October 2020
Staff eNews
Open Enrollment
Health Insurance

Health Insurance Open Enrollment for 2021 will be held through Oct. 28. If a member does not enroll during Open Enrollment, the 2020 plan option and coverage level will rollover to 2021 except for Flexible Spending Accounts and Waiver General Purpose HRA. Members MUST take action if they wish to make changes to coverage, to have a Healthcare FSA, Child and Adult Daycare FSA or the Waiver General Purpose HRA. If you have questions, please contact Janice Moore at 270-825-6100, Ext. 22409.
Delta Dental
& VSP

Open Enrollment for dependent coverage with Delta Dental and VSP will be held until Oct. 31 for a Jan. 1 effective date. Delta Dental rates have seen a slight reduction again this year. VSP will increase from $16.62/month to $17. However, VSP has added Walmart & Sam’s Club to our provider network beginning January 2021. Premium changes for Delta Dental and VSP will begin with the first payroll in December. Only employees electing to add or drop coverage or make changes need to respond. Contact Janice Moore at 270-825-6100, Ext. 22406, with ant questions.
Infinite Campus Training Opportunities
Campus Passport
Did you know that you can get role-specific, on-demand learning about a variety of Infinite Campus topics through our new Campus Passport training subscription? In order to view available courses, you will first need to create a CampusID if you do not already have an account. For more information on how to create an account, please view this document.
 
IC National Training Week: November 16-20, 2020
The district has purchased access to the largest virtual training event in the history of Infinite Campus. Along with Campus partner organizations, Infinite Campus will be providing hundreds of sessions with something for everyone including role-specific tracks for teachers, principals, front office staff, state reporting coordinators, and more! There will be sessions for all user levels from beginner to expert, unlimited staff access to live sessions and all recordings, networking opportunities, daily prize drawings, state specific sessions, and much more. Information on how to access training sessions will be provided soon.
Tax Rates Set

The Hopkins County Board of Education did not increase tax rates this year. The board set a general fund tax levy of 68.2 cents on real property and 68.2 cents on personal property. These rates remain the same as 2019.
COVID Dashboard

The district will be posting information about the number of COVID-19 confirmed active cases and students/staff who are current contacts. Numbers will be updated late afternoon each school day on the COVID-19 Dashboard.
W2 Address Reminder

Staff members are asked to check your address on your pay check stub. That is where your W2 will be mailed. If you need to make a change, contact Human Resources.
April Devine
Devine Named to KASA Committee
Pupil Personnel Director Dr. April Devine has been appointed to a two-year term on the Kentucky Association of School Administrators’ Next Generation Leading and Learning Committee. The purpose of this committee is to build knowledge and dispositions of school administrators who desire to lead districts through innovation by developing deeper learning networks, designing professional learning opportunities, creating cultures of innovation, and committing to change leadership. The committee is chaired by Travis Hamby, superintendent of the Allen County Schools.
HCEF Awards Mini Grants to Teachers
Congratulations to the following educators who have been awarded 2020 Hopkins County Education Foundation Mini Grants to use in their classrooms. A total of $13,126.99 was awarded.
  • Cristin Maxberry/Barbara Stoltz/Lisa Watkins – Grapevine Elementary, Sensory Walk, $981.46
  • Amber Barber/Heather Vance – Jesse Stuart Elementary Preschool, Preschool Beyond Walls Outdoor Learning, $500
  • Frauline Walker – James Madison Middle School, Transforming the Classroom, $500
  • Melanie Payne – James Madison Middle School, Classroom Library, $750
  • Andrea Holeman/Natalie Larkins – West Broadway Elementary Preschool, Preschool Outside the Classroom, $500
  • Heather Wagoner – James Madison Middle School, Interactive Classroom, $995.67
  • Hillary Brown/Amy Neal – Grapevine Elementary School Preschool, Extending Classroom Outdoors, $500
  • Jonna Gish/Jill Dunbar – Madisonville North Hopkins High School, Resource English Classroom Library, $1,000
  • Jackie Hollis/Karen Daugherty – West Hopkins Preschool, Preschool Beyond the Walls: Outdoor Learning, $500
  • Ashley Durbin – Jesse Stuart Elementary, Colonial America Regions Recruitment Fair, $560
  • Jackie Hollis/Karen Daugherty – Earlington Elementary Preschool, Reading Beyond School, $800
  • Alan Emerson – James Madison Middle/Madisonville North Hopkins, Yamaha Harmony Director, $1,000
  • Priscila Menjivar-Leiva – District-wide English learners, English Learner Library for Elementary, $500
  • Shannon Owen – District-wide English Learners, English Learner Library for Middle & High, $500
  • Donna Potts – Jesse Stuart Elementary, Guided Reading to Address Needs & Differentiate, $1,000
  • Dana Martin – Hanson Elementary, Distance Learning and Beyond, $750
  • Suzanne Maples – James Madison Middle, Interactive Classroom, $989.86
  • Garris Stroud – Browning Springs Middle, BreakoutEDU: Increasing Student Engagement, $800
#LionChaser/#GiantSlayer Award
South Hopkins Middle School teacher Chris Manning was presented with the #LionChaser / #GiantSlayer Award at the Hopkins County Board of Education meeting Oct. 12. During the Sept. 22 lunch period at SHMS, a student started choking on pizza. Mr. Manning responded to the situation and performed the Heimlich Maneuver on the student. The student is grateful for the help he received. Mr. Manning did a wonderful job!
Happy Feet Day - Oct. 27
The district-wide Happy Feet Day will be Tuesday, October 27. Staff can pay $5 to wear jeans and $1 to wear tennis shoes. This is a fundraiser for Happy Feet, which provides shoes to students in need.
Thankful Teacher Award
Pride Elementary School teacher Stashia Menser won $1,000 as a 1st prize winner in the Thankful Teacher Contest for Juicy Juice! She was nominated by a parent who said her class “feels like family.”
Standards of Practice Spotlight
Caring and Compassionate
 
Our Commitment: Demonstrate concern and support for the physical, social, emotional, character, and learning needs of students, staff, and parents.
Our Actions:
  • Be an active listener—seek first to understand.
  • Demonstrate caring without judgement.
  • Be observant of needs
  • Follow-up to ensure needs are met.
  • Ask “How can I help?”
 
This is such an important part of everything we do as educators, and, in this time of pandemic learning, this should be a top priority for all of us. As a member of #TeamHopkins, we should always show care and compassion toward our students, their parents/guardians, and to one another.
Rank Change Opportunities
Attention Certified Staff! Are you looking into obtaining a rank change? Check out these new options below!