HCPS 411 Update

In this episode of Real Talk, Mary Beth Stapleton talks with Heather Kutcher, HCPS Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, and Martha Barwick, Supervisor of Innovation in Learning, about the plan for instruction on inclement weather days this school year. After January 9, 2023, the first three (3) days our buildings close for inclement weather will be used as asynchronous virtual instruction days, and Ms. Kutcher and Dr. Barwick share what that will look like for students at each level of school – elementary, middle, and high. Take a moment to learn more about what to expect and how your student will be engaged in learning while at home on those days. Visit hcps.org and enroll in this Canvas Inclement Weather Resource Course for additional information and resources on this topic.

Beginning Monday January 23, 2023, the Office of Organizational Development is excited to announce, Future U Academy for Aspiring Principals and Assistant Principals. This academy is an opportunity for current HCPS staff and leaders to take their next steps in leadership. Join us as we uncover your leadership strengths, discover the core leadership competencies, and explore strategies you can use in your current placement! Registration is limited! Click here to register! The academy will meet each Monday 4:30-6:30 p.m. from January 23, 2023, through March 13, 2023.

Questions regarding this information should be directed to Audrey Vohs, Acting Supervisor of Leadership Development, at Audrey.Vohs@hcps.org or 410-588-5354.

For a printer-friendly version of the flier on the right, please click here.

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

• Administrative Support Technician - Talent Pathways/Strategic Initiatives

• Custodian - Various Locations

• Paraeducator/Inclusion Helpers - Various Locations

• Public Information Specialist - Office of Communications and Family Outreach

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!

Mark your Calendar!

Resume Development Workshop:

• When: Wednesday, January 18, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.
• Where: Join Via Teams (Meeting Link will be Provided closer to Workshop Date)

If you are interested in resume or cover letter support prior to this workshop, please contact Maranda Scott at maranda.scott@hcps.org.

Please verify the address shown on your 12/09/2022 pay stub is your current address. If the address is incorrect, log into Employee Self Service (ESS) and update your address (click on Life Events and then Move). Note - to access ESS, you must be logged onto an HCPS computer/HCPS network. The format for username is your network username followed by “@hcps.org”, for example, johsmith@hcps.org. See the DSS and ESS Instructions for all you can do in DSS/ESS.

If you plan on separating/retiring and will be moving prior to Friday, January 20, 2023, please complete the Change of Address Form and email it to HRIS@hcps.org so your 2022 W2 will reflect your current address and reach you timely.

If you have any questions, please contact your Payroll Coordinator. Click Here to find the Payroll Coordinator for your location.

Not sure who to contact? Send your question to the general email at Payroll@hcps.org.

Thank you for your cooperation and Happy Holidays!

Maryland’s EITC is a credit for certain taxpayers who have earned income. Most taxpayers who are eligible and file for a Federal EITC can receive the Maryland state and local EITC. The allowable Maryland credit is up to one-half of the Federal credit.

To be eligible for the Federal and Maryland EITC, Earned Income (EI) and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) must be less than:

• $53,057 ($59,187 married filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children
• $49,399 ($55,529 married filing jointly) with two qualifying children
• $43,492 ($49,622 married filing jointly) with one qualifying child
• $16,480 ($22,610 married filing jointly) with no qualifying children

If your income is less than the amounts shown above, visit the Internal Revenue Service website at www.irs.gov, visit Maryland’s website at www.marylandtaxes.gov or contact your tax advisor to learn if you meet the other requirements.

The FY23 Payroll Calendar has been revised for the recently announced closures on 12/29 and 12/30/2022. The revision is available on SharePoint and can be accessed by clicking PR Calendar FY23 rev 121422.

If you have any questions, please contact your Payroll Coordinator. Click Here to find the Payroll Coordinator for your location.

Not sure who to contact? Send your question to the general email at Payroll@hcps.org.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released the 2023 employee benefit limits for retirement plans. The flier provides information about 2023 cost of living adjustments, which impact contribution limits for pension and other retirement-related plans. The chart summarizes key limits and shows how they compare to 2022 limits.

