This Week
EAP Webinars
Breaking the Burnout Cycle: Tuesday, 3/28 at 10 am (Zoom here)
Burnout for Leaders: Supporting Staff and Yourself: Wednesday, 3/29 at 1 pm (Zoom here)
Transgender Day of Visibility Panel
When: March 31, 2023, at 11 am-noon
Where: Zoom
Register: Visit the webpage here.
Contact: Email RAIN
Gov't-to-Gov't: Office of Indian Affairs
When:
April 3
May 8
June 5
Where: DES, 1500 Jefferson St SE, Olympia, WA 98501. Check in at front desk.
Register: Learning Center. Submit your External Training form located on the Training intranet page ($220 per person)
Contact: DES Training Information
Note: This training does NOT count for certificate renewal.
Upcoming
WA State Employee Night with the Mariners
When: 5/6, 6:40 pm
Where: T-Mobile Park
Versus: Houston Astros
Price: $32 main, $16 view
Contact: (206) 346-4504; website here
Public Service Recognition Week
Olympia: 5/10, 11 am-1pm
Spokane: 5/10, 11:30 am-1 pm
Tri-cities: 5/11, 5:30-7:30 pm
Info: Website here
Contact: OFM Planning
OSPI DEI Summit
When: 5/25, 8:30 am
Where: OSPI
Contact: Juwariyah Sou
March 31 — International Transgender Day of Visibility
Do you feel any observance was missed? Email Human Resources and let us know.
Our State Fiscal Year (FY) ends Friday, June 30, 2023. All goods and services using State FY 2023 funds must be received by our agency on or before June 30. The following are cutoff dates established by Purchasing:
Correctional Industries (CI)
- Standard orders greater than $100,000, any custom products: Feb. 28
- Standard orders under $100,000: Mar. 31
-
Fast Fulfillment: Jun. 1
IT Equipment
- Synchronous Tech: May 1
- DELL: May 5
- Items needing an exception request: May 13
- Zones: Software: Jun. 13
- Other: May 16
Office Supplies
- Office Depot: Jun. 15
- Amazon: Jun. 15
- All Other Vendors: May 31
Keep in mind, if the purchase requires additional processing, or requires a quote, additional time must be factored in.
Submit questions to Purchasing.
To Dr. Timmie Foster
Dr. Timmie Foster, our College Readiness Program Supervisor Lead, has been awarded the City of Tacoma’s 2023 City of Destiny Award for Lifetime Service! Dr. Timmie received this incredible award for her efforts over the past 30 years to ensure that Tacoma and Washington’s efforts to engage with youth, women, and communities of color are rooted in access, equity, and empowerment.
Kiara Daniels, the Tacoma City Council Member who nominated Dr. Timmie for this award, wrote in her nomination letter that Dr. Timmie “epitomizes what it means to be a hard-working, selfless, and compassionate servant leader,” and that she “continues to be inspired by her heartfelt dedication to loving others and ability to see humanity in every member of our community.”
The City of Tacoma announced Dr. Timmie as an award winner last week in a press release. Congratulations to you, Dr. Timmie!!!
Agency Intranet Calendar
Share what's happening in your department, division, or office!
Everyone is able to add items to the agency calendar on the intranet home page. See here for more information.
SEL Smartsheet
The Social Emotional Learning (SEL) team has created a Smartsheet for those at OSPI to add SEL-related topics, webinars, training, workshops, committees, etc. Use this link to request access.
Reach out to Debra Parker with any questions.
Pet of the Week
Do you have a pet who deserves the spotlight? Contact the Comm Team with a picture of your animal, along with fun facts, good stories, or any other details about them! We will spotlight them on the internal TVs!
Facts, Stories, and Musings
Email Ada Foote with comments or questions.
THIS WEEK: Clock Oddity
Roman numerals follow specific rules. Certain letters represent amounts: I is 1; V is 5; X is 10; and so on. Smaller amounts to the left of larger amounts are subtracted. For example, you would write 4 as “IV,” which is a 1 subtracted from a 5. You never need to use more than 3 of the same letter in a row.
Yet, many clock makers substitute the normal IV for "IIII." The origins of this tradition have been lost or obscured. Here are some theories.
I. Symmetry: Split down the middle, the 4 on the clock face is across from the 8. Maybe clock makers found it more balanced to mirror the VIII with a IIII instead of an IV.
II. Reading confusion: On clocks where the numbers aren’t all vertical, it could be harder to tell the IV and the upside down VI apart. If the four is visibly different, readability is improved.
III. Blasphemy: The Romans would have written Jupiter as IVPPITER. Using IV on a sundial could have been seen as disrespectful, so IIII was substituted.
IIII. Metal casting: You need specific molds to form metal symbols. If a clock maker used IIII instead of IV, then the clock face would contain even numbers of each numeral: 20 I's, 4 V's, and 4 X's. This clock maker would need only four copies from one mold of VIIIIIX. They could split the copies like this:
- VIII / IIX
- VII / II / IX
- VI / III / IX
- V / I / IIII / X
Turn the IIX and one of the IX upside down, and that is all twelve digits.
IIIII. The simple explanation: Rules, even about numbers and writing, are flexible. At some point, perhaps IIII was the standard way to write 4, and today we’re overthinking it. Sometimes a IIII is just a IIII.
Though when you begin calling noon "Hour IIIIIIIIIIII," people may start to question your methods.
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