Rolfs Teaching Award Nominations

FOR ALL STAFF
This is the 49th year the Rolfs Educational Foundation Award will honor exceptional teaching ability in the West Bend School District. The Rolfs Award is granted to qualifying teachers in the West Bend School District.

The Rolfs Educational Foundation gives four awards of $1,000 each to a teacher in each of the four categories: elementary school, middle school, high school, and special services educators. Review the website for the criteria for the award.

Eligible teachers with at least one nomination will be notified and asked for their consent to be considered. Contributions to the present 2019-20 school year will be given priority; however, the committee could consider contributions of past years.

Nominations must be submitted on or before March 6, 2020.  Nominations are property of the West Bend School District and will not be shared on the basis of anonymity.

Go to the website to access the nomination form and a list of previous winners.

Support Staff Awards

FOR ALL STAFF
This year the district will once again recognize some of our support staff with the "Support Staff Member of the Year Award." The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding contributions to the district. This year there could be up to five awards given.

Review the website to see the nomination criteria. 

Recognition of the award winners will be made at a regular monthly school board meeting.  Each recipient will receive a $300 award.   All award winners for a given year will be invited to attend the Recognition Program held in spring in May.

Nominations must be submitted on or before March 6, 2020.  Nominations are property of the West Bend School District and will not be shared on the basis of anonymity.

Go to the website to access nomination forms and a list of previous winners.

W-2s Coming Soon

FOR ALL STAFF
All W-2s will be available to dowload from Skyward. Please follow the instructions below by the end

of day Friday, January 24. The W-2s will be processed on Saturday, January 25.

1. Log in to Skyward Finance
2. Go to the Employee Information tab
3. Click on W2 Information
4. Go to Options for Receiving My 2019 W2 Electronically
5. Click on the top button that you will receive your W2 electronically and press Save.

Skyward Finance Password Updates

FOR ALL STAFF
In previous editions of The Highlighter we have shared the importance of having secure online systems. One way that each employee can help is to have a strong and secure password that is changed at certain intervals. This past fall we asked staff to change their network/Google passwords to make sure they are strong and updated. At this time we will be increasing our minimum password requirements for Skyward Finance beginning Friday, January 31.

The new minimum requirements for this system will be a minimum of 14 characters that includes at least 3 numerals and 2 special characters. On or after January 31, if you log in and your password does not meet those requirements or your password has not been changed recently you will be required to change your password. Moving forward your Skyward Finance password will need to be changed a minimum of once a year.

As a reminder, the secure storage of your usernames and passwords are important and having unique passwords for different systems helps to keep our systems secure. To securely store passwords the Technology Department recommends using LastPass. If you need help setting up your LastPass account please submit a technology ticket and a team member will help you.

Celebrate our Staff!

National School Counseling Week is February 3-7. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to recognize our incredible school counseling team. Our counselors problem solve some of the most unpredictable and challenging issues and help provide the foundation of emotional and social safety that underlies all other success students have in school. Thank you school counselors!

Also, let's celebrate our colleagues for milestones in their years of service to the district this month!

Celebrating 5 Years in January

• Jessica Guerrero - McLane

Celebrating 15 Years in January

• Jenny Taylor - Fair Park
• Wendi Hess - Rolfs

STAR Results will be Shared with Parents

FOR STAR USERS
As a system we have completed the Winter STAR administration. In the January 29 edition of the West Bend School District Update, parents will be notified that scores are available, reminded how to access the student results, and provided information to support the interpretation of their child’s STAR Results.

Outdoor Learning Experiences and Professional Growth Opportunity

FOR…ALL TEACHERS
The WBSD is fortunate to have an outdoor classroom which is a 36-acre registered school forest. It is located near the corner of E. Decorah Road and N. River Road, just east of the high schools. To support access to learning at the outdoor classroom and to enhance your opportunities to lead students in natural study in the school yard, LEAF and KEEP will be providing a workshop at our outdoor classroom. West Bend teachers who attend will not only receive free resources, they will attend free of charge. (Special thanks to Rachel Feerick, scientist in residence, for arranging this wonderful opportunity.)

