October 2022 | Monthly news for and about the staff of Northwest Education Services

Community of Kindness

Dear North Ed Staff,



When is the last time you intentionally practiced being kind to someone? There is a lot of good being done in our communities, and I wonder how much of it is due to deliberate actions or simply because our communities are full of kindhearted, good-natured people who do good things without even thinking of it.

I like to think the latter is true, particularly in our schools. Still, there is an opportunity for all of us to deliberately practice kindness on Nov. 13 for World Kindness Day (or World Kindness Week from Nov. 7-13). It could be something as simple as sending a nice text message to someone, or you could volunteer locally to help a neighbor with something a little more involved.

There are a number of groups that offer resources and ideas of how we can be more benevolent, like the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and another program called the Million Acts of Kindness, which encourages kids and adults around the world to do one million acts of kindness collectively.

As we near the holiday season, charitable giving is another way to help meet the needs in our communities, with Giving Tuesday being a popular movement the past several years.

Of course, being kind and charitable should be a 365-day endeavor, and I know many of you do not restrict your care and compassion to mere days or weeks of the year. As educators, we understand how important service to others is, and I know many of you excel at modeling that behavior for our students and communities.

If you know a colleague who has gone above and beyond to serve others, please consider honoring that person through our SAILORS employee recognition system. It is a great way to publicly show our appreciation for the exceptional teammates we have.

As always, thank you for all that you do in service to others, and for your unwavering compassion and kindness.

Respectfully,

SAIL(ORS): Organizational Recognition System

Use the form linked below to nominate a colleague who has gone above and beyond in their work. That colleague will receive an email copy of your nomination. One person is selected from the pool of nominees each month to be recognized by the North Ed Board of Education. 

Danielle Berg

Teacher Assistant, Creekside School

Previous work: Teacher at Oak Ridge Academy, Texas

Education: Bay City Western; Sam Houston State University

Interests: Cooking, hunting, camping. The outdoors is her happy place.

Lynn deAraujo

Adult Education Instructor

Previous work: Teacher in Miami, FL

Education: Central Michigan University

Interests: Loves historical fiction novels. Enjoys swimming, time at the beach and traveling.

Sabrina Gunning

Payroll Manager

Previous work: Hudsonville Public Schools and Caledonia Community Schools

Interests: Loves the beach, boating, side-by-side riding, hiking and spending time with family and grandchildren.

Robyn Magee

Teacher Assistant, New Horizons

Previous work: Cordia

Education: TCAPS, Northwestern Michigan College

Interests: Family time playing sports, going to the beach and taking nature walks.

Fun Fact: Traverse City native, born and raised

Blair Misico

Teacher Consultant

Previous work: Special Education and English with Elk Rapids Public Schools

Education: Elk Rapids HS; Michigan State University

Interests: Loves family time together outdoors, camping, hiking and swimming. Enjoys reading, the arts, gardening and crafting.

Keri Puffer

Career Placement Specialist

Previous work: Employment Specialist with Michigan Rehabilitation Services

Education: Manton High School, Ferris State University

Interests: Reading, walking, and spending time with family and friends.

Beth VanDalson

School Social Worker

Previous work: Munson Medical Center

Education: Hillsdale College, University of Chicago

Interests: Gardening, hiking, swimming, walking the dog.

Fun Facts: She and her husband bought an old farmhouse during the pandemic that they are restoring and with the help of their three children, they grow their own food and raise 7 chickens, 4 barn cats and a dog.

Archie Kay

Born Oct. 23, 2022

7 lbs., 19.5" long to

Brittany Kay, Early Literacy Coach

Celebrations

Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month when we recognize the Indigenous people of the past and present. As noted by the National Park Service, it is important to understand the many distinctions among different Indigenous peoples, as many Native Nations have their own languages, geographic locations and cultural practices. North Ed has included a Land Acknowledgement Statement on the homepage of our website, but this is just one small step toward recognizing our Indigenous population. Here are a few other things you can do:

• Learn more about the people native to our part of Michigan, by visiting the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians website.
• Use these teacher resources from the Library of Congress to help discuss Native American heritage in classrooms.
• Follow @nativeamericanprideofficial on Instagram to learn more about the culture of Indigenous People.

Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a celebration on Nov. 1-2 that has roots dating back some 3,000 years to rituals honoring the dead in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. It is a Mexican holiday and widely recognized throughout the world as a time to celebrate lost relatives and loved ones. A popular symbol of the holiday is the “calavera,” or skull. Calaveras are often made as edible decorative skulls from sugar, and sometimes chocolate. Learn more about sugar skulls and Dia de los Muertos here, and if you want extra credit, check out the animated movie “Coco” available on Disney+. 

Happy Halloween

North Ed NETWORK NEWS

Learn more about North Ed programs, services, students and colleagues in all the latest newsletters linked below!

Last month's Staff Newsletter - Check it Out 10.1.22

Farm to School - October 2022

Career Tech News - Fall 2022

DATES TO REMEMBER - Summary of the 2022-23 School Year!

Be sure to get ALL the news!

Click here to view in a web browser

Open Enrollment

Open enrollment is from Nov. 1, 2022, through Nov. 30, 2022. Your new elections will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023. See below for more detailed information for SET SEG and MESSA members.

SET SEG

• On Oct. 31, 2022, SET SEG members should have received an email from noreply@employeenavigator.com to your North Ed email address. Please follow the instructions in the email to create your new online account for open enrollment.
• Please watch the video below for an overview of our medical benefits. 
• https://vimeo.com/762644319/d6f19b0b25
• Representatives from Human Resources and SET SEG will be available to meet in person for assistance with Open Enrollment on the dates and times listed below. Staff may attend a session at any location. If you are not able to attend one of the meetings below and have questions, please contact jpalfey@northwested.org in Human Resources. 

MESSA

We are hosting a meeting with Viola Collin from MESSA, Union representatives, and North Ed’s Human Resources to present an overview of benefits, medical plan rate increases and answer questions about your MESSA benefits at the time and location listed below:

• 3:30-5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022
• North Ed Conference Room 1101 Red Drive Traverse City, MI 49684

Representatives from Human Resources will be available if you need assistance with enrollments or have questions on the date below. If you cannot make this date and still need help, please reach out to Jackie Palfey with Human Resources.  

• 9-11 a.m. & 3-5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 14, 2022
• North Ed Leelanau Room, 1101 Red Drive, Traverse City, MI 49684

Snow Day Expectations

Please review the following snow day work expectations for the 2022-2023 school year.

• When snow causes TCAPS to declare a school closing, North Ed’s Special Education and Career & Technical instructional programs will also be closed.
• When North Ed is closed due to weather, Services & Evaluations staff (itinerants) who serve other districts that remain open may travel if it is safe to do so. They may report to that district and adjust calendars accordingly, and must communicate with Human Resources (Jaime Walton) and their supervisor.
• Instructional Services, Human Resources, Clerical, Technology, Business Services, Medicaid Office and Administrators who previously have been required to report to work in person, will be allowed to work remotely when North Ed programs are closed for snow days if they have the materials needed to effectively do their job remotely and they have approval from their supervisor.

All North Ed buildings will remain open on snow days for those who are required to report by the nature of their work, required by a supervisor or prefer to report to the building they service. Any questions should be directed to your supervisor.

Educator Effectiveness Data Appeals Window Open

Each year, starting on the first business day in September and ending on the first business day in December, districts may submit data appeals for inaccurate educator effectiveness ratings for any of the past five years into the Registry of Educational Personnel (REP). To support teacher re-certification, it is essential that educator evaluation and assignment information entered into the REP is accurate. This appeals window is only for the purpose of updating inaccurate effectiveness ratings data within the REP. It is not a process for contesting the outcome of an evaluation. Any data corrected during the appeals window for teachers in instructional roles will appear in MOECS immediately after being entered by the district.

$500 Referral Bonus Applies to TAs and Parapros

North Ed staff can earn a $500 bonus for successfully referring someone who joins our team as a teacher assistant or paraprofessional. Due to an ongoing need to fill vacant TA and parapro positions, this opportunity will remain in place until vacancies are filled. Simply email the name of your referral to HR Generalist Jaime Walton. If that person is hired, you will get a $500 bonus in your paycheck.

Pay Dates 

Our next pay date, Nov. 11, 2022, falls on Veterans Day, which is a Federal Reserve Bank holiday. Based on this, we will be changing the date of the next pay to Nov. 10, 2022.

Since the day after Thanksgiving is not a bank holiday, payroll will be processed as usual for the Nov. 25, 2022 pay date.

