HCPS 411 Update

Please take a moment to watch this week's video message from Dr. Bulson, also available on the HCPS YouTube channel.

View Superintendent Bulson's message to graduating seniors here. Included in his message is a schedule of events, including in-person, individual commencement experiences.

This year, all employees will have the option to view the open enrollment presentation on the Human Resources page of the HCPS website to learn more about their benefits package. Your current health, dental, and life elections will carry over to the 2020 - 2021 benefit plan year unless you go in and make a change. If you currently carry the flexible spending benefit and want to do so again for the next benefit plan year, you will need to complete an active enrollment through your account at www.hcps.benelogic.com before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 22.

If you are adding any new dependents to your health or dental coverage for the 2020 - 2021 plan year, you will need to submit the Dependent Verification Form and required documentation to the Benefits Office by June 15. Failure to provide proper documentation will result in your dependent not being added to the coverage.

To log into your account through Benelogic to enroll in, waive, or make changes to your elections:

1. Using a computer with the internet, visit www.hcps.benelogic.com.

2. Enter your User ID, which is your HCPS 5 digit Employee ID number.

3. Enter your password. If you do not know your password, click on the “Forgot User ID/Password” link for further assistance.

4. Click the orange “Sign In” button.

5. To start your enrollment, click on the large green “GO” arrow.

6. Once you have reached the end, be sure to click the Submit button to finalize your enrollment.

7. Print a copy of the Enrollment Summary for your records.

Don’t have access to a computer? Call the Benelogic at 844-796-4086 to complete your enrollment over the phone.

Questions? Contact the Benefits Office by email at benefits@hcps.org.

During this virtual Parent Academy Real Talk segment, Caroline Bond, Coordinator of the HCPS Partners for Success parent resource center, shares suggestions and resources for parents of students will special needs during the COVID-19 school closure.

The May 2020 KEPRO Employee Assistance Program (EAP) communication resources are here! The theme is Aging Purposefully. Have you been contemplating how aging will impact your physical and mental health? Do you want to have a better understanding of the “normal?" Please see the attached tip sheet and webinar information for “Accepting Aging: Yourself and Others.”

Monthly Online Seminar Title: Accepting Aging: Yourself and Others

Description: Examine "normal" age-related changes and identify ways for you to come to terms with your own aging.

Date: Available on demand beginning May 19, 2020

Broadcast Length: 50 Minutes

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

Available any time, any day, the EAP is a free, confidential program to help you balance your work, family, and personal life. Call the EAP toll-free at 1-866-795-5701 or visit online at www.EAPHelpLink.com.

MetLife has launched a new resource that will help you actively manage stress, navigate life choices, and manage your finances. MetLife’s Financial Wellness hub addresses your needs now and in the future.

This site is designed to answer as many questions about these topics as possible. From financial tips, to expert-backed ways to stay calm and mindful, MetLife shows you how to improve your financial health now while guiding you to build a more confident future. And with new content added regularly, the Financial Wellness hub evolves with your needs.

Visit MetLife’s Financial Wellness Hub at https://www.metlife.com/financial-wellness-content-hub/.

Edgewood High School has a vacancy for a Business Education Teacher in their Academy of Finance Program. HCPS will be posting this position online on Friday, May 15. Any current HCPS certificated employee who has tenure and meets the qualifications as outlined in the job description is encouraged to apply. Please utilize the application designated for internal applicants. Interested candidates must submit their application by 11:59 p.m. Friday, May 22, in order to be considered. Questions regarding this position should be directed to Daniel Reimers, in Human Resources, at Daniel.Reimers@hcps.org.

Beginning on May 18, 2020, parents and guardians of students who are new to HCPS, including Kindergarten, will be able to go online to register! For more information, visit https://www.hcps.org/Parents/registeringforschool.aspx.

The Summer/Fall 2020 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Course Catalog is now available. Registration for these MSDE credit courses is available on HECTOR. Please read course descriptions, as some will be held virtually. Register early for the best course selection. Questions should be directed to Lori Gohlinghorst at Lori.Gohlinghorst@hcps.org.

The Instructional Technology Team is hosting a series of webinars to support teachers in their use of technology. A schedule can be found on the Spring 2020 Professional Learning site. Webinar titles are listed on the linked calendar and, by clicking on a title, you will see a description as well as the Teams link to join the webinar. Webinars will be recorded, and videos shared to the Instructional Technology Professional Development SharePoint Site.

