Inslee announces updated school guidance for in-person instruction
Gov. Jay Inslee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal today announced an update in the metrics used to inform local school district decisions for in-person learning. They also announced $3 million from set aside funds to be distributed to implement health and safety protocols.
The update to the school health and safety toolkit comes after recent data showed limited COVID-19 transmission in school environments when state health and safety protocols are implemented.
The Department of Health suggests three categories for re-introducing in-person learning:
- For schools in counties where COVID-19 cases are “low” (less than 50 residents per 100,000), in-person learning should be made available for all students.
- In counties where COVID-19 cases are “moderate” (between 50 and 350 residents per 100,000), in-person learning should be phased in, starting with elementary students not already attending in person and middle school students, followed by high school students.
- Finally, in counties where COVID-19 cases are “high” (over 350 per 100,000 residents), it’s recommended that schools should only offer in-person instruction for elementary and high-need students in small groups of 15 students or fewer.
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Pet of the Week: Rex
Hi, my name is Rex! I’m an 8 year old male domestic short hair cat (ID #A65307). I am the shy and sensitive type. But, once you start petting me I slowly but surely will rub into your hand. I especially enjoy getting little chin and neck scratches! I am neutered, current on vaccinations, and micro chipped. Also, as the Pet of the Week, my adoption fee has been waived and includes a free visit to the veterinarian of your choice.
You can find out more about me and my friends at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Have you or someone you know adopted a pet from RASKC? Let us know. We’d love to tell your story.
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Tech Tip: An important reminder about Microsoft Skype and Teams instant messages (chats)
Instant messages in Teams, called Chats, don’t instantly disappear when you close the Chat window—they’re typically held for 24 hours or more before deletion. That means they can be subject to Public Disclosure Requests during that time. Some chats last for up to a week, but KCIT is working on the issue. Even if you’re still using Skype, any IMs with coworkers on Teams will also be retained for 24 hours or more on their side.
Remember: You may recall that our guidance for using Skype instant messages has always been “Don’t conduct work in instant messages.” The same is true in Teams Chats. They should only be used for transitory communication.
What does this mean for you?
- When you move to Teams for your calls, meetings and IMs/chats (this year for most of us), use Chats only for transitory communication such as “Ready for that coffee now?” and “Hey, are you going to join our meeting?”
- Posts in Teams Channels, on the other hand, are kept as part of the Teams site and are a great place to communicate important information. If you don’t know about those yet, don’t worry! Learn about posts and other great Teams collaboration features here.
- Keep in mind: since posts are retained, and Chats are automatically held for 24 hours or longer, both are subject to public disclosure and a hold may be placed on these communications. Keep it professional, as always!
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Planning holidays during a pandemic
Planning holidays during a pandemic is a tough feat. While news of COVID-19 vaccines brings a welcome light at the end of the tunnel, we still need to follow social distancing and mask recommendations until the vaccine is available to try to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our community safe.
To help employees safely navigate the holiday season, Balanced You has put together a list of resources and tips for fun and meaningful ways to celebrate. Click here for more information.
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Countywide web refresh will help users quickly, easily access information and King County services
Big changes are coming to King County’s web experience. The King County Website Refresh project aims to modernize the existing King County website experience to create a better user experience, align with the County’s mission and provide easy access to content.
KingCounty.gov is the primary source of information for community members, employees, agencies and the general public. However, the current site doesn’t fully reflect King County’s mission to provide quality local and regional services to the community, largely because some information is difficult to find and understand.
A major goal of the new site is to provide residents with a fast, convenient and equitable user-centered experience. Information will be easier to find, navigate and understand, thanks to:
- A modern design, site structure and navigation that reflect current best practices and focuses on King County services and initiatives.
- Universal templates that provide a consistent experience for the public.
- Plain language content written for fifth through eighth grade reading levels.
- Easy translation into the most spoken languages in King County and the ability to bring on new languages.
- Design and content that serves communities and individuals in compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
Ultimately, these changes will better serve our community residents with a website that puts them first. While the site is still under development, you can get a sense of the new design and see the latest example of what will be the new home page at kingcounty.gov/en.
For more information about the KingCounty.gov Refresh project, visit SharePoint, or subscribe to the newsletter here. If you have questions, please contact KCIT.
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Training Spotlight: Mentorship Lunch and Learn
Online – Would you like to have a mentor, someone who can help you grow professionally? Do you want to strengthen your coaching skills? As a Mentee, you will have a trusted advisor who can help you navigate complex situations, and as a Mentor, you can uncover new or forgotten skills and build influence. This Lunch and Learn is free and the next session is on Thursday, Dec. 17, from noon to 1 p.m. Register Here
Please visit our King County Eventbrite website and our Learning and Development website for more opportunities. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit Learning and Development at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
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Summit at Snoqualmie discount program on pause
The Summit at Snoqualmie has hit pause on their discount program, due to COVID-19 and Washington State guidelines. For season passes, sales will be significantly limited, and discounts for partners, such as King County, will not be offered. For daily lift tickets, sales will begin in the coming weeks, and partner discounts will not be available until early to mid-January. Discounts will only be available on lift ticket reservations made after this launch date. The Summit at Snoqualmie advises guests wishing to reserve specific dates to make reservations as soon as public sales are available, and expects reservations for popular holiday and weekend dates to sell out quickly.
Please plan to make all reservations online in advance at www.summitatsnoqualmie.com. Reservations will not be processed over the phone and patrons will not be allowed to purchase tickets, rentals, lessons or activities onsite. In addition to daily lift tickets, the Summit at Snoqualmie will be requiring online advanced reservations for all Summit activities including but not limited to: lessons, equipment rentals, snow tubing, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. To be alerted to availability of public daily lift ticket reservations sales online as well as other activity reservations please keep an eye on the Summit at Snoqualmie website, social media, mobile app, and sign up for email alerts here. For more information about COVID-19 rules and protocols, visit the Summit at Snoqualmie COVID-19 website.
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Making Life Easier webinars for the holiday season
King County employees can choose from these upcoming live and on-demand webinars. Register early for the live session as space is limited; otherwise, the recording will be available on-demand 48 hours after the live session.
- Navigating Grief During the Holiday Season, Wednesday, Dec. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. Register here.
- Moving Forward From Here: Navigating Uncertain Times, now available on-demand. Register here.
- Supporting Yourself This Season: The Winter Blues & Seasonal Affective Disorder, now available on-demand. Register here.
To learn more about these webinars, login to kcmakinglifeeasier.com with your username: King County, click on the Current Featured Webinars banner on the home page.
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Stress less this holiday season
The holiday season will look different for many people this year. Many of us will still find ways to cultivate joy and cherish time with loved ones, whether virtually or safely in-person. Many of us will also undergo sadness and fatigue from experiencing holidays during a pandemic. Balanced You and King County’s Making Life Easier program offer the following recommendations so you can enjoy the season to the fullest.
Read this Balanced You blogpost for more information.
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Video: COVID-19 vaccine planning update from Dr. Jeff Duchin (Dec. 11, 2020)
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
With COVID-19 cases surging in King County, Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin shared the most recent data and responded to questions from the media and the community about vaccine planning and how we can all help stop slow the spread during the holiday season.
For more on COVID-19 data trends, visit our data dashboards: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data.aspx
For more on COVID-19 vaccine planning in King County: www.kingcounty.gov/covid/vaccine
Employee News 