Support Operations Scoop

By: Consuelo Avila-Ramsey

Yes, we live in South Florida and it does, in fact, rain nearly every afternoon. However, inside our schools, there are other sources of water; flooding from pipes, faucets, hot water heaters and other leaks can become catastrophic. Last summer, we had two flooding events that caused significant damage and could have been worse if they had not been detected earlier. In fact, because the schools are not occupied during the summer months, these events were discovered only by chance.

These photos show some of the effects and the response needed to remediate the problems.

The message is to keep your eyes open when walking the campus and report any water events promptly.   Drying materials within the first 48 hours may help prevent mold growth and costly repairs.

The Palm Beach School District fire safety inspectors, along with some much appreciated assistance from ITV, have created a short, informational Vodcast.

The Vodcast is to inform all district employees but especially school staff members, about the annual fire safety inspections and what the inspectors look for.  This information will be especially helpful for teachers who are setting up their classrooms for the upcoming school year.  The intent of the Vodcast is to highlight commonly found citations.

The Vodcast is a slide show of photos taken during previous inspections and is narrated by our very own Alan Gerstel, it can be accessed through the link below.  A link to the Vodcast can also be found on the school district website for Building Code Services (formerly known as the Building Department) found listed under Departments.
http://vodcast.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/player.php?key=HYP4E2DC00C07F72

Division of Support Operations Birthdays

Please click below to view the Birthday List

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AUGUST  2012 Division of Support Operations Years of Service

Please Click below for the August 2012 list

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On Thursday 26 July 2012 Transportation Services conducted a job fair at Central Transportation to recruit new school bus drivers.   Workforce Alliance, a job placement service chartered by the state of Florida, participated in the job fair and assisted with the process.
Candidates were allowed to apply on-site after an initial screening.  The job fair was announced in the local media and over 100 applicants applied.

Do you know a DSO staff member worthy of Employee of the Month?

Do you work with someone who exceeds expectations? Nominate them for DSO Employee of the Month. A link to the form is below. Share your great experience about a fellow co-worker today, it only takes a second to show your appreciation for you co-workers.

Click here to open the PDF Nomination Form

Throughout the last six weeks I have assisted Christina Crespo, Environmental Specialist/Recycling, in a number of projects and underwent professional training on-site in many different business environments that I have never been exposed to before. This has prepared me for future jobs and careers I hope to embark on. I am more confident now that I can establish business relationships, be an avid participant in meetings, finish projects on time, provide high quality work and collaborate with others. Being a college student this experience also opened my mind to many diverse fields of study relating to the work I have been involved with during my internship, including the tours and going to meetings with staff members. I am interested in Green ideas and employing environmentally conscience habits which Christina does with schools and businesses and had the privilege of lending opinions, sitting in meetings and being introduced to many respected business partners of hers.

Some of the projects I worked on were geared toward the 2012 Learn Green Conference. This is a huge Expo that has tons of companies and schools presenting their Green ideas and products to incorporate at home, school and work on a daily basis. I have set up email lists to send out the necessary information on the Expo, edited documents such as a fact sheet to give out to people interested in participating and wrote about the Green methods schools are using to go Green in the Palm Beach County Green Schools Recognition Program, which was of great interest to me. Also, I had the chance to take a tour at the Solid Waste Authority, which was a fun experience.

Intern Kaci Barringer

During the past six weeks, I have had the honor of working with Ana Sanchez, Lisa Mead, Joseph Sanches and George Solli under the Division of Support Operations.  Working with them has taught me to prioritize and acquire mastery in Excel and Microsoft as I had to complete reports and turn them in on time. By working in the Division of Support Operations, I have learned a lot about the different facets of the School District like the Transportation, Facilities Services, Planning and Real Estate, Environmental and Conservation and Building departments. Prior to working with Dr. Solli, I was unaware of what the Transportation system was comprised of.  By observing the Tririga project for the Transportation Department, I was able to get a glimpse of the process of changing a paper-pencil type communication to a more technical and orderly method of communication amongst transportation employees. By working with Agustin Hernandez, I was able to see what happens behind all the pictures and ads that are posted on the School District website and buildings.

I would like to thank every individual in Support Operations that welcomed me into their facility. I would like to give a special thank you to Ana Sanchez and Dr. Solli who were the individuals with which I worked with most of the time and who made me feel very welcomed. I will hold them dear to my heart along with the other individuals that aided me. I would also like to give Mr. Sanches a special thank you for running this program. This experience had an impact on my perspective of the School District and has only put in me a sense of gratitude towards all the people that work together selflessly in insuring that students get an exceptional education.

As my 6 week internship comes to an end. I can definitely say that I am walking away with a lot from this experience.  I have learned so much about all of the work that it takes to simply keep a school running. To begin, I was able to visit the construction sites of two elementary schools, Galaxy and Gove. I also assisted with the Voluntary Pre Kindergarten office on several occasions. I also, had the opportunity to work with the interior designers and see what they do for the District.  I learned how to do work orders and I got to work on a bus advertising project which is something new the District is working on.

I have met so many great people that have impacted me in a positive way and have a special place in my heart. I was blessed to have such an outstanding supervisor, Nellie Rivera. Also, I am thankful that I was able to work with Ana Sanchez, she always made herself available and assisted me when I needed her help. She always had a positive attitude. I enjoyed interning with the District so much that I plan on volunteering after my internship is over.

tudent Intern,
Vanessa Carcache