Rocket Roundup
November 9, 2022
Sign up Now Available for Insurance Open Enrollment
- Click here for a presentation with details about all of the plans and offerings for 2023.
- All of the plans and information is available on the Insurance Benefits Information webpage.
- Virtual Q&A meetings will be held via Zoom at the times below. Please watch the presentation linked above prior to attending as the Q&A sessions will not include a formal presentation.
- Wednesday, Nov. 9 - 3:45 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 15 - 3:45 p.m.
The link to join at the time of the meeting is: neenah-k12-wi.zoom.us/j/85053178372
Click here for the link to sign up and make your selections
- If you have questions after reviewing the materials and are unable to join a Q&A session, please contact Benefits Coordinator Bonnie Marcoe at bonnie.marcoe@neenah.k12.wi.us.
NJSD 2021-22 Employees to Receive Report Card Stipend
Current Neenah Joint School District employees who were employed during the 2021-22 school year will receive a stipend for the District achieving "Exceeds Expectations" on the state report card. The stipend will be 2 percent of the employees' 2021-22 base salary. Those employees hired during the 2021-22 school year will have the stipend prorated to the number of days they were employed.
Employees will have the option to have the stipend added to their December 10, 2022 paycheck or deposit the stipend into their Health Savings Account (HSA) or retirement account (403b or 457). If the deposit into an HSA or retirement account puts an employee over the maximum amount annually permitted, the employee will receive the remaining amount on their December 10 paycheck. Employees may not divide the stipend between various accounts.
PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM ONLY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DEPOSIT THE STIPEND IN AN HSA OR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT. If you would like to have the stipend simply added to your December 10 paycheck, there is nothing you need to do. The form needs to be completed by Friday, November 18 at 4 p.m. if you choose to have the stipend deposited in an HSA or retirement account.
Should the District achieve "Exceeds Expectations" on the state report card for the 2022-23 school year, we anticipate a similar approach with stipends, but this has not been finalized.
November Health and Wellness Newsletter Now Available
Updates for Staff That Use Apple MacBook Laptops
To ensure that our Apple MacBook laptops are in compliance with the latest security updates, changes have been made to the overall NJSD software update process for Apple laptops. This new update process will automatically install the update in the background while you work, and then prompt you to schedule a restart to complete the update. Please see these instructions for more information! If you are using a Windows based laptop, this does not apply to your device.
New and Updated Resources in NJSD Tech Resource Hub
The NJSD Tech Resource Hub has a multitude of how-tos, instructional resources, tips, and more, for learning about instructional technology integration tools and applications available in our district.
The following resources are new to the NJSD Tech Resource Hub and can be accessed by the links below or in the NJSD Tech Resource Hub itself, linked here.
NEW: Canvas Announcements
NEW: Comment Banks in Canvas (Speedgrader and Google Assignments)
NEW: Canvas-Seesaw Assignment Integration (Slides)
NEW: Canvas-Seesaw Assignment Integration (Video)
NEW: Sign up for your Canvas Parent/Observer Account
Additionally, all available video and presentation materials from the October PLD have been linked in the Tech Hub - and can be viewed by clicking here.
Note: if you are getting an “Access Denied” message when clicking on the links above, please join the NJSD Tech Hub by clicking here: https://neenah.instructure.com/enroll/8EYNDH
403(b) Education Meeting Set for November 17
Join us for an Informational session where we have asked our plan representatives from Associated to review:
- Features of the 403(B) Plan
- How much you should be putting away
- Basic investing principles
- How to access your account online and access advice/planning tools.
The session will be November 17, 2022, from 3:30 to 4:30 via Zoom:
https://neenah-k12-wi.zoom.us/j/87578931869. Associated Bank representatives will also be happy to schedule individuals’ one-on-one meetings to review their accounts.
Canvas Parent Accounts for Staff Members
NJSD staff members that are also parents of enrolled NJSD students can now create your Canvas Parent accounts. Directions on how to create your Canvas Parent account can be found here.
Some important details to note as stated on the linked document:
- Staff should use a personal email account to create their Canvas Parent account.
- We recommend strongly that you create an additional Google profile if you have a personal Gmail account or use a separate browser if you use another email provider.
- Take some time to manage your Canvas Parent account notifications.
In the coming weeks, we will be onboarding all of our parents. Staff will be notified by their building administration of this process before each building sends the directions out to their parents.
