Holiday time is traditions time, and we have many in my family. One tradition started when I was a young child. My brothers, sisters (I have 5 siblings) and I rushed to the tree on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought - but there was NOTHING! Only coal in the stockings. You see, the week before Christmas, we were fighting (as siblings do), and my parents wanted to let us know that such behavior was not appropriate. So, Santa only gave us coal that year. Of course, the presents were under the tree when we came home from grandma's house, but from that Christmas on, we always received coal in our stockings to remind us that family and friends are our most treasured possessions and we need to treat them with kindness and respect.

Now that I am grown up and married, the season is more serene. I now put coal in my husband's stocking and we have traditions of our own. For example, every year my husband and I bake hundreds of cookies (yes, I said hundreds - last year alone, we made over 500 chocolate chip cookies). We bake sugar cookies, nut tarts, chocolate chip, chocolate gobs and many more. Now, you are probably asking yourself, "What in the world does she do with all those cookies?" It is a tradition of ours to share the sweet treats with friends and family, but most of the cookies are given to families in need or to the elderly in the community as a way to brighten their holidays.

Many of you probably have similar family traditions, and as you rush around searching for the perfect gift or adding one more decoration to your front lawn, I hope you remember that friends and family are what the holiday season is all about. Please take time to enjoy them.

Best wishes during this holiday season,

Christine A. Davis, Ed.S.

Editor, Brevard Notebook

P.S. Please tell me how you feel about the Notebook by completing the customer service survey (link located at the bottom left). In addition, please let me know what your school, class or department is doing so it can be featured in upcoming publications. Submit your story idea and photos using the link on the left below. This link may be used to submit ideas for the electronic employee newsletter, the electronic parent newsletter, or the district's printed publication, the Mark of Excellence.

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Top Stories

Brevard Welcomes New Board Members

At the November 18 School Board Meeting, new School Board members, Karen Henderson and Andrew Ziegler were administered the Oath of Office by Judge Ben Garagozlo. Amy Kneessy was also sworn in after being re-elected as District 3's School Board Member. During the meeting, Board member Robert Jordan was elected Chairman and Dr. Barbara Murray was elected Vice-Chairman.

(Click to Enlarge Pictures)

Karen Henderson Andrew Ziegler Amy Kneessy

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This Award is for You!

The Brevard County School Nutrition Association (BCSNA) Board Members collected food for Thanksgiving baskets to those families in need. Items were donated by the food service employees across the district. Seventeen turkeys, along with the food illustrated in the picture below were also donated . BCSNA proudly handed out Thanksgiving Baskets to 17 BPS families in need.

That is why...

THIS AWARD IS FOR THE BREVARD COUNTY SCHOOL NUTRITION ASSOCIATION!

The Brevard County School Nutrition Association (BCSNA) Board Members along with the food that was collected.

Pictured from left to right: Sherri Tubbs, Mary Lake, Dawn Menz, Kate Thompson, Jennie Cheesman, Donna Anderson, Diane Farmer, Zaida Rodriguez, Rita Lewis (President), Lalanya Wilson, Nancy Poe and Jackie Case.

(Click to Enlarge Picture)

Do you know of an employee or group of employees who deserve recognition? Nominate them for This Award is for You! by clicking here: This Award is for You! Nominees will be selected at random for recognition in upcoming Brevard Notebook editions.

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In The News

Atlantis' New National Elementary Honor Society

Atlantis Elementary School has established a chapter of the new National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) to recognize their most outstanding students. Staff at the school were notified recently that their application to begin this prestigious new national student recognition program was approved by the national office and that they may now undertake the process of selecting new members in the 2008-2009 school year.

Atlantis Elementary School will be designated as a “Founding Chapter of NEHS” joining elementary schools around the nation in establishing a program to promote excellence in academic achievement and involvement in leadership and service for the nation’s youngest students. For the complete story, click here.

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Wise Words on Wellness… from the Brevard Public Schools’ Wellness program.

Keeping Healthy Through the Flu Season.

How long can flu germs live outside the body?

The length of time that cold or flu germs can survive outside the body on an environmental surface, such as a doorknob, varies greatly, but the suspected range is from a few seconds to 48 hours depending on the specific virus type and the type of surface.

Flu viruses tend to live longer on surfaces than cold viruses do. Also, it's generally believed that cold and flu viruses live longer on nonporous surfaces such as plastic, metal, or wood than they do on porous surfaces such as fabrics, skin, or paper. For the complete story, click here.

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40th Anniversary PSA Contest

Join the Florida Commission on Human Relations in celebrating their 40th anniversary! They are inviting high school students throughout the state to submit video public service announcements (PSAs) for the "Discrimination Through the Eyes of Our Youth" PSA contest. For more information, please visit http://fchr.state.fl.us/outreach/40th_anniversary_psa_contest or contact Leah Barber-Heinz (leah.barber@fchr.myflorida.com) or Nakia Beasley (nakia.beasley@fchr.myflorida.com).

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Scholastic Warehouse Sale at ESF

If you are thinking of books as a gift to the children or young adults in your life, be sure to take advantage of the upcoming Scholastic Warehouse Sale at ESF in Viera on Thursday, Dec. 18 and Friday, Dec. 19 in Training Rooms 5 and 6. A few adult titles are generally offered for sale, as well. Books will be available at discounted prices of up to 80% off the cover price. Proceeds benefit our annual Book Bash, Florida Teens Read, and other library media programs. For more information, click here.

