News

HCPSS employees planning to retire under the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System within the next two to five years are invited to attend an upcoming virtual information session. Attendees will receive information about retiree healthcare and life insurance eligibility and coverage. A step-by-step action plan for completing the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS) process related to the retiree pension benefit will be reviewed.

Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
Time: 4:30-6:00p.m.
Location: https://www.employeewellnesshub.com/hcpss

Agenda:

• MSRPS Retirement Process and Forms
• Overview of Retiree Health and Life Insurance Benefits
• Q & A

Registration is required for this virtual event.  Please visit https://www.employeewellnesshub.com/hcpss and click on the tile that reads “Register for the retirement seminar here” in order to register.

Please download the attached documents in preparation for the Pre-Retirement Seminar. 

Questions?  Please email benefits@hcpss.org or call 410-313-7333.

The HCPSS Get To Know series was created to help staff learn more about system leaders in schools and offices with whom they may not typically interact. HCPSS leaders answer a mix of personal and professional questions in an effort to let all employees get to know them better. Please use this form to nominate an HCPSS leader to be featured in the series.

Why did you choose to work in education?  
To help students reach their full potential.

What is your role within HCPSS?
[One of two Directors who] supervise and support elementary schools.

What is the best professional advice you've ever received?
Treat others how you want to be treated.

What is something you like a lot that would surprise people?
Taking long walks with my goldendoodle Bentley.

What is on your bucket list?
A European vacation.

What is the most interesting place you’ve ever been?
Turks & Caicos

Reminder! HCPSS recently transitioned its application system from Frontline to Workday Recruiting. Current HCPSS employees, including temporary employees, should visit the Jobs Hub in Workday. Answers to frequently asked questions about employment with HCPSS can be found here.

HCPSS hiring managers should join the Human Resources course in Canvas to access information and training resources for Workday Recruiting. 

External applicants may view and apply for current openings via the HCPSS external career site. 

For those staff who elected to receive electronic copies of year-end tax documents, 2024 W-2s are now available in Workday. Detailed instructions on how to view/print the W-2 are available online.

For staff who elected  to receive both electronic and paper copies of tax documents, electronic W-2s will be available January 30. (This information was shared in the Opt Out Alert on Dec. 9.) Paper copies of the W-2s will be mailed via USPS and postmarked no later than Jan. 31.  

If you would like immediate access to your 2024 electronic copy sooner, please make the electronic only election in Workday. Once this selection is made, you will have access. 

New for 2025, the HCPSS Instructional Support Center (ISC) will be open each week on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. Please note, if HCPSS schools are closed due to inclement weather, the ISC also will be closed.

More information on the ISC can be found online. If you haven't yet been, come to the ISC to explore resources and create instructional support materials that will engage students.

! IMPORTANT ! It is the responsibility of each staff member to check one of the HCPSS notification sources for closing information.

In emergency situations (including inclement weather), information will be shared with the community through a number of platforms.

The HCPSS emergency notification sources are:

• HCPSS Status website
• HCPSS homepage
• HCPSS community email/text alert
• X / Twitter
• HCPSS Information Hotline (410-313-6666)

HCPSS does not use schools-out.com, e-schoolnews.com or local news stations for any notifications. Only the sources listed above should be used to confirm emergency information.

Staff who have not already done so, or who are not parents in the system are strongly encouraged to sign up for HCPSS email/text notifications. Otherwise, it is the staff member’s responsibility to check one of the above notification sources for closing information. Staff reporting details during an emergency can be found online.

Please Note: 

• Staff who are parents in the system do not need to sign up, as you already receive these notices.
• If you believe you are signed up to receive messages and are not receiving them, please do not create a new account. Email webmaster@hcpss.org with any issues.  
• If you are unsure if you have already opted in to text messaging, text the word “YES” to 67587.
• Unsubscribing from any school or district email or text will unsubscribe a user from all messaging, including emergency notifications.

To subscribe or edit your subscription:

• Staff email/text sign up
• Manage your subscription (non-HCPSS parents/guardians)

Nominations are now being accepted for the Howard County Board of Education's 2025 Friends of Education Award. The award was established by the Board of Education to recognize and show appreciation for truly exemplary support for our students and schools and to increase awareness of the importance of community involvement to the achievement of the school system’s Equity Framework.

