Register Now for the Fall Support Services Institute

The fall 2008 cohort of the Support Services Institute (SSI) will begin on September 18. This institute, sponsored by the Department of Professional Learning and Training (PLT), is designed for support employees (US-13 to US-19) who have demonstrated leadership skills and a desire to further their professional development. Participants are selected through an application process. The application and applicant statement of interest are available on the Department of Professional Learning and Training web site at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/whatsnew.htm#2008ssi.

Any questions regarding the program may be directed to Delores Herndon, PLT, at 703-204-4054. Completed applications and statement of interest forms should be sent by pony to Delores Herndon, Department of Professional Learning and Training, Dunn Loring Center, or by fax to 703-204-3861 no later than August 18.

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2008 Leadership Conference Registration Now Open Online

All employees US-20 and above may now register for the 27th annual Leadership Conference by going to My PLT at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/MyPLT. It is scheduled for Wednesday, August 6, from 8 a.m. to noon at Hayfield Secondary School.

Registration for the Thursday, August 7 session, Setting the Stage: Assessment for Learning, will be available soon. Continue checking back on My PLT to find the appropriate topics you plan to register for and attend.

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New Keep in Touch System in Operation; Employees Asked to Update Contact Information Now

The new vendor for the Keep in Touch (KIT) message system, Blackboard Connect, began service on July 1. Currently, only the emergency notification system is working.

Until the subscription module is complete (estimated for late this summer), all emergency messages will be sent using contact information from the FCPS student information system, and the Lawson (employee) databases. E-mail addresses in the old KIT will be used for emergency messages only until users have the opportunity to subscribe with the new system.

To get under way with the new service, all employees need to make sure their contact information is up to date as soon as possible. To do this, log in to UConnect at http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/uconnect.htm and follow the log in instructions there. 

Once logged in, click on the “Employee” tab at the top of the page. Then, on the next page, select “My Work Contact Info.” (Note: You will also be able to update your home address and phone number.) Update all contact information (if needed) and click the “Submit” button. Then log out and close out of all browser windows.

Principals must attend training so that they understand their responsibilities for the system at their schools and so they can experience the new features and business rules that come with this new product. Initially, principals may send two staff members to the training. Registration for training is available through MyPLT. Additional training will be available throughout the year. Until someone from your school has attended training, you will not be able to send messages specifically from your school. The Department of Communications and Community Outreach will send any emergency messages on behalf of the division and on behalf of individual schools.

Updates will be provided on this new, improved KIT system as implementation progresses. For more information, go to www.fcps.edu/kit.

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All FCPS Personnel Required to Complete Discrimination and Harassment Awareness Training by October 1

Beginning June 16, all FCPS employees will have the opportunity to complete the required discrimination and harassment awareness training. All employees are required to complete the training by October 1.

There are three ways to complete the training:     

• Online training: This training is available on My PLT. Nonsupervisors would select the Discrimination and Harassment Awareness Training for Nonsupervisors. Supervisors would select the Discrimination and Harassment Awareness Training for Supervisors. Employees may go to http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/plt/MyPLT/index.html to begin this training. This training is self-paced, and it usually takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. (Employees completing the training online must use a computer with speakers and have the volume turned up.)
• Group setting: A principal or supervisor may want to request a CD and ask his or her employees to view the training in a group setting.  If this is the case, visit http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/compliance/request.htm.   
• Face-to-face training: This training is offered by the Office of Equity and Compliance. For more information, call 571-423-3050.

To help supervisors determine if the online training is appropriate for their employees, My PLT opened the online training for them on June 13. Once the supervisor logs on, he or she should select the link in the required section for supervisors. Selecting the training from the required box will connect them to Discrimination and Harassment Awareness Training for Supervisors. The first three units of this training are identical to the Discrimination and Harassment Awareness Training for Nonsupervisors. The fourth unit in the supervisor’s training discusses specific information for supervisors and is not included in the non-supervisors training. This training will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. It is paperless, and the training will be recorded on the employee’s transcript at the completion of the training. 

Supervisors must be aware that all nonexempt US-19-and-below employees (employees eligible for overtime) are required to complete the training during regular work hours to comply with Fair Labor Standards Act requirements. Exempt employees, US-20 and above (employees ineligible for overtime), who elect to take the training during nonworking hours may do so.

If an employee believes that he/she has already completed this training, the employee can verify this by viewing his/her My PLT transcript. The course must have the title: Discrimination and Harassment Awareness Training. Courses taken with a similar title do not meet this requirement. (Many bus drivers and custodians have completed the face-to-face discrimination and harassment training this year.) 

For more information on discrimination and harassment awareness training, go to http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/compliance/.   

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