In this Edition*
- Message from Dr. Nick Ceglarek
- New Employees
- Staff Recognition Spotlight
- Rebrand Project Updates
- Program renaming exploration
- Brand updates and resources
- Tech Matters
- Bye-bye T:Drive, hello NorthEd!
- Multi-factor Authentication
- So long TBAISD Portal
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HR Updates
- MI Vacc to Normal Staff Guidance
- Summer Schedule Timeline
- Birthdays, Stork News, Board Meetings and More!
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*If you read our Check it Out staff newsletter from your Gmail inbox, you might miss some important news! To see it all, click "view in web browser" at the top of the email or "view entire message" at the bottom of the email.
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Dear Staff,
We are almost there. This year has been unlike any other and we continue to be amazed by your dedication and flexibility. The uncertainty and changing landscape have been challenging but you have risen to the occasion. Words cannot express our sincere gratitude for what you have done this year.
To put this in perspective, I would like to share with you a recent conversation with a colleague. Last week, I was able to attend an in-person, socially distanced meeting in Lansing -- the first in more than 12 months -- to discuss K-12 school funding. Brimming with excitement, my colleague shared that her daughter, who is a senior at Ann Arbor Public Schools, was attending her first in-person class in over a year. Even though she will only have six in-person learning days this past school year, she was thankful her daughter was given the opportunity.
As we have said before, we believe that because of your heroic actions we have given our families a gift of one full year of in-person instruction. Was it perfect? No. Was there uncertainty and confusion at times? Yes. But we, you, did it! As we finish this year, please help us celebrate our students and staff for their amazing accomplishments. Below are our end-of-year celebrations:
June 4 - Life Skills Graduation at 10:00 a.m.
June 4 - ACE Exit Ceremony at 12:30 p.m.
June 7 - Career-Tech Center Prerecorded Online Awards Presentation
Also, we recognize the best path to a normal summer and 2021-22 school year is through vaccinations. Thank you to Ryan Jarvi, our director of communications, for coordinating with our trusted health professionals to hold informational webinars dispelling the myths around vaccinations. With the recent approval allowing the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to 12-year-olds and up, it will be critically important to get the message out to all who might have questions. Remember, if an individual is vaccinated, they need not quarantine if they are a close contact.
Thank you for finishing strong and for all you do to support the students, families and schools within our community. I look forward to visiting programs before the end of the school year and celebrating with you the many milestones accomplished for students you serve. You Rock!
Respectfully,
Dr. Nick Ceglarek
Superintendent
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Marisa Hbral
Nutrition Facilitator
Previous work: Gleaners Community Food Bank, Cooking Matters Coordinator
Education: EisB.A. McDaniel College, Maryland Plant-based nutrition certification
Interests: Reading, writing, weight lifting, yoga, cooking, gardening, rock climbing, biking and swimming - anything active!
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Jaime Lohr
LSC Teacher Assistant
Previous work: Munson Healthcare behavioral health counselor
Education: Eisenhower High School, Saginaw Valley State University
Interests: Exercise, swimming, running, family time and dog walking
Fun Fact: Proud father of an all-state runner and three stepdaughters who all live in New York City
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Jonathan Patterson
Teacher Assistant
Education: Central High School, Grand Valley State University
Interests: Theater, travel, running, baking, and architectural design.
Fun Fact: Appeared on a network TV show
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SAIL(ORS) on Deck
The SAIL Organizational Recognition System (ORS), developed by a very creative strategic plan team, provides a new way for all staff to recognize the exemplary work of their colleagues any time during the school year. The system generates SAIL(ORS) on Deck where each month, one person selected from the system will be highlighted in the Check It Out newsletter and, with the individual's permission, recognized during the next Board of Education meeting. In April, the system generated 62 submissions supporting the values of the Northwest Education Services' mission and vision.
- 26 different staff recognized others
- 53 different staff were recognized by peers
- All 9 SAIL values were recognized
In May, Early Literacy Coach Brittany Kay was honored for her strengths in Listening and Excellence as she consistently sets an example which inspires and encourages others.
