HCPS 411 Update

Asynchronous Inclement Weather Day FAQs have been created to support both HCPS families and staff with information about asynchronous instruction and expectations for the work day. These documents will be housed on our website on the Inclement Weather & School Closings page. We will be monitoring inquiries related to this topic and will update the documents as needed with additional questions and answers.

• Inclement Weather Days FAQ - For Parents and Guardians
• Inclement Weather Days FAQ - For HCPS Staff

HCPS Educators - WE NEED YOUR VOICE!

HCPS is continuing to collect input from educators across the district to inform the direction of the Talent Pathways Initiative – a five-year strategy to recruit and retain effective and diverse educators and staff to build a climate of student success and improve learning experiences for every child in every classroom.

Deadline Extended: Please take a few minutes to complete the survey linked below by end of day tomorrow, Friday, January 20, 2023:

• Survey for Teachers
• Survey for Education Support Providers

Your feedback is extremely valuable to us!

Harford County Public Schools has partnered with FEV Tutor to assist in providing tutoring services to all HCPS students in grades 3-12. Options include drop-in homework help and scheduled weekly sessions. Becky Pensero, Coordinator of Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring in the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, shares more information in the Real Talk below.

HCPS has partnered with FEV Tutor to assist in providing tutoring services to all HCPS students in grades 3-12. To access an introduction video of FEV Tutor please click HERE. To access teacher resources please click HERE.

Teachers can monitor student usage and progress if they choose. There aren’t any required actions for teachers. Please help us share this new resource with students and families.

*Teacher Login Information- We have been made aware that not all teachers have received their welcome email from FEV Tutor with their login information. We are working with FEV Tutor to resolve this issue. Welcome emails should arrive in the next 12-24 hours.

**For teachers who are not scheduled to students in Clever (counselors, specialists, librarians, etc.) and would like access to FEV, please let your principal know. They will be able to fill out a form to grant you access.

***If you were unable to attend the Teacher Information Session you can access the recording HERE.

Please contact Rebecca Pensero, Coordinator of Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring at Rebecca.Pensero@hcps.org with questions.

The Harford County Education Foundation believes that effective teachers are foundational to student success. They know that our dedicated teachers will purchase supplies out of their own pockets before letting one of their students go without. Because of this, they strive to ensure that every HCPS student has the basic supplies they need for academic success.

At their Tools for Schools Resource Center, they invite HCPS staff to shop for FREE school supplies to distribute to their students who need them most. Registration is open for the next Teacher Shopping Day on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. More information about the Tools for Schools Resource Center Teacher Shopping Day is included on the event website.

Space is limited. Reserve your spot today at www.eventbrite.com/e/tools-for-schools-resource-center-tickets-519189037387.

Please click below to watch our latest Principal Toolkit video, courtesy of Joppatowne High School, that highlights new and innovative ways to communicate with non-English speaking families.

The Middle School Athletics program started the week of January 9, 2023, with multiple games between our nine (9) middle schools. Boys’ and girls’ basketball teams competed in the first middle school athletics games ever hosted in Harford County. There were lots of smiles from players, coaches, and fans. The school communities have come out in large numbers to support their favorite team and players. The atmosphere was electric! Schedules for all middle school basketball games can be found on https://www.countysports.zone/.

Many of our positions are filled by word of mouth by our employees. Help us share our employment needs!

• Custodians - Various Locations

• Paraeducators/Inclusion Helpers - Various Locations

• Grounds and Equipment Maintenance - Facilities

• Building Maintenance - Facilities

Follow us on social media @hcpsrecruiter and share our employment posts. To find a full list of our available positions, visit hcps.org and click on the sun!

The Growing Exceptional Teachers More (GET More) Program provides tuition reimbursement equivalent to the negotiated tuition reimbursement rate for instructional staff (currently $300 per graduate credit hour) for employees who HCEA-ESP or AFSCME represents. This tuition reimbursement assistance aims to allow program participants to complete a teacher certification program in a high-needs area of teacher education, with the ultimate goal of receiving their teacher certification and returning to work as a teacher in HCPS.

