Support Employee Recognition Week to Be Held April 20-24

Support Employee Recognition Week will be held April 20-24. FCPS recognizes all support employees by designating one week (the third full week of April) each year as FCPS Support Employee Recognition Week. The week will be a systemwide all-inclusive celebration of employees who support the educational mission of the school system (including administrative assistants, bus drivers, custodians, food service employees, etc.).

While individual school-based and nonschool-based recognition traditions may continue, this centrally recognized week will be the main FCPS celebration of all support employees.

Ideas for how to celebrate can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/appreciation/index.htm.

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2009 NVSWCD Seedling Sale Orders Due by April 13

The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) is again holding its annual seedling sale. All seedlings in the package are native to Northern Virginia, and the varieties were specifically chosen to be bird friendly. Each package is $17.95 and includes two of each of the following: Washington Hawthorn, Elderberry, Willow Oak, Silky Dogwood, American Hazelnut, and Persimmon. These plants are sure to bring song birds to your backyard. 

Pre-paid orders are due by April 13. You will receive a confirmation receipt and a map to the pick-up site (off of Braddock Road, two miles outside the Beltway). Seedlings will be available for pickup on April 17 or 18. 

For more information, including pictures of what your seedlings will look like when mature, or to receive an order form, call NVSWCD at 703-324-1460, send an e-mail to conservationdistrict@fairfaxcounty.gov, or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd/seedlingsale.htm.

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VPN Available to All Employees

FCPS uses a virtual private network (VPN) to allow its employees to access school system computer network resources when they are not at an FCPS site. Every FCPS employee now has permission to use VPN, but a small piece of software is needed. The VPN software can be downloaded from FCPSnet at http://servicecatalog.fcps.edu/it/infras_ntwk/ntwk_access/download_vpn.shtml. This software is not available for download from home, so if you plan to connect back to an FCPS resource when you are not at an FCPS site, please be sure to download, install, and test the software before leaving your site. 

If you would like more information on VPN and the regulations that govern its use, please see the FCPS Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) Regulation 6410, the Data Security Regulation 6220, the Data Security Policy 6220, and the Remote Access Technical Bulletin 631.

The IT Service Desk can be reached at 703-503-1600 or ITServiceDesk@fcps.edu for questions or further information. Please note that the IT Service Desk supports only computer equipment that is supplied by FCPS.

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FCPS to Honor Retirees on April 22, RSVP Deadline Is April 3

If you plan to retire this year and want to participate in the spring 2009 retirement ceremony, We Honor You—Celebrating Your Service to FCPS, you should submit your Notification ofResignation/Retirement form (HR-2) as soon as possible.

Invitations are being mailed. The retirement ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 22, at Robinson Secondary School at 7 p.m. The ceremony will be shown live on Channel 21 and will be rebroadcast on Monday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. Invitees are asked to respond to the invitation by Friday, April 3.

More information about the retirement ceremony, including retiree testimonials and photos from previous ceremonies, is available at www.fcps.edu/DHR/wehonoryou.

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ERFC Trustee Election Scheduled for May 12-14, Nomination Petitions Due April 17

An electronic election to fill one trustee position of the Educational Employees’ Retirement System of Fairfax County (ERFC) Board of Trustees will be held May 12 through May 14. 

Notice 4771 outlines the election process and includes a petition for candidates to use in qualifying for the election. Notice 4771 is available on the ERFC web site at www.fcps.edu/ERFC. Candidates must also submit a statement of no more than 100 words for inclusion in election materials as to why they would best serve in the position. 

Petitions and statements must be returned to the Office of Employee Performance and Development (OEPD), Gatehouse Administration Center I, suite 2512, by April 17.

For more information, call OEPD at 571-423-3252.

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Outstanding Performance Award Nomination Deadline Is May 1

The Outstanding Performance Award (OPA) Committee will meet on May 21. All unified-scale employees (except school-based administrators) and instructional assistants are eligible for nomination. An OPA recipient may receive a maximum payment of $1,000, net after taxes. All nominations should be sent to T. G. Bowen, director, Office of Salary Services, Gatehouse Administration Center I, suite 2400, and must be submitted by May 1. 

In addition to the original OPA nomination, 14 copies should be submitted for distribution to committee members. Additional information pertaining to the OPA can be found in the current version of Regulation 4670. 

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Register Now for Summer 2009 Adult and Community Education Classes

Registration is under way for the May-August 2009 term of classes offered by the Office of Adult and Community Education (ACE). Course offerings may be viewed at www.fcps.edu/aceclasses. The course catalog, ACE Classes, has been mailed to residents and is also available at Fairfax County public libraries and the Woodson Central Fairfax registration center.

Take a look at the new classes coming your way this summer and mark your calendars.

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Understanding Your 2008 W-2 Form

2008 W-2 forms were mailed to each employee’s home address on January 21. A self-sealing mailer was used for the 2008 W-2 forms, a change from previous years when the forms have been inserted into envelopes. Be sure to follow the opening instructions on the back of the form.

The following information will help employees interpret the W-2 when it arrives. 

The yearly gross earnings figure reported in each employee’s last 2008 paycheck does not appear on the W-2.
W-2s report taxable wages, not gross earnings. Federal taxable wages in box 1 on the W-2 represent annual gross earnings from your December 2008 pay stub or pay advice (pay period 13 for biweekly employees) minus and plus the following:

Minus:

• Retirement Fund Contributions.
  
• Tax-Deferred Account, 403(b) Contributions (TDA contributions are also indicated in box 12, letter E).
  
• Section 457 Plan Contributions (Section 457 plan contributions are also indicated in box 12, letter G).
  
• Flex Fund Contributions (dependent and health care)* (Dependent care contributions are also indicated in box 10).
  
• Health Insurance Premiums.*
  
• Dental Insurance Premiums.*

Plus:

• The taxable portion of employee-paid life insurance coverage in excess of $50,000. (This amount, if any, is included in taxable wages in boxes 1, 3, 5, and 16 and appears as letter C in box 12.)

* These items are also excluded from the Social Security and Medicare wages reported in boxes 3 and 5.

Employees who have had taxes withheld for more than one jurisdiction (e.g., Virginia and Maryland) will receive multiple W-2s (one for each jurisdiction).

Reissues

If you have not received your 2008, you may obtain a W-2 Reissue Request form (FS73-66) from your work location or on the web at http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/kam/docmgmt/forms/fs7366.pdf. A reissue will be mailed or available for pickup approximately five working days after the request is received by the Office of Payroll Management (OPM). Requests may be faxed to OPM at 571-423-3507 or sent through the pony to Payroll Management, Gatehouse Administration Center I, suite 2200. Reissues will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

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