JCS Staff Newsletter (November)

This newsletter will be distributed on the Wednesday following the monthly Board of Education meeting. This newsletter contains important information from district departments and other helpful tips. If you have suggestions for content in this newsletter, please send them to Collin Brooks at BrooksB@jcschools.org.

November Celebration Days 2024

• National STEM/STEAM Day - November 8
• National School Psychology Week - November 11 -15
• Veteran's Day - November 11
• America Recycles Day - November 15
• Substitute Educators Day - November 22
• National Career Development Month
• Native American Heritage Month

Upcoming Performance Dates & other events

November 8 – Drama Improv at Indian Trail Auditorium at 7:00

November 15-17 – Drama Production of “The Radium Girls” in Studio 535. (Nov. 15 and 16 at 7:00, Nov. 17 at 3:00)

Calendars

• Printable Calendars for 2024-2025
• Staff Holiday Schedule for 2024-2025
  

Dear JCS Employee,

As Superintendent of Johnson City Schools, I am deeply proud of the collective efforts we make each day to enhance the well-being of our community. Every member of our district plays a vital role in making a positive impact within our schools and beyond. One of the ways we come together annually is through our participation in the United Way campaign, a powerful way to give back to our community.

The United Way of East Tennessee Highlands serves as a critical support network, ensuring that the funds we raise directly benefit the people and organizations in our local area. Last year, Johnson City Schools raised over $25,000, once again ranking us among the top contributors to the campaign.

These donations helped provide essential services in Washington County, supporting organizations such as Adult Day Services: Transportation, American Red Cross of Northeast Tennessee, Appalachian Service Project, The Arc of Washington County, Coalition for Kids, and the Boys and Girls Club, among others. Additionally, our very own Johnson City Schools’ Homeless Education Program received significant support, with funds helping sustain our Shoe Shelf initiative, which provides shoes to students in need.

This year’s campaign will run from Monday, November 4 to Monday, November 18. We’re excited to bring back our popular “5 for 5” incentive. By pledging just $5 per paycheck through payroll deduction to United Way, you’ll receive five jeans coupons for use throughout 2025. This amounts to a total donation of $120, spread over 24 pay periods from January to December 2025.

I encourage you to join us in supporting this worthy cause that directly impacts the lives of those in our community. To participate, please reach out to your school’s United Way representative for a payroll deduction form, or contact Collin Brooks at BrooksB@jcschools.org if you have any questions. Together, we can continue to make a lasting difference for those who rely on our support.

Respectfully,

Steve Barnett

Superintendent of Johnson City Schools

Towne Acres Elementary defended their Attendance Matters Spirit Week Cup, but it wasn’t without a fight. Towne Acres finished the week with 97.2 percent cumulative attendance which was just ahead of Lake Ridge Elementary (97.1 percent) and North Side Elementary (96.7 percent).

Classroom library lists in PDF format must be submitted to your school's communication representative ASAP. If you have updated your library, then those books must be scanned and included. It is very important to have these to your communications representatives ASAP.

How to Export your BookSource Library List into a PDF

• Visit our updated Human Resources web page to find assistance with your employee benefits and questions about the hiring process.
  
• Johnson City Schools is hiring Educare assistants, custodians, and instructional assistants. View our current job postings and apply today!

• Johnson City Transit is in need of bus drivers. For current bus driver position openings visit https://johnsoncitytn.applicantpro.com/jobs/.

Once again, it is time to prepare for and participate in Johnson City Schools benefits enrollment. This year’s enrollment period is November 13 – 22, 2024.

We are pleased to introduce enhancements designed to make benefits enrollment easier - employees will have the opportunity to speak with an onsite benefits counselor to experience a personalized educational enrollment session. Onsite benefit counselors will be available to all benefit eligible employees, with advance scheduling of a 30-minute appointment. During the appointment, the onsite benefits counselor will:

· Help employees understand their benefit options

· Enroll employees in their benefits and review their elections

· Answer any questions

It is MANDATORY for all benefit eligible employees to make an appointment to meet with a benefits counselor to record their benefit elections or provide a record of declining.

We are thrilled to offer a personalized enrollment experience this year - your support in helping this process go smoothly is greatly appreciated.

Scheduling is available now! Select the "Schedule Your Benefits Appointment" button below, and follow the directions to reserve a time at your location.

Sharron Livingston, HR Department Assistant

Phone: 434-5207

• Please visit our updated web page at Finance | Retirement.
• Sharron Livingston in Human Resources now manages most benefits for our system. Christy Fair in Finance manages the Hartford Life Insurance only.
• Our Employee Forms page will assist you with finding commonly requested forms and the contact person for each one.

Here are a few important tips to safeguard your professional learning records.

To ensure your professional learning records are never lost, please follow these steps:

1. Save and Print Certificates: As soon as you receive your PDP certificates, save them to your device and print a copy for your records.
2. Upload to TNCompass: It's highly recommended to upload your PDP certificates to TNCompass and also keep your records organized.
3. Keep An Updated Transcript: Always maintain an up-to-date copy of your professional learning transcript.
4. Backup Your Records: Protect your records by having a reliable backup plan, whether it’s cloud storage, an external drive, or other secure methods.

If you need any assistance with Learning Stream or have any questions, feel free to reach out!

Thank you,
Tracey Coffey, TLC Manager
Phone: 434-5218

Presented by Dr. Stacey Philbrick, SHHS School Counselor

Located at SHHS Hillside Cafe’.

Starting November 13th | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Only one seat left! Registration extended to November 8th or until filled.

Presented by Hunter Graybeal and Angela Taylor

Located in the SHHS Library.

December 12th | 3:30 p.m.- 5:30 p.m.

The next Johnson City Board of Education meeting will be held on Monday, December 2 starting at 6 p.m. inside the Board Room at Central Office (100 E. Maple Street). Board meetings can be viewed on the Johnson City Schools' YouTube channel.

During our board meeting we honored the Board of Education's Student Represenatives. They are Science Hill senior Kate Carter and Science Hill junior Akshay Vashist

Science Hill High School was recognized by the College Board for earning the Silver Medal for AP Honor Roll. Science Hill also received the AP Access Award.

The Johnson City Schools' Communication Department is looking for suggestions for features stories to share with our community. This could be anything you think parents, students or the public want or need to know about can be good features. We're talking student achievements, teachers doing cool things in their classrooms, school programs or offerings that could benefit from a little awareness, clubs... Anything. If there's a visual component – something or someone I could photograph to go along with it – it will be even more engaging. We would love to hear your ideas!

Please reach out to Nathan Baker or Collin Brooks with your suggestions.