BENEFIT OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD

Open Enrollment Period: August 23rd - September 30th 2018

To be effective by November 1st, your online application must be received no later than September 30th. Please submit all benefit changes via the Skyward online enrollment portal through Employee Access, a guide has been provided here; Guide to Online Open Enrollment in Employee Access.  You can log into Skyward via the district website's STAFF page.  You can find it in the upper right corner of each page, or click this link to get to it.

IF YOU ARE NOT MAKING ANY CHANGES TO YOUR BENEFITS, NO ACTION IS REQUIRED

Your 2018-19 Benefits Guide to Coverages and Pricing (Page 4 gives you a list the benefits changes for this year)

Please plan on attending the Benefits Fair August 23rd.  We will be there with laptops to provide assistance with any changes you may have.

Please don't hesitate to ask for assistance, we are here to help you through this new process!

BENEFITS FAIR AUGUST 23, 2018

Please plan on attending this one time event as this will be your only chance to meet with our insurance representatives to answer your questions or to get further information and details.

Date: Thursday, August 23rd 2018

Time: 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Location: Washougal High School, Commons Area

Laptops will be provided at the Benefits Fair along with staff to assist you in making changes, if you know what changes you want at that time.  We will also provide laptops and assistance at the District Office if you can't make it to the fair or don't know what your changes will be at that time.  

Please don't hesitate to ask for assistance, we are here to help you through this new process.

Your 2018-19 Benefits Guide to Coverages and Pricing (Page 4 gives you a list the benefits changes for this year)

CHANGES TO PROCEDURE FOR ENROLLING OR CHANGING BENEFITS

Open enrollment begins 8/23/18 this year and runs through 9/30/18.

·     Changes to your plans will take effect 11/1/18 

o  Not 10/1 as in past years

·      Benefit changes will be processed through Employee Access in Skyward this year

o  No paper enrollment or change forms will be accepted

o  We will have laptops set up at the Benefits Fair to assist you if you know what plans you want to change to at that time

o  We will have laptops set up at District Office during the open enrollment period to assist you with enrollment online

·     Changes to Dental plans will also need to be changed through the Aon Hewitt website, as well as the Employee Access in Skyward

·     Any changes you make to your plans may be in effect until 12/31/19

o  If the new State insurance through SEBB goes into effect 1/1/20 as anticipated, the plans, and pricing, that you choose starting 11/1/18 will be in effect until 12/31/19, no open enrollment next fall for our current plans

o  If the SEBB is delayed for some reason, our insurance companies will open up the open enrollment again and new plans and pricing would be in effect 11/1/19

Your 2018-19 Benefits Guide to Coverages and Pricing (Page 4 gives you a list the benefits changes for this year)

Your Guide to Open Enrollment in Employee Access

JMS art students create mural at Lower Hathaway Park

Students in the Club 8 art club at Jemtegaard Middle School have left their mark at Lower Hathaway Park in the form of a painted mural completed May 31.   Sponsored by City of Washougal Parks Department, students were given a suggested piece of art and provided surplus city paints.  

“I am really proud of these students,” said JMS art teacher and Club 8 leader, Dani Allen.  “They were given a drawing as a guide and worked together on alterations to make it their own and create a single vision.  They worked together, sharing ideas and even took turns at painting.  It was a true team effort!”

According to Suzanne Grover, City of Washougal Parks & Cemetery Manger, the project started when a group of Clark College students offered to paint a mural in town after doing their thesis on how murals deter vandalism.  “We recommended they put it on the equipment shed at Lower Hathaway, so they modified their original design to reflect a baseball theme. Time ran out and the group was only able to paint the shed a single color. The project sat for about two years uncompleted.”

That is where Allen and JMS students took up the charge, transformed the design slightly and started painting.

“I was really honored to be able to do this,” said JMS 8^th grade student, Aracely Caunas. “I like that this piece will be seen by the next generation.  I hope it inspires others to do art.”

“The best part was getting to hang out with other students and be creative,” said Jeanette Lara, JMS 8^th grader.  “We modified the art together, worked as a team and became friends through the process. It was a valuable experience to listen to each other and work on something from beginning to end.”

This was the first piece of public art any of the students have worked on. “I like that people can just come across it and enjoy it,” Lara said.  “My other artwork is only shared with my close family.  Not many see it.”  

JMS Club 8 students are also currently working on more public art by creatively painting bird houses to be added to the “For the Birds” community bird house art installation next to Washougal City Hall sponsored by Washougal Arts and Culture Alliance. 

For the last 10 years, the Washougal Parks Department has had a goal to enhance the individuality of each park with themes.  “We hope to eventually draw in local artistic talents to touch each park and public space with a special surprise,” said Grover. “The surprises come in the form of little libraries, art sculptures, unusual benches, or cob features. The mural at Lower Hathaway Park is a dramatic splash of color that brightens a shady spot in the park.  The students who worked to create this mural will have a lasting memory of their contribution to our community.”

JMS Students with finished mural