February 7, 2022

As part of the Superintendent’s entry plan, I have a goal of meeting with every staff member in the District who would like to meet by the end of the school year. With this in mind, you are invited to an optional one-on-one or group meeting (your choice) to discuss ten questions that will frame our future work together in the District. Those questions may be found HERE. If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, please click HERE and my assistant, Tiana Adams (tadams@lfschools.net, will follow up with you to schedule a time that is convenient. 

If you prefer not to meet but you would still like to share your answers to the questions, you may choose to download and complete the form and return it to me via email (mmontgomery@lfschools.net). Please know that this is a voluntary opportunity and is in no way mandatory. I look forward to getting better acquainted with everyone as the year progresses.

-Matt

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS …

The 2021 W2 Forms were mailed on the morning of 1/31/2022 via USPS Mail. Please watch your home mailbox for this important tax document within the next couple of days.

The W2’s have also been posted on the Employee Portal and are available for viewing as of this morning. We strongly recommend using Internet Explorer to view your W2 from the Employee Portal. 

Please note W2’s downloaded from the Employee Portal cannot be used as the original and they cannot be sent to the Federal or State governments as they are watermarked with “Reissued Statement.” They can be used as copies for meetings with accountants, bankers, college financial aid applications and e-filing.

District 67 - https://www.aliosolutions.net/ESP67

Also, please see below for a quick guide to understanding your W2. 

Understanding Your W-2

An important note to remember is if you have any deductions (TRS/THIS or IMRF, Health/Dental/Vision, Flex and/or 403b/457) your ‘true calendar year gross’ income will never be reported on your W2 because these deductions are pretax; therefore, your W2 amounts listed will be figures ‘post’ pretax deductions.

Box 1 and Box 16 = GROSS (minus) TRS/THIS or IMRF, Health/Dental, Flex Medical/Childcare, 403b/457

Box 3 and Box 5 = GROSS (minus) Health/Dental/Vision and Flex Medical/Childcare

Box 10 = Dependent Care (Flex Childcare)

Boxes 12 (a, b, c and/or d) if applicable:

• [Code DD] = The Affordable (Health) Care Act requires employers to report the cost of coverage under an employer-sponsored group health plan. The amount listed on your W2 includes both employer and employee cost for health, dental and vision. Reporting the cost of health coverage on the W-2 Form does not mean that the coverage is taxable. This reporting is for informational purposes only and will provide employees useful and comparable consumer information on the cost of their health care coverage.

• [Code C] = Life insurance over 50k

• [Code E] = 403b

• [Code G] = 457

• [Code BB] = Roth 403b

• [Code EE]  = Roth 457B

Box 14 = Items listed in this box are for informational purposes only

Please contact Kari Steinhaus, Payroll Coordinator, if you have any questions.

Mandated Trainings

REMINDER: Please go into GCN to complete the modules for your job category. Please complete these by February 25th. Contact Pete Theis at ptheis@lfschool.net if you have any problems. Here is the GCN Login Information:

Click the following link to access the tutorials: www.gcntraining.com

Organization ID: 36575          

Personal ID: 

• If you have NOT created an account with GCN, select: I have NOT yet created an account.
• If you have already created an account with GCN, select: I already have an account.

If you have forgotten your Personal ID, select: I don’t know my personal ID.

District EAP through ACI Specialty Benefits

ACI has a new member portal! Please take the time to set up your account. You can browse all of the benefits offered through ACI and request services!

I would also like to invite you for our first virtual Lunch-n-Learn! Please join Sasha Abrams from ACI to review all of the wonderful benefits we have through ACI. 

When: Wednesday, February 23rd 11:30 -11:50 (If you are unable to join I will send the recorded link in a later newsletter.

Link to Join: Click here to join the meeting

VSP Benefit

Please see below for some exciting value-added benefits that are included at no cost! You can also visit our website at vsp.com and click on “Offers” to get a full list of promotions.

Extra $20 to spend on featured frame brands like bebe®, ck Calvin Klein, Flexon®, Lacoste, Nike, Nine West, and other select frames. At no cost to you, the extra $20 is automatically applied by the VSP doctor.  

TruHearing Hearing Aid Discount Program: VSP members receive FREE access ($108 value) and savings up to 50% on state-of-the-art digital hearing aids. This program is also available to VSP members’ dependents and extended family members! 

Primary EyeCare: VSP doctors can diagnose and often treat urgent or chronic medical eye conditions, such as pink eye or eye injury. This can mean huge cost-savings over emergency rooms, urgent care centers or visits to a primary care physician.

Eyewear Protection Program: A worry-free warranty that replaces featured frames purchased from a Premier Program doctor, free of charge, within the first 12 months following purchase, if you accidentally break or damage your glasses.

Eyeconic®: VSP’s online eyewear store, which offers an improved option for members who prefer to shop online for eyewear or contact lenses. Members can apply their VSP benefits directly to their purchase for glasses, sunglasses, and contacts, with the option to have eyewear shipped directly to your home or to a VSP practice. Members can virtually try on glasses to find their perfect frame. Eyeconic offers free shipping and returns, along with price matching.

NOTICE OF INFORMAL OBSERVATION PROCEDURES

The Joint Evaluation Committee met on December 8th, 2021, to develop procedures for conducting informal observations under the new requirements regarding tenured teacher evaluation in HB0018 (Public Act 102-252). HB0018 states that a tenured teacher who receives an Excellent or Proficient rating is evaluated at least once in the 3 years following the rating; and requires implementation of an informal observation plan. The informal observation plan must occur at least once during the 2 years following the receipt of an Excellent or Proficient rating. 

The following procedures were developed by the Joint Evaluation Committee for conducting informal observations. 

1. The informal observation will be completed in Year 2 of the three-year cycle; and occur between September 16th and the end of the school year.
2. The informal observation will be mutually scheduled by the evaluator and teacher.
3. The length of the observation will be 15-30 minutes.
4. Scripted notes from the observation will be written and posted in TeachBoost. There will not be a rating given.
5. Teachers will schedule a time to meet with the evaluator to review the observation.

Teachers will receive a yearly letter by September 15th with the name of their evaluator as currently required under the Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA) contract. In addition to the name of the evaluator, teachers will receive notice (1) of their year in the cycle, and (2) whether they are being formally evaluated, informally observed, or off-cycle during that year.

Tenured staff that will be informally observed during the 2021-2022 school year will receive notice of their evaluator by February 9th.

Please contact Michelle Shinn or Diane Rener if you have any questions about the process.

Professional Development

Your D67 Academy Governance Committee has a wonderful list of spring professional development class offerings. The window of registration is open until Friday - Feb 25 at 4:00 p.m. SPRING D67 ACADEMY CATALOG

Interested in leading a D67 Academy class for June, July or August? Put your class proposal to be reviewed by the committee. Class submission

Do you have a RedCat mini speaker with a mic in your room not being used? Please return it to the library if you don’t use this on a daily basis. We have some staff hoping to use them.

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