News

The Teacher Support Center will close for the summer at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 16.    
 
The Teacher Support Center will reopen with expanded hours for the start of the 2022-2023 school year:

• August 15-17, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• August 23-25, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Regular hours will begin Wednesday, August 31, with the Teacher Support Center being open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Visit the https://www.hcpss.org/employees/teacher-support-center/ for more information. Please email Brianne_Miller@hcpss.org with questions.

HCPSS paraeducators who wish to pursue a teaching certificate and subsequently teach in HCPSS schools are invited to a virtual information session with HCPSS and Towson University. The program will be held this Wednesday, May 25 at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

If you have earned close to 60 undergraduate credits, an Associate of Arts or Associate of Arts in Teaching degree, the Towson Special Education Cohort #2 undergraduate program may be for you. This degree qualifies you to teach as a special educator in elementary or middle school. 

More information is available in the Para to Teachers Pathways Canvas community.

Who: Candidates for 2022 National Board Certification scholarship application
What: Invited to attend an HCPSS virtual NBC scholarship support session
Were: Google Meet code NBCScholarshipSupport
When: Wednesday, May 25; 4:30-5:30 p.m.

During this hour, we will review the application requirements for eligible educators to receive the 2022 National Board Certification scholarship. One-on-one counseling will not be available due to volume of participants. 

Reminder! Educators should aim to complete the application prior to our first support programming event on June 1. See the Top 3 NBC Candidate Q&A document for important candidacy details. Lastly, view this National Board Certification flyer and share with your colleagues.

Explore the National Board Certification Canvas community for more information and resources.

The salary payment option update timeframe will be June 1-July 31, 2022. This annual opportunity allows 10-month employees that would like to change their current election to select either a 10- or 12-month salary option for the upcoming school year. Eligible employees will receive a Workday notification to perform the update.

Please note:

• If you wish to continue your current pay option, NO action is required.
• If you wish to change your current pay option, the salary payment option election must be completed no later than July 31. Workday will be updated with your new pay option no sooner than Aug.18, 2022.

If you are not sure of your current pay option, please follow these directions:

1. Log into Workday
2. Click on your photo in the upper right corner and select View Profile 
3. Select Job from the left menu
4. Select the Organizations tab from the top navigation
5. Your current pay option is displayed in the first line
    

Some Apple computer users are receiving the encryption certificate error below when using Chrome to access some websites, including www.hcpss.org. 

! Workaround! If you receive this error message, use Firefox to access the site or the new Dell laptop, if you recently received one. Users are encouraged to not bypass the error message, as they may become victims of a malicious attack.  

Please note, the HCPSS website certificate is up to date. The error is related to the age of the operating system and how the Chrome browser interacts with it.

For other non-HCPSS websites, using Firefox will help verify that the site is secure. If you receive the error message in Firefox, try updating the browser. If after updating Firefox you still receive the message, the site may not be secure and you are advised not to proceed.

If you have any questions, please contact Technology Support by emailing TechSupport@hcpss.org. 

Most of the new Dell school-based staff laptop replacements have been shipped to schools. While staff can keep their existing laptop until the end of the school year, staff are encouraged to begin to learn about their new computer and start the transition.

Moving your files:
Transferring your files to your new computer - transferring from Windows or Apple

Learning about Windows 10:
Getting Acquainted with Your New Computer

• Connect to your home wifi
• Set preferred programs (e.g. default web browser)
• Install printers
  • Ask you Library Media Specialist if your school has transitioned fully to Paper Cut and therefore should use the “Install a Printer through Software Center.”
  • If not fully transitioned use the “Install a Printer Using the ‘Devices and Printers’ Wizard” directions.
• Pin Common Apps to Taskbar, which is similar to the Dock on Apple computers
• Connect to a Projector
• Connect to a Monitor

Training Sessions:
Staff are invited to attend one of the virtual, synchronous support sessions.

Additional resources for the new computers can be found on the Technology Support Canvas community.

If you need technical assistance or have questions related to your assigned devices, contact Technology Support at 410.313.7004 or techsupport@hcpss.org.

! WARNING PHISHING EMAIL !

Some HCPSS employees are receiving fake invoice emails from what appears to be PayPal (see image below). If you do not recognize the invoice, please forward the original message to phishing@paypal.com and do not click any links, download any attachments or call any listed phone numbers. The email is likely fraudulent and sent by a PayPay imposter. More information regarding PayPal imposters can be found online. 

Employees are reminded to have a healthy level of suspicion when using online communication tools. Learn more about phishing attacks in the Technology Support Canvas community.

If you suspect an email to be fraudulent, do not proceed with the directions provided in the email. Other suspicious emails can be sent to abuse@hcpss.org. If assistance is still needed, contact the Technology Support at 410-313-7004.
 

Certificated staff may have recently received or will soon receive an email from EmployeeCredentialingNoReply that begins:
 
“Greetings from the Employee Credentialing Team!
 
This message is a follow-up to an email you may have received from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) last month regarding the release The Educator Application and Certification Hub (TEACH), their new certification portal, which replaced the Educator Information System (EIS).” 
 
This message is coming from HCPSS staff and references an email sent by MSDE with instructions to create a profile and log on to the Educator Application and Certification Hub (TEACH), MSDE’S new certification system. Please read the email and follow the directions in it.
 
While MSDE contacted all certificate holders directly via email to complete this task prior to TEACH going live last month, the HCPSS Employee Credentialing Team was made aware that this message was not received by all applicable staff members, which prompted the aforementioned message.  Please know that this process, including all your personal information, is securely safeguarded by MSDE and is a required component of the transition to TEACH in order for the HCPSS Employee Credentialing Team to continue to maintain and process educator certificates.
 
If they have not already done so, HCPSS employees who hold an MSDE educator certificate need to visit TEACH at https://certificationhub.msde.maryland.gov and select “Click here to Register” to facilitate the process of creating their TEACH profile. This has to be completed by Friday, May 20. MSDE is providing technical support, via email at certinfo.msde@maryland.gov, for educators needing assistance during the registration process. 

The 2022 National Board Certification Initial Candidate scholarship application is now available in Frontline for eligible teachers (Job ID 3896).

To access instructions and scholarship materials:

1. Go to https://www.applitrack.com/hcpss/onlineapp/
2. Select View Internal Positions from the middle of the page under Internal Applicants
3. Select NBCT Program
4. Read posting details and download attachment titled “HCPSS 2022 NBC Initial Candidate Scholarship Application”
5. Select the red Apply button at the top right

Note eligibility requirements for candidacy include:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Valid state professional teaching or school counseling license
• Proof of successful completion of 3 years satisfactory teaching or school counseling by July 31

Early submission is advised to engage in full support program; however, applications will be accepted through Sept. 1.

Explore the National Board Certification Canvas community for more information and resources.

The Information Technology Department is in the process of replacing many school-based staff members’ computers. Some schools will begin to receive their devices this week, and deliveries will continue through next week. The purpose of this communication is to inform impacted staff of steps they can take to transition to their new computer and inform them of how they can learn about their new device. Please note that staff can keep their current computer until the last day of school. 

Call to Action - After picking up your new laptop and a laptop bag containing a power adapter and Dell multi-functional adapter:

• Learn how to transfer your data from your old computer to your new computer (Windows or Apple)
• Get acquainted with your new computer 
• Learn about Optional virtual synchronous support sessions 

Additional resources can be found on the Technology Support Canvas community. 

 If you need technical assistance or have questions related to your assigned devices, contact Technology Support at 410-313-7004 or techsupport@hcpss.org.