The 3rd annual Necessity Drive takes place TOMORROW, September 18, from 4-6 p.m. at East High. Each year, individuals, businesses and organizations provide items or monetary contributions to support under-resourced families of SCS students. View a list of needed items and details on making donations online or via CASH APP here.

SCS is celebrating Latinx culture as we embrace National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 - October 16. 

Over the next month, SCS will be celebrating all of the wonderful aspects of the Latinx culture and community. The FACE, RAM and DOSA teams are partnering to present special events and activities that honor the diversity within our District, including cooking, films, dress, music, arts and more. Plus, there will be special events to highlight student voice and bring families together for learning and fun. Get all the details on Hispanic Heritage Month activities here.

If yoga classes filled up too fast for you last week, no worries. The Coordinated School Health and HR teams have more FREE outdoor fitness opportunities planned over the next several weeks. The new Fitness in the Park series at Shelby Farms is every Tuesday and Thursday through September 22 - October 29. There are a variety of classes for all fitness levels. That's not all. The next Yoga in the Park class is Saturday, October 3, at Chandler Park, with sessions at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The first 10 people to sign up get a free yoga mat.

Elevating student voice is a key focus in our continuous mission to achieve equity for all learners. Our first student voice event of the year - a panel discussion with middle and high school students, titled "When I Look Back" - will take place on September 30 at 6 p.m. Hear students talk about their views on power, privilege and oppression since March 2020. Get more info and the live zoom link here.

SCS and Methodist are partnering to provide flu shots for employees this fall. Appointments are available every Thursday and Friday, October 1 - November 25, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Family Care Center on Flicker. Flu shots are free for employees with a CIGNA health plan and $20 for employees who are not on the District's plan. Dependents can also get a flu shot for $20. View the flyer here. Call (901) 416-6079 for an appointment.

Methodist's Mobile Mammography Unit will be at the BOE October 2. Sign up now for screening appointments. 

SCS and CIGNA have teamed up with Methodist Healthcare to bring digital mammograms to you! The Methodist Mobile Unit will be performing on-site screenings October 2 at the BOE from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The minimum age to be screened is 40. There is no cost to CIGNA members if this is a regular preventive care screening and you have NOT had a mammogram in 2020. Limited appointments are available, so sign up here before they all fill up. For additional questions, send an email to benefits@scsk12.org. You can view the health and safety precautions in place for these screenings here.

The Coordinated School Health and HR teams are partnering to support breast cancer awareness and salute the brave cancer survivors who are part of the SCS family. Submissions for the Virtual Breast Cancer Survivor Wall are open now through October 9. A video montage will be created to thank SCS survivors for their courage, commitment and inspiration. Plus, all employees can take part in the "Virtual Pink Out" social media contest by decorating their virtual classrooms, offices and meeting spaces in pink and posting pics October 1-31. There's also a "Cook Pink for a Cause" social media contest that allows employees to post pics of their favorite "pink dishes" October 1-31. Get all the details for the month. #SCSTHINKPINK

The CDC reports heart disease and stroke rank number 1 and 5 respectively for top killers of Americans, and cholesterol can be a major contributor to both. This CIGNA flyer has tips for keeping your cholesterol under control.

SCS and Cigna want to support our employees’ whole health – not just physically, but also mentally. CIGNA is partnering with Stamp Out Stigma (SOS) – a national initiative to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and substance use disorders.

Did you know that one in five Americans has a mental health disorder? In addition, thousands of individuals of all ages, genders and backgrounds die by suicide every year. SCS has several programs to help: Methodist EAP offers help to all full-time employees and their eligible dependents. Call (800) 880-5658 or get more info here; CIGNA offers the Total Behavioral Health program for employees enrolled in CIGNA medical plans. Call (800) 274-7603 or get more info here. For additional info on suicide awareness and prevention, click here.

In partnership with SCS and CIGNA, employees can participate in Omada, a digital health program that equips you with everything you need to foster a healthy lifestyle. Participants get a wireless smart scale, full-time health coaching, an interactive and adaptable health program and more. Best of all, it’s all free! A simple 1-minute health screener can determine your eligibility. Invitation emails are being sent weekly to employees who have a CIGNA health plan participants. You can click here for more info too.

Based on CIGNA’s latest health data, many SCS employees covered under our health plans seek treatment for musculoskeletal (29%) or circulatory (24%) issues. Many employees have jobs that require them to sit in front of a computer for a large portion of the day. Click here for tips on avoiding the side effects of sitting still and here for September’s healthy recipe - almond crusted chicken fingers… yummy!

Bills, loan payments, unexpected expenses – finances can be a common source of stress that many of us find overwhelming. Attend a seminar  September 16 to learn how to stay healthy in spite of financial challenges. You’ll learn impacts of financial stress, how to get your family to stick to a budget and tips for stretching your dollar. Sign up here.

In order to ensure families and students have support in the new virtual learning environment, the YMCA and Shelby County Schools are partnering to provide full-day, in-person care and virtual learning support at sites throughout Shelby County. This service is provided at no cost to essential workers. Support will be provided before, after and during the virtual school day, along with meals and enrichment activities to keep kids engaged throughout the day. The virtual learning academies will run Monday - Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. SCS employees have exclusive priority to register for a select number of sites. Register now on the YMCA website.

With more people working and learning online than ever, we have to be more vigilant regarding potential cyber security threats. To enhance SCS cyber defenses, IT Security wants to highlight a common cyber attack that everyone should be aware of – Phishing. Phishing is the most common type of cyber attack that affects organizations like ours. It can take many forms, but phishing attacks all have one common goal – getting you to share sensitive information, such as login credentials, credit card information or bank account details. Although we maintain controls to help protect our networks and computers from cyber threats, we rely on you to be our first line of defense. View this memo and this tip sheet from the IT Department for more details on types of phishing attacks and how to spot them. Remember, if you receive a suspicious email or accidentally click on a phishing link, report it to IT by calling 416-2700 (option 5). 

The Non-Instructional Evaluation (NIE) season is underway, and we're kickstarting the year with our new REQUIRED certification training for central office and school-based supervisors who evaluate non-instructional staff. ALL supervisors, managers, directors, etc. must complete certification training before employees can select them as their evaluator. The training offers an in-depth look at:

Register for the virtual session in PLZ, course #23528 (9:30 - 11:30 a.m. or 2 - 4 p.m.). Participants will receive a Microsoft Teams link by 4 p.m. the day before the session. For questions, please contact Employee Performance & Support at 901-416-2475 or eps@scsk2.org.

Interested in supporting our observation process for school leaders in 2020-21? The state certification window is open through March 31, 2021, and certifications are valid until June. If you were certified last year, you should have received an email invitation to re-certify from either TEAM.Questions@tn.gov or Courtney.Rayburn@tn.gov. Opportunities are also available for first-time observer certifications. Get all the details, including registration links, here.