4J BENEFITS AND WELLNESS NEWSLETTER
Prepared by Julie Wenzl • 541-790-7682 • wenzl@4j.lane.edu • April 22, 2016 • Issue Number 288
SICK LEAVE BANK UPDATE
Eugene Education Association President Tad Shannon put out the plea for donations to the Sick Leave Bank and you responded – thank you so much!
The Eugene Education Association manages the Sick Leave Bank (SLB), the purpose of which is to grant hours to eligible members in cases of long-term absence necessitated by illness or injury. To maintain active membership, a minimum donation of one day (prorated for part-time employees) must be made every two years.
During the recently concluded spring enrollment period, 229 members made donations to the SLB, 37 for the first time. The maximum donation allowed per school year is 16 hours. Many of you opted to make the maximum donation, including 7 part-time members.
Thanks to donor generosity, the SLB should be able to honor requests for the remainder of this school year. The SLB committee is hoping that your continued generosity in future donation periods will help rebuild depleted reserves. As Tad shared, we all hope we will never have to tap the SLB, but it’s sure nice to know it’s there if we need it. The next open enrollment period will be in the fall of 2016. E-mail reminders and forms will be sent at that time.
CAR SAFETY SEAT INSTALLATION
In a recent study in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that nine out of ten families made at least one serious error in car seat use when taking newborns home from the hospital. The most common errors were loose seat installation, misuse of the harness clip, or incorrect recline angle. When used properly, car seats can reduce the risk of infant death or injury by 70 percent.
New parents are advised to double-check that they know how to install and use a car safety seat, preferably before the baby is born. For ease-of-use ratings of car seats, instruction videos, and a list of seat inspection stations near you, check out the federal website: safercar.gov/cpsApp/cps/index.htm. Parents can also get hands-on advice from a certified car seat technician: cert.safekids.org.
PERS EDUCATION SESSION IN 4J
Next month, 4J will be hosting a second PERS education presentation: Understanding Your PERS Pension. The presentation is a duplication of the information provided at the January session, and is suitable for PERS members just beginning their careers, for those within a few months of retirement, and for all members in between.
Topics will include:
- Understanding the differences between Tier 1, Tier 2, and OPSRP
- Pension benefit calculation methods
- Understanding your IAP account
- Retirement option choices
- Coordinating PERS benefits with other income sources
- Investment strategies and financial planning for retirement
The presentation will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Ed Center Auditorium on Thursday, May 12, 2016, and will last approximately one hour 15 minutes. At the conclusion of the presentation, there will time for questions and answers.
To sign up to attend, please send an e-mail to wenzl@4j.lane.edu. In your e-mail, please indicate whether you will attend alone or whether you will be bringing a guest.
NUTS ABOUT NUTS?
Nuts are a nutrient-rich food that – barring allergies – you may want to consider making a regular part of your diet. It’s easy to incorporate nuts into your daily diet, both as a substitute for less healthy snacks or as an ingredient in other dishes.
- Almonds top all tree nuts per ounce in protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E, niacin, and riboflavin.
- Brazil nuts are among the richest dietary sources of selenium and are also high in magnesium.
- Cashews are the tree nuts highest in iron, copper, and zinc.
- Hazelnuts (also called filberts) are good sources of vitamin E, manganese, and copper.
- Macadamia nuts contain the most calories and fat of all nuts, but most of the fat is monounsaturated, as in olive oil.
- Pecans are packed with antioxidants and vitamin E.
- Peanuts, (botanically a legume) are nutritionally similar to tree nuts, high in fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, folate, and niacin.
- Pine nuts (also known as piñon, pinoli or pignoli) are second only to walnuts in polyunsaturated fat content and are high in manganese.
- Pistachios, the only tree nut that can be roasted in the shell, have the most potassium and vitamin B6.
- Walnuts are the only nuts with significant amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant form of omega-3 fatty acids.
ULTIMATE WALKING PLAYLIST
I asked and you sent. Here are your eclectic walking playlist suggestions:
- I Walk The Line – Johnny Cash
- Walk Like an Egyptian – The Bangles
- Walk of Life – Dire Straights
- Walk on the Ocean – Toad the Wet Sprocket
- Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
- Walkin’ After Midnight – Patsy Cline
- Walking on the Moon – The Police
- Walk On By – Cake
- Walk Like a Man – The Four Seasons
- Walk Like a Man – Grand Funk Railroad
- Walk Like a Man – Bruce Springsteen
- Walk This Way – Aerosmith
- These Boots Are Made For Walking – Nancy Sinatra
- Walk it Down – Talking Heads
- Walking on Broken Glass – Annie Lennox
- Walking in Memphis – Mark Cohn
- Walking on the Moon – The Police
- Walking on the Sun – Smash Mouth
- Walking on Air – Katy Perry
- These Boots Are Made For Walking – Jessica Simpson
- You’ll Never Walk Alone – from the musical Carousel
- Baby Elephant Walk – Henry Mancini
- Walk Right In, Sit Right Down – New Christie Minstrels
- Walk On By – Dionne Warwick
- Daddy, Don’t You Walk So Fast – Wayne Newton
- Walking in Rhythm – The Blackbyrds
- As She’s Walking Away – Zac Brown Band
- Walk Away – Kelly Clarkson
- Halo/Walking on Sunshine – Glee Cast Remix
- Walk – Foo Fighters
- Walking – Huey Lewis & the News
- Walk Away – Eric Clapton
- Only When I Walk Away – Justin Timberlake
- Walk Tall – John Mellencamp
- Walking After You – Foo Fighters
- Walking the Long Miles Home – Richard Thompson
- Walk with Me – Moby
- She Walks – Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves
- Walk on the Wild Side – Lou Reed
- A Long Walk – Jill Scott
TAHINI ROASTED BROCCOLI
In a large bowl, whisk together:
- 2 Tbs. tahini
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 ½ Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 Tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 minced clove garlic
Toss the mixture with 5 cups of broccoli spears and roast on a lined baking sheet at 450° F for 10 minutes. Serves 4.
NOT COMING BACK IN THE FALL?
If you are a licensed employee hired for this school year only and your hire date was before November 1, 2015, your insurance benefits will run through August 31, 2016. Benefits also run through August for employees planning to take an unpaid leave from 4J in 2016-17 or who will not be returning next school year. This includes licensed employees who will retire September 1, 2016. The final 2015-16 paycheck will be July 31, 2016. If you currently have a monthly insurance premium withheld from your paycheck, you should expect two premiums to be withheld from your end of July paycheck. This allows you to pay for your August benefits with pre-tax dollars.
If you are retiring at the end of this school year but prior to September 1, the double July deduction will not apply to you. Please refer to your copy of your Licensed Retirement Agreement, which has details about your retiree insurance elections and rates.
If you have any questions, please contact Julie Wenzl (541-790-7682 or wenzl@4j.lane.edu).
The information in this newsletter has been summarized. It is presented as information – not advice or counsel. In all instances, the benefits, conditions, and limitations as outlined in the 4J Master Contracts prevail over this representation. Please refer to your Benefits booklet or master contracts available at the District offices for additional information regarding your benefits plans.