This program allows participants in the program to be eligible to receive up to 12 weeks of paid internship when meeting specified criteria. The GET More program is open to employees who have been employed with HCPS for one or more years of service. More information is available by clicking the provided link: GET More Program Application.

For additional information about the GET More program, please contact Maranda Scott at maranda.scott@hcps.org.

Congratulations to all of the January honorees highlighted below! And a special thank you to this month's sponsor, USB Payment Processing. In addition to their certificate, nomination letter, and car magnet, this month's honorees will each receive a gloved ice scraper, courtesy of our sponsor. And, special shout out to Shanna Ward, of Harford Glen, for being the grand prize winner by random draw of a $125 gift card!

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, Social Work, 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 December 1 or May 1 of the respective semester. Nominations must be for individual employees and not a group of employees. 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 LaWanda Brown, in School Counseling, at LaWanda.Brown@hcps.org or 410-588-5251.

Join us as we continue to shine the light on how HCPS celebrates diversity all year long. Each month, we will highlight a cultural/organizational holiday. All you have to do is take a picture or two and share the wonderful things your school or office is doing to celebrate the contributions we all make to HCPS.

This month, we are celebrating:

National Braille Literacy Month

Please email your celebration pictures and a brief write up regarding the event to Sherron Foster-Moore, Diversity Retention & Recruitment Specialist, at Sherron.FosterMoore@hcps.org by Friday, January 27, 2023. This month’s celebrations will be shared in the February 2nd issue of the HCPS 411 Update.

The Maryland Retired School Personnel Association, through its MRSPA Fund, is offering three $2,000 scholarships to public school employees in Maryland who are enrolled in a program leading to teacher certification or certification as a school counselor, speech and language pathologist, physical or occupational therapist, school social worker, administrator or supervisor, media specialist or school psychologist. Applicants must hold a high school diploma or GED certificate.

The scholarship is also available to certificated teachers who are pursuing certification in another area or level of teaching or to become qualified as one of the above-listed education specialists. Applicants must be current employees of the Board of Education and must intend on working in a Maryland public school while working toward certification and upon completion of their requirements for certification.

Applicants apply online by January 31, 2023, at www.mrspa.org. Winners will be notified by March 1, 2023. Additional information can be found at MRSPA Scholarship FAQ’s located on the www.mrspa.org homepage.

The first-ever HCPS Health for the Holidays wellness challenge has ended. The HCPS Wellness Committee would like to thank all challenge participants for their dedication to improving their personal health and wellness. Two hundred thirty-nine (239) staff members participated from 52 school/office locations! There was a 14-way tie for first place, with each member collecting 84 inches of snow through tracking various wellness activities. Due to the tie for first place, the total activity logged was utilized to select this challenge's first, second, and third-place winners.

Congratulations to our first place winner, Kristen Bard of Central Office! Kristen has won a Nutri-Bullet blender! In second place, Cheryl Oricchio of Aberdeen High School has won a CareFirst folding chair, and in third place, Fred Hatfield of Fallston Middle has won a FitKit.

Thank you again to all challenge participants, and congratulations to our three grand prize winners. We look forward to bringing you more fun, exciting health and wellness programs, resources, and events throughout the school year.

CareFirst WellBeing – A Personalized Digital Connection to Your Healthiest Life

Health and wellness is intensely personal. It's a product of everything, large and small, that goes into making and living life. It's constantly evolving. And it's different for everyone. To help you find and maintain your own sense of well-being in an increasingly complicated world, CareFirst is building a better wellness resource.

Beginning on January 1, 2023, the current ShareCare wellness app available to all HCPS staff members will transition to CareFirst WellBeing. The new site will feature all the tools, resources, and support you rely on but in a more clear and cohesive platform. To download the app, visit CareFirst.com/WellBeing. To access CareFirst WellBeing, you can register with the new program using your current ShareCare credentials on or after January 1, 2023. After that, you can start using all the excellent resources available – there's no waiting period. All of your data will carry over, too. You can view the Introduction Flier here to learn more about the new CareFirst WellBeing app.

