New Department of Communications and Community Outreach Announced

Dr. Dale is pleased to announce the creation of the new Department of Communications and Community Outreach (DCCO), which will be led by Barbara Hunter, assistant superintendent. The new department will combine the talents of staff members from:

• the Office of Community Relations.
  
  
• the Office of Business and Industry Relations.
  
  
• the Family Services and Involvement Section.
  
  
• the Parent Resource Center.

DCCO will also support the Fairfax County School Board in their linkages to stakeholders and their community engagement efforts.

Online Travel Use Now Required for Nonlocal Travel Approval and Reimbursement; Deadlines Approaching for Local Travel

Prior to making travel reservations and/or incurring any related expenditures, an FCPS employee must submit a nonlocal travel request using Online Travel. Online Travel will route requests to the appropriate school or department finance staff members to verify funding availability and then to the appropriate program manager for approval. When the nonlocal travel request is approved, the traveler will receive an e-mail notification. Travelers must obtain approval through Online Travel prior to spending FCPS appropriated funds and before departure.

After returning from nonlocal travel, travelers have 30 days to submit a reimbursement request through Online Travel and send required receipts to the appropriate school or department finance staff members. Online Travel will route requests to the appropriate school or department finance staff to verify actual costs against the required receipts and approve for payment. When actual expenses exceed estimated expenses by 10 percent or $100, whichever is less, Online Travel will route requests to the appropriate program manager prior to payment.

Local Travel Reimbursement Deadlines Approaching

January 1, 2008, is the deadline for submitting reimbursement requests for local travel incurred prior to September 17, 2007, on paper. Also, beginning on January 1, 2008, local travel reimbursement requests must be submitted through Online Travel within three months of travel date, or travel will not be reimbursed. For further information, please see the chart below.

For more information, see the Online Travel web site on FCPSnet at http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/fs/comptroller/travel/index.htm. 

Interviewing Is Focus of Next Installment of New Professional Development Workshop Series for Support Employees

The Office of Leadership Development, in the Department of Professional Learning and Training, is offering a professional development series for support personnel focusing on self-assessment, goal setting, and communication.

The next installment of this series is, You’ve Got the Interview! Now What? This session will focus on the panel interviewing process from the candidate’s perspective. It will provide you with the tools to prepare for the interview, tips on what to do during and after, and an opportunity to participate in a mock panel interview.

Registration is available through My PLT under the course, Professional Development Series for Support Employees.

The session dates for You’ve Got the Interview! Now What?, are:

• January 15, 2008.
  
  
• January 24, 2008.
  
  
• January 29, 2008.

Please refer to My PLT for information regarding times and locations. For additional information regarding this series, contact Delores Herndon in the Department of Professional Learning and Training by e-mail at delores.herndon@fcps.edu or by phone at 703-204-4054.

Each month, Best Practices Awards are given to FCPS web curators by the Office of Community Relations in recognition of specific elements of excellence on their web sites. Awards are announced monthly during the school year. The winner for December 2007 is curator Carlotta Moulder at Centreville Elementary, for the clarity of the site's design.

For more information, visit the awards web page at http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/ocr/curator/contests.htm.

Supergram Schedule Change for January 2008

The first issue of 2008 will be posted on January 9, with articles due no later than January 2. The following issue will be posted on January 23, with articles due no later than January 16. The regular schedule will resume on February 6.

Online registration for spring 2008 academy courses will be available beginning at 4:30 p.m. on January 2, 2008. All employees must register for courses through MyPLT.

Follow these steps to use MyPLT for the first time:

1. Go to http://www.fcps.edu/plt/MyPLT/index.html.
   
   
2. Click on the LOGIN button.
   
   
3. Type your FCPS domain name in the username field.
   
   
4. Type the same domain name in the password field.
   
   
5. Click on the LOGIN button.
   
   
6. You will be prompted to type a new password with a maximum length of 8 characters.

The FCPS Spring Academy catalog is now available online at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/catalogs.htm. The ACCESS catalog will be posted on December 20. The Leadership Academy Seminars catalog will be posted on January 29.

If you have problems with your user name or password, contact the IT Service Desk at 703-503-1600 or ITServiceDesk@fcps.edu.

VPN Available for All FCPS 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 has permission to use VPN, but a small piece of software is needed. The VPN software can be downloaded from the VPN Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) web site on FCPSnet (http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/it/CPS/itcsc/itservicedesk/vpnfaq.htm). 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, 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 only supports computer equipment that is supplied by FCPS.