Summer is ending and that means the start of a new school year. Time for new clothes, school supplies, and a revised family schedule. But it’s not just all about notebooks, pens, and a new backpack. UW CareLink’s Autumn webinar, “Getting Involved with Your Child’s School,” shares how to be a part of your child’s school community. This 1-hour webinar will broadcast on August 19 at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Pre-register at least one hour before the presentation by visiting apshelplink.com (use UW as the company code). Visit the Online Seminars section, select the presentation, and then register by clicking on the first or second session option.

Even if the new school year isn’t a chaotic time for you, it never hurts to think of ways to streamline and organize! This month’s UW CareLink Tip Sheet offers more general tips for organizing your life at home and at work.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to get your ducks in a row when it comes to emergency child care. If your child is mildly ill and between one and 12 years old, you can find sick child care through Tender Loving Care (TLC) at Virginia Mason Medical Center. The University underwrites the entire daily fee for UW benefits-eligible employees working .50 FTE or more and academic student employees. Families pay only a one-time registration fee of $5 per child.

UW WorkLife and Bright Horizons also offer a specialized back-up care program to all UW faculty, staff, and students. Use The Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program© when your regular care arrangement is unavailable. Bright Horizons has a one-stop registration and call center open 24/7 designed to help you evaluate your needs and the sites available to you. Register now, so that when the need arises, you’ll be ready to call or go online to find care. To register, call 877-242-2737 or visit http://backup.brighthorizons.com. Log in with the user name UnivWA and the password 4Backup to create your personal account. Then, use it to request care for up to one month in advance of the date it’s needed, find child care locations near you, check invoices, and learn about providers. Be prepared to show your current UW Husky card at time of drop-off. The cost is $100 per day, paid by the parent of the enrolled child.

Professional & Organizational Development (POD) courses and events are open to all