific. There's no button for this, you can drag-and-drop or click to upload.

CLOSEOUT GUIDANCE IS HERE!

We know you've all been waiting, and the Closeout Guide for 2023-2024 is finally here! The guide is also linked throughout the Summer Program Requirements Guide, so please take a look and let us know if you have any questions. 

APOLLO 201: REPORTS & DASHBOARDS TRAINING 

Itching to learn reports and dashboards? Need a refresher on bulk service deliveries? Spring 2024 - Apollo Training Session List.pdf for a flyer that shows all the Apollo training dates for the rest of the school year! Sign-ups are available now on Auzmor for these monthly training events.

RESOURCES & SUPPORTS 

• PMD Office Hours are Mondays 3-4pm and Fridays 8-9am via Teams. 
• Read the Inactivation Guide - it will set you up for success as you request inactivations for students rolling off caseload.
• Email [email protected] if you need support, have questions, or have a feature request/suggestion. 
• Apollo FAQs.docx is a document that contains answers to commonly asked questions. PMD updates this on a weekly basis. 
• Video Walkthrough Links.docx is a list of common Apollo functions (everything covered in 101/102 and then some!) 
• PMD Apple Updates Archive.docx is a new document that lists out all of PMD's Apple updates for the year! Thanks for bearing with us as we streamline our communications. 

YED Department Updates

Communication Department

Summer Programming updates

YED & CCMR/WFD Field Trip Menu with Eventbrite Links



ShareFile: S:\Shared Folders\Members Only Documents\Youth Enrichment Department\4. Summer Programming\Summer 2024\S24 Field Trips\1. YED&CCMR Summer FT Menu FINAL with EventBrite Links.pdf

YED Family Field Trip Flyers in Eng/SPN

ShareFile: S:\Shared Folders\Members Only Documents\Youth Enrichment Department\4. Summer Programming\Summer 2024\S24 Field Trips\Family Field Trip Flyers

Senior photoshoot Flyers In ENG/SPN & Sample photos

ShareFile: S:\Shared Folders\Members Only Documents\Youth Enrichment Department\4. Summer Programming\Summer 2024\S24 Field Trips\Senior Photoshoot Flyers

Where to find Programs Documents:

S:\Shared Folders\Members Only Documents\Youth Enrichment Department\4. Summer Programming\Summer 2024\S24 Program Requirements

Where to find the Closeout Guide:

S:\Shared Folders\Members Only Documents\Campus Based Programs\Campus Based Programming Forms\6. Closeout.

CCMR Department Updates and Resources

Let’s Talk Series: Postponement and Equity Fundamentals Series:



In the interim, our internal Let’s Talk Series will remain postponed until we hire our Sr. Director of Human Resources. Instead, we encourage staff to attend the Equity Fundamentals Series hosted by CIS National. The Equity Fundamentals Series will delve deeper into critical areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Here is a look at the sessions:

• March 14, The Future of Leadership is Queer

To register for the series please follow this link, https://communitiesinschools.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUkcuqurzMpHNWBsU3dDxpiivka57Zp3JR6#/registration

Resources

THE AUSTIN ECLIPSE

Bring your beach chairs and the kids!

We're having a picnic in our Batey!

7th annual PICNIC, RITMO y BAILE

& CULTURAL WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE

Special Guests from Puerto Rico, West Africa & Taino of Borikén

Sunday, April 7, 2024

FREE EVENT - Donations appreciated!

SCHEDULE:

11-1pm: Cultural Workshops from West Africa & Puerto Rico (BOMBA!)

2-5pm: Interactive OUTDOOR Picnic with live music & dance!

BRING YOUR BEACH CHAIRS & THE KIDS! Come dance with us under the Pecan Trees of our Batey! From 11-1pm there will be music, dance, and cultural workshops from West Africa & Puerto Rico (BOMBA!). From 2-5pm, our interactive outdoor event will feature live traditional music from West Africa, Puerto Rico, and Taino from Borikén.

YES! BRING YOUR MARACA! There will be Areyto -- Taino music and dance for all!

Special guests include:

* Tata Cepeda, bringing Bomba Puertorriqueña with 3 generations of the Cepeda Family direct from Puerto Rico!

* Lannaya, West African Drum & Dance Ensemble, bringing Masters direct from West Africa!

* Kacike Tekina-eirú, Tribal Chief of Yukayeke Yara Cu, leading Taino Areyto, interactive ceremonial dance.

* And our Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance performing company!

This event is part of our series - Celebrando Heritage Project 2024 - Madre Patria Africa including:

* 7th Picnic Ritmo y Baile & Cultural Workshop Experience (April 5)

https://www.facebook.com/events/1445074183034566

* Celebrando 2024 - Salsa & Heritage Festival (June 9)

https://www.facebook.com/events/1401235027450674

SSCMN March Training: Unidentified and Ambiguous Grief and Self Care

The Social Services Case Management Network (SSCMN) invites you to join us for our upcoming virtual training. Click the link below to view details of March's training and free Social Work CEUs: 

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: Mar 8, 2024 09:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Unidentified and Ambiguous Grief and Self Care

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://yapinc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YruUmNH9Rpa8xyS-Wp9GWQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Congrats this weeks Winner of a Gift Card is: Jessica Moreno!

Program Manager Ariana Ruiz hosted the 2nd annual SMCISD CIS Day on Tuesday, Feb. 20. At Bonham Pre-K! CIS promoted self-care and mindfulness, highlighted CIS' history, and provided staff with snacks and prizes during the school-day event.

Dobie Middle School hosted a few black history month assemblies and one of our speakers, Austin artist and therapist, Ms.Kemi Yemi-Ese spoke and provided a Q and A space for students to share their appreciation for Black culture and history and love for art. The school had performances from dance and choir and drum line as well. 

Care Coordinators Erin Keigher, Julieth Reyes, and Anna Quiroga at the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference

Interactive Women's History Month CIS door at Houston Elementary

Site Visit at Govalle Elementary! Thank you to everyone who made the day a success!

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