The award recognizes individuals, businesses, non-profit groups, organizations, or associations who have made significant innovative or unique volunteer contributions.

Any Howard County resident or non-profit group, organization, association, or business located in or serving Howard County who has not been a recipient within the last 10 years may be nominated for the award.

The 2025 nomination deadline is Feb 19. Nominees and recipients will be notified by March 5, and awards are scheduled to be presented during the Board of Education meeting on April 10.

Nomination applications are available online or by contacting the Board of Education at 410-313-1584. More information on the award is available on the Board of Education website and attached below.

Reminder! Effective Jan. 6, Frontline will be replaced by Workday Recruiting as the HCPSS online application and hiring system.

Members of the HCPSS Recruitment & Hiring Team will be available for virtual drop-in sessions via Google Meet to support applicants during the transition to Workday Recruiting. Employees are invited to join sessions with questions about the application process or for assistance. Please note, sessions are public so please do not share personal or confidential information.

Please note! In the event that HCPSS offices are closed due to inclement weather, sessions would be canceled for that day. Changes to HCPSS’ operating status can be found on the district’s Status website.

• Monday, Jan. 6, 2:30-3:30 p.m. – https://meet.google.com/uni-xapc-nhb
• Tuesday, Jan. 7, 10:30-11:30 a.m. – https://meet.google.com/dty-etsr-rvf
• Wednesday, Jan. 8, 11 a.m.-noon – https://meet.google.com/sia-tzxr-vrj
• Thursday, Jan. 9, 3-4 p.m. – https://meet.google.com/wkk-qimy-ecw
• Friday, Jan. 10, 11 a.m.-noon – https://meet.google.com/fow-wvau-zby
• Monday, Jan. 13, 9-10 a.m. – https://meet.google.com/bua-vtrw-hnb
• Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1-2 p.m. – https://meet.google.com/wze-djjq-gtf
• Friday, Jan. 17, 10:30-11:30 a.m. – https://meet.google.com/mqq-kves-myj

The HCPSS Get To Know series was created to help staff learn more about system leaders in schools and offices with whom they may not typically interact. HCPSS leaders answer a mix of personal and professional questions in an effort to let all employees get to know them better. Please use this form to nominate an HCPSS leader to be featured in the series.


 

Why did you choose to work in education?
One of the first experiences I remember teaching someone something was when I was in middle school. I had a cousin come overseas from Korea to attend school here in Maryland. I met with her weekly to help her through English workbooks and practice conversational language. We giggled our way through the whole thing. My aunt said, "You're really good at this. You should be a teacher." From that point on, I took on every opportunity I could to teach. It's an awesome feeling...to teach!

What is the best professional advice you've ever received?
One of my former principals once told me, "Each day, as a leader, you may disappoint people without even knowing it. The important thing is to be able to reflect on each day and know you did something positive for a student, staff member, or family." I still think about this daily on my drive home.

What is something you like a lot that would surprise people?
Shows on the CW! My family makes fun of me because instead of watching new shows on Netflix, I will rewatch old my favorite CW series. 

What is on your bucket list?
Staying in one of those island huts on the water, where the floor is see-through and you can see sea life beneath your feet!

What is the most interesting place you’ve ever been?
The Swiss Alps. It was magical and truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. There were alphorns blowing in the background like the Ricola commercial, cuckoo clock stores, and the cutest villages!

Reminder! 

HCPSS principals and teachers are all outstanding so nominate one for the district's annual Principal of the Year and Teacher of the Year award!

All nominations are due no later than midnight, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. Submission information and full details can be found the respective nomination packets, available online.

The Teacher of the Year award honors excellence in teaching, and encourages creative and quality instruction. HCPSS selects one teacher to serve as the school system nominee for The Washington Post Teacher of the Year, and one as the nominee for Maryland Teacher of the Year. HCPSS offers additional support to those completing the nomination package. Details can be found on the Teacher of the Year Canvas page.

The Principal of the Year award seeks to recognize those principals who go beyond the day-to-day demands of their position to create an exceptional educational environment. HCPSS selects one principal as the HCPSS Principal of the year. That individual also serves as the Howard County nominee for The Washington Post Principal of the Year.