Presented by KEPRO Employee Assistance Program

Shorter days, colder weather and increased time spent indoors in the winter can lead to feelings of moodiness and depression. Even if you live in a warmer climate, you may still feel the effects of some sadness in winter, especially after the holidays pass. In this session, participants will explore the benefits of getting outdoors as a part of their self-care routine. Click here to learn more.

Date: Available on demand beginning January 17, 2023

Broadcast Length: 50 minutes
How to Access: Go to your EAP website: www.EAPHelpLink.com. Enter your code: HCPS and look for Online Seminars in the lower left-hand corner of this homepage, or you can search for them by title.

The Employee Assistance Program is available to employees and their families anytime, any day, and is a free, confidential program to help you balance your work, family, and personal life.

Employees and their family members can call KEPRO 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, toll-free at (866) 795-5701 to visit their website online at www.EAPhelplink.com.

Have b! help you with your wellness goal(s). Where do you plan to grow? Is it your physical or mental health? How about building meaningful connections with friends and family that fill your cup? Or maybe you want to grow your career or pay off your debt. Let's do this together! Click here to choose your b! in the Let's Grow Together community.

Check out b! 's Mindset, Gratitude, and Intention Setting Playlist. Check out the final playlist from the Holiday Thrive Guide: Mindset, Gratitude, and Intention Setting. These classes are all about helping you approach a positive mindset, reduce stress, and boost gratitude during the holiday season. Click here to view the playlist.

Are you looking for class ideas? Here are a few suggestions for top classes to start in January:

• Yoga Flow (25 minutes) with Maria Finnegan -- Level 1
• Meditation Basics (20 minutes) with Ryan Redman -- Level 1
• Making Healthy Habits Stick (3 minutes) with Jessica Beard -- Level 1
• Power Breakfast Cookies (7 minutes) with Kate Watkins, RDN -- Level 1
• Beginner Core Stabilization Floor Workout (14 minutes) with Tina Fritsch -- Level 1
• Standing Abs (15 minutes) with Monte Sanders -- Level 3

Did you know BurnAlong is free for you and your friends? You have access to four (4) free family subaccounts, so you can start sharing today! It takes just a minute to send one, and they'll get free, unlimited access to BurnAlong all year long. Help someone start their 2023 off on the right foot. Click here to invite a subaccount.

Take BurnAlong with You! Join thousands of others on their health and wellness journey by downloading the Mobile App. Available in iOS and Android, take BurnAlong with you by downloading the app today!

What is BurnAlong? As a reminder, BurnAlong is our Health and wellness partner who provides you and your family with more than 23,000 live and on-demand online classes from 5,000+ credentialed instructors at no cost to you.

To activate your complimentary account, get started by visiting https://fit.burnalong.com/hcps. If you have any trouble accessing your account, contact customercare@burnalong.com. Find out more about BurnAlong in this brief video.

Practicing mindfulness and self-compassion can allow you to directly address the circumstances and goals you would like to achieve. At the start of the New Year, we may find ourselves inspired to set a new goal and overcome challenges. We may also find that it is time for new beginnings, but we know that our reality does not change with the turn of the year.

Join CareFirst and the Wellness Committee on Thursday, January 19, 2023, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. to learn more about how you can focus on goal setting and tools for self-reflection in the New Year for empowerment and inspiration. The topics covered will be:

• Setting Goals in the New Year
• Mindfulness and How to Practice
• The Power of Self-Compassion
• Strategies for Goal Accomplishment

To join the session on January 19, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. click here to access the live session; using the Meeting ID: 848 6016 3991 and Passcode: 302571.

This January, prioritize achieving and maintaining your health goals in 2023.

A new year is a perfect opportunity for employees to refresh their daily routines and improve or implement new healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Think about it: the health decisions we make each day positively or negatively influence our current and future health status. These decisions also affect the way we show up for ourselves and others. By creating healthy and sustainable habits, we can reduce our risk for the most common, costly, and preventable health problems. To learn more, click here to view CareFirst’s January Wellness Newsletter.

