August/September 2008

Informer
Laramie County School District 1 Employee Newsletter
Volume 13 t Issue 1
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Graphics manager Kathy Vogel and technician Bill Beardsley
work together, along with technician Mark Alzheimer (not
pictured) to produce quality projects for the district.
T
here’s a new kid on the
block in the Graphics
Department—Kathy
Vogel. Previously Laramie
County School District 1’s
database administrator, Vogel
is the new Graphics manager.
She is positive about her
move and said: “I really like the
change and it has been good
for me. I enjoy using my technology background to work
into some of the things we’re
doing over here.”
She said people will notice
jobs are being turned around
quicker, and they should also
see a decrease in the cost of
copies.
Vogel strongly encourages
schools and district
departments to utilize Digital
Storefront, which allows
employees to submit, proof and
track print orders through a
single Web interface.
She also has fresh equipment
to work with since the floor
is now filled with new Canon
copy equipment, as well as a
brand new IKON color printer.
The upgraded machinery will
help the Graphics Department
provide enhanced service.
When employees utilize this
electronic format, there are no
work orders to fill out and jobs
are delivered. Additionally,
projects are much easier to
track and the quality is crisp
and clean. If employees have
any questions about the system,
Vogel said she and her staff will
be more than happy to help.
“Every time you get new
equipment, hopefully it is
better and faster,” Vogel said. Digital Storefront will also
be receiving some upgrades,
which Vogel said should be
August/September 2008
The little office
that could…
invisible to users. Because of
this improvement, departments
and schools will be provided
with more detailed monthly
bills, which will include helpful
information such as project
dates and itemized breakdowns
of charges.
Black-and-white jobs now
cost less, so Vogel encourages
school and department
personnel to use their building
copiers on jobs of 200 copies or
less that don’t require bindery
work.
If people do submit projects
to Graphics, it helps to provide
them ahead of their deadlines.
“This makes the process
faster and easier for everyone,”
Vogel explained.
Graphics still has the wide
format printer, which can be
used to produce items such as
banners and posters for sports
events. Additionally, they are
capable of laminating projects
up to 27-inches wide.
“There are still some things
I’m trying to learn how to do,
some equipment I’m not totally
familiar with yet, but I’m
learning,” Vogel said. “We have
a lot of years of expertise over
here with Bill and Mark, and
that helps me quite a bit.”
Watch for
notifications
about the
Graphics
Department
Open House
2 t August/September 2008
Informer
You know the old saying…
it’s a
ngle gym out there
ju
W
hen school
begins this year,
Goins, Anderson,
Fairview, Lebhart and Dildine
Elementary students will
no doubt enjoy the new
playground equipment they
find waiting for them.
According to Ed Restivo,
LCSD1’s Integrated Trades
foreman, the district installed
approximately $346,000 worth
of new Miracle Recreation
equipment at the schools
during the past year.
Miracle Recreation
Equipment Company, one
of the nation’s oldest and
largest playground equipment
manufacturers, is well known
for its unique and innovative
outdoor play systems. That’s
why the company’s recent
decision to feature LCSD1’s
schools in its 2009 catalog is so
significant.
A first-grade student enjoys playing
on the many features Dildine’s Miracle
Recreation equipment offers.
“It’s quite an honor for us
to be featured,” Restivo said,
especially since the company
chooses only a few areas each
Top Performers
year to photograph for their
catalog.”
Wayne St. John, Miracle
Recreation Equipment’s
photographer, was in
Cheyenne on Sunday, Aug. 3
to take pictures of playground
equipment for the company’s
2009 catalog. He said: “Many
factors go into choosing
locations for photo layouts. The
decision for Cheyenne schools
to be photographed may be
based on the fact the schools
feature top colors and smaller
structures.”
In addition to meeting safety
standards, Miracle’s equipment
is environmentally friendly
and provides a meaningful play
environment with features such
as climbing walls, slides, crawl
tubes, stairs and bridges.
So, what do kids think about
this upgrade? During a recent
visit to Dildine Elementary,
a first-grader who was busy
swinging from the monkey
bars said, “This is fun!”
You are invited to attend…
Julie Grant, Central High
Arch Coal Teacher of the Year
Yolanda Vigil, Fredom Elementary
HOPE Teacher of the Year
Shannon Walter, Johnson Junior High
Air Force Association Teacher of the Year
Kara Gann, Department of Technology
Elected to the International Society of Technology
LCSD1’s All Staff Picnic
Aug. 26, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Frontier Park Indian Village
Informer
August/September 2008 t 3
News Briefs
Technology
The Technology Department has added
AfterClass features to classroom Web sites.
Wellness
To register for classes, ask about mini grants to promote
health at schools and work sites, or to serve on the new
wellness committee, contact Lynn Collins, 771-2373, ext.
