FCPS Employee Bulletin Board

June 25, 2024

The 2024 NSPRA Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards have been announced, and the FCPS Public Affairs team has earned awards of excellence and merit for various projects this year.

2024 NSPRA Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards: Excellence

Category: Annual Publications

• FCPS Educational Partnerships Annual Report

Category: Excellence in Writing

• Celebrating an Aspiring Educator: Sofia Driver, Frederick High School

Category: Video Series (Produced In-house)

• FCPS Essential: Celebrating dedicated employees throughout our system

2024 NSPRA Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards: Merit

Category: Financial Publication

• Frederick County Public Schools Adopted FY2024 Operating Budget Book

Category: Newsletter

• FCPS Employee Bulletin Board

Category: Video (Produced In-house)

• We can be Heroes: FCPS Maryland celebrates debut of girls flag football

Stuff the Bus will be collecting school supplies from June 17 - July 30!

United Way of Frederick County and Frederick County Public Schools have partnered up again to host the annual Stuff the Bus community collection drive to provide necessary school supplies to thousands of local students. The drive effort will begin on Monday, June 17 and will conclude on Tuesday, July 30.

Beginning on Monday, June 17, the public can visit any participating business and drop off new, unused school supplies in collection bins. The public can also contribute virtually. 100% of monetary contributions will be used to support FCPS students. The last day to donate to the virtual drive is July 12.

This year, United Way's Stuff the Bus and Beyond Shelter's Backpacks for Bright Futures programs will distribute school supplies to City of Frederick feeder schools in a new way. Volunteers will now pack backpacks with supplies, which will be given directly to these schools. School staff will distribute these backpacks to students from ALICE households.

This change aims to ensure fairer distribution of supplies and strengthen relationships between students, parents, and school staff. Schools outside the City of Frederick will continue to receive supplies as they have in previous years.

Beginning Monday, June 17, FCPS Food and Nutrition Services will be serving free breakfast and lunch to anyone in the community 18 years old or younger. Those over 18 who are enrolled in an educational program for people with disabilities will also be served meals.

Meals will be served Mondays through Thursdays at the following 3 schools:

• Lincoln Elementary: Entrance point will be the side doors located at the cafeteria.
• Gov. Thomas Johnson High: Entrance point will be located at the front doors of the school.
• Waverley Elementary: Entrance point will be located at the front doors of the school.

FCPS will serve breakfast at Lincoln Elementary and Waverley Elementary from 8:30-9 a.m. and lunch from noon-12:30 p.m.

FCPS will serve breakfast at Gov. Thomas Johnson High from 7:30- 8 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m.-noon.

Meals will not be served on June 19 and July 4. Children must be present to get a meal and the meal must be consumed at the site where the meals are served. The last day of summer meals service to the community will be Thursday, August 8.

To read the Spanish translation, click here.

If you have questions, please contact FCPS Food and Nutrition Services at 301-644-5061.

Over the past three years, school and central staff at various levels throughout FCPS have been engaging in learning and continuous improvement towards more equitable and consistent grading practices throughout the district, with focus on middle and high schools. The school system’s Education Reform Council (ERC), along with other teacher and leader workgroups, have provided feedback about our current efforts and suggestions for continuing to propel equitable grading practices forward into next school year. Like the end of last year, this message shares a status update and a preview of focus areas for the 2024-25 school year, with most new practices being optional, to support an early adopter approach.

Recognition of Employees by Other Employees

Individuals may be nominated for one of the following five (5) categories.

• GOAL 1: ACHIEVEMENT - Innovation and Impact - Recognizes employees who have introduced innovative ideas or have had a positive impact on the organization in support of student achievement.
• GOAL 2: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE - Continuous Improvement - Recognizes employees who actively seek opportunities to enhance processes, optimize efficiency, and drive positive change.
• GOAL 3: SAFETY & WELL BEING - Leadership and Support - Recognizes employees who demonstrate leadership qualities by taking initiative, assuming responsibility, and inspiring their colleagues.
• GOAL 4: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT - Team and Community Collaboration - Recognizes those who contribute positively to teamwork, foster collaboration, and help achieve collective goals OR who have demonstrated unique and creative approaches to solving challenges alongside others.
• GOAL 5: STUDENT AND STAFF EXPERIENCE - Positive Impact on Culture - Recognizes individuals who contribute to a positive workplace culture through their attitude, collaboration, and overall demeanor.
  

To nominate a staff member, please fill out the Guiding Star Award nomination form.

Beginning July 1, 2024, FCPS will modernize our telecommunications system and assign brand new phone numbers to the entire district.

Effective July 1, 2024, MetLife will replace The Standard as the insurer for employee and retiree, Life (AD&D), Voluntary Life and Short-Term Disability Insurance. For your review is an Introduction to our partnership with MetLife and a Question & Answer document that we trust will be helpful.

For additional questions, please email Benefits.Office@fcps.org.

Notice of Insurance End Date for Resignation or Leave of Absence for the Conclusion of the 2023–2024 School Year

• For 10 or 11-month employees who are not returning for the next school year, the school term ends in June. This means your coverage will end on June 30th even if you do not give your resignation or leave of absence notice until July or August as you have not paid insurance premiums for July or August.
• You will be offered the opportunity to continue insurance through COBRA or Leave of Absence rates.
• COBRA: You will be offered COBRA to continue coverage for Medical or Dental if you had coverage for these benefits at the time your employment ends. You may review the tab for COBRA for more information on this topic.
• If you terminate employment and were employed before 07/01/05 (benefitted) at the end of the Fiscal Year of 07/01/05, the termination date for medical, dental and life is extended one month for 10 & 11-month employees only.

The deadline to request a lane change for coursework completed between

February 1, 2024 and August 31, 2024:

LAST WORKDAY in September: Monday 09/30/2024

Requests for lane changes should be submitted by completing form linked here:

ONLINE FORM

• The certification team continues to process a high volume of coursework and is updating the Professional Education screen in PeopleSoft.
• If you have already submitted documentation of coursework but do not yet see it reflected in your Professional Education, please continue to review your Professional Education profile regularly.
• As long as you’ve met the requirements and have submitted all necessary documentation by the deadline, your pay change will be processed and applied retroactively to July 1.

Additional Lane Change Information

https://www.fcps.org/careers/teacher-lane-change

Lane Change Questions?

Email: CertSalary@fcps.org

Professional Education Questions?

Email: certification@fcps.org

Find all the information you need on graduate courses being offered at Mount St. Mary's this Summer here.