Information for Educators

Posted on January 25, 2012

Information For Educators

2012 Changes to the Summer School Employment Application Process
Special Education Extended School Year Employment Opportunities Available Online February 1
FCPS Working Conditions Survey 2012 Closes February 3

Nominations Now Open for 2012 Business and Community Partnerships Awards
FCPS Task Force Tackles Teacher Evaluations
Colleen Lally Named December News Liaison of the Month for December
January Is National Mentoring Month, Employees Wanted As Student Mentors

2012 Changes to the Summer School Employment Application Process

This year, applicants interested in positions in certain summer school programs will apply for vacancies online via CareerQuest instead of submitting paper application forms and resumés directly to the FCPS Office of Employment.

Applicants should now use CareerQuest to apply for vacancies in the following summer programs:

Institute for the Arts (IFTA).
Elementary IFTA.
Term graduate.
Tech Adventure Camp.
SOL remediation.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
Online Campus.

A resumé is required in order to apply. Positions are open to qualified FCPS employees as well as external applicants. Application information and program descriptions will be available on the summer school website starting on February 1. Applicants for special education and Extended School Year (ESY) program positions should continue to apply through the Office of Special Education. Updated Head Start applications will also be posted February 1.

The deadline to apply is February 21. This change brings the application process for certain summer school positions into line with those already in place for the majority of FCPS positions.

Special Education Extended School Year Employment Opportunities Available Online February 1

The job listings and application for this year's extended school year (ESY) positions for teachers, related service providers, and support staff will be posted online on February 1. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online. Hourly summer contracts for teachers and support positions are available at all grade levels. Positions will be open until filled, with preference given to qualified applicants who apply prior to February 17.

For more information and a link to the online interest form, go to http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/ssse/SpecialEducation/summerservices/index.htm.

Note: ESY contracts are contingent upon student enrollment.

Nominations Now Open for 2012 Business and Community Partnerships Awards

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 Business and Community Partnerships Awards, a combined effort of Fairfax County Public Schools and the Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships. The awards are designed to recognize the many valuable contributions being made by business and organization partners throughout Fairfax County and to increase awareness of the importance of business and civic involvement in issues impacting the quality of life in Fairfax County.

Nominations are being accepted for eight awards directly related to FCPS:

Business Partner of the Year.
Community Partner of the Year.
Blue Ribbon Outstanding Event Award.
Blue Ribbon Mentoring Partner Program Award.
Blue Ribbon Workforce Development Award.
Bruce Oliver Educator Leadership Award (Individual).
Bruce Oliver Business Leadership Award (Individual).
Mentoring Essay Contest.

The Celebrate Partnerships Awards Ceremony nomination packets are now available at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/bcp/events/index.shtml. All nominations are due no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 16.

This year’s Celebrate Partnerships Awards Ceremony will be held Monday, May 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Mason Inn at George Mason University. The event is a partnership between Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County’s Office of Public Private Partnerships and George Mason University.

For more information, contact Jay Garant, coordinator of Business and Community Partnerships at 571-423-1225 or jay.garant@fcps.edu.

Summer Curriculum Development Application Website Available February 27

The website listing summer curriculum development projects from the Instructional Services Department and the Department of Special Services will be available February 27. Interested teachers are encouraged to apply online. Projects begin as early as the latter part of June 2012 and vary in length. The deadline to apply is March 14.

For further information, contact Noel Klimenko at ncklimenko@fcps.edu or 571-423-4724.

Note: Summer Curriculum Development projects are contingent upon FY 2013 budget approval.

FCPS Working Conditions Survey 2012 Closes February 3

The FCPS Working Conditions survey is available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week until February 3 at 5 p.m. This anonymous online survey of licensed educators is a vital tool that provides individual schools and the division with valuable information on how best to support student achievement and teacher retention.

The Help Desk is available to assist participants 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the survey’s open period at 571-423-3080.

For more information on the reasons for conducting the survey, how the resulting data will be used, and frequently asked questions, go to www.fcpswcs.org.

FCPS Task Force Tackles Teacher Evaluations

An FCPS task force of teachers, association representatives, principals, department and cluster representatives, and community members is collaborating on a new teacher evaluation program to meet new Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) standards that take effect July 1.

The task force has defined the purpose of the new evaluation process, the VDOE standards, and key elements for most of the standards. Task force members will be considering the weight for each standard, in addition to a rating rubric and multiple measures of student academic progress that are acceptable, measurable, and appropriate for an individual teacher’s performance evaluation, and finalizing key elements.

All teachers will be evaluated with the new process starting with the 2012-13 school year. The task force will review the current evaluation cycle before making any recommendations for changes.

Task force materials, presentations, a monthly newsletter, frequently asked questions, and resources are available on the Human Resources Performance Evaluations website at http://www.fcps.edu/hr/epd/evaluations/teachertaskforce.shtml. The website will be updated periodically as the task force meets.

Teachers are encouraged to visit the site often and to send any questions about the new process to
HRQuestions@fcps.edu.

Colleen Lally Named News Liaison of the Month for December

Colleen Lally, assistant director of student activities at Falls Church High School, has been named the News Liaison of the Month for December by the Department of Communications and Community Outreach (DCCO). This recognition program rewards school news liaisons for submitting newsworthy media tips and creative photographs.

In December, Lally submitted news about the Falls Church Academy dental careers class visiting Fairhill Elementary; the Falls Church High It’s Academic team; students from the Fire and Emergency Medical Sciences program at Falls Church Academy, who met with members of the homeless community and participated in a Community Emergency Response Team certification program; and marketing students who sold Jaguar Joe coffee at the Annandale Chamber of Commerce’s Fall Festival. Each news item was accompanied by photos. Lally received a $50 gift card from Whole Foods for being named December’s News Liaison of the Month.

Lally was hired by FCPS after graduating from Elon University and has worked at Falls Church High her entire 12 years in the school system. She began as a health and physical education teacher, served as the health and PE department chair, and now works as the assistant director of student activities, supporting student sports, clubs, honor societies, and co-curricular activities. She has also served as a coach at the school, coaching softball for 11 years and currently as the junior varsity girls soccer coach.

Lally has also served as the Instructional Council chair at Falls Church. In her spare time, she likes to rock climb, coach soccer and organize tournaments, work as a referee, and hike. She earned her master’s in kinesiology at the University of Virginia and is currently working on her administrative endorsement.

January Is National Mentoring Month, Employees Wanted As Student Mentors

Since 1999, Fairfax County Public Schools has had a program—MentorWorks—to connect caring, responsible adults with students. These mentors provide attention and support, serve as positive role models, and encourage students to develop their strengths to reach their full potential. January is National Mentoring Month. “Invest in the Future. Mentor a Child” is this year’s theme.

MentorWorks is currently looking for FCPS employees who want to become mentors. Student-based mentoring programs take place during the school day at school sites and are present in a majority of our schools. Training and ongoing assistance are provided by MentorWorks and the school’s mentoring program coordinator. Becoming a mentor is a wonderful opportunity to support one of our students and simultaneously have a rewarding, enjoyable personal experience. Who mentored you? Was there someone who helped you become the person you are today? You can be that person for one of our students.

For more information, go to the MentorWorks website at http://www.fcps.edu/dss/ips/ssaw/mentorworks, or contact Shelley Prince, MentorWorks specialist, at Shelley.Prince@fcps.edu, or at 571-423-4403.