HCPS 411 Update

National School Psychology Awareness Week is November 11-15, 2019. Click here to learn about the various services HCPS school psychologists provide to our students and staff.

Below is the Governor's Proclamation for Maryland's School Psychology Week.

From the National Education Association:

"Schools across the country are joining the National Education Association and its more than three million members on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, in celebrating National Education Support Professionals (ESP) Day. ESPs include paraeducators, secretaries, custodians, tradespeople and technical staff. They also include school security officers, school bus drivers, food service workers, and those who work in health and student services. ESPs ensure students achieve at their highest levels. They keep students emotionally and physically safe, healthy and supported. They engage students and keep them connected to the larger school community."

Join us in celebrating our wonderful ESPs at HCPS! We recognize all that you do day in and day out for our students, and we appreciate you!

Although HCPS offices are closed Friday, November 29, 2019, banks will be open. Therefore, the actual pay date remains November 29, 2019. Checks (for employees who are not on direct deposit) will be mailed to the employee’s home address (per LAWSON Employee Self Service, ESS) on Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Please verify the address shown on your 11/15/19 pay stub is your current address. If the address is incorrect, log into ESS and update your address (click on 'Life Events' and then 'Move'). Please note, to access ESS, you must be logged onto an HCPS computer/HCPS network. Also, the format for username is now your network username followed by “@hcps.org”, for example, johsmith@hcps.org. See the DSS/ESS Instructions for all you can do in DSS/ESS.

For questions regarding this information, please contact Mary Folus at Mary.Folus@hcps.org or 410-588-5241.

• Goucher College HCPS Information Meeting: Goucher’s Graduate Program in Education offers a wide range of opportunities for professional development, educational advancement, and teacher preparation. Goucher College will hold an information session for their graduate cohort program with HCPS on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at the Joppatowne branch of the Harford County Public Library. Click here for details. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Kim Leonard at kleonard@exploregoucher.com.

• Spring Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Courses: The Spring 2020 CPD Course Catalog is now available. Registration for these MSDE credit courses is available via HECTOR. Register early for the best course selection. Questions should be directed to Lori Gohlinghorst at Lori.Gohlinghorst@hcps.org or x5261. Course selections include:

Engaging Students Through Novel Instruction

Teacher Leadership: Developing Skills for Success

Cooperative Education and Outdoor Initiatives

Utilizing Office365 for Educators

A heartfelt way to show your appreciation for and recognize the special teacher you know is to nominate him or her for Teacher of the Year. This holiday season, give a teacher that gift! It doesn’t cost a thing, and it doesn’t take too much time, but the small act is so very meaningful.

As a nominator, you simply write an essay of no more than two, double-spaced pages on the topic: “My candidate should be recognized as the 2020 Harford County Teacher of the Year because...” and provide an electronic copy to the teacher. The teacher then completes the online application. Nominations are accepted from parents, students, colleagues, supervisors, and community members. Don’t delay your nomination – the teacher must submit his/her application by midnight on January 2!

Visit www.hcps.org and click the 'Staff' tab on the homepage, and then 'Teacher of the Year' for more information and to access the link to submit applications thru TalentEd once nominated. Questions regarding this information should be directed to Lindsay Bilodeau in the Communications and Family Outreach Office at Lindsay.Bilodeau@hcps.org or x5213.

Thank you to those who participated in the Paraprofessional and Inclusion Helper Conference on November 4, 2019. We hope that you learned a lot and took some new skills or self-care ideas back with you to your schools.

Organizers would like to get some feedback on individual sessions and the overall conference. Please use the link here to complete a brief survey to help them continue to make this a valuable learning experience for you.

Questions should be directed to Pauline Timmons, in Special Education, at Pauline.Timmons@hcps.org or x5246.

Thank you to the 2019 Teacher of the Year Finalists for serving as guests on the Parent Academy Real Talk series. Rebecca Martinek, Paige Milanoski, Kristie Smith, Kathleen Thompson, and Dawn Zipay shared their expertise and insight on how parents can help build the bridge between school and home to support their students' success. This episode will be released on November 20, 2019, on the Parent Academy page on hcps.org and the Parent Academy Facebook page. Be sure to watch and share!

#HCPScustomerservice

Please help us welcome the following new employees to our HCPS family:

• Daniel Baldwin, inclusion helper, Edgewood Middle School
• Sharon Baltimore, paraeducator, Abingdon Elementary School
• Derrick Dass, custodian I - shift 2, Fallston Middle School
• Nadi Garcia, inclusion helper, Aberdeen High School
• Brent Kadlubowski, inclusion helper, Edgewood Middle School
• Aaron Mason, custodian I - shift 2, Bel Air Middle School
• Tammi Shiles, school nurse, Aberdeen High School
• Shannon Spence, inclusion helper, Meadowvale Elementary School

Editor: Lindsay Bilodeau, communications specialist

To submit an HCPS Shout Out or recognize a colleague in the Spotlight on Customer Service, please email the information and photo (if available) to HCPS.411@hcps.org.

Email: HCPS.411@hcps.org
Website: www.hcps.org
Location: 102 South Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, MD, USA
Phone: 410-588-5213