Custodial staff at Sandburg Middle School accept the Custodial Staff of the Year award for FCPS middle schools. Pictured above (from left) are: Fredys Sorto, Delvon Jones, Issac Kofi, Mary Menshah, Reina Hernandez, Cecelia Acheampong, Lorena Alfaro, and Lawrence Wilson. Sandburg joins Herndon High School and Bucknell Elementary School as countywide winners.
✅ Open Enrollment Is Underway
Open enrollment is underway, and benefits-eligible employees can review and make changes to their benefits through Tuesday, November 19. Any benefit elections made during open enrollment will become effective January 1, 2025. Now is the time to review your medical and dental coverage, make changes to current plan offerings, and re-enroll in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for the next calendar year.
For more information about 2025 FCPS benefits, read the annual Employee Benefits Briefing and view the 2025 Benefit Premium Chart. Visit the Open Enrollment webpage for the most up-to-date information as well as links to benefits vendors’ websites, plan documents, and additional resources.
Benefits Open Houses
The Office of Benefit Services (OBS) will host open houses to discuss 2025 benefits. This is the perfect opportunity to chat with benefits vendors — including Cigna and Kaiser Permanente representatives — and OBS staff to get your questions answered. Open houses will be held:
Questions? Call your benefits plan provider or contact OBS by calling 571-423-3200 or emailing OE_2025@fcps.edu.
📣 Your Voice Matters!
Employee Engagement Survey Is Open
The Employee Engagement survey is now open! Every employee should have received an email from our independent research partner, K12 Insight (east@k12insight.com), with a unique survey link on Thursday, October 31.
Your feedback provides FCPS with valuable insights into our strengths and areas for improvement. We encourage you to take the time to complete the survey.
If you have any issues accessing or completing the survey, please contact FCPSSurveys@fcps.edu. Visit the Employee Engagement Survey page on the Employee Hub for additional information.
🎤 Employee Conversations With Dr. Reid
Employees are invited to share their thoughts with and ask questions of Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid at the following events:
Click on the date to register. You may reach out to Dr. Reid anytime by submitting a question via the superintendent’s webpage or emailing Superintendent@fcps.edu.
🍂 November Is National Family Engagement Month
This month, we are reminded that families are children’s first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers. Strong family support is vital to student well-being and success.
The FCPS Family Academy was created to ensure the continued success and well-being of each and every student within the FCPS community. The Academy offers a variety of positive and engaging learning opportunities and meaningful connections to transform the FCPS experience into a welcoming environment for all families.
The Family and School Partnerships Office (FSP) has provided suggested activities and resources for schools and families to celebrate Family Engagement Month. Email FamilyEngagement@fcps.edu to learn how FSP can support your work in strengthening family and community engagement in your school.
✨ FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Pillar B: Vibrant Home, School, and Community Partnerships, reminds us to empower families by working together in ways that sustain a safe, inclusive culture for learning.
Military Veterans Continue Life of Service by Inspiring Students in JROTC Units
At Herndon High School, two veterans remain committed to service, years after retiring from the military. Retired Coast Guard Captain Jim O’Keefe (above, right), is now the senior Naval science instructor for the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) unit at Herndon High. He has 34 years of military experience and oversees a unit of roughly 200 students. His fellow instructor Aaron Smith (above, left) was a U.S. Navy chef for 22 years.
Learn how they are using their military background to prepare graduates for success.
Honoring Our Veteran Employees
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As we approach Veterans Day on Monday, November 11, we would like to say a heartfelt “Thank you” to the many FCPS employees who are also military veterans.
Find out how a military career has helped shape Angie Brown's approach to her work at FCPS as senior manager of Warehouse Operations.
Are you a military veteran? We would love to share your story! Email us at EmployeeNews@fcps.edu to share photos and tell us what brought you to FCPS and how your military career influenced or impacted the work that you do now. Your story may be shared in a follow-up blog.
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Thinking About Retirement: HR-2s Are Now Submitted on StaffConnect
Goodbye paper forms! To initiate the retirement process, ERFC members should go to StaffConnect to electronically submit their Retirement from FCPS (HR-2) form. We encourage you to submit your HR-2 form six months before the requested retirement date.
Once your submission is approved, you’ll receive an email from ERFC outlining the next steps in the ERFC retirement process.
Visit ERFC’s Ready to Retire webpage for more details. If you have questions about your ERFC pension, call 703-426-3900, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., or email ERFCRetirement@fcps.edu.
📍 Boundary Review Community Meetings Start This Month
As a reminder, FCPS has started the process of reviewing school boundaries across the division. This important work will help the district better support our growing student population, changes in school capacity, and evolving community needs. Community input is vital to this process. With that in mind, our first set of boundary review meetings will begin in a few weeks, with a meeting scheduled in each of our six regions. We encourage participants to share their thoughts, ask questions, and learn more about the boundary review process.
Please visit FCPS' website for meeting dates, locations, and other information. Sign up to receive our School Boundary Review newsletter.
🐈 Advancing Literacy, Purr-fectly!
In the latest Weekly Reflections, Dr. Reid shared the importance of strong reading and writing skills. Jordan Vachon (center) and her fellow second grade teachers at Beech Tree Elementary School brought their students’ Benchmark unit to life last week, dressing up as the three little kittens who lost their mittens. Read more in Weekly Reflections.
🗓️ Calendar Reminder: Veterans Day
Monday, November 11, is a holiday, and schools will be closed. Only 12-month personnel will report to work. See the complete school year calendar and employee calendar.
Staff Staples
Note: Some links in this email require a connection to the FCPS network. If you have any questions, please visit the FCPS Tech Support Portal to search for self help articles or submit a ticket.
Submit an Employee News request. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Thank you!
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