TSC MATTERS
Newsletter for employees of the Tippecanoe School Corporation
Golden Apple awards
Nominations are open for 2019

It's time to nominate an outstanding teacher (Grade K-12) for a Golden Apple Award. Greater Lafayette Commerce is accepting nominations through April 30.

Click here for a nomination form
Shelly Buck, Tom Rice and Katherine Tackett
Congratulations 2018 Golden Apple Award winners

  • Shelly Buck, BGM
  • Tom Rice, ETM
  • Katherine Tackett, WMS
2018 Gedalyah Engel Awards
Abi Bymaster
Stella Schafer
The Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee ​has awarded grants to two McCutcheon High School teachers to pursue aspects of Holocaust education.

Abi Bymaster will study clinical trials and bioethics and Stella Schafer​ will travel with Auschwitz survivor Eva Kor to ​Romania and Hungary.

The recipients will be honored during the annual conference April 15 at Purdue University.

Click here to learn more about the 37th Holocaust Remembrance Conference April 14-18.

Professional development opportunities
The Purdue College of Education will host a free, five-day professional development workshop this summer for teachers of literacy and social studies (grades 5-12).

Click here to learn more about Citizen Dialogue in the Digital Age.
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TSC Technology Tip
Spring break password reset
Your first line of defense when using technology is maintaining strong, secure passwords to protect your computer, your data, your students' data, and your online accounts.

All TSC employees will be required to reset their TSC Network/Google password when they return from spring break on Monday, April 2. Passwords must be reset when connected to the TSC Network. Not going to be at a TSC site on the 2nd? Simply navigate to https://tscvdi.tsc.k12.in.us/, select HTML access, then follow the prompts to reset your password.

New passwords must meet certain complexity requirements and must be unique from previously used passwords. Tips for creating strong passwords can be found here. Please do not make note of your password in a location that's accessible by others.

More information about this requirement can be referenced in this document.
School safety
See something, say something. School safety
The school shooting in Florida has prompted numerous discussions about our safety and security procedures.

TSC School Resource Officer Aaron Gilman shares information on our Standard Response Protocol.

He explains the difference between lockout and lockdown, as well as your role in how to respond.
TSC adopts 2019-20 calendar
The Tippecanoe School board approved the calendar for the 2019-20 school year. The first day of school for students is August 13 and there is one built-in snow day. The committee recommended TSC observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 20, 2020 by not being in session.

PERSONNEL MATTERS
Mike Lowrey
Wainwright principal named
Mike Lowrey is the new principal of Wainwright Middle School -- a school he once attended as a student and later taught social studies. The Tippecanoe School Board ratified Lowrey's administrative contract March 14.

Lowrey has a master's degree from Purdue and a bachelor's degree from Illinois State.

His wife, Lindsey, is a teacher at Wea Ridge Elementary. They have two children.
2018 job fair, April 7, 9 am - noon at TSC Administrative Offices
Suitcase
Separation of employment
Technology account access
Staff technology accounts are activated/inactivated based on employment status in the Human Resources Department. For employees retiring or resigning at the end of the school year, their technology accounts will be disabled after May 30, 2018. If a retiring/resigning employee is teaching summer school, their accounts will remain active until the completion of that assignment.

Employees are responsible for exporting any data they wish to keep from their TSC accounts prior to separating employment with the TSC. For staff who have opted to use Google Drive for file storage, all files can be easily exported (downloaded) using Google Takeout. Google Takeout can also export Gmail and Contacts data.

Employees are also responsible for returning any TSC-owned equipment to the appropriate contact in their building before leaving their position.
Business Matters
Contribution change for HSA accounts
Effective for calendar year 2018, the annual Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution for an individual with self-only coverage is $3,450. On March 5, the IRS reduced the previously released 2018 family contribution limit for HSAs from $6,900 to $6,850. This change is a result of the tax reform law (P.L. 115-97).
Log into Aspire

If you have a 403b annuity account, please log in to the updated Aspire website. Check out the new features and make sure your contact information is correct.

If you need assistance, click here .
Check your tax withholdings

The IRS encourages everyone to use the Withholding Calculator to perform a quick “paycheck checkup.” This is even more important this year because of recent changes to the tax law for 2018.
Saver's credit

You may be able to take a tax credit for making eligible contributions to your IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan. Learn more about retirement savings contribution credits from the IRS.
Health Matters
Medicare workshops
Health insurance adviser Bernadette Baugh with MBAH Insurance will be presenting an overview on Medicare. The presentation will be offered three times.

  • Tuesday, April 17, 1 pm, Central Office Boardroom
  • Tuesday, April 17, 4:30 pm, Wea Ridge Middle School, Room 127
  • Thursday, April 19, 6:30 pm, Battle Ground Middle School, Room 127

Please email Elaine McFadden with any questions you want addressed at the Medicare workshop.
Integrate logo, statewide school wellness
March - National Nutrition Month

National Nutrition Month is a great time to learn what foods will benefit your body the most.

Click here to learn more about the benefits of eating your veggies.
Personal coaching program

Are you ready to live healthier and feel better? Apply for NuStart’s healthy living program. It is at both the WeCare South Clinic and North clinic, as well as the NuStart Health App.

  • Get individualized support
  • Set goals for accountability
  • Customize lifestyle strategies
  • Gain life skills education
  • Find inspiration and encouragement
Movement Challenge
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Looking for a race or event? There are several coming up locally and throughout TSC. 

Click here to check out this guide to see some of the options available to you to lace up and get moving.
Congratulations to Hershey Elementary School for winning February’s challenge. The next INtegrate challenge begins in April where you will have the opportunity to help your school or team win the Golden Sneaker trophy and $100. 

Sign up for the NuStart Health app today.
TSC INtegrate employee discount guide
We are pleased to present this year’s TSC INtegrate gym and store discount guide. All TSC employees are eligible for discounts from local partners. Click here to see what discounts that you are eligible for as a TSC employee...just in time to get ready for race season.
Inspiration Matters
With Kathy Nimmer
I was trying to get children to guess the word "litter" during a guide
dog presentation in a first-grade classroom. We had just talked about
Nacho having seven brothers and sisters, so I hoped to teach these
six-year-olds this new word, if they did not know it already. After a
few fumbled guesses from the students, I gave the hint that the word
started with L. An excited gasp followed by a confident "oh oh oh"
signaled that we had a winner. When I called on him, the boy shouted,
"Them!" Not quite the L start or the word I was looking for, but I
smiled because the answer was still right. We can call it different
things, but the team we gravitate toward for community, learning, and
play matters so much, whether four-legged or two. Appreciate your
version of "them" today.
Employees Matter
Kelly Chew
Employee Name: Kelly Chew
Years with TSC: 17
Position: Technical specialist
Why is TSC a great place to work:
I enjoy working with the staff at Burnett Creek Elementary School and Harrison High School, or any school that I'm asked to cover. There's always challenging issues with technology but, there's always those issues that come up that are redundant and easily fixed which brings a sigh of relief on those days that things are a little hectic.

Deb DeLion
Employee Name: Deb DeLion
Years with TSC: 21
Position: Alternative education teacher, Elston
Why is TSC a great place to work: I have gained far more from education than I have ever given. I tell my students that people will come and go in your life, pets pass on, material things don't last, but no one can take your education from you. It's the best investment that you will ever make for yourself.
TSC Calendar

March 26-30 - No school, spring break
April 11 - Kindergarten Roundup
April 25 - Staff Recognition Night
May 29 - Last student day

Happy spring break. Dog on the beach wearing sunglasses