![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/u/backgrounds/custom_bg-5d5f04d272512503b0661b1b-6467cc11224e.jpg)
BSD Staff Updates
September 3, 2019
Welcome new Bremerton School Board Director John Hurley!
John Hurley was recently sworn in as a Director for the Bremerton School Board, position 1, which has been vacant since June.
Director Hurley is the Family Services Manager at Kitsap Community Resources (KCR) Head Start, Early Head Start, and ECEAP Early Learning. As a child, he attended Naval Avenue Elementary and Bremerton Middle School. John and his wife Rebecca have two children, Connor and Nora, who both attend Naval Avenue Early Learning Center.
“I am passionate about education, and have worked in early childhood education my entire adult life. Since my children attend school in the district it was important for me to be involved and contribute this amazing District and all of the important programs it has to offer.” -- Director John Hurley.
Parent-Community Survey
We invite you to take this brief survey and tell us what you think!
Some reminders about.... Remind!
We pay for a Districtwide account that provides a Remind account for every staff member who needs to communicate with students, athletes, club members and their parents/guardians.
Please see the information below and take note: If you use Remind, your account is backed-up for public records retention purposes -taking that off of your plate. Using Remind also addresses some of the boundary invasion issues you've learned about in your recent training.
A few more details about setting up Remind:
- Most staff already have an account created in the system (set-up when we first set-up our Districtwide account with Remind. Log in on Remind.com with Google to access it).
- If you are new(ish) or it shows you do not have an account, create an account using your BSD google log-in.
- To create a class/club/team, click on the "create a class" plus sign on the left-hand side of the screen.
- Name the class/team.
- Change the code to something memorable, if you like. (Or you can leave the random auto-generated code.)
- Click the "create" button.
- Choose whether you are going to print out instructions to hand out (printable PDF), use in-class instructions (give the code to text), or create a link you can put on your website (instantly joins people to your class).
Questions or issues setting up your Remind account? Contact Kati Carthum, Digital Education Coordinator.
Coming soon! New visitor management system
SEBB Updates
- Deadline for SEBB enrollment is November 15, 2019 (including proof of dependents: Marriage License, birth certificate, Etc...)
- SEBB Benefits Begin January 1, 2020
- First Premium taken out of your paycheck January 31, 2020
The SEBB Program’s first annual open enrollment starts October 1, and employees should get the School Employee Initial Enrollment Guide in the mail in mid-September.
To ensure you receive this important booklet, make sure your correct mailing address is in our system before September 3.
If you have a change of address it will need to be submitted to the Human Resources Office in writing by September 3 (email is OK). Download the address change form below.
Questions? Contact Nicole Ziz at nicole.ziz@bremertonschools.org.
SEBB Benefits Fairs
In-Person SEBB Benefits Fair
- October 10, 2019 @ Sheridan Community Center in Bremerton, WA 4:00-8:00pm
- Carriers/plan administrators on site to answer employees' questions regarding benefits
- HCA Staff on site to assist with questions about SEBB Program, online enrollment, and enrollment materials.
SEBB Virtual Benefits Fair
- October 1 through November 15, 2019
- hca.wa.gov/sebb-employee
- Provides 24/7 access to SEBB benefits information
- Optimized for mobile devices
- Direct access to the ALEX online Benefits Advisor
- Direct Link to SEBB My Account for easy, online enrollment
Important Upcoming Communications
- August - reminder postcards sent out by SEBB
- September 3 - Final premiums, benefit offerings available online
- Mid September - School Employee initial Enrollment Guide mails directly to eligible employees
Board Briefs: August 8, 2019 (replacing the 8/1 meeting that was cancelled)
Compiled by Ioanna Cossack, Board Secretary
You can find these reports, other attachments, and more information on the agenda/BoardDocs site
Board Briefs: August 15, 2019
Compiled by Ioanna Cossack, board secretary
You can find these reports, other attachments, and more information on the agenda/BoardDocs site
In cased you missed it on day #3 of Summer Institute....
Thank you to the food trucks who kept us well-fed at Summer Institute!
WST staff honored by the Washington Association of Career and Technical Administrators (WACTA).
The Washington Association of Career and Technical Education (WA-ACTE) is the premier association for career and technical education in the state of Washington. The award winners were announced during the Awards Breakfast at the Washington ACTE Summer Conference in early August in Spokane.
Congrats to West Sound Tech's Nora Zollweg - this year’s winner of the WA-ACTE Career Guidance Award!
The Washington ACTE Career Guidance Award recognizes school counselors and career development professionals who have demonstrated commitment to connecting students with opportunities for success, shown innovation in career exploration and development, and have advocated for CTE as a viable option for all students.
Nora Zollweg is the Student Services Coordinator for West Sound Technical Skills Center. In 2011, Nora decided she missed working with students and took a position as Student Outreach Coordinator with West Sound Technical Skills Center. Eight years later, Nora is still working at WST though her position has been changed to Student Services Coordinator, which covers a comprehensive approach to student support and success. Along the way, Nora has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services and Master’s Degrees in Organizational Leadership and Human Resources, plus a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership with a Principal’s endorsement. Nora has also completed her CTE Director’s training through OSPI and holds a CTE Director’s credential. Nora has been a Washington ACTE member since 2004.
Shani Watkins was also named WACTA Director of the Year, and West Sound Tech was awarded the 100% membership award (WST has 100% Washington ACTE membership participation from each and every member of their Career and Technical Education staff.).
The Washington ACTE Awards promote merit in Career and Technical Education (CTE) by recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to CTE. Award winners serve as inspirational leaders to Washington ACTE: they embody the core values of serving students and being committed to CTE. The state winners will progress on to compete at the regional level next year at the ACTE Region V Conference in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, April 22-25, 2020. The Washington Association for Career and Technical Education is the state’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. Washington ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals including educators, administrators, researchers, guidance counselors, and others at all levels of education. Washington ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development, and leadership opportunities.