January WellBeing Challenge – Step Into a New Year, New You Challenge

Make 2023 the Year of You! CareFirst WellBeing provides innovative tools and resources to help you meet your unique wellness goals. Remember, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing when making healthy lifestyle changes. Here are a few quick tips to start this year off on the right track:

• Define attainable health goals that will fit in with your lifestyle.
• Take it one step at a time.
• Exercise with friends and family to stay motivated.
• Track your food and water intake.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a workout or overeat.

Click here to learn more about the CareFirst WellBeing challenge and how to join.

Join Blue365 and Start Saving Today!

With the Blue365 wellness discount, great deals are yours for every aspect of your life – like 20% off at Reebok.com, discounted nutrition products, or a gym membership for only $29 a month. To take advantage of Blue365, register now at carefirst.com/wellnessdiscounts and have your CareFirst member ID card handy. You will be registered and ready to shop in a couple of minutes. CareFirst will send a special deal to your inbox every week.

Employees who have received the primary vaccine series and at least one (1) booster can submit verification of their vaccination status through an online employee survey to be eligible for COVID Breakthrough Leave for the 2022-2023 school year. Individuals who already submitted both their primary vaccine series and booster information during the 2021-2022 school year will not need to complete this survey again. Information collected from the COVID Breakthrough Leave survey will be utilized for the 2022-2023 school year to determine COVID Breakthrough Leave eligibility. The survey can be accessed by clicking here.

The complete MOU specific to your bargaining unit can be found on the Staff Relations SharePoint page. Questions about COVID Breakthrough Leave can be directed to Staff and Labor Relations Office at (410) 588-5311.

Employees who wish to provide feedback related to their experience(s) obtaining medications through CVS retail pharmacies are advised to complete the CVS/Caremark Service Reporting Tool, available on SharePoint. This report is monitored bi-weekly by a member of the Benefits Office for further assistance and tracking of member service feedback. To access this form, visit the Harford County Public Schools – SharePoint Home Page.

As always, if there is an immediate need or concern when obtaining medication, please email benefits@hcps.org so that a member of the Benefits Office can assist you more quickly.

The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System and the Community College of Baltimore County will provide State Pension members the opportunity to participate in pre-retirement webinars and seminars. These sessions provide vital retirement information to pension system members, including the Maryland State Pension, Legal Issues, Social Security Benefits, and Financial Planning. The seminar/webinars will run from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Webinars:

• January 26 (CRN 37247)
• February 7 and 8 (CRN 37248)*Two Evenings
• February 23 (CRN 37250)
• March 8 and 9 (CRN 37277)*Two Evenings
• March 28 (CRN 37274)
• April 19 (CRN 37255)
• May 24 (CRN 37264)
• June 28 (CRN 37262)

Seminars:

• March 3 – Harford Community College (CRN 37279)

To register, please visit https://www.ccbcmd.edu/ceed-preretirement-county. For those participating in the online events, you will receive a separate link to join the date-specific event. For those participating in-person, you will receive an email with site-specific information.

Please Note: These sessions are not affiliated with HCPS and will not include HCPS-specific information, such as retiree healthcare. HCPS will be hosting a condensed pre-retirement seminar in February. More information about this seminar will be announced in future HCPS 411 Update newsletters.

"What a response from Jason French and David O’Neill when small critters made their way into Swan Creek School. Upon hearing of a student carrier, Jason and David immediately responded to the school, neutralized the threat, and secured the environment for everyone else. They did so with compassion for the student, while maintaining a safe and orderly facility for teaching and learning to continue. Outstanding work, gentlemen!"

-Mark Truszkowski, Principal, Swan Creek School

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires to our HCPS family:

• Marina Alas Miranda, Custodian I - Shift 2, Aberdeen High School
• Martha Albert, Custodian I - Shift 2, Roye-Williams Elementary School
• Rachel Rossi, Paraeducator, Edgewood Elementary School
• Ebony Sollas, Food & Nutrition Services Specialist, Food & Nutrition
• Priscilla Haase, Paraeducator, Havre de Grace Elementary School
• Conner Welker, EndPoint Technician, Technology

Editor: Lindsay Bilodeau, Innovation 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