More details including registration are below.

Forest Health and the Energy Connection: Leveraging Your School Site to Save Energy
Join LEAF and KEEP to explore the intersection between energy conservation and forest health. Your urban forest is a powerful tool improving your community’s air and water quality, reducing heating and cooling needs, and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. We’ll demonstrate how to conduct tree inventories on your school grounds then apply the ecosystem benefits derived to evaluate your school building’s energy management opportunities. You’ll become connected to two online civic science tools for the classroom, the Wisconsin Community Tree Map from the WDNR, and PLT’s Teaching with i-Tree, as well as receive training using professional forestry and energy tools available for loan to your school. The workshop will include time for school site assessment and lesson planning, and a variety of ready-to-use activities and tools will be supplied so educators can integrate relevant lessons right away. Recommended for educators of grades 5-12. (Source DPI)

The workshop will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2020 From 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in West Bend, WI, West Bend School District Outdoor Classroom Instructor: Kate Flick
Fee for NON-WBSD Educator: $35.00
https://wcee.asapconnected.com/ClassDetail.aspx?pk=1557532 
WBSD teachers will register for this workshop at no cost. Simply select “pay later” when prompted while registering.

Teacher Observations

FOR TEACHERS
As usual, principals have begun conducting teacher observations as part of the Educator Effectiveness process. Observations take place during a teacher's summative evaluation year. There are a number of differences between a walk-through and an observation. Also, an observation requires the teacher to complete the "Pre-Observation" form in My Learning Plan. The district has put together this short document with tips and information to help teachers through the observation process. We encourage you to check it out prior to having an observation. Please see your building administrator if you have questions about the observation process.

West Bend Students Place in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Art Contest

FOR ALL STAFF
The 36th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration was held on Sunday, January 19 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee. The program highlighted youth from Milwaukee Public Schools, Wauwatosa Public Schools, and West Bend Public Schools who interpreted Dr. King’s works through visual art, speech, and writing contests. This is the first year West Bend Schools participated in the contest. With more than 5,000 students entering, West Bend had two students place in the art contest. Placing second in the K-2 grades art contest is Imahdi Simond, a student at McLane Elementary. Placing third in the 9-12 grades art contest is Sa'maia Evans, a freshman at West High School. Congratulations to our students and their teachers.

Window Closing on the Wellbeing Survey

FOR ALL STAFF
Just a reminder that the Wellbeing Survey is currently open for all staff to complete. If you haven't already completed the survey, we encourage you to take the time to provide feedback. The deadline to submit is Friday, January 24. See more information below.

Wellbeing Survey
Your wellbeing is important to your health and happiness as well as the district’s success. The district’s goal is to provide wellness and insurance programs that are best aligned to you and your family’s needs.

The district would like to learn a little bit about you, and how we can provide a positive health and wellness experience to our staff. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. It will be anonymous and all answers are confidential.

ALL STAFF ARE INVITED to participate in the survey.

You can find the survey at this link.

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback!

Get $100 for using Smart Choice MRI

FOR EMPLOYEES ON THE DISTRICT HEALTH PLAN
Beginning with MRI service dates after January 1, 2020, the district has increased the incentive to utilize Smart Choice for each MRI. The incentive will now be $100 for each MRI completed at a Smart Choice location. Not only does utilizing Smart Choice for your MRI needs earn you incentive, you are also experiencing an approximate 18% savings based on average costs per MRI service.


Review the MRI flyer and a Smart Choice MRI wallet card on the HR Intranet under the Health & Prescription Drug Insurance page for more information.

Please note: Incentives will be paid out on a quarterly basis based on service dates. When the incentive is paid, you will be notified via email.