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 between January 3, 2023, and January 31, 2023, at www.mrspa.org. Winners will be notified by March 1, 2022. Additional information can be found at MSRPA Scholarship FAQ’s located on the www.mrspa.org homepage.

Seats are still available for the following Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses. Please see the course catalog for details: Continuing Professional Development Spring 2023. Registration for these MSDE credit courses is available on HECTOR.

Spring offerings:

• Spanish for Communication II
• Laboratory Safety Practices for Career and Technology Education

Questions should be directed to hcpsprofessionallearning@hcps.org.

The window is now open to nominate your favorite teacher from this year, or years past, for the 2023 Teacher of the Year!

Visit hcps.org and click “learn more” in the Teacher of the Year banner at the top of the page to share 3-4 sentences on why you want your school to consider nominating your favorite teacher this year! The program will look slightly different this year as HCPS will celebrate a night of excellence in education when the Teacher of the Year is announced. In addition to announcing the 2023 Teacher of the Year, we will honor retired or former teachers who will be inducted into the HCPS Hall of Fame.

We want to thank HarfordTV who is planning to broadcast the culminating event on April 12, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. (mark your calendar now!) via their Facebook Live as well as recording for later viewing. Local businesses and community members continue to play an integral part in showing our appreciation for our educators and we look forward to celebrating with everyone again this year!

Nominations are due by January 4, 2023. Don't delay- submit your nomination here as soon as possible.

Questions regarding this information should be directed to celebrationofexcellence@hcps.org.

Love your bus driver and bus attendant?! Now's your chance to let them know! Submit a nomination on the website as soon as possible to see your favorite bus driver and attendant be named Bus Driver and Attendant of the Year!

Click here to submit your nomination.

As a reminder, the voting window to name this month's Family Friendly School Award CLOSES at 11:59 p.m. today, Thursday, December 15! Last call for votes: https://www.hcps.org/parents/parentacademy/familyfriendlyschools.aspx.

We look forward to announcing the December winner later this month!

Join us as we continue to shine the light on how HCPS celebrates Diversity all year long. Each month, we 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: Foreign Language Appreciation 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, December 23, 2022. This month’s celebrations will be shared in the January 5, 2023, issue of the HCPS 411 Update.

All certificated staff will now have to request initial certificates and changes to their existing certificate through the TEACH system - https://certificationhub.msde.maryland.gov.

Directions for requesting an initial certificate, a certification renewal, and/or an endorsement to your current certificate can be found on the Certification site in SharePoint. Please see links below:

• Applying for an initial Certificate
• Requesting a Certificate Renewal
• Requesting an Endorsement

For those who have a Maryland teaching certificate that is expiring DECEMBER 31, 2022; if you have not done so already, please log onto TEACH and request a renewal of your certificate. More information regarding this process can be found in the MSDE TEACH INFORMATION 9-2022 document on SharePoint, Human Resources, Certification, under Certification Forms & Information.

Questions regarding this information should be directed to CJ Harbach, Certification Assistant, or Aretha Young, Certification Coordinator, at Certification@hcps.org or 410-588-5258.

*Administrators interested in an in-person or virtual presentation on the TEACH system for their staff should contact the Office of Certification.

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

Are you caring for an older parent in addition to raising your child or financially supporting a grown child? If so, you are part of the sandwich generation, the 47% of adults nationwide, ages 40-59, who face multiple responsibilities and competing demands as they support older and younger family members. This session will help participants to find practical and effective strategies to balance your work and personal life as the sandwich generation. Click here to learn more.

Date: Available on demand now

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, seven days per week toll-free at (866) 795-5701 to visit their website online at www.EAPhelplink.com.

Focus on growing and thriving with BurnAlong this season!

Stay centered and balance with four (4) BurnAlong video playlists:

• b-NOURISHED: Enjoy healthy takes on seasonal favorites and learn intuitive eating tips.
• b-GENEROUS: Master gift-giving and save money with financial wellness tips.
• b-MOVIN': Find movement practices that bring you joy.
• b-GRATEFUL: Build your foundation for 2023 with gratitude and goal-setting.