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Best Practice Idea - Reading Blogs

Over the summer Sharon Reynolds and a wonderful group of media specialists develop a blog for the Sunshine State Readers. Meadowlane Intermediate GSP teacher (and teacher of the year) April Dennis and Media Specialist, Kevin Ward, started a book club for 5^th and 6th grades using the Sunshine State Readers. They meet every other week on Wednesday. The students come to them and they have book discussions about the title they read. The students also get time to blog using the blogs set up over the summer. They can also blog anytime they want from home. Each student was given a Mustang number so the school could identify them, but then no one else could. To view their blog, please visit http://meadowlane.is.brevard.k12.fl.us/media/media.htm Click on blogs in the lower right hand corner.

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A Sincere and Heartfelt Thank You!

On Monday, October 13, Brevard Public School employees district-wide participated in a Dress Down in Pink- Jeans Day. This fund raiser was part of the BPS Wellness Program goal to increase awareness of breast cancer and the importance of mammograms, self-exams, and early detection.

Individuals who donated $5.00 (and many graciously donated even more) received a flip-flop pink ribbon lapel pin, and were able to sport jeans as part of this day. An extra thank you goes out to the school and site secretaries who helped so very much in promoting the day, collecting the money, and giving out the pins. The day would not have been so successful without all of their help. Together we raised an AMAZING $12,313.00! For the full story, click here.

Patricia Woodson, North Area Transportation (Click to Enlarge Picture)

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Look Around Brevard

Financial Services Recognized for Excellence in Financial Reporting

At the November 18 Board meeting, Financial Services was recognized for Excellence in Financial reporting. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting and the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting to the School Board of Brevard County for achieving the highest standards in governmental accounting and financial reporting. These awards are only conferred to school systems that have met or exceeded the standards of the program.
(Click to Enlarge Picture)

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Did You Know?

Check & Balance - From Compensation & Benefits

By now all employees should have received his or her 2009 Confirmation Statement to reflect your medical, dental, vision, and any of the additional benefits selected to be effective on January 1, 2009. This is your official confirmation and shows you the benefits you chose for 2009. If you made any changes regarding your beneficiaries, you would have also received that statement as well which needs to be signed and returned back to Compensation and Benefits.

Any time throughout the year, you can CHECK out your selections (but you CANNOT make ANY CHANGES). Simply visit http://www.easybenefits.com/ and click on Customer Log-In toward the top. The next screen that appears will ask for your EMPLOYEE ID # (this is NOT your Social Security) number and your PASSWORD (type it in lower case). Then click on SIGN IN. At the next screen, click on VIEW BENEFIT INFORMATION. You may then select VIEW SELECTIONS from this current calendar year 2008 as well as selections that become effective on January 1, 2009.

This site also has a great deal of information on the terrific benefits available to you as a Brevard Public School employee. At the top of the Easy Benefits page, you can click on any of the listed benefits for detailed information. You may also visit http://benefits.brevard.k12.fl.us/Benefits.htm for more information on your benefits. You may also ask your site Benefits Contact, usually your school or site secretary, as they are most excellent sources of answers for you.

If you are wondering how much you have left in funds in your Medical Flexible Spending Account (FSA) visit http://www.teamcornerstone.com/bps/. To log into your account, click on the brown Login button and you will enter your USERNAME and your PASSWORD. If you have any questions about setting up your account or accessing your account online, feel free to phone Cornerstone (this is the group that administers our Flexible Spending Accounts) at 1-800-720-4460 and they will be more than happy to help. Also, on their Web site you can access information on how to file claims and you can print out forms.

Remember you have until March 15, 2009 to spend money that you designated for your 2008 Medical FSA. And, you have until March 30, 2009 to submit claims for any expenses incurred this year with the 2008 money. So, you still have time to bring that BALANCE down to zero.

Also, remember to keep your MasterCard debit card, as this will be reloaded on January 1 with the entire amount you allocated for 2009. If you use your debit card, the money from 2008 will be used before the 2009 funds, up until the March 15, 2009 date.

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Argosy University

As a Brevard County educator, you are eligible for a scholarship to pursue a graduate degree from Argosy University. Argosy is currently accepting enrollment for the Spring term which begins Jan. 10, 2009. For more information, click here.

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BPS-TV

What’s On

Don’t miss the next Superintendent’s Forum when we learn about some useful parenting techniques for raising our children and grandchildren. This show will air from Sunday December 7 through Saturday December 13 at these times on BPS-TV, Channel 198 on Bright House Cable.

Sunday	12:30 and 7:00 p.m.
Monday	6:30 p.m.
Wednesday	11:00 p.m.
Thursday	7:30 p.m.
Friday	8:30 p.m.
Saturday	2:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

For more information or additional show listings, please visit BPS-TV at www.bpstv.com.

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Upcoming Events

Event	Date	Time	Location
School Board Meeting	Dec. 9	5:30 p.m.	ESF Board Room
Audit Committee Meeting	Dec. 11	9:00 a.m.	ESF Supt. Conf. Room
Employee of the Year Breakfast	Dec. 12	8:00 a.m.	Holiday Inn - Viera
History/Geography Bowl	Dec. 15	9:00 a.m.	ESF Board Room
Early Dismissal/Exam Days	Dec. 17-19		Schools

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