Upcoming Wellness Events

FOR ALL STAFF

• Chair massage: Chair massage services will again be coming to WBSD schools! Online sign-up will be sent out via email closer to the dates of service at each individual school. Keep your eyes open about this fantastic service that helps to provide a little self-care. 
• ATI Physical Therapy: Two dates are scheduled for discussions regarding common orthopedic injuries, including upper extremities (shoulder, neck) and back pain. Each discussion, scheduled at the ESC on February 5 and March 4, will include a short 45-minute discussion and stretching/exercise demonstration followed by FREE injury screenings. Please watch for sign up, as these will fill quickly. All are welcome to attend the discussion, but injury assessments are appointment only. 
• Circuit Express Fitness Class: Coming soon to Badger! Keep an eye out for more information.
• Express Workout: Jen, a trainer and owner at AIMS Fitness (West Bend) says, "I am packing up some of my favorite items from my studio toy box and am bringing them to fitness classes in the WBSD! This will be a full body workout that will work your upper body, lower body, and core. It is strength based with a side of cardio. It is a circuit style workout which includes 12 stations with various different forms of equipment. The workout will be done before you know it...express is 30 minutes and done!" You can sign up at this link.

West Bend School District Update, January 15

FOR ALL STAFF
The January 15 edition of the West Bend School District Update that was sent out to parents is available on the district website.

Annual Years of Service List

FOR TEACHERS
As is board policy, the district posts a years-of-service list annually. If you believe there is an error with data pertaining to you, please contact Lauren Swenson at lswenson@wbsd-schools.org.

You can view the list at this link.

Please note: The hire or rehire date used for this list is all inclusive of any substitute teaching/aide years you may have had with the district. Years of service for state reporting or the District Early Retirement program may differ.

Items below this post are from previous editions of the Highlighter

Wellbeing Survey Provides Valuable Info

FOR ALL STAFF
Your wellbeing is important to your health and happiness as well as the district’s success. The district’s goal is to provide wellness and insurance programs that are best aligned to you and your family’s needs.

The district would like to learn a little bit about you and how we can provide a positive health and wellness experience to our staff. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete and will be anonymous. Of course, all answers are confidential.

ALL STAFF ARE INVITED to participate in the survey.

To access the survey, please follow this link. The survey will be open through Friday, January 24, 2020.

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback.

2020-2021 Staff Compensation

FOR ALL STAFF
Please click here to read an update on compensation for all employee groups for 2020-21.

Mid-year SLO & PPG review

FOR ANYONE ON A TEACHING CONTRACT
January 31 is the district-wide due date to complete mid-year goal review activities in My Learning Plan (MLP). The actions to complete in MLP at the mid-year point are relatively brief.  Details of how to complete the mid-year review can be found on page 9 of the WBSD Goal Setting Guidebook at this link.  Your building administrator is your first point of contact for help with completing this.

Interested in Being a Summer School Teacher?

FOR TEACHING STAFF

We are looking for creative, fun, and energetic staff members to be part of the summer school program. The WBSD Summer School program offers students of all levels the ability to participate in a variety of remediation/standards, enrichment, and credit advancement courses.

If you have taught summer school classes before, please join us again and take the next step of completing the application. If you are new to teaching summer school, please consider being a part of the team and making a difference.  

2020 Summer School Teaching Applications 

Please complete your Summer School Teaching application by February 24, 2020.

Don’t forget, we are still accepting course proposals, just click HERE! 

STAR: Let's Discuss Student Growth Percentile

FOR STAR USERS

With the winter STAR screening well under way or completed, it’s a great time to remind you of Student Growth Percentiles (SGP). SGPs provide us with a data point that is different than proficiency. SGP compares a student’s growth to that of his or her academic peers nationwide who started at the same place in the same grade.

 Typical growth ranges from an SPG of 35 to 65.  

In the Renaissance Learning platform we identified the minimum Growth Expectations as an SGP of 35. Once testing is completed it would be a good practice to run both the Screening (proficiency) and Growth Report.

Looking for a way to analyze growth and student achievement? Click HERE to view an activity!

Stay tuned...During a January PD day, you will be shown how to view SGP in eduCLIMBER.

For more information regarding SGP, please reference the STAR Cheat Sheet document pictured below.

Optum Rx - New Pharmacy Provider

FOR ANYONE ON THE DISTRICT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN
Effective January 1, 2020, the district’s pharmacy provider is now OptumRx instead of Express Scripts.

