Several members of Cunningham Park ES' front office staff gathered during Administrative Professionals Week. (Photo: Katie Le, Cunningham Park ES)
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Adopts FY 2019 Budget; School Board Chair Jane Strauss Issues Statement
At its meeting today, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BOS) adopted its FY 2019 $4.29 billion General Fund budget which becomes effective July 1. Included in the county's FY 2019 budget will be the full funding of Fairfax County Public School's FY 2019 budget request. School Board Chair Jane Strauss released a statement thanking the BOS for their efforts. Read her message.
Deputy Superintendent Steve Lockard Named Superintendent of Carroll County Public Schools
Last Thursday, Superintendent Brabrand announced that Deputy Superintendent
Steve Lockard has officially been named the superintendent of schools for
Carroll County, Maryland. This role is a lifelong pursuit of Dr. Lockard's,
with strong personal and professional ties. He grew up in Carroll County, and
his father, Brian Lockard, served as superintendent of the school district as
well. Superintendent Brabrand thanked Dr. Lockard for his "incredible service to Fairfax County
Public Schools over the past four years" and for his personal support while Dr. Brabrand transitioned to his role as FCPS' superintendent. Good luck, Dr. Lockard!
As Superintendent Brabrand mentioned last week, results from the 2018
Employee Engagement Survey are now available for your individual school,
department, or office.
In total, 21,203 employees
took the survey—a 75 percent response rate! The survey asked for feedback in
six areas: division leadership, mission and vision, school or office
leadership, feedback and recognition, work environment, and career growth and
training opportunities. Employee feedback will inform division and school
improvement planning to ensure every employee feels supported and valued. Please visit the intranet to access
survey results.
Photo of the Week
Picture This: It's a beautiful spring day. Dozens of employees are standing around, waiting patiently on the ground level of a Willow Oaks office building. Their phones are ready for the perfect shot. But what's the target? Puppies! When four absolutely adorable pups arrived, squeals of joy (from the humans) echoed throughout the lobby. Michael Sanchez (above, right), a functional applications specialist for the Chief Academic Office, was fur-tunate enough to hold one. The Puppy Therapy session was organized by Willow Oaks building management, KBS. And by the way, the puppies were definitely worth the wait!
Employees who are currently paid September through June will be paid August through June, effective July 1.* If you are currently paid August through June, you will be paid July through June, effective July 1.** For details on how this will impact you, please visit the Payroll Office’s webpage. Email questions to Payroll.Help@fcps.edu.
* 180-day personnel will not have a change.
**209-day personnel will not have a change.
Nominations for individual Excellence Awards close
soon! Excellence Awards celebrate teams or individuals who exceed expectations
in supporting the initiatives of FCPS' strategic plan. Each winner will
receive a $1,000 cash award and a certificate from the division superintendent to be presented at a ceremony in the fall. Nominations close on Friday, May 11; this is the
date that packets must be at the region and department assistant superintendent’s
offices for signature and submission. Get the details on award
eligibility and the nomination process.
As a product of the Mount Vernon Pyramid, having attended Riverside ES, Whitman MS, and Mount Vernon HS, Matthew Johnson has come full circle as an assistant principal at Whitman MS. Matthew graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor's in history and secondary education. Afterward, he studied school counseling at Georgia State University and spent time studying in Brazil (where he met his wife). Matthew graduated from Georgia State with a master's in school counseling as well as an educational specialist degree in school counseling. He returned to Brazil after graduating and taught school in impoverished areas.
Matthew joined Mount Vernon HS as a school counselor in 2012. After three years, he moved to the Department of Special Services to become a school counseling specialist. He joined Whitman MS as an assistant principal in 2017. Matthew is truly committed to building relationships with the students. They literally gravitate toward him; eager to share successes and struggles. Matthew says, “In middle school, I only have two years to make an impact. I try to set [students] up for success, realizing that I’m not going to see them bloom, but hopefully one day in high school, they will put two and two together.”
He adds, “My parents were my guiding force growing up. I made mistakes, but they kept me on course. [...] A lot of our students in Title 1 schools don’t have that.” Recently, two of Matthew’s former Mount Vernon HS students came back to visit him. They told him that no one else believed in them, and now they are experiencing success at college, attributing that success to Matthew. “Knowing you can be that person, and I firmly believe that we can be, is rewarding.”
Matthew truly represents the very best of #OurFCPS. Watch him in action!
Get Your $100 Before Summer Break!
You are still eligible for your $100 wellness incentive! Employees participating in an FCPS health plan as the primary cardholder may earn a $100 wellness incentive when they complete their online health assessment (HA) by September 30. The HA is an online questionnaire related to your general health and well-being that takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. It is confidential–only you and your health plan will receive the individual information. In compliance with state and federal privacy laws, your information is never shared with FCPS. Visit the Employee Wellness website or email questions to HRWellness@fcps.edu.
Applications
for the 2018-19 Administrator Development Cohort are being accepted through June
28 at noon. This Academy Course (60 points/2 Academy credits–45
hours in a classroom and 15 hours of work outside the classroom) is an
opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills around the seven FCPS leadership
standards. Participants will engage in learning from guest speakers,
professional reading and dialogue, school-based learning experiences, and a
culminating leadership project. This cohort is for those who are interested in
school-based leadership. You must have three years teaching experience and
administrative certification to participate in the course. View the application process and draft course schedule. Please contact Baek Chong, bochong@fcps.edu, with questions.
Master’s
Degree Programs with George Mason University
George Mason
University (GMU) representatives will be presenting opportunities to join cohorts
starting Summer 2018. There are opportunities to join the Transformative
Teaching-M.Ed. concentration or one of the cohorts in Advanced Studies in Teaching
and Learning (ASTL). Through our
partnership with GMU, all teachers accessing one of the select degree programs
at GMU will be eligible for a 25 percent discount off of the advertised tuition rate! Additionally,
information on programs for Fall 2018 will also be available. Please register
in MyPLT. Contact
Tuition Benefits for more information at tuitionbenefits@fcps.edu or
571-423-1344.
Congratulations to Patricia Worrall, administrative assistant III for the Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement at Willow Oaks. Patricia is the newly elected SSEAC Group 2–Central Office Clerical/Technical representative. The 2018-20 SSEAC representatives are: Group 5–Trades/Maintenance/Security, Kevin Gough; Group 6–Finance Support and Supply Operations, Dani Sayre; and, Group 9–School-Based Clerical, Karen Bryan. Get information on all of the Superintendent’s Support Employee Advisory Councils.
Mental Health Support for
You and Your Family
May is Mental Health
Awareness Month. Please remember to take time for yourself and check in with
others by reviewing and sharing the available resources for employees and their
household members through FCPS' work-life benefit, Guidance Resources. For more information and
support, contact Guidance Resources anytime toll-free at 855-355-9097 or log on
to your Guidance Resources Online (GRO) account. New users
will need to register with organization web ID “FCPS."
Staff Staples
Note: Intranet access is required to open some of the links in this email. If you're using a mobile device or working remotely, you can connect to the intranet via the Pulse Secure VPN (Virtual Private Network). Email RequestIT@fcps.edu with questions.
Employee News is sent to all FCPS employees every Tuesday. Please email EmployeeNews@fcps.edu with potential submissions or questions. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Thank you!
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