102 49 or e-mail [email protected].
Activity Programs
v Tuesday & Thursday, 2:15–3 p.m., Storey Gym
Band Room—Body Burn!
v Monday & Thursday, 4:15–5 p.m., Storey Gym
Band Room—Body Burn!
v Monday & Wednesday, 4–5 p.m., Carey JHS Cafeteria—
Pilates with Lucy McVeigh
v Tuesday & Thursday, 4–5 p.m., Sunrise Elementary—
Yoga
For helpful guides that will help teachers prepare their
classroom Web sites for the school year, go to:
www.laramie1.org/, Our District, Announcements & News
Releases, Find Teachers Guides and more about AfterClass
Health Programs
vSept. 8–Oct. 31, Get Moving! Get Fit! Feel Great!
Schools and worksites will form teams of 5–10 individuals
and log their total minutes per day spent exercising. The
top five teams with the most time spent exercising will
receive chair massages for each team member.
vWin a free bike! Register your team at the back-to-school
picnic Aug. 26 and be entered into a drawing to win a free
bike from Bicycle Station. Also, stop by the Wellness table
to pick up a free pair of sunglasses and some sun screen!
vSeptember; Move It Team Challenge
vNovember; Holiday Health Challenge
vFebruary; Healthy Lunch Club
vOctober 7–Nov. 18, 4:15–5 p.m., Call for Location—
Tobacco Cessation
vJanuary 6–February 17, 4–6 p.m., Call for Location—
Steps to a New You
Risk Management
Sexual Harassment
v9:15–10:15 a.m., Second Tuesday of each month,
WeTip Anonymous Hotline
Admin. Bldg. Rm. 324 (Oct. 14 classes are in the Storey
(800) 782-7463
Gym Board Room)
Hazard Communication
The following classes will continue
v10:20–11:45 a.m., Second Tuesday of each month,
throughout the year and unless they are marked
Admin. Bldg. Rm. 324 (Oct. 14 classes are in the Storey
otherwise, they are on the second Tuesday of each month.
Gym Board Room)
Contact Shauna Smith, 771-2169, ext. 11211 or e-mail
Emergency/Crisis
[email protected] to register.
v Oct. 14, 3:45–5 p.m., Storey Gym, Band Room
vDec. 9, 3:45–5 p.m., Storey Gym, Band Room
Bloodborne Pathogens
vFeb. 10, 3:45–5 p.m., Storey Gym, Band Room
v8–9 a.m., Second Tuesday of each month, Admin. Bldg.
vApril 14, 3:45–5 p.m., Storey Gym, Band Room
Rm. 324 (Oct. 14 classes are in the Storey Gym Board
Room)
Human Resources
We are pleased to announce a Special Pay
Plan that will save retirees money when they
separate from the district. Currently, any
employee who has completed a minimum of 10 years
of continuous satisfactory service for LCSD1 is eligible
for a one-time retention bonus of 1 percent per year of
employment of his/her placement on the salary schedule
upon leaving the district. In addition, the employee is
eligible for compensation for unused sick leave and/or
unused vacation, when applicable.
On July 16, the Board of Trustees adopted a 401(a)/403(b)
Special Pay Plan. This will assist in protecting the principal
pay-out of an employee’s accumulated sick leave, vacation
leave and retention bonus. The program offers the
following advantages for participants:
v Neither the employee nor the district pays FICA tax at
any time, thereby saving 7.65 percent of the total Special
Pay package.
v Special Pay may be paid by the district in installments to
protect the principal amount.
v The employee’s total principal is guaranteed to remain
intact, earning interest, with no surrender charges or
administrative fees.
v The employee does not pay federal income tax until
withdrawal. Note: if the employee is less than age 55 in
the year in which he/she retires, the employee will pay a
10 percent penalty in addition to the regular income tax if
funds are withdrawn before age 59 1/2.
v Withdrawal may be made in whole or in increments and
several options are available:
a. If a withdrawal request is received by Wednesday, a
check will be mailed the next Monday.
b. The employee may choose to establish an investment
fund rather than withdraw the funds. Financial
advisory services are provided at no charge to the
employee. Account information can be accessed
through the Internet, telephone and account
statements. Investment funds are subject to low
asset-management expenses.
c. Employees may take out a loan against their
principal.
v Employees retain total control of their funds.
For more information, contact John Lyttle in Human
Resources at 771-2160 or ext. 10112.
vDistrict IDs
To receive a new ID badge, call
Community Relations, 771-2192,
for an appointment.
On-site appointments may be
scheduled for groups of 15 or more
people.