"We are Bremerton" District video
AVID featured in USA Today!
AVID has been featured in an op-ed published by USA Today titled, What can we do to help low-income kids graduate from college?
UW Football Teacher/Staff Appreciation
The UW Football Teacher/Staff Appreciation promo link is now available! The discount is available to teachers, staff, volunteers and their family and friends for the September 14th UW game vs. Hawaii at 4:30PM. Click here to purchase discounted seats (up to 8). No additional promo code is needed. This link will allow them to buy 1-8 seats at the discounted rate.
If you want more than 8 tickets, contact:
Justin Rothbaum
Business Development Account Executive
206-685-8429
OSPI Announces Board Elections
DISCOUNTED RATES FOR Y KIDS FOR BSD STAFF 2019-2020
Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, all district staff will receive 50% off fees related to YMCA Child Care*. This includes Before and After School Care programming and Child Care Day Camps.
Contact the Child Care Membership team for more information!
P: 360-813-1813
E: kitsapchildcare@ymcapkc.org
*Please note that this reduced fee ONLY applies to YMCA Child Care related fees. Other YMCA fees, such as membership to a facility branch, will remain the same.
Nominate a local business for a Chamber award!
Professional learning grants are now available
July 9, 2019
The Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) is offering up to six $15,000 grants to support educator learning through professional growth plans (PGPs). Each grantee will be required to support at least 20 educators completing PGPs in a learning community. Grant applicants must describe how they will include equity in identifying participants and designing their local grant structure. See application and additional details.
Focus areas:
Learning communities will focus on PGPs aligned to:
- the National Board Five Core Propositions, or
- the Washington state Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards, or
- the focus may be on collaboration across roles: teacher, administrator, educational staff associate (ESA), and paraeducator.
Who may apply?
Washington state school districts, ESDs, approved clock hour providers, and Washington higher education institutions.
What is a PGP?
Professional growth plans (PGPs) are job-embedded, self-directed professional development. Educators set goals aligned to standards, design an action plan, collect evidence, and reflect. PGPs for certificate renewal are eligible for 25 clock hours. Learn more about PGPs.
How can grant funds be used?
Compensation, release time, grant-related efforts and programming.
Grant applications due:
Friday, September 27, 2019, by 5 p.m.
Questions?
- Contact preparation and credentialing policy lead Maren Johnson at maren.johnson@k12.wa.us or project assistant Megan Moore at megan.moore@k12.wa.us or (360) 725-6238.
Kitsap counts! U.S. Census Bureau begins canvassing addresses in Kitsap
An update from Kitsap County:
The U.S. Census Bureau launched address canvassing throughout the country this month, including here in Kitsap County, as the first major field operation of the 2020 Census. Census Bureau employees (listers) have started walking local neighborhoods verifying addresses. The listers are area residents hired to help with the project. Their work continues through mid-October, with the actual census count getting underway in 2020.
Listers identify every place where people could stay, whether temporary or permanent. They compare what they see on the ground to the existing census address list and then verify, correct or add address and location information as needed. If the lister does not find anyone home, they will verify and update the address information by observation.
Address canvassing improves and refines the Census Bureau’s address list of households nationwide, adding new housing developments, changes in existing homes and other housing units that did not previously exist. This is necessary to deliver invitations to respond to the 2020 census.
The address list plays a vital role in ensuring a complete and accurate count of everyone living in the United States.
Identifying address listers who may knock on your door
To help identify address listers, employees will have badges and briefcases indicating their affiliation with the Census Bureau. They will knock on doors and ask a few simple questions to verify the address and any additional living quarters on the property for inclusion in the census.
Employees will introduce themselves as a Census Bureau employee, show their official government identification badge (sample below), and explain the purpose of the visit. People may also ask them for a picture from another source to confirm their identity.
About 30 percent of all addresses in Kitsap County will be canvassed. The 2020 Census: In-Field Address Canvassing (IFAC) Viewer provides county information on areas that listers will visit.
This operation is one of several activities the Census Bureau conducts for an accurate and complete count. The Census Bureau also partners with the U.S. Postal Service and tribal, state and local officials to update the address list.
For a brief video about address canvassing, including how to identify address listers, click here.
Sample census worker ID badge front/back below.
2020 Census official count starts in January
The 2020 Census officially starts counting people in January. Most households in the country will start receiving invitations to respond online, by phone or by mail in March 2020.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census of the population be conducted once every 10 years. Census data is used to determine the number of seats each state holds in Congress and how more than $675 billion in federal funds are distributed back to states and local communities every year for services and infrastructure, including health care, jobs, schools, roads and businesses.
Questions?
If you have any questions or want to verify a lister, please contact the West Coast Regional Census Office in Los Angeles at (213) 314-6500. For more information on the 2020 Census, visit the Census Bureau website.
Census workers are still needed - paid jobs are available now in Kitsap County. See the flyer below or go to https://2020census.gov/jobs.
Background photo: View Ridge Elementary Arts Academy staff perform during Superintendent Leavell's opening remarks at Summer Institute.
Follow BSD on Social Media!
- View past issues of the Staff Updates newsletter
- View Staff Bulletin Board
- Submit ideas for the Staff Updates newsletter to: Karen.Bevers@BremertonSchools.org
- Submit listings for the Staff Bulletin board to: Lucinda.Probst@BremertonSchools.org
Website: www.bremertonschools.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BremertonSchools/
Twitter: @BremertonSD
BSD Staff Updates Newsletter 2019-20 / Issue #1 distributed 9/3/19.