Benefits to Receiving Your W-2 Electronically
Starting on November 4, the next time that you sign into Skyward, you will have the option to choose how you receive your W-2, electronically or a paper copy.
Benefits of Receiving Form W-2 Electronically:
• Online delivery provides access to the W-2 statement on the average 14 days earlier than the
traditional mail process.
• No need to come to the District Office to pick up your W-2.
• Online delivery eliminates the chance that your W-2 Statement will get lost, misdirected or delayed during delivery or after receipt.
• More secure delivery than U.S. mail, protecting your sensitive information from loss, theft or delay
• Access is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week, including weekends.
• Access is available via the same easy-to-use, secure web site employees use to access their pay information.
• Green and Convenient: print only what you need, when you need it
One-Act Play to Perform Wednesday Night
Neenah High School's one-act play qualified for the Wisconsin Interscholastic State Theatre Festival Nov. 17-19 in Whitewater and will perform its show for the community with a free performance on Wednesday, November 9 at 7 p.m. in Pickard Auditorium.
The students will be performing "Back Cover" by Emily Hageman. The show is about a girl named Madison who moves to New York City following her parents' divorce. Madison finds shoebox full of letters belonging to a young woman that forever changes her life. The play is narrated by Madison's older self and examines the experience of her growing up.
"Phase 1" Special Olympics Basketball Set for Thursday
Neenah High School Special Olympics athletes will compete alongside school peers in a unified basketball game on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Ron Einerson Fieldhouse in the school’s annual “Phase 1” event.
This marks the fourth time in the nine-year history of the event that it will be a “unified” game where students with and without intellectual disabilities combine on the same team. The program was inspired by the simple principle that training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
Special Olympics athletes will warm up with the varsity girls basketball team and take on a faculty all-star team at 7 p.m. A unified dance team consisting of varsity girls volleyball athletes and Special Olympics athletes will perform at halftime.
Educational Foundation of Neenah Offers NJSD Staff Members Grants
The Educational Foundation of the Neenah Joint School District (EFN) provides a wonderful opportunity for NJSD staff members to receive funding for new and innovative teaching practices and programs, programs designed to address the developmental, emotional and social needs of students, and other school related programs and clubs. EFN has funded small requests of as little as $200-330 and large requests of as much as several thousand dollars.
EFN is a non-profit organization founded by former NJSD superintendent, George Grisgby, for the purpose of supporting the educational efforts of District teachers. Board members are residents of this District who are enthusiastic supporters of public education. The EFN endowment comes largely from private donors, local businesses and various charities/foundations.
If you do submit a grant application, please provide a detailed description of your project (the more we know the better we can evaluate your request) and any documentation you have to verify or estimate the cost of your project. Upon receipt of a grant application, EFN will contact you to arrange for your appearance at our next scheduled board meeting so you can appear via zoom meeting to answer any questions the EFN board may have about your grant request and to present any relevant information not contained in the grant application.
The next grant request deadline is November 25. Click here for more information and to submit a grant request.
PBnJs Fund Accepting Grant Requests
The Patrick Began Neenah Joint School District (PBnJs) Mental Health Fund started on June 16, 2017 when the Began family raised $80,000 in one night to develop a fund to support mental health in our District. In the five years since this first fundraiser, the PBnJs Fund has received 134 applications and over $70,000 has been given out to improve the mental health of our students and staff.
If you or a colleague has an idea to address the mental health needs here at NJSD, please fill out an application. We recently reviewed 17 applications on October 14 and we are ready to review a second round of applications on December 16. If you have any questions about the application process, feel free to contact Dr. Mike at (maltekruse@neenah.k12.wi.us). Thank you for all you do!!!
Humana Insurance Hotline Available to NJSD Employees
Humana's open enrollment hotline is now available to NJSD employees to ask questions about benefits, prescriptions, network, Physician Finder and the RXTool on Humana.com. The hotline is unable to assist with any Go365 inquiries.
The hotline may be accessed at 1-888-393-6765 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Callers should provide their name and that they are calling for Neenah Joint School District 2023 benefits.
This Week in NJSD Activities
Wednesday, November 9
One-Act Play "Back Cover," 7 p.m. (Pickard Auditorium)
Thursday, November 10
"Phase 1" Special Olympics Basketball Game, 7 p.m. (Fieldhouse)
Saturday, November 12
Girls Swimming, WIAA State Meet, 2:30 p.m. (at Waukesha)
Tuesday, November 15
NHS Fall Band Concert, 7:30 p.m. (Pickard Auditorium)