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Brittany with Literacy Team members Carrie Vanlandschoot & Ashley Troy |
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Recognize a staff member today!
Take the opportunity today, tomorrow, next week, or next month to lift up and recognize the work of your colleagues through SAIL(ORS). This easy to access tool is active 24/7 and allows staff to send positive feedback to each other in real time! Click HERE to recognize a fellow employee through the SAIL(ORS) form.
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May - June
- Technology operations transition network/system/domain name changes through early July
- Nielsen Design Group creative design work continues through June
- Communication department initiates production as materials are approved
- Internal documents/forms updates begin in June
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Have Questions?
Contact the Communications Department
Director of Communications
Communications Specialist
Communications Assistant
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Coming up!
Progress continues to be made with the rollout of our new Northwest Education Services brand identity. Over the past month we have provided guidelines to update employee email signatures with new standard formatting and posted interim letterhead for use by each department in official communication.
As we move forward, rebrand updates and resources will continue to be outlined on the North Ed Brand webpage found on the staff intranet, and we encourage you to check that site frequently for helpful tips and information as we move closer to the full brand launch at the start of the 2021-22 school year. The rebranding team has been hard at work reviewing department and program naming structure in an effort to create clarity and common understanding of our organization for internal stakeholders as well as for our community. We have engaged many staff members in this renaming exploration and look forward to sharing the results that will positively impact Oak Park, Traverse Heights, New Campus, Transition Central, and some career and technical education programs. These name changes will be communicated to staff and local district partners in a timely manner following leadership, board, and state approval. Because these types of changes align with student enrollment within LEA and state data systems, many of the new program names will not be publicly used until late fall 2021 with full transition in all technical aspects to be completed in the coming months and ready for the 2022-23 school year. Hence, we must be patient and allow the system and all partner agencies to officially integrate these changes internally before we present them community-wide.
All of this work will continue to be updated on the North Ed Rebrand web page throughout the summer months and we hope that your curiosity will lead you to check in frequently to learn about the progress that is made over time. We look forward to celebrating each transition with you along the way!
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Talk is cheap,
but communication is key.
Help us improve!
Hate our newsletter? Do you cringe whenever you get another email? Would you rather find important information in Google Docs or our Staff Intranet? Do you even know what our Staff Intranet is?!
We’re looking to improve our communications structure here at Northwest Education Services (formerly TBAISD) and we need your help to do it. Communication is a critical function of any organization and your input will help us fix what’s broken, and keep what works.
Later this week, a survey will be sent to your work Gmail (sorry – don’t cringe!). It should take about 10 minutes to complete, and all participants will remain anonymous.
We appreciate your honest feedback as we look to find the best way we can communicate with you!
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Join the May Challenge
Walking & Movement Challenge!
It's not too late. This month the goal is to get active and track your minutes on this Activity Log now through May 23. Staff and students are encouraged to participate. There will be great prizes for the participants with the most minutes!
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MI Vacc to Normal Guidance for Staff
There have been several exciting developments in Michigan in relation to the MI Vacc to Normal Plan and from the updated CDC guidance regarding masks. Northwest Education Services (formerly TBAISD) will continue to follow our board-approved COVID-19 Response and Preparedness Plan through June 30, 2021. Our plan will continue to require the use of masks for adults and students in the school setting as well as adherence to all of the mitigation strategies in place. Continued use of our safety protocols and entry protocols are expected.
As a service agency, Northwest Education Services continues to offer and operate all of its services in-person. For any employee who continues to access an alternative work location, please check in with your supervisor to determine if this remains acceptable at this time. Please note, barring any additional orders or required policies, it is expected ALL staff normally scheduled to work summer hours will return to their Northwest Education Services assigned office space July 1, 2021 upon the expiration of our COVID-19 Response and Preparedness Plan.
