Hadley “Hurricane” Harrison, a fourth grade teacher at Union Mill Elementary School, helps a student from the “Leprechaun Lookout Agency” create a trap to catch Lucky the Leprechaun.
Your Total Compensation Statement: The Value of Your Benefits
Next week, FCPS will provide each employee with a personalized and comprehensive total compensation statement. Each statement will include a chart showing your annual base salary (or pay) for the current year as well as the value of contributions made by FCPS on your behalf. Your statement will also include information on FCPS leave programs, optional FCPS benefits, and benefits available to FCPS employees at no cost.
Your annual total compensation statement will be sent securely as an email attachment to your FCPS.edu email account. You will also be able to view it in UConnect, FCPS’ employee self-service portal. (You will need your FCPS username and password to access UConnect.)
FCPS is committed to maintaining a premier workforce, providing a competitive compensation and benefits package, and sustaining a caring culture. If you have questions regarding your Total Compensation Statement, please submit a ticket through StaffConnect.
StaffConnect Options Now Include Benefits
StaffConnect has replaced HRConnection as your place to ask questions or get more information about benefits, employee wellness programs, the employee assistance program, leave, and disability benefits, among other topics. Job applicants and retirees may also use StaffConnect to request assistance.
🎤 Employee Conversations With Dr. Reid: Register Today
Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! Join one of her Employee Conversations this spring. Click on a location below to register:
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Wednesday, April 3, 6:30-8 p.m., Fairfax Villa Elementary School.
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Thursday, April 4, 6:30-8 p.m., Braddock Elementary School.
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Monday, April 8, 4:30-6 p.m., South County Middle School.
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Monday, April 15, 4:30-6 p.m., Frost Middle School.
Employee Conversations are an opportunity to share what’s on your mind and ask questions. Reach out to Dr. Reid at any time by submitting a question via the superintendent’s webpage or emailing Superintendent@fcps.edu.
👩⚕️ 2023 Flexible Spending Account Filing Deadline Is March 31
If you contributed to a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) in 2023, you have until Sunday, March 31, to submit claims for your 2023 FSA expenses. File your claims through your Optum account.
Standard rollover provisions apply. Up to $610 is permitted to roll over for your 2024 healthcare FSA. Dependent-care account funds do not roll over.
🙋 Supporting All of Our Students
High expectations require high support. In order to invest in excellence, we must be able to support our changing student population. While overall enrollment is down from pre-pandemic levels, the number of students who receive additional services has grown.
Since the 2019-20 school year, more than 9,000 additional students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, requiring greater targeted staffing at their schools. We’ve seen a 7.4% increase in students receiving special education services, and a 5.1% increase in those needing English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) support.
FCPS’ advertised budget for next school year dedicates $38.8 million in funding toward the increase in support needed for students.
We are now in the middle of the annual budget process, which includes opportunities for you to give feedback. See the Budget Calendar for details. See the Budget Documents, including the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Book, for more details on our budget.
⏰ Community Forums on Middle School Start Times
FCPS is exploring options for adjusting middle school start times and invites the public to be part of the process.
Community forums will take place in April and May. Prismatic Services, Inc., an educational consulting firm, will lead the forums. All forums will deliver the same presentation and provide the same feedback opportunities. Please attend the event that works best for your schedule:
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Monday, April 29, 6-8 p.m., Glasgow Middle School.
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Monday, May 6, 6-8 p.m., Whitman Middle School.
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Monday, May 20, 6-8 p.m., Hughes Middle School.
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Wednesday, May 22, 6-8 p.m., Frost Middle School.
Registration is not required, but it does help with planning. Click the location of the event to register. Language interpretation and childcare will be provided. Learn more about the project exploring middle school start times.
🚀 Honoring the Legacy of Katherine Johnson and Women’s History Month
March is National Women's History Month, which is a great opportunity to honor women's contributions to American history.
Katherine Johnson was a mathematician and aerospace technologist. As a NASA employee, she was well known for her calculations of orbital mechanics, which were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S.-crewed spaceflights.
In 2020, the City of Fairfax School Board voted unanimously to change the name of Lanier Middle School to Katherine Johnson Middle School. Learn more about Katherine Johnson’s legacy.
And, here's a fun fact: Johnson's niece, Valerie Johnson, worked at FCPS as a classroom teacher and mathematics specialist for 32 years! She retired in June 2023.
📝 Resume and Interviewing Workshop
Are you ready to take your career with FCPS to the next level? Attend a resume and interviewing workshop on Thursday, April 4, 5-7 p.m., at Willow Oaks Administrative Center.