EDGC 822 Lauryn’s Law: School Counselor Response to Indicators of Mental Illness and Behavioral Distress

This course meets the educational requirements outlined in Lauryn’s Law. Specifically, this course enhances the school counseling practitioners’ knowledge and skills to understand and respond to the social, emotional, and personal development of students, including knowledge and skills relating to: (1) the recognition of indicators of mental illness and behavioral distress, including depression, trauma, violence, youth suicide, and substance abuse; and (2) the identification of professional resources to help students in crisis. This course for school counselors provides a current, interactive overview of these skills and supports participants’ development/acquisition of a resource bank for distribution to parents or guardians, school staff, and students, as appropriate.

• Cost: $350; tuition must be paid in full at the time of registration
• Summer 2020 Session: Fully Online, June 29 - August 2, 2020
• To learn more and register: loyola.edu/laurynslaw
• For more info contact: educationdean1@loyola.edu

On May 18, 2020, at 6:30 p.m., the Board of Education of Harford County Business Meeting will be hosted virtually. The Audio Live Stream will be available on https://www.hcps.org/boe/livestream/. Those who wish to submit a public comment may do so by submitting comments in writing at Contact Board of Education no later than 12:00 p.m. on Monday, May 18, 2020.

The following information must be provided on the contact form:

1. Please include “Comment for May 18, 2020 Board Meeting” at the top of your contact form message

2. First and last name

3. Email and phone number

4. Address

Important:

• Comments received by 12:00 p.m. on May 18, 2020 will be read into the record during the public comment segment of the Business meeting. Comments received after the 12:00 p.m. deadline will not be read into the record during the Business meeting.
• The Board expects that all comments will be submitted with the decorum and respect appropriate to the conduct of public business.
• Topics such as personnel matters, pending appeals and specific student disciplinary matters will not be read into the record.
• Disparaging comments, personal attacks, and inflammatory remarks about specific schools or personnel will not be read into the record.
• The Presiding Officer(s) will not read a comment that does not conform to the rules of the Board regarding public comment.
• All public comments submitted will be part of the records maintained by the Board office.
• Please be reminded that written comments submitted are considered public information and, as such, is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act.

Please contact Teresa.Schmid@hcps.org if you have any questions about the Board of Education of Harford County Business Meeting on May 18, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. Thank you.

• For workers in Harford County who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and are having trouble paying rent, on May 8, 2020, County Executive Barry Glassman launched a temporary, emergency rental assistance program. This assistance for up to three months’ rent is funded with federal dollars and available for tenants whose employment income is at or below 80% of the median area income because of the pandemic. For details and an application, visit the county website at https://www.harfordcountymd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15360/COVID19-Rental-Assistance-Guidelines-and-Application. Questions may be emailed to the Harford County Office of Community & Economic Development at commdev@harfordcountymd.gov. Please share this information with anyone who may need it.

• The Maryland Department of Labor has created a new Financial Relief Guide for Marylanders that summarizes some of the COVID-19 relief programs that are available for Maryland residents and their families - click here.

"Join Meadowvale Elementary in celebrating their SRO, Officer Teresa Adams. Today, May 14, marks her 30th year of service in the law enforcement profession!"

-Mark Warfield, Principal, Meadowvale Elementary School

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"Shout out to one of the many wonderful bus drivers at Red Pump Elementary School, Ms. Amanda DeVincentz from bus 560! Ms. Amanda reached out to me requesting clarification of student addresses of whom she serves within her RPES route. She informed me she was sad she wasn't able to properly say goodbye to her students this year, and she wanted to send each of them a card with stickers! I was thrilled to help her in any way that I could, and I am proud to have her as a part of the Red Pump team!"

-Stacey McCord, Assistant Principal, Red Pump Elementary

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Congratulations to Michele Barrie, a science teacher at Aberdeen Middle School, for having been named a district winner for the second year in a row in the Shell Science Lab Challenge, a competition for middle and high school science teachers!

Sponsored by the Shell Oil Company and administered by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), the competition encouraged teachers (grades 6-12), who have found innovative ways to deliver quality lab experiences with limited school and laboratory resources, to share their approaches for a chance to win a school science lab makeover support package valued at $20,000.

As a district winner, Ms. Barrie and Aberdeen Middle School will receive a $3,000 science lab prize package that includes:

• $1,000 Shell grant to purchase lab equipment and other science education resources;

• $1,000 in donated science lab equipment donated by Carolina Biological Supply Company;

• $300 gift certificate to the NSTA Science Store;

• One year NSTA membership for two teachers;

• NSTA Learning Center subscription for two teachers; and

• Paid registration for two teachers to attend a future NSTA Area Conference on Science Education.

Ms. Barrie is one of 18 district winners named, from which five national finalists will be chosen, and from the national finalists a grand prize winner will be selected. Good luck, Ms. Barrie!

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