News

Staff should be aware there is the potential for meaningful emails to be directed to staff members’ junk folders.  

Because email providers and their users are inundated with unsolicited email, providers use various strategies to try to help their users focus on the email that are important to them, and to block or sort malicious and/or unwanted correspondences. One effective strategy is an automation that sorts messages that have a high likelihood of being spam into a Junk or Spam folder.  At times, this automation may lead to meaningful emails to be directed to a junk folder. 

Recommendations: 

• Check your Junk mail folder regularly.
• Teach your account which emails are junk and which are relevant. Over time the algorithm used will be more in tune with your wishes. 

Please contact HCPSS Technology Support at techsupport@hcpss.org if you require technical assistance.

Staff emailing external recipients should be on the lookout for bounce back messages and seek alternative means of communications and/or try again later if bounce back messages are received. 

Staff are seeing an increased number of bounce back messages when emailing some external addresses that say “Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups: <email address>...Your message couldn't be delivered. Despite repeated attempts to contact the recipient's email system it didn't respond.”  Reports have shown that some yahoo.com and aol.com addresses have been impacted and there may be others. Microsoft has confirmed that a third-party anti-spam service is blocking a portion of Microsoft’s servers to protect organizations that use their services. Microsoft is working with the anti-spam service to rectify the issue. 

Please email HCPSS Technology Support at techsupport@hcpss.org if you require technical assistance. 

Workday will be updated on Sunday, March 10, after which, when you log into Workday, you will notice that the Benefits application and Pay application have been replaced with a new unified application called Benefits & Pay. The Benefits and Pay Hub (application) provides a single location for employees to conveniently review and maintain their benefits, compensation, payroll information, as well as access related reports. 

For additional information on how to perform tasks within each area, refer to reference guides located in the Workday Community Canvas course.

Applications are now open for Bright Minds Foundation classroom grants for HCPSS teachers and school-based staff interested in delivering educational projects focused on improving student achievement, engagement, and well-being during the 2024-2025 school year. Classroom grants will fund innovative instructional projects that serve to support student success, enrich teaching practices, strengthen school communities, and pilot important classroom projects. Grants will be awarded in amounts ranging from $500-$2,000 for projects and programs to be completed during the 2024-2025 school year.

Bright Minds grants are made possible with support from the Kahlert Foundation, Sheehy Toyota of Laurel, Educational Systems Federal Credit Union, Howard County Government, and others. A special partnership this year with Blossoms of Hope will support projects focused on improving student mental health and well-being.

Apply online by Sunday, April 7  

Email Bright Minds at grants@brightmindsfoundation.org with questions or issues accessing the application. Staff also may contact the HCPSS Grants Office at 410-313-2518 or by emailing Annette_Bartlett@hcpss.org.

All current permanent HCPSS staff members who are parents or legal guardians of graduating seniors may present the diploma to their children at their commencement ceremony. Parents who wish to present the diplomas must notify the graduation coordinator at their child’s school by April 12, 2024.

Staff should be aware that beginning Wednesday, Feb. 21, parents/guardians may select to receive automated weekly emails summarizing their student's HCPSS Chromebook internet usage. Once selected, weekly emails are sent each Sunday to provide an overview of their student's internet usage. The same email contains an option to sign up for the Lightspeed Parent Portal, which provides near real-time information on their student's HCPSS Chromebook internet activity, and other features such as the ability to pause web browsing and block social media sites when not on the HCPSS network. Information about the new Lightspeed Parent Portal will be communicated to families tomorrow, Feb. 21 via the HCPSS News weekly email. Staff can learn more about the new Lightspeed Parent Portal online.

Reminder! Teachers can use Lightspeed, during specified timeframes, to control how a student uses their HCPSS-issued Chromebook, including viewing student screens, sharing resources, locking devices, reviewing class activity, and restricting non-instructional sites. A teacher may find this tool useful to:

• Quickly share web pages with the whole class, including links to frequently used applications like Wixie, Google Slides, Canvas, Actively Learn, and others
• Share an independent digital activity for students to complete while the teacher is working with a small group. 
• Block non-instructional sites during students' independent work time to help ensure they stay on task and are not distracted by other web pages or games sites.  
• Check-in on students when conducting independent research on their device. 

Staff members who wish to use the tool must complete the required Classroom Management professional learning module to be informed about compliance with data privacy for all students. 

Per Article 15.E. of the HCPSS/HCEA Master Agreement, "Any unit member who retires or resigns effective July 1 of any year and who files the necessary documents committing to such intent no later than March 1 of that year will receive termination pay in the amount of $750."

As such, certificated instructional staff (teachers, counselors, etc.) should complete the Intent to Retire form by March 1 in order to receive the additional pay of $750 upon their retirement.

The HCPSS Intent to Retire form can be found on the Staff Hub > Services > Employee Resources > Retirement and requires Active Directory login.

Please note! This notification bonus is for certificated staff only and does not apply to non-certificated staff (paraeducators, secretaries, student assistants, custodians, etc.), or supervisory staff (principals, assistant principals, directors, coordinators, etc.).

Using your work email for personal activities can increase the likelihood of spam and junk emails in your inbox. Here's why:

1. List Sharing: Your email may be shared with third-party marketers, leading to more promotional emails and spam.
2. Data Breaches: Using work email for personal accounts increases the risk of phishing attempts.

To keep our email system secure, please avoid using your work email for personal activities. If you've already done so, consider updating your subscriptions with a personal email.

A new resource: Captain Awareness: Foil Phishing, has been added to your KnowBe4 library. The resource can be accessed by navigating to the Staff Hub > Services > KnowBe4 Cybersecurity Resources > Library.

Please contact HCPSS Technology Support at techsupport@hcpss.org if you require technical assistance.

Effective immediately, due to increased costs and demand for printing needs, all staff are asked to restrict color printing to only instructional items that require it. If you request color copies via Prisma web-to-print, please include justification for color copies in the remarks/notes field. 

Print Services also will monitor color printing on MFDs and desktop printers. The option for color printing on these devices may be disabled if costs continue to rise.

Please contact Print Services at 410-313-7002 or via email at print_services@hcpss.org with any questions.

The IRS 1095-C Form provides information regarding any employer-provided health insurance coverage. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers to mail a 1095-C Form to employees who were eligible to enroll in HCPSS health insurance plans. 

Employees will receive their 1095-C form by the current Federal due date of March 1, 2024. You will not be required to submit your 1095-C Form when you file your 2023 tax return.

HCPSS’s health insurance provides minimum essential coverage and is considered affordable under ACA requirements.

If you have any questions, please email benefits@hcpss.org