Dear Staff,

Welcome back! I trust this finds you hale and hearty and at least somewhat rejuvenated from the break. As you return and begin work with our students, I'm reminded of an example of how a small gesture can mean a great deal to parents. A national speaker told a crowd of superintendents about his 8th grade son with whom they had been having a typical but often unnerving parenting experience. The speaker pulled out his phone and played a 23 second voice mail left by his son's social studies teacher. In it, the teacher told the parents how he always knew "John" was going to arrive on time, do his best, and be constructive with his classmates. He figured they would want to know that. Dad told this story with a catch in his throat while also saying that the social studies teacher wasn't his son's favorite teacher. But that social studies teacher is now the parents' favorite, and the timing of the voicemail couldn't have come at a better time for them to reinforce their faith in their son and their journey as parents. I relay this to encourage you to look for those moments. That 23 second message is as easy to pass on as it is impactful for the families and students you serve. Oh, and it will make you feel good about yourself and the critical work you do!

Michael Simeck

New 2018 Mileage Rate for Business Related Travel
Beginning on January 1, 2018, the standard mileage rate for business driven miles was increased to 54.5 cents per mile from the previous 53.5 cents per mile. Please submit any approved mileage from calendar year 2017 separate from any mileage accrued in 2018 and note the appropriate rate on your request.

New to the Alio Employee Service Portal (ESP) - Mobile Phone Numbers
Any mobile number entered into an employee's master record can now be displayed in the alio ESP Employee Directory if desired.  Please see the Quick Reference Guide found under "Self-Serve Directions" in the Alio ESP's Employer Forms to see how to display this information.  If your mobile number is not showing,  the number has changed, or the number is incorrect - you may make the necessary additions or corrections by submitting a General Demographic Change Request.

Important 2017 Tax Document Reminders
Your 2017 W2 Form (Wage and Tax Statement) will be mailed via USPS on or before January 31, 2018.
 
Your 2017 1095-C Form (Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage) will be mailed via USPS on or before March 2, 2018.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) advocate that a healthy child should not be restricted from attending school because of head lice or nits (eggs) and that "no-nit" policies should be discontinued. If lice or nits are discovered at school, the child's parent will be notified and given the option to pick their child up immediately or stay until dismissal.  

When contacting a child's parent, the nurse will still stress the importance of properly treating head lice and nits prior to a child's return to school. Parents will receive a letter with instructions on treatment.

Studies have shown that control measures such as, mass screenings for nits, have not shown a significant effect on the incidence of head lice in a school community. Therefore, we are discontinuing our classwide lice checks (which were done in elementary schools).

Head lice are not viewed as a public or medical health hazard. However, we realize they evoke consternation and will continue to be handled by our nurses with care and concern.

For more information about our procedural changes, read the following guidelines or speak with your school nurse.

LICE PROTOCOL STAFF INFORMATION

PARENT INFO. LETTER RE: LICE TREATMENT

Our school office staff are amazingly accommodating to the wide variety of requests they get.  The lunch hour(s) is often the most hectic part of their school day. Therefore, teachers can do a lot to alleviate some of the demands.

When ordering food to be delivered, here are 4 options:

1. Order online and include the tip.  
2. Call in your order and make sure you ask them to add the tip.          
3. Leave cash in a clearly marked envelope with office staff in advance. Sealed envelopes should have your full name, restaurant, and amount.
4. Wait in the office for the delivery if you need cash back or to add the tip to your credit card receipt. Having the office staff call you down when it arrives creates more work and can delay the delivery person.

Sometimes office staff are put in the uncomfortable situation of being asked to sign credit cards receipts.
           
We reached out to the managers at Clucker's, Ferentino's, Jimmy John's, etc. and they all said it is not mandatory for credit cards receipts to be signed since the order is already processed.

However, it is often the only way a tip is added to the bill. Tips are the primary source of income for the drivers. Adding tips using one of the 4 options above means office staff are not put in the position of signing people's credit cards.

