Important Information:
Staff Update: 1/19/23
Dates to Know:
Board Meeting 2/7/23 (not our usual second Tuesday of the month)
Staff Development: 2/17/23
Schools and Offices Closed: 2/20/23
Thinking of Retiring?
If you are planning to retire within the next 2 years, please attend the Pre-Retirement Planning Zoom Meeting on Wednesday, February 15 at 4 pm. Employees can register for this workshop on DSC at 107729. Be sure to have your Annual Pension Statement available for this meeting. If you need assistance accessing this information, please contact Darcel Porter, HR Secretary at Darcel.Porter@colonial.k12.de.us. Register for this workshop prior to Feb 12th,, the HR team will conduct preliminary research for each participant prior to the workshop.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://colonial-k12-de-us.zoom.us/j/96987844589?pwd=QXB6aldqcFI4dlpLeTF4Z05VaE9tUT09
Meeting ID: 969 8784 4589
Passcode: 722688
Please remember that employees should provide at least 4 months’ notice. Due to changes in Federal Guidelines, employees/spouses who are 65 or older, are strongly encouraged to provide 6 months’ notice.
MERU HEALTH – Online Mental Care
Employees who are enrolled in one of the State of Delaware healthcare plans now have access, at no cost, to Meru Health, an online mental healthcare provider that takes a holistic approach, combining behavioral science, technology, and human support to meet your mental health needs. Meru Health is a 12-week, app-based therapy program proven to help participants learn how to effectively reduce anxiety, depression, and burnout, all through the convenience of your smartphone.
Members (employees who are enrolled in one of the State of Delaware’s healthcare plans) are able to participate in the program through a self-referral or a provider referral. Once enrolled, participants will take a self-assessment on the Meru Health app and schedule a video call with one of Meru Health’s therapists to develop a personalized treatment plan based on their unique needs and goals. The 12-week program has a different theme each week, and as participants progress from week-to-week, new activities are unlocked, such as educational videos, tools, and practices to help throughout the journey. Meru Health also supplies each member a wearable device to help with biofeedback practices, such as breathing exercises. Participants have access to their assigned therapist as well as a peer support group with individuals on the same journey throughout their 12-week program.
If you are interested, visit the Meru Health webpage, click “sign up,” and enter “State of Delaware” to get started.
Annual Pension Statement
Per the State of Delaware Pension Office, the 2022 Comprehensive Annual Statement (Pension Statement) should be accessible online on February 21, 2023 by using the Pension Self-Service Tile. To learn how to access the Pension Statement, please review this newsletter – https://www.smore.com/jyk10-online-annual-pension-statement As you may recall, the Pension Statement has useful information such as:
- Pension Service Time
- Highest three years of creditable compensation
- Pension Calculation (for vested employees)
- Beneficiary Information
This statement should be reviewed every year. If you need help understanding or interpreting your Pension Statement, please attend one of the “What is this Pension Stuff?” Zoom Workshop on March 1 at:
- 3:00 pm – please sign up on DS C using workshop #107734
- 3:30 pm – please sign up on DSC using workshop #107735
- 4:00 pm – please sign up on DSC using workshop #107736
- 4:30 pm – please sign up on DSC using workshop #107737
Staff Apparel Store
We know many of our staff have requested to purchase CSD apparel such as jackets and polos. We will be offering several items for staff to purchase from January 30th-February 10th at https://apexadv.tuosystems.com/stores/colonialschooldistrict .
How it works:
- Place your order and pay at https://apexadv.tuosystems.com/stores/colonialschooldistrict from January 30th to February 10th.
- Once the ordering window closes (2/10), orders will be processed within 1-2 weeks and delivered to district office.
- Once delivered, we will distribute items to your school for delivery.
We will offer this store again this spring and, in the fall, with new products for each season. If you have suggestions for products you would like to see added, email Gabriel Phillips at gabriel.phillips@colonial.k12.de.us and we will take your suggestions into consideration. Please note that for now, these are CSD-branded products. School staff stores with school logos may be entertained in the future.
Equity ERA: Engage-Reflect-Act
- Engage: Check out this podcast series from Elena Aguilar, “What to Say When Someone Says Something Racist” – Designing Your Racial Equity Learning Journey (about 20 min).
- Each week we will share the next podcast! Tune into the series with us!
- Reflect: How do you respond when you hear something racist? What do you wish you would do (or had done) something differently?
- Act: Check out Elena’s guide for What To Say When You Hear Something Racist and try a strategy.
Join our District Wide Equity Book Club!
- When: The first Tues of the month (Feb-June)
- Time: 4:30-5:30
- Where: Zoom
- Books: The 3 books we received as a district:
- Ratchetdemic (Dr. Chris Emdin)
- For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education (Dr. Chris Emdin)
- Leading Equity (Dr. Sheldon Eakins)
- CLICK HERE for more information!
EPER payments on 2/10/23 check:
The winter EPER payment is scheduled to be made on the February 10 paycheck, please be sure your EPER contracts have been entered, accepted, and approved by Thursday, January 26th. If the contract is not completed by January 26th, it will not be paid until the next EPER payment on June 2, 2023.
W2s
W2s are now available in Employee Self Service!
For assistance accessing your W2: http://www.colonialschooldistrict.org/employees/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/01/Accessing-your-W2.pdf
For assistance reading your W2: http://www.colonialschooldistrict.org/employees/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/01/Understanding-your-W2.pdf
Both are located on the District’s Employees Pay website along with other helpful information and commonly used forms.
http://www.colonialschooldistrict.org/employees/your-employment/pay/
Join in our District Wide Equity Expression Through Foods in our Cafes
Every last Tuesday of the month, Colonial Nutrition Services highlights the heritage of global cuisines by offering our students new and diverse foods to explore.
Tuesday, January 28 we’re presenting our students a “taste of Italy”, with savory Chicken Parmesan sandwiches and refreshing Strawberry Lemon Granita!
Explore diverse foods and open up conversations beyond the monthly recognition of a particular people with your students!
Recent Comments