4J Educator
August 2023, Volume 1
Superintendent's Message: Welcome Back
We have much to celebrate this school year. As examples, we are opening the beautiful new North Eugene High School that will serve our Highlander students and staff well for generations. That building stands as a testament to the value our community places in public education. After much planning and work, we also will have a new high school schedule in place so our secondary educators have more time for collaboration and all our students have more opportunities for academic success, access to electives and opportunities for social-emotional growth. We are also going to help hundreds of students become confident readers and curious problem solvers.
We will continue our focus this year, my second as your superintendent, on the three major priorities our school board and I identified last year: timely communication and meaningful engagement with our 4J community, equitable access and advancement for all students with an amplified focus on the desires or historically underserved communities and, finally, the safety and well-being of our students and staff. We made noteworthy strides towards these goals last year and I’m excited to work with you and our school board to move the needle even more. Additional resources also are being dedicated to school buildings to address some of the challenges we’ve experienced in the wake of the pandemic related to both time and staffing support.
As we prepare for the first days of school, I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication to our students, families and community. The work can be difficult but is also immensely rewarding. There will no doubt be long days and frayed nerves. Please remember we are in this together and that needed support is close at hand. And never forget our capability, both collectively and individually, to help our young people identify and hone their passions for the benefit of our community. I can think of no more meaningful profession than that.
I look forward to seeing you at our Back to School Event this Wednesday, August 30, on the Sheldon football field from 9:30–11 a.m. This will be a chance to reconnect with colleagues, meet new ones and hear inspiring words from our 4J and keynote speakers that will set the stage for another great school year at 4J.
Have a great weekend!
Andy Dey, Ed. D.
Superintendent
Eugene School District 4J
Introducing 4J's New Podcast: Super Insights
Our district is excited to announce the launch of our first podcast, Super Insights, which gives listeners an in-depth look at the major programs, priorities and issues for our district, featuring Superintendent Andy Dey.
Our first episode introduces you to Dr. Dey, who is beginning his second year as our district's chief executive after a successful career as a teacher and 4J administrator. Why did Dr. Dey choose education? What are the driving principles of his education philosophy? What does he do in his spare time? Learn these answers and more in this podcast.
We hope you enjoy listening — as much as we enjoy sharing — our podcasts throughout the school year!
Important: Open Enrollment for Benefits Underway
It's that time of year again!
Open enrollment for employee health insurance is mandatory this year, meaning you must log into your MyOEBB account now through September 15 to make new elections for benefits, with coverage effective Oct. 1—Sept. 30, 2024. Failure to do this will result in loss of health insurance benefits, beginning Oct 1. You already should have received an enrollment packet from the Oregon Educators Benefit Board and a postcard from 4J in the mail.
Enrollment for health insurance and flexible spending will be online only — no paper forms will be accepted. Find important links on the open enrollment page on 4J's website. Computer help sessions will be offered at the Ed Center on Sept. 7, 12 and 14, from 4–6 p.m. These sessions are for technology assistance only and not intended to assist with decisions on open enrollment elections. Please contact your benefits coordinator for one-on-one assistance or help with plan choice.
Log In to ParentSquare
Our district has launched a new school-to-home communication platform called ParentSquare to help encourage greater engagement and connection between you and your students, parents and guardians.
Get Started: Log in to ParentSquare TODAY!
ParentSquare provides a safe way for you and parents to send and receive school and class information, share pictures and files, see calendars, sign up to volunteer, schedule parent-teacher conferences, and much more . . . all in one centralized place!
All information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text, depending on your preference. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free on the Apple/Google app stores for iOS and Android devices).
Note on Employee Reimbursements
As we look forward to a new school year with our new fiscal year already underway, Financial Services is looking at improving our efficiency and processes for employee reimbursements.
Moving forward into the future, all employee reimbursements will be set as a default to Direct Deposit, if you currently have a Direct Deposit setup for your regular employee paycheck. This means that your employee reimbursements will be deposited into the same account that your paycheck goes into. You will no longer receive a physical check from the district office. Please make sure that your direct deposit information is always up to date.