The Transformative Power of 10 Minutes of Stretching a Day

Did you know that after a month of 10 minutes of stretching three days a week, studies1 show a 10-30% increase in range of motion? (1) Here are three quick classes you can schedule this week to help you relax and unwind.

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.

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!

Getting healthy and holistically feeling your best can be fun and easy with help! That's why HCPS wants to launch a health and wellness program to help you live healthier and to provide resources to support your overall well-being while making it a program that works for employees. If you haven't done so already, please take a few moments to click the link below to complete the survey to help us shape this year's program by letting us know which health issues are important to you so that we may develop a program that meets the needs of all staff.

Click here to complete the survey.

This December, Focus on Prioritizing You this Holiday Season

It's almost that time of year again! As the holiday season approaches, it often brings a side of stress. Between the demands of cooking meals, entertaining, cleaning, and shopping for gifts, alongside the regular day-to-day duties, it can become overwhelming. While stress is a natural part of life and, in small doses, is a good thing, excessive stress can negatively impact our mental and physical health. During this time, it is essential to make sure we are making our own health and well-being a top priority. To learn more, click here to view CareFirst's December Wellness Newsletter.

December Recipe of the Month: Tasty Gingerbread Pancakes

Pancakes are fun any time of the year, especially during the holidays when you can add your favorite spices. These gingerbread-style pancakes will fill you up without busting your diet. Click here to try this tasty recipe this holiday season.

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.

"As we approach the halfway point of the school year, I would like to recognize the Special Education Department Chairs on the secondary level, particularly Sandra Waltemire (North Harford Middle School) and Matt Swoboda (North Harford High School) for their staggering number of hours devoted to completing the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process within the compliance timeframes provided. Sandra and Matt have tackled the endless duties, meetings, and paperwork with patience, respect, kindness, and devotion to all team members and students on a consistent basis, while also instructing students in the classroom. Sandra and Matt make this position seem easy as they remain calm and patient, but the task is often overwhelming and completed through many hours of work behind the scenes. I for one, just want to say thank you to them for their dedication while hoping to encourage others to express their gratitude for the hard work of the Special Education Department Chairs throughout HCPS."

-Cynthia Lotz, Special Education Evaluator, Pupil Services Office

"Thank you to everyone who provided input, guidance, and resources to the creation of the middle school athletics program. This has truly been a systemic effort with too many people involved to mention each individually. With almost 900 students registered, our school communities are excited for the program and it wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration that took place between schools, departments, and leadership."

-Deborah Basler, Supervisor of Physical Education and Health - High Schools, Secondary Ed Services

"A huge thank you and job well done goes to Project Lead the Way Gateway teacher, Ms. Teri Tanner, of Magnolia Middle School. In her second year with HCPS, she successfully planned, organized, and hosted a school-wide STEM Day. The week kicked off with an Hour of Code and culminated with a full day of networking and STEM career exploration. Guests included Magnet and Signature Program Coordinators from HCPS's Science and Math Academy, Information Technology Oracle Academy, Homeland Security as well as community partners including Harford Community College and Aberdeen Proving Ground. We are so grateful to have Ms. Tanner! Thanks for all you do."

-The Career and Technology Education Office

"C. Milton Wright High school would like to recognize Kay Lambert, Adapted PE Specialist, for her unending support of our students, teachers, and physical education program. She is a consistent and calming presence in our school, she knows our students and their needs, and she is an amazing resource for parents. Kay goes out of her way to assist our teachers which allows us to provide our students with the best possible physical education experience."

-Erica Harris, Principal, C. Milton Wright High School

Please join us in giving a warm welcome to the following new members of the HCPS family!

• John Curtis, School Safety Liaison, Bel Air Middle School
• Robert Dominguez, Custodian II - Shift 2, Fallston High School
• Katherine Lynch, School Nurse, Joppatowne Elementary School
• Benjamin Morris, Custodian I - Shift 2, Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School
• Karen Page, Special Education Teacher, Edgewood Middle School
• Devin Schlichting, Paraeducator, Forest Hill Elementary School

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