Important items to remember about the switch to OptumRx:

• OptumRx is a provider under UMR, which means members will have a single point of contact for any medical or prescription drug questions. 
• The tiered system of employee drug costs ($10/$30/$45) will not change.
• Employees will have continued access to all of the same level of care and drug options:
• Any mail order prescriptions with remaining refills that you had with Express Scripts at the end of 2019 have been transferred to OptumRx.
• For prescriptions filled at a retail pharmacy, beginning 1/1/2020 you will need to provide the pharmacy your updated pharmacy insurance information that can be found on your 2020 health insurance ID card. New cards were mailed the middle of December. Please make sure you are using this new card. 
• For newly prescribed maintenance medications, members will be allowed to fill two prescriptions at a retail pharmacy. After those two fills, maintenance medications will be required to be filled through mail order. 

Please note: Prior to filling your first mail order prescription with OptumRx in 2020, members will need to register an account and enter your personal billing information. Please review page 2 of the Quick Reference Guide for instructions on how to create an account with UMR (if you don’t have one already) and then register an account with OptumRx.

A question and answer guide has been created to help answer common questions the HR department has received since the switch to OptumRx. This guide will be updated with more information as we continue this transition, and will also be linked on HR Intranet under the Health & Prescription Drug page. 

OptumRx Question & Answer Guide  

If you have questions, please contact Nicole Gruenewald from the HR Office at ngruenewald@wbsd-schools.org.

WI Retirement System Upcoming Webinars

FOR ANYONE ELIGIBLE FOR WRS PENSION
ETF/WRS is offering a series of 30-minute, live, interactive webinars designed to increase your understanding of Wisconsin Retirement System benefits. Individuals can ask questions at the end of these sessions.

Below are some retirement webinar options for employees who are considering retirement in the near future. For a full list of webinars, please visit the events page on the EFT website.

5 Basic Steps to Your Retirement

• Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/7406123811089226755
• Consider this webinar your quick reference guide to starting the retirement process within the next 12 months. We’ll review choosing a termination date, how to request a retirement estimate and how to read and understand it. We’ll also cover how to schedule a retirement appointment and–drum roll here–how to submit the retirement application.
• Wed, Jan 8, 2020 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
• Fri, Jan 17, 2020 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Thu, Jan 23, 2020 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• Thu, Jan 30, 2020 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Preparing for Your Retirement

• Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2062561071726664450
• Who should attend? Employees who are planning to retire in the next 1-10 years.
• Learn about your steps to retire with the WRS. You will learn about the impact of contributions and investment returns on your account, when you can retire, your WRS annuity options, returning to work after you retire, what happens to your account when you die, health and life insurance, and more. Questions are welcome during and after the event. 

• Thu, Jan 9, 2020 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
• Wed, Jan 22, 2020 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
• Wed, Feb 5, 2020 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
• Thu, Feb 20, 2020 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
• Mon, Mar 16, 2020 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Planning for Retirement with 403(b) Retirement Plan Info

FOR ALL STAFF WHO WORK 20+ HOURS PER WEEK
Plan a better future for you and your family by saving for retirement now!

The district offers a 403(b) Plan to eligible employees to help them save for retirement. The plan allows you to save on a tax deferred basis and a Roth basis.

The district has two approved 403(b) financial vendors that employees can contribute money to via payroll deductions. These two vendors include:

1. WEA Member Benefits – 1-800-279-4030 Option 1
2. AXA Equitable – Alex Cramer – (414) 430-4458, alex.cramer@axa-advisors.com

For detailed instructions and information on setting up your 403(b) Plan, please contact the Member Service Representatives from WEA or AXA listed above.

The notices below provide important information about your rights to defer compensation in the WBSD 403(b) plan.

• Universal Availability Notice
• 415 Notice

You can also find these notices on the HR intranet page.

DPI Teacher License Renewal

FOR ANYONE WITH A DPI TEACHING LICENSE
Educators who have a lifetime license and have not completed a background check with DPI before January 1, 2016 will be required to complete a background check with DPI before June 30, 2020.