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Year-End Schedule: HR Calendar of Dates
Last day of School
Paraprofessionals: June 3, 2021
Teacher Assistants: June 11, 2021
Professional Staff: June 14, 2021
Summer Hours run from June 15, 2021-- August 31, 2021
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Important System and Network Notifications
Bye-bye T:Drive, hello NorthEd!
Our internal network, commonly known as the “T: Drive,” will be renamed Thursday, May 20 to reflect our new name. You can call it “NorthEd.” Don’t worry – all your files will still be in our network, but the change will establish new file paths for network subfolders and documents, so any links you have in document A that direct you to document B, for example, will be disconnected. Unfortunately, there’s no way around manually re-establishing those connections – that is, if the document is still needed (think: spring cleaning). Here’s what you need to know! [LINK to Staff Intranet Tech News]
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Improving Email Security
Northwest Education Services employees will need to complete a multifactor authentication process for their work Gmail accounts by June 6. Setting up multifactor authentication for your work Gmail account provides an extra level of security for email and can be set up in just a few minutes. All you need is a phone number or an alternate email that you can access. Once you set up the authentication process, you’ll occasionally be asked to verify your identity to Gmail by entering the passcode that was sent to your alternate email or preferred phone number. That’s it!
Setting up multifactor authentication is easy and quick – and you’ll be required to do it, so you might as well get a jump start! Here's more information. [Link to Staff Intranet Tech News]
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Hello @NorthwestEd.org, so long TBAISD Portal
On June 21, Northwest Education Services employees will have to use @NorthwestEd.org when they log in to their emails. Our emails and website are set to transition to a new domain, which will also require us to update our email signatures to the final version. That version is being finalized, and more information will be posted to our Staff Intranet.
We will also be discontinuing the TBAISD Portal and shifting use of that technology to the Google App Picker (the nine dots that appear next to your Google Account icon when logged in, also called the “waffle”). You’ll have access to all the same applications that were available in the Portal just in a more convenient place. Learn more about the switch here. [LINK to Staff Intranet Tech News]
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Wade Brooks Schmalzried
Born April 27, 2021
8 lbs. 6 oz., 18-3/4" long to
Chelsea Schmalzried, Physical Therapist
Lennon Ryan Wurtz
Born May 5, 2021
7 lbs. 7 oz., 19" long to
Brooke Wurtz, Speech Pathologist
Isla June Harper
Born May 10, 2021
6 lbs. 3 oz., 19-1/2" long to
Taylor & Joe Harper, Secretary & TA, Oak Park
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Hey YOU.... yes, you....Get All the News!
If you read our Check it Out staff newsletter from your Gmail inbox, you might miss some important news! To see it all, click "view entire message" at the bottom of the email or "view in web browser" at the top of the email.
Also, this newsletter might appear in your "promotions" inbox rather than your "primary" inbox. Learn how to fix this in Tech Tips further down in this newsletter.
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Play Ball!
Join the Dream Team crew! Players, coaches and volunteers needed to support this year's co-ed baseball league for youth and teens ages 8-21 with disabilities. Register today!
Game Dates: May 22, 29, and June 5. All games are at the Civic Center in Traverse City from 10:00 a.m. to noon. All volunteers will receive orientation as well as a review of the COVID-19 safety guidelines. Any questions can be directed to Dayna Ryan at daynaryan@sbcglobal.net
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Town Hall Event
In collaboration with our local districts, health departments and medical providers, we are hosting a webinar featuring area physicians and pediatricians at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 18.
Please consider joining us for this school community-focused event. You can choose how you'd like to learn more about vaccination:
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Assistive Technology resources:
For more information about assistive technology support, please reach out to the Assistive Technology Department:
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Farm to School Newsletter
For more information about Farm to School please reach out to our Northwest Education Services Farm to School Coordinator Elena Mosher emosher@tbaisd.org
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Birthday Spotlight
See who celebrates a JUNE birthday!
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TBAISD Quick Links
General Resources:
COVID-19 Resources:
Communication Links:
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Northwest Education Services | 1101 Red Drive, Traverse City, Michigan | 231.922.6200
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