HCPS 411 Update

Four-Day Work Week Summer 2020

We have completed agreements with the Harford County Educational Services Council (HCESC) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to implement a four-day work week for the summer of 2020. The summer schedule will be effective no later than Monday, June 22, 2020, and end Friday, August 21, 2020. Operation days will be Monday through Thursday. Additional details will be published at a later date, as the use of inclement weather make-up dates will determine the final schedule.

Independence Day Observance

HCPS will observe Independence Day on Thursday, July 2, 2020.

261st Duty Day for 12-Month Employees

To maintain the negotiated 260-day work year, December 31, 2020 will be a non-work day for 12-month employees.

Questions regarding this information should be directed to the Human Resources Department at x5226.

The Retirement Coordinators of Harford County Public Schools, via the Maryland State Retirement Agency, announce a free seminar for HCPS employees. This seminar is a condensed version of our Fall Pre-Retirement Seminar.

There is still time to register and space available!! The registration deadline has been extended to Friday, February 7, 2020. To register, please contact the Benefits Office at 410-588-5275 as seating is limited.

This seminar provides vital retirement information to all members who are approaching retirement, whether it is normal service or early retirement. Discussion topics include:

• Planning for Retirement
• State Retirement Pension Benefits
• Retiree Health Care

If you are within two years of being eligible to retire, this seminar is for you! Spouses may attend this seminar with you, if space is available. Registration is open to all HCPS employees who have not attended this seminar in the last four years.

Date: February 10, 2020

Location: Bel Air High School Auditorium

Time: 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The office of Student Services is accepting nominations for the STUDENT SERVICES STANDOUT AWARD (S.T.A.R. AWARD). This award is presented once per semester (biannually) to a nominated member of the student services staff. The nominee must currently be an employee budgeted under Student Services, who is based in a school or Central Office. This would include staff under the offices of School Counseling Services, School Health Services, Psychological Services, or Pupil Personnel Services. Any person, regardless of position or relationship to the nominee, including students, may make the nomination. The nomination form and supporting narrative must be submitted by May 1 or December 1 of the respective semester. Please see the link below to access the nomination form and consider nominating someone today!

Link to Student Services S.T.A.R. Award

Questions regarding this information should be directed to Kay Malone, in School Counseling, at Kay.Malone@hcps.org or x5251.

The February “Get Psyched” newsletter is now available. Click here to read about Progress Monitoring: Methods for Tracking Academic and Behavioral Change.

The Office of Student Support Services and the Department of Special Education have collaborated to create a resource document for IEP teams to support decisions regarding counseling as a related service in an IEP. HCPS Guiding Principles Regarding the Provision of Counseling as a Related Service in an Individualized Education Program is available for reference on the Special Education SharePoint site.

Questions regarding information contained in this document should be directed to Colleen Sasdelli, in Special Education at x6080; Kay Malone, in School Counseling, at x5251; or Steve Richards, in Psychological Services, at x5283.

The Office of Special Education is offering MDOIEP Training for School Test Coordinators. The training will include Basic Navigation of the MDOIEP Program, Accessing Student Accommodations through MDOIEP, and Running Accommodation Reports. Training will be held at the A.A. Roberty Computer Training Lab. All School Test Coordinators and Alternate School Test Coordinators are encouraged to attend one of the sessions listed below:

Monday, February 24, 2020, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020, 8:00-10:00 a.m.*

Friday, February 28, 2020, 8:00-10:00 a.m.

*Please note that the February 25, 2020 session will be offered in conjunction with the STC Work Session previously offered by the Office of Accountability. Registration for these sessions can be found on Hector under Special Education Trainings and Workshops.

Questions should be directed to Colleen Sasdelli, special education coordinator of compliance, at x6080.

The Special Education Department, as part of an effort to inform school leaders and faculty, will be highlighting each week one or more of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services (DEI-SES) Technical Assistance Bulletins.

This week, guidance is shared on Missed IEP Services.

A full list of available DEI-SES Technical Assistance Bulletins are available on the MSDE website, located here.

Questions regarding this should be directed to any of the HCPS coordinators for Special Education at x5246.

Applications are now being accepted for Summer Programs. For immediate consideration, interested candidates should submit an online application by March 1, 2020. Please note that current employees should use the designated internal application.

To access an employment application, please visit the Current Vacancies section of the HCPS website at www.hcps.org found under the About Us banner or click here. Summer Program Employment Information can also be accessed on the HCPS website under the About Us banner.

The following positions are available:

• Audiologist
• Braille Transcriber
• Inclusion Helper
• Interpreter
• Occupational Therapist
• Paraeducator
• Physical Therapist
• School Nurse
• Speech Language Pathologist
• Teacher
• Team Nurse

The following programs are being offered:

• Special Education Infants & Toddlers
• Special Education ESY Elementary & Early Interventions Programs
• Special Education ESY Secondary
• Special Education ESY John Archer – Camp-I-Can
• Special Education Child Find Test Center
• High School English
• High School Mathematics
• High School Physical Education
• High School Science
• High School Social Studies
• High School Special Education

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The Harford County Association of REALTORS is pleased to announce its 2020 Fair Housing Art Contest. The Association is seeking entries from all students in Harford County from prekindergarten through grade 12. All students who enter the contest will be invited to a fun-filled pizza party on April 22, 2020, along with their parents, guardians, teachers, guests, etc. All entries will receive recognition, and nine creative winners will be granted awards. The contest theme this year is "United We Live." The deadline for submissions is April 3, 2020. Please see the linked document for more information.

Shout Out to Karen Olsen, in Food and Nutrition, for having been recognized as Preceptor of the Month by Aramark. Karen was nominated by her intern, Precious:

“Karen finds different opportunities that will benefit the intern and give a wholesome community experience. She challenges the student to think outside of the box and combine creativity and nutrition to provide our clients (the school students) with valuable nutrition education. It is not about what we know but meeting the clients where they are. I have also learned patience because my target audience is often young students. During this rotation, I have been to different schools to help the staff with serving lunch, helped find recipes that are kid-friendly, easy to replicate and also nutritious that fall within the USDA guidelines, participated in health and wellness fairs, composting farm and learned about bills and how to get involved in public policy.”

"Karen, thank you so much for always giving our Aramark interns experiences above and beyond to enhance their learning experience. Preceptors like you are an exception and are so needed for the future of our profession." -Cindy Banta, Aramark dietetic program director

"Church Creek Elementary would like to give a HUGE Shout Out to Tina Dolan [in the Transportation Department] for excellent customer service. We needed alternate transportation for a student. Tina was able to reassign a bus within an hour of our request! Thank you for going above and beyond to accommodate our little ones’ needs."

-Jeanna Gentile, assistant principal of Church Creek Elementary School

Please help us welcome the following new employees to our HCPS family:

• Ann Garner, Kitchen Assistant, Emmorton Elementary School
• Diane McDonnell, Mathematics Teacher, Magnolia Middle School
• Elizabeth D'Angelo, Inclusion Helper, Bel Air Elementary School
• Sara Lentz, Paraeducator, William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School

Editor: Lindsay Bilodeau, communications specialist

To submit an HCPS Shout Out or recognize a colleague in the Spotlight on Customer Service, please email the information and photo (if available) to HCPS.411@hcps.org.

Email: HCPS.411@hcps.org
Website: www.hcps.org
Location: 102 South Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, MD, USA
Phone: 410-588-5213