Megan Vroman, Region 2 assistant superintendent; Chris Latham, Groveton Elementary School assistant principal; and Sara Royer, educational specialist for Integrated Professional Learning, will be your hosts.
Operational and instructional employees at all levels are welcome to attend. Participants will learn the do’s and don’ts of a great resume as well as how to put their best foot forward in a professional interview. Participants should bring a current resume and a job description for a position in which they are interested. Register in advance in MyPDE.
🩺 Mental Health Impacts of a Medical Diagnosis
Have you found yourself struggling with the news of a serious medical diagnosis for yourself or a loved one? Whether it is cancer, a heart attack, or a chronic condition, it’s important to have support as you adjust to the seriousness of the situation and the uncertainty about what lies ahead.
Attend the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) webinar on the Mental Health Impacts of a Medical Diagnosis webinar on Wednesday, March 20, 4:30-5:30 p.m., to gain practical tools, resources, and support to help you navigate this challenging time. Learn about coping strategies for processing the news and adjusting to life changes.
Find additional EAP events and recordings of previous webinars on the Hub. For more information, email EmployeeWellness@fcps.edu.
Community Learns About the Dangers of Fentanyl and Other Drugs
More than 200 staff, students, and community members gathered at Lake Braddock Secondary School last night for the latest Community Conversation on Fentanyl and Other Drugs. They heard moving testimony from the parents and friends of Cayden Foster, a student at Centreville High School who died from a fentanyl overdose last year. Other speakers included Dr. Reid, Fairfax County School Board Chair Karl Frisch, Fairfax County Chief of Police Kevin Davis, and Centreville High School Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Dawn Brower.
Nine county and community partners attended to share information and resources to support students and families. The Fairfax Community Service Board provided free NARCAN training to attendees. Learn more about the opioid epidemic in Fairfax County and free NARCAN training.
Safe, Supported, and Included — FCPS Family Summit 2024
The FCPS Family Summit will take place on Saturday, April 20, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at Marshall High School. The conference will cover topics that are helpful for all families, such as social-emotional resources, along with a specially curated online component to provide supports for students with disabilities and their families.
Some of the topics include raising resilient, independent children; forming meaningful connections with children; addressing big emotions; and the dangers of opioids and fentanyl. The conference is being planned by several FCPS offices in collaboration with the Fairfax Alliance of Black School Educators, Black Women’s Educational Alliance - DC Chapter, Hispanic Educators Association, and Asian Educators Association.
This year’s theme is Safe, Supported, and Included, which aligns with Goal 2 of FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan. More details will be available after spring break.
🗳️ Support Services Employees’ Advisory Council (SSEAC) Election
Each elected representative of the SSEAC will serve a two-year term, working as a liaison between management and employees, representing one of the following community-of-interest groups:
- Group 3 – Food and Nutrition Services
- Group 4 – Custodial and Plant Operations
- Group 5 – Trades/Maintenance/Security
- Group 7 – Management and Administration
- Group 8 – Educational Support
- Group 9 – School-Based Clerical
Interested employees must submit an electronic nomination petition, a candidate statement of contribution, and nomination endorsements of at least 25 members from the candidate’s specific community-of-interest group to the Office of Employee Relations by Friday, May 3.
The SSEAC Election Petition outlines the election process. Contact Sherri Burris at 571-423-3252 or Skburris@fcps.edu with questions.
🌷Calendar Reminder: Spring Break
Monday, March 25, to Friday, March 29, is spring break. Schools and school offices will be closed (only 12-month personnel report). We wish our school-based staff a happy and restful spring break!
Employee News will take a break, too. Look for the next issue on Tuesday, April 2.
🗓️ Quarter End/Teacher Workday
Friday, March 22, is the end of the third quarter. Monday, April 1, and Tuesday, April 2, are school planning and teacher workdays, respectively.
Eid al-Fitr (Half-O Day, Holiday)
In Islam, Eid-al-Fitr is a three-day festival to mark the end of Ramadan. Muslims dress in new clothes, give to charity, and pray in congregation. Eid is celebrated with the exchange of presents and delicious food with family and friends. Read more at Britannica.com.
Tuesday, April 9, is an evening observance day. There is school on this day, but important events will not be held after school. Wednesday, April 10, is an FCPS holiday; all schools and offices will be closed.
See the school year calendar or the employee calendar.
School Board Meeting Scheduled for March 21 at 7 p.m.
Staff Staples
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Submit an Employee News request. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Thank you!
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