ESU EDUCATOR. Growing Forward THE. All Staff Day is Friday, February 12, Mark your calendars. Activities start at 7:45am.

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1 ESU EDUCATOR PROVIDING INNOVATION, LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE THE February 2016 Publisher: ESU #1 Designer: Tracey Anderson Growing Forward Poverty Simulation Bring Nonperishable food item!! Diane- PHA Cards!! Dress Casual Department meeting room Bring Agenda All Staff Day!!! All Staff Day is Friday, February 12, Mark your calendars. Activities start at 7:45am. ESU #1 Apparel Tracey - Business Cards Start time 7:45 AM Employee photo-ready Bring Parking Pass!! INSIDE THIS ISSUE February Happenings..2 Staff Notes.3 EHA Wellness Information..4 Safety First.5

2 February Happenings Happy Birthday!! Holly Pedersen 1st Chelsea Spangler 3rd Becky Rieken 4th Lynn Sullivan 5th Monica Warner 7th Jenna McAfee 8th Kellen Conroy 10th Lauryn Braun 12th Pam Barnes 13th Jennifer Waterman 13th LaVonne Carson 18th Joleen Gustafson 19th SAME NAME GAME Fun Fact about ESU #1 Employees Looks like the Kims win the game!! 5 Kims 3 Rebecca/Beckys 3 Staci/Staceys 3 Sarah/Saras 2 Chris 2 Laurens 2 Wendys 2 Heathers 2 Jessicas 2 Jims 2 Stephanies 2 Jennas 2 Carols 2 Jennifers 2 Megans 2 Juli/Julies Thanks Kim Halle for your submission to the newsletter!! 1 ESU #1 Calendar of Events Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday PST Mutual Concerns 4: Power School BYOC Elem Math & Science Follow-up High School Science, Math Follow-up MAP Training Ponca SIP 8:30-1:30 SPED Teacher 8:30-11:30 4 Winnebago Planning 8:30-3:30 PRT 2:30-4:30 11 Canvas Training Winnebago Planning 8:30-3:30 Math & Science High School Science, Math Follow-up 5 Agency Improvement Team Leader 1: ALL STAFF DAY at WSC 19 Canvas Training

3 IDENTITY PROTECTION SERVICES FROM ALLCLEAR ID Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) has teamed with AllClear ID to offer all eligible BCBSNE members access to AllClear Secure identity repair and the option to enroll in AllClear Pro credit monitoring. Effective February 1, 2016, you and your eligible family members will automatically receive AllClear Secure identity repair at no additional cost to you. This service protects you everywhere, including the internet, for as long as you are enrolled in a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska health plan. If you become a victim of identity theft, AllClear ID will help do the work to recover your financial losses and restore your credit report at no cost to you, ever. Beginning February 1, 2016, if you have questions about protecting your identity, or if you suspect your identity has been stolen: 1. Call the award-winning AllClear ID customer support team at Provide your coverage code NebraskaBlue2016 as proof of eligibility. 3. Let AllClear ID help recover your losses and restore your credit. How Identity Repair Works If you experience identity theft, a dedicated investigator from AllClear ID will act as your guide and advocate from start to finish by initiating the dispute process, and ensuring that your identity returns to its pre-fraud state. Enhance Your Protection with Credit Monitoring With AllClear Pro credit monitoring service, you can have additional layers of protection that specifically moni tor new credit accounts opened in your name. If this happens, AllClear ID sends alerts to you so you stay informed of your credit activity. You and your eligible family members may enroll in AllClear Pro at no additional cost to you. (While AllClear Secure is automatic protection, you must enroll in credit monitoring because you will need to provide AllClear ID with personal information such as your Social Security number.) You may enroll in AllClear Pro credit monitoring beginning February 1, To Enroll Call toll-free Or visit enroll.allclearid.com (enter the code NebraskaBlue2016) AllClear ID provides identity protection services for eligible Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska health plan members. AllClear ID is an independent company and is responsible for its services. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association ( )

4 February Supremely Happy The study of happiness is still relatively new, yet numerous studies in the past decade have laid the foundation of how happiness increases overall life satisfaction. Happiness is about the way you live, your view of the world and how much personal freedom you have in your environment, whether it's at home or work. And the Winners are The winners for the December 2015 Perfect Beverage Challenge have been announced. EHA winners of a $25 Visa gift card are: Billie Sitzmann Lynn Sullivan Jen Waterman ESU winner of a $25 Dollar General Card is: Rebecca Jepsen Congratulations and great job ladies!! Happy people generally have more friends, are sociable, have a high level of self esteem, attract more happy people, generally live longer and possess the happiness traits: love, zest, gratitude and curiosity, all of which increase life satisfaction. With increased happiness levels, positive health behaviors increase. People are more likely to engage in physical activity, wear sunscreen, and go for regular checkups. It has been shown that happiness greatly decreases cortisol levels. Limited cortisol exposure is associated with reduced risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. Typically income level is thought to influence an individual's happiness, however, once basic needs are met, the effects of income on happiness get smaller and smaller. Emory University researchers and others found that a year after winning the lottery, winners were no happier than controls. Commit to happy habits during February that will make you smile. Gift Card Drawing: Complete guidelines for at least 20 days to be entered into a drawing for one of 500 $25 gift cards through the EHA. The ESU will also have a separate drawing for either ESU #1 apparel or a $25 gift card. Program Guidelines - February 2016: Engage in meaningful happiness each day. Adopt or repeat a happy habit of your choice each day.

5 Black Ice and the Freeze- Melt-Refreeze Cycle During the winter months, temperatures outside can fluctuate causing snow to melt and then refreeze. This process, (the freeze-melt-refreeze cycle) often results in a thin layer of ice on walkways and roadways commonly referred to as black ice. The presence of black ice creates unsafe walking conditions. Black ice causes sidewalks and other walkways to be covered with clear ice that looks dark grey. This gives the appearance that the surface is only wet. Black ice can easily cause people to slip and fall causing sometimes serious injuries. Since black ice is virtually transparent, it can also result in hazardous driving conditions. Driving on black ice is particularly dangerous because the roadway can simply appear wet and drivers may not recognize the slippery conditions until it s too late. When and Where to Expect It Black ice typically forms at night or in the early morning when temperatures are at their lowest and the sun isn t present to warm the roads. During the day, this hazard tends to form particularly on areas of the road not touched by sunlight, such as tree-lined streets, tunnels, or less-travelled routes. When you re traveling, be sure to monitor the outside temperature to determine the potential for black ice and be especially mindful of bridges. Bridges are surrounded by circulating open air and cool faster than other roadways. This causes black ice to quickly form and remain in place for longer periods. Common black ice areas at places of employment include: Outside areas around buildings Around downspouts and parking lot drains In between vehicles in parking lots Black Ice Safety Tips To combat black ice, personnel need to be vigilant about monitoring walking surfaces during periods of temperature fluctuations. If you encounter black ice while driving, remain calm. In general, it s best to do as little as possible while allowing your car to pass over the ice. Do not hit the brakes and try to keep the steering wheel straight. If you feel the rear of your car sliding left or right, turn the steering wheel slightly in the same direction. Turning the wheel in the opposite direction could result in skidding or spinning out. Remember, while black ice can be a scary part of winter weather, taking the above steps can keep you safer this winter.