W-4 Changes for 2023 

Please note that you will need to file a new W-4 (Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate) if the filing status, dependents, other income, deductions or credits listed on your current W-4 will change for the 2023 calendar year. Your current W-4 filing status for federal and state income tax withholding are shown in the lower right side of your pay stub. 

Please contact the Northwest Education Services payroll office (Tina Martinek and Sabrina Gunning) to obtain a blank W-4 form if you wish to change your federal or state withholding status. 

North Ed employees may view their pay stubs by visiting https://www.myinfo.misd.net/ or by clicking on the "My Info Direct Deposit" link in the North Ed Bookmarks folder when logged in to the Google Chrome web browser using a work account (Gmail username). 

Did You Know? 

North Ed has a Grants Committee! The ISD receives and administers many grants that support programming throughout the region. To assist with the grants process, all grants applied for on behalf of the ISD are vetted and approved by the Grants Committee. The purpose of the Grants Committee is to review the grant's intended outcomes, budget and reporting requirements to ensure that the grant aligns with the mission, vision and values of our organization. If you would like to apply for a grant for the committee to consider, an application must be completed and sent to one of the members of the committee. Committee members are Shawn Biddle, Carol Greilick, Patrick Lamb, Matt Olson, and Linda Bielecki. After an application is submitted, the committee will meet and the grant submitter will have an opportunity to present the grant and answer any questions. This process ensures that the district can appropriately administer the grants received and support programs that are recipients. If you have any questions or would like to submit a grant request, you may reach out to any of the committee members for support.

Windows 11

Some staff and student devices were automatically updated recently to Windows 11 as part of Microsoft’s monthly updates. North Ed’s Tech Services was not planning to implement Windows 11 at this time; however, we will be doing so across our organization by 2025 when Microsoft intends to discontinue support for Windows 10.  

For those who did get the update to Windows 11, you did not lose anything and all your programs are still on your North Ed device. Windows 11 does have a slightly different interface. Below is a screenshot of the Windows 11 interface with additional information. Windows 11 users can still "Right Click" on an open app and pin it to your taskbar. If you have any issues or questions, please submit a Help Desk ticket.

1. The Windows Start menu is now moved toward the center of the screen.
2. You can search for the app you want to use. For example “Chrome”.
3. You can click on “All Apps” and this will show you all the Apps that are installed.

Affordable Internet

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a Federal Communications Commission program that helps connect families and households struggling to afford internet service. This new benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from participating providers.

Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail-in application.

Learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting www.fcc.gov/ACP, or by calling 877-384-2575. 

Vasquez Earns School Social Worker of the Year Award from MASSW

Kaly Vasquez was recognized as the School Social Worker of the Year for Region G during the Michigan Association of School Social Workers' Annual Conference on Oct. 26-28 in Ann Arbor. Region G includes 21 counties in the northern Lower Peninsula. Vasquez is shown at right with her award and below with colleagues. Help us congratulate Kaly for her outstanding service to our region!

Career Tech Donations

Career Tech maintains a pantry on campus to assist with various student needs. Below is a list of what's currently needed. Thank you in advance for your generosity in donating gently used/new clothes as well as hygiene and "easy" food items.

• Interview clothes: Blazers, ties, button-down shirts, blouses, slacks, skirts, etc.
• Shop clothes: Jeans/pants, sturdy work boots, etc.
• Winter clothes: Jackets, gloves, winter boots, etc.
• "Student" clothing: Hoodies, jeans, T-shirts, etc.
• Hygiene items (new/in package): Deodorant, toothbrush & toothpaste, soap, etc.
• Non-perishable "easy" foods: Protein bars, mac-n-cheese, cans of soup, etc.

Classified Ads

House For Rent - 2 Bedroom/1 Bath, Furnished home, Indian Trail neighborhood (near Career Tech). $1500/mo. plus utilities. Trash and water services included. Lease ASAP through May 15, 2023. Contact Garrison Reardon at reard1gp@gmail.com

Holiday Sale - Handmade Quilled Ornaments are crafted by ACE Teacher Assistant Kathy Nickols. Snowflakes are priced at $12 and Santa's and holy crosses are $14 each. For inquiries or to order please email Kathy at kathylnickols@gmail.com

North Ed staff are welcome to submit ad requests by the 25th of each month to NorthEdNews@NorthwestEd.org