Some food establishments prefer a signed receipt to acknowledge that the food was in fact delivered.  In these cases, office staff can add their initials on the receipt along the side.

Date	Meeting	Location	Time
Thurs. 1.4.18	5-8 Principals Mtg.	DPMW	8:30 - 10:30
Fri. 1.5.18	K-4 Reading & Math Spec. w/MTSS	AC - A	8:00 - 10:00
Mon. 1.8.18	K-1 Data Meeting	Everett 404	8:10 - 11:10
	Instructional Tech Coach Meeting	The CUBE	10:15 - 11:45
	Related Home Arts Pul Out	Haskins - C	12:00 - 3:30
	K-4 CII Building		2:00 - 3:30
	Calendar Committee	Admin Only	4:00 - 5:00
Tues. 1.9.18	K-1 Data Meeting	Sheridan 113	8:00 - 11:00
	7/8 Science/Math Pull Out	Haskins - C	8:30 - 3:30
	CH K-1 Data Meetings	CH 158	12:00 - 3:00
	K-4 Staff Meeting	Buildings	3:00 - 4:00
	EWC Meeting	DPM	3:45 - 4:45
Weds. 1.10.18	CH Academy Balancing the Equation Book Study	Cherokee	7:20 - 7:50
	Advanced Learner Committee	AC - C	8:00 - 11:30
	Mentor 1st Years - Classroom Mgmt	AC - B	11:30 - 3:00
	EWC Meeting	Everett	3:00 - 4:00
	LFEA Exec. Meeting	DPM	3:50 - 4:50
Thurs. 1.11.18	EWC Meeting	Cherokee	7:10 - 7:50
	4th Grade Pull Out	AC - C	8:00 - 3:30
	EWC Meeting	Sheridan	3:00 - 4:00
	Academy Small Groups Big Ideas	AC - B	3:45 - 4:45
	World Language Meeting	DPM - DB 113	3:45 - 4:45
Fri. 1.12.18	3rd Grade Pull Out	AC - C	8:00 - 3:00
	Education Committee	AC - A	8:30 - 10:30
Tues. 1.16.18	Kindergarten Pull Out	AC - C	8:00 - 3:00
	Math Committee	The CUBE	3:45 - 5:00
Weds. 1.17.18	1st Grade Pull Out	AC - C	8:00 - 3:00
	Speech/Lang. Path	AC - B	2:00 - 3:30
	DSS/Inclusion	AC - B	4:00 - 5:00
	Science Committee	AC - C	4:00 - 5:00
Thurs. 1.18.18	2nd Grade Pull Out	AC - C	8:00 - 3:00
	Policy Committee Meeting	AC - A	7:30 - 9:30
	SEL Scaling Committee	AC - Admin	8:30 - 3:00
	Academy - Digital Texts in Reading	DPM - DC109	3:40 - 4:40
Mon. 1.22.18	K-1 iPad Pull Out	Everett 404	8:00 - 11:00
	ELA Committee	DPM-The CUBE	3:45 - 5:00
	Academy - Teach w/Your Strengths	AC - B	4:00 - 5:00
Tues. 1.23.18	CCC	AC - C	4:00 - 5:30
Weds. 1.24.18	5/6 Math/Science Pull Out	DC 321	8:30 - 3:30
	Mentoring 2nd Year	AC - B	11:30 - 3:00
	Advanced Learners Committee	AC - B	4:00 - 5:00
Thurs. 1.25.18	CH Balancing the Equation Book Study	Cherokee	7:20 - 7:50
	CHAMPS	AC - BR	8:00 - 11:00
Fri. 1.26.18	MTSS Coordinator Meeting	Cherokee 158	8:30 - 9:30
	Psychologist Meeting	Cherokee 158	9:30 - 10:30

Visit the Staff Portal to view the newsletter archive!