Follow the Application Directions for Background Check to Maintain Lifetime License to submit your background check.  If you are not sure if you are due for a background check you can look your license up using the My ELO license look-up. Under your entity ID it will tell you the last time a background check was submitted. Reminder a background check is due every five years. 

If you are a current provisional license holder who would like to move your license to lifetime, you need to have six semesters of teaching before you can convert your license. If the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year is your sixth semester, the district cannot verify successful experience until May 2020 on the PI-1613 Employment Verification Form. Follow the Application Directions for Lifetime Licenses to submit your information to DPI.

Questions? Contact Lauren Swenson at lswenson@wbsd-schools.org or at extension 51511.

Open Support Staff Positions

FOR ALL STAFF
There are a few open support staff positions posted on WECAN:

• Executive Assistant to the Superintendent
• District Safety Coordinator
• Special Ed Aide - Green Tree/Boys & Girls Club
• Clerical Aide - Silverbrook
• Part-time 2nd Shift Custodians
• Fair Park/High School School Nutrition Rotational

To view these postings, please visit WECAN.

Voluntary Radon Monitoring in Schools

FOR ALL STAFF
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that you can’t see, taste, or smell that seeps into buildings from the surrounding soil.

Radon levels inside a facility can vary greatly per building and even room to room based on factors such as presence in soil, negatively pressurized building, HVAC operation, etc. The only way to discover if high levels of radon are present is through systematic testing. This winter we will begin testing in the elementary buildings. Next winter the testing will take place at Silverbrook, and Badger and the high schools building the following years. After this initial testing, it will be done on a five-year cycle.

Monitoring will occur over the winter months under closed building conditions to test for a worst-case scenario over time. A small black radon monitoring device that is approximately 2” in diameter (see picture below) will be hung from the drop ceilings in various occupied locations (including classrooms) throughout the school to help us determine radon levels. The radon monitoring device is a tamper resistant passive device that monitors levels over time. The testing team will place the detectors and then retrieve them after about 90-120 days. This long testing period gives us the most representative readings. The detectors will then be sent to an EPA-approved laboratory for analysis. If test results indicate a higher than desired level, the school will implement a plan to conduct a more detailed follow-up test as well as a plan to reduce radon levels if needed.

We ask for your cooperation in helping keep “hands off” the devices so we can get an accurate reading in your work area. Thanks for your cooperation!

WELLNESS UPDATE - Flu Shots & Yoga

FOR ALL STAFF

• There are still some influenza vaccines remaining in the Wellness Clinic. The vaccine is free for employees on the district's health insurance plan. Call the clinic to schedule a time to get your vaccine if you have not yet done so.
• The Wellness Center is holding a three-session yoga class this February. Check out this flyer to learn more.

REMINDER: Benefit payroll deductions

FOR ALL STAFF WHO WORK 20+ HOURS PER WEEK
As a reminder:

The HR/Business departments have been reviewing the process for benefit payroll deductions. As employees may have experienced, there are times throughout the year such as summer break or school recess periods when payroll has had to increase your benefit deductions to cover your monthly benefit costs. This is a very cumbersome process with room for error and also negatively impacts net pay during these time frames. To minimize this, the HR/Business departments are now annualizing deductions for specific employee groups who receive less than 24 paychecks each year.

This change was implemented effective January 1, 2020. 

Teachers who elect to be paid over 10 months or were hired after the school began, will be on a 20 benefit deduction schedule. All support staff who work 10 months will have 16 benefit deduction schedule. Your benefit deduction schedule is determined by your primary employee group. Employees who are paid on a 12 month basis will not be affected by this change.

Click here to view the benefit payroll deduction schedule for 2020.  Again, this change only impacts when your benefit deductions take place. If you are an hourly employee, you will still be paid based on the payroll schedule for any hours worked.

Below is an example of how a health benefit deduction will be reflected in 2020. All other benefit deductions will be calculated using this same method.

Items below this post are from previous editions of the Highlighter