IDs will be replaced if they are
damaged, or if there are significant
changes. Otherwise, use the current
year’s stickers available at your
office.
vHelp Shape
LCSD1’s Future
This fall, leaders throughout
the district will be getting together
monthly with the goal of enabling
more employees and community
stakeholders to become involved in
shaping LCSD1’s future.
Teams will include principals,
instructional support supervisors,
employee association representatives
and parents.
“Sometimes information changes
so we wanted all of our groups to
meet on the same day,” said Dave
Bartlett, assistant superintendent of
Support Operations. “Our plan is to
get that same information unilaterally
across the district with the hope that
our leaders will take it back and share
with their departments.”
Superintendent Ted Adams
said the meetings will also focus on
seeking input about how to improve
our system. Leaders will meet the first
Wednesday of every month in the
Training Center at these times:
vAcademic Leadership (Principals),
9–11 a.m.
vInstructional Support Council,
Noon–2 p.m.
vEmployee Association Leadership
Council, 2:30–4:30 p.m.
vCheyenne
Schools
Foundation
The Excellence in Education
12th annual 5K Walk/Run is
Sept. 20 at 9 a.m., in Frontier
Park. Check-in begins at 8 a.m.
inside the Exhibit Hall.
Contact Gary or Sherrie
McDowell at 634-8112 or Cathy
Ellis at 635-5853 with questions.
For questions about Excellence
in Education Grants or Minigrants, contact Marguerite Herman,
638-1468 or Sue Riske at 635-3060.
ParentLink provides powerful
communications tool
P
arents, students
and staff at Laramie
County School
District 1 will have a new
method of receiving district
communications due to a
rapid-notification system
being put in place this fall.
The new communications
tool called ParentLink
will provide district
administrators a way to
quickly communicate a
consistent message during
times of crisis, weather,
or other scheduled needs
throughout the school year.
“We are pleased to offer
the ParentLink service this
year and believe this device
will help us in our efforts to
provide our children with a
safe learning environment,”
said Dave Bartlett, LCSD1
assistant superintendent of
Support Operations.
On Aug. 11, a test
message was sent to parents
whose phone numbers
and e-mail addresses were
already available in the
system. The message was
sent to remind parents
of registration Aug. 12
and 13. Additionally, the
message was designed
to test the system and
determine the accuracy
of current parent
information.
“Overall, we met our
goal, which was to send
out a registration reminder
to thousands of parents
in less than 10 minutes,”
said LCSD1 Director
of Technology Gordon
Knopp. “We accomplished
this and are in the process
of weeding out incorrect
phone numbers and
outdated information.”
Using ParentLink,
messages can be sent in a
variety of formats and to
numerous locations such
as voice mail to designated
phones, as an e-mail, and
via text message. However,
users must sign up for the
text-message service and
provide permission via the
ParentLink Web portal.
As contact data is
confirmed and re-tested,
services such as text
messaging will become
available. Additional test
messages will be sent over
the next few weeks to
parents and LCSD1 staff
members.
ParentLink is also capable
of providing a variety of
added services including
the ability to notify parents
of absences, unpaid lunch
balances, etc. However,
these components will be
phased in throughout the
course of the school year.
Technology Literacy Need Assessment
All certified staff including—
 administrators
 teachers
 therapists
 psychologists
 social workers
 consultants
 library media specialists
 PT/OT
When:
Where:
How:
Dr. Mike Klopfenstein
Assistant Superintendent of Instruction
John Lyttle
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources
David Bartlett
Assistant Superintendent of Support Operations
Dr. Marc LaHiff
Director of Instruction
Alice Hunter
Director of Special Services
Gordon Knopp
Director of Technology
Dr. Irene Story
Assistant Director of Instruction–
Grants/Staff Development
Brent Young
Assistant Director of Instruction–
School Improvement/Assessment
J.P. Denning
Assistant Director of Special Services
Dr. Sharon Knudson
Director of New Teacher Induction/Mentoring
Mary Quast
Community Relations Director
Preparing students for their future
Who:
Ted Adams
Superintendent of Schools
 nurses
 SLP
 audiologists
 etc.
Board of Trustees
Jan Stalcup—Chairman
Bob Farwell—Vice Chairman
Brian Farmer—Treasurer
Dale Vosler—Assistant Treasurer
Anne Beckle—Clerk
Al Atkins—Assistant Clerk
Jeff Meena—Trustee
Dave Evans—District Council
Take anytime May 12–Sept. 10
Laramie County School District 1
2810 House Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Tel: 307.771.2100
Community Relations Office
Tel: 307.771.2192
Fax: 307.771.2252
[email protected]
http://laramie1.howtomaster.com
©2008 LCSD1 Community Relations
Reference & help guide: www.laramie1.org
department/technology/
Curriculum Integration and Training
For more information
Department of Technology
771-2222 or ext. 10601