Millsap ISD News and Notes
Newsletter for Millsap ISD Faculty and Staff
Message from the Superintendent
In our efforts to better communicate, we are starting this monthly newsletter for our staff. Information is important and we plan to use this as a vehicle to help everyone be better informed in the best manner possible. The newsletter will contain information from each department in the district. The articles may include changes to procedures, updates from the business office, or simply projects different departments are working on to improve. We hope this proves to be beneficial to everyone.
If there is something you would like included in our monthly newsletter, please email Connie Wiese. We can include student and staff news to let everyone know all the great things happening in our district.
Christmas break is just around the corner. The year has really flown by. As I visit classrooms and see student work on the walls, I am excited to witness the continued implementation of Thinking Maps throughout the district. Several teachers and the principals have all shared stories with me how this tool has helped many students improve their work and deepen the level of understanding of the content. While we have not realized the full power of the Thinking Maps, we are off to a great start. Thank you for making this work so well.
I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season. I hope you will have time to enjoy family, friends, and simply rest.
Millsap ISD Vision:
Millsap ISD will partner with parents to be the premier educational organization.
Monument
Monument
News from the Business Office: Lori Hobbs
Don't Stay Sick!!
As we are in the time of year where we are indoors more with family and friends, don't forget about MDLive. The consultation is free for all district employees and dependents. With this program, you have access to a doctor 24/7 by using your phone or through an online video. These doctors can treat several things such as: allergies, bronchitis, flu, pink eye, ear infections.
Contact information for MDLive: http://www.mdlive.com/ or 1-888-632-2738
If you have TRS ActiveCare medical insurance, they have a similar program called Teladoc Physician Services. They can treat the same kinds of illnesses as MD Live. With ActiveCare 2 or ActiveCare Select, the consultation is free. With ActiveCare 1-HD, there is a $40 consultation fee. Coverage for family members depends on the medical coverage you selected.
Contact information for Teledoc: http://www.teladoc.com/ or 1-855-835-2362
Remember with both plans, the doctor can call in a prescription; however, you are responsible for the prescription costs. If you have time, go ahead and set up your account online so that when you really need to use the program, your profile is already set up.
Business Office: Wanda Gresham
Activity Fund Reminder
Sales Tax- We are required to pay sales tax if it is not paid by the vendor.
1. Please allow for the sales tax amount to be taken from the account where deposits are made.
2. There are tax free days, certain rules apply.
3. When you make a deposit please be mindful of taxable items and keep receipts separate from non-taxable items.
Travel Reminder
A travel form should be submitted at the same time as a requisition for travel.
If you need additional information on these items, please contact Wanda Gresham at 3103 or wgresham@millsapisd.net
Cafeteria News: Pam McGee
Transportation: John Graham
The transportation department is using a new de-icer product this year. It melts the ice on contact and does not leave an oily residue. It also resists re-freezing for up to 12 hours. This works much better than the old product and will allow us to get the ice off the glass faster than before.
We also have some new faces in the transportation department. Brenda Smith is the new driver for bus 3. Brenda has been driving for many years and has worked in other departments in the district. Christina Albertson is our new monitor and she is also a certified bus driver with many years of experience. Our whole department would like to thank Lindsey Frazier and Sarah Rucker for helping us cover routes the last few weeks. They worked a week straight coming in everyday sometimes bright and early in the morning to drive routes due to sickness. Without their help our department would not have been able to operate effectively. Thank you!!
Maintenance: Norman Adkins
With the holiday break approaching all of us in the maintenance department would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. In preparation for the school to be closed, please turn off and unplug any appliances you may have in your rooms (i.e. air fresheners, space heaters, decorative lights, coffee pots, refrigerators, computers, monitors, printers, etc.). The maintenance and custodial departments will check all thermostats, lights, and utilities before we leave for the holidays.
Custodial Department: Deborah Wright
The custodial deparment is in the process of keeping our school prepared, safe, and clean for daily usage and events. We are also working diligently to keep all surfaces disinfected throughout this flu season, to help ensure we keep our students, faculty, and staff well and in school. The more surfaces we are able to treat, the better our odds are. If you could assist in seeing that students clear their desks at the end of the day, it would be very helpful.
Throughout the month of December, custodial has staff members on campuses from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. daily. Those hours will change December 19, 22, and 23. Our hours will be from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. If you happen to be on campus for any reason after 3:30 p.m. on those specific days, you will need to set the alarm before you leave, if you happen to be the last one in the building. Custodial will return to work, after the holidays, on January 5th at our regular time schedules. Wishing you all . . . Happy Holidays!
Technology Update: Brandon Thomas
Your technology team has been working to move forward in several key areas.
Email: The district's email is now being housed and maintained by our regional service center.
Internet: Our move to triple our Internet bandwidth took some time, but has helped. We are finding that there is a continual need for more bandwidth which just means that everyone is using technology and ready for more. We are working to clear up any issues with the bandwidth speed. We are in the process of analyzing the entire network looking for areas that are causing the internet speeds to slow down. Please continue to communicate with your principal on problems that may occur. We will work to resolve those as quickly as possible.
Filtering: We have been able to upgrade our Internet filtering device to the new mandated unit. We are continuing to tweak the filtering policies on the new device to properly serve everyone's needs. Changing to this new filter did resolve some of the problem with our bandwidth speed. The old filtering server was causing part of the log jam regarding the speed of our network.
Antivirus: With more technology there is always more potential for threat. The district has changed to a commercial antivirus that will be covering all of our staff machines.
Copiers: We are currently negotiating with copier companies on our current and future needs as we enter a new contract period.
We greatly enjoy being able to serve you in this area and appreciate your patience as we continue to move forward. Please continue to let us know the needs you have regarding technology.
Thank you.
Millsap ISD
Website: www.millsapisd.net
Location: 201 E Brazos Rd, Millsap, TX, United States
Phone: 940-682-4994
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Millsap-ISD
Twitter: @millsapisd