VS 30 - HR and Capital Connections
Newsletter
Vol.1 Issue 2
Good News at Valley Stream 30!
Coming Soon - New Benefit - EAP!
EAP!
We are pleased to announce the addition of a free, confidential employee benefit that will be available to you and your family starting in late October.
What is it?
It’s your Employee Assistance Program or EAP. Valley Stream #30 will be providing you and your family with a confidential EAP benefits program.
What are the benefits?
EAP has an array of benefits that include:
Counseling: Help with personal issues from relationships to stress and substance abuse.
Work/Life: Assistance for other personal, financial and legal issues.
Self-Help resources: Access a vast collection of self-help tools and articles.
Peak Performance Coaching: One-to-one telephonic personal & professional coaching.
Lifestyle Savings: Get negotiated discounts and deals for wellness, shopping, travel & more.
Personal Development and Training: Over 10,000 eLearning opportunities to grow in your work, life, and career.
Wellness: Coaching, information, and resources to improve your overall wellness
How can I get more information?
We will be hosting a meeting - during one of the Wednesday’s Faculty meetings - to present the program to all employees. We will let you know in advance of the date! Keep checking for announcements.
If you have any questions please feel free to Marcela Moran at (516) 434-3600 extension 5010 or email her at: mmoran@vs30.org
Are you checking in?
At the beginning of this school year, the district implemented the use of the “Attendance and Safety Form” in Parent Square as the platform for daily “check-in”. In the unfortunate event of a school crisis - where a quick count of staff members might be needed - the utilization of a digital platform is the best way to generate records quickly and efficiently.
Please remember to submit your daily check-in. For more information, review the memo shared by the Director of Technology, Christopher Onorato.
If you have further questions, please contact Mr. Onorato at conorato@vs30.org or Marcela Moran at extension 5010.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
If you have worked in public service (federal, state, local, tribal government, or a non-profit organization) for 10 years or more (even if not consecutively), you may be eligible to have all your student debt canceled. Now, for a limited time, it is easier than ever to receive that forgiveness, or get credit toward forgiveness, if you have not yet served 10 years.
Check out The White House News -
Remember that:
For a limited time, borrowers may receive credit for past periods of repayment on loans that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF.
If you have Federal Family Education (FFEL) Program loans, Perkins, or other federal student loans, borrowers need to consolidate their loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan to qualify for PSLF, both in general and under the waiver. Before consolidating, make sure to check to see if borrowers work for a qualifying employer.
Past periods of repayment will now count whether or not borrowers made a payment, made that payment on time, for the full amount due, or on a qualifying repayment plan.
Forbearance periods of 12 consecutive months or greater, or 36 cumulative months or greater, will count under the changes. In fall 2022, the U.S. Department of Education will begin making account adjustments to include these periods. Forbearance periods provided by the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Flexibilities are not included toward these months.
Months spent in deferment before 2013 will count under the waiver. Additionally, ED will include Economic Hardship Deferment on or after January 1, 2013. These periods of deferment will also be applied to borrower’s accounts in fall 2022.
Periods of default and in-school deferment, still do not qualify
New Staff Members!
During the course of the year, we would like to welcome new staff members who have joined the VS 30 Family for the 2022-23 School Year!
In the following editions of the newsletter we will also be introducing additional new staff members to the district - keep on the look out for their introductions.
Grace Lee
Grace is joining us as a Leave Replacement School Psychologist for the 2022-23 school year.
Grace worked for several years in a Early Childhood Center providing direct services to students and families. She also worked as a school school psychologist at Hagedorn, Nassau BOCES and Valley Stream 13 in various capacities.
Grace has a Doctorate in Psychology from St. John’s University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Stony Brook University.
Welcome Lee to our VS30 family!
Michel Cabral-Martin
Michel joins the district family as a probationary full time speech teacher.
Michel comes to us with a wealth of experience in the remedial and speech therapy. Her most recent experiences were in a private company in which she worked providing services to Elementary, Middle, and High School Students.
Michel has Master of Science, in Communication Sciences and Disorders - Speech Pathology, from Adelphi University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Minor: American Sign Language, from Kean University.
Welcome Michel!
Ceji Bridges
Ceji is our new Library Media Specialist at Shaw Avenue School.
Ceji’s most recent work experience was at NYC Department of Education were she worked in elementary and middle school students as school librarian. She also worked at a Charter school for several years for elementary and middle school students.
Ceji comes to us with a Master of Science in Library and Information Science, a Bachelor of ARts in child Studies from St. Joseph’s College and an Associate of ARts in Child Studies from Suffolk Community College.
Welcome Ceji!
Capital Connections
Business Office - Update
October brings the completion of the 2021-22 fiscal year for the Business Office and the District.
Before the upcoming October Board meeting, on October 24, the Audit Committee will meet for a presentation made by the District’s external auditor to discuss the District’s financial statements for last year.
As soon as audit work on the 2021-22 year is completed, the 2022-23 audit work begins for the District. Each year, the internal auditor concentrates its work on one specific area of the District’s operations to make certain that Valley Stream 30 is following best practices defined by the NYSED and the Office of the State Comptroller.
This year the internal audit will focus on the District’s Information Technology. The end result will be a presentation to the Board at the June 2023 BOE meeting.
Tax Bill information!
You may have received your school tax bill in the mail recently, which included your home school district’s phone number to call with questions.
The Business Office handles phone calls from Valley Stream 30 residents this time of year, where they ask questions such as how was their school tax bill calculated. The Business Office helps residents with their questions and makes sure they understand that the school taxes paid goes to ensuring that the District provides the best possible education for its students in a fiscally sensible manner.
This year, the increase in the tax levy for Valley Stream 30 was 0% while the median for Nassau County school districts was close to 2%.
Budget Season Already?
Yes, you read that right, even though it is only October, budget season for the 2023-24 school year has begun.
At the October 24th Board of Education meeting, the Board will adopt the budget calendar that will hopefully take the District all the way to a successful May 16, 2023 budget vote. Budget worksheets will soon be distributed to administrators to provide information that will eventually be combined into the districtwide budget.
The 1st draft of next year’s budget will be presented at January’s Board of Education meeting. The Business Office thanks in advance all the people that will contribute to the budget process over the next few months.
HR Connections
TEACH REGISTRATION!
Starting on July 1, 2016, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) required educators who had a Permanent or Professional Certificate to register with the state every five (5) years. Registration is done using the NYSED TEACH system.
This is a reminder that if you have one of the following certificates, you should have registered with TEACH:
Permanent or Professional certificate
Teaching Assistant Level III certificate
Information about registration and continuing teacher and leader education (CTLE) is available here.
NYSUT has created a comprehensive video that explains the re-registration process.
Click here to access the video.
If you have questions about this process please contact Marcela Moran, HR Department, at mmoran@vs30.org or call (516) 434-3600 X 5010.
CREDIT INFORMATION
The deadline to submit all required paperwork to move on the salary schedule is tomorrow, October 14. Please see the enclosed procedure letter with the steps to complete to be eligible for credit/salary advancement.
In order to move in the salary schedule, 6 credits must be earned at a recognized college; the other 9 can be in-service credits (prior approval is required). Completion of the required credits has to be on or prior to September 1, 2022.
Please make sure that after you complete the course, go to Frontline/Professional Growth and “Mark Complete” for each course. You must upload a copy of your certificate/transcript to the course.
You must submit OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS and CERTIFICATES directly to HR in order to be eligible to move to the next lane.
Important to remember:
You can only move 15 credits once per school year.
All college credits must be verified by official transcripts sent directly to HR from the college/university
Must be received at HR no later than 10/14/22
For more information click here
REMINDER - Keep Calm
We still registering staff who would be interested in getting the Calm App. For the past two years, the Special Services Department in collaboration with Nassau BOCES, and led by Dr. Schimpf, acquired the Calm app for all staff members who expressed interest in utilizing it.
The app is designed to assist with meditation and sleep. If you are interested in getting the app, please click here.
"Tips Corner"
Change how you eat by changing how you shop
Most healthy eating advice focuses on balancing the food on your plate (like MyPlate or the Healthy Eating Plate). But in some ways, this is a bit too late in the eating process. That’s because your plate is really determined by the foods you choose on your grocery trip.
This can be explained by two simple nutrition truths:
1. You will eat what you purchase.
2. If you buy it now, you will be tempted by it later.
Follow these strategies to change your grocery cart and reshape how you eat:
- Remember the basics: Make a list and stick to it. Skip the candy, chip, soda, and alcohol aisles. Avoid shopping while you are hungry. Shop the perimeter of the store.
- Switch grocery stores: Habit drives a lot of shopping choices. Changing stores creates an opportunity to re-learn your grocery routine, potentially making it easier to choose healthier items.
- Shop with a friend: A second person can help boost your willpower, making it easier to avoid bringing home hard-to-resist foods.
- Take inventory: Make a list of all the food in your house. Does the list reflect the kind of eater you want to be? If not, your inventory will identify where to adjust.
- Reconsider snacks: A lot of processed foods are purchased for snacking. But if your hunger is triggered because of stress or emotions, then these snacks are truly empty calories. Try taking the snack foods out of your cart altogether. Then, swap snack time for taking a walk, meditation, or any other stress relief techniques
We are hiring!
Please go to the HR Website to find job openings across the district and other job opportunities across our region.
Share with Us!
If you have HR news or information that you would like to share with our staff please make sure to share to mmoran@vs30.org or (516) 434-3600 X 5010.
Important dates to Remember:
October 14 - Last day to submit Credit Lane Changes request
October 17 - Work Session - Shaw Avenue School - Starting at 7:30 pm
October 24 - Board Appreciation Day and Business Meeting at Shaw Avenue School - 8:00 pm
DIWALI
October 31 - Halloween
Contact us:
If you have any questions or comments, please email me at mmoran@vs30.org or call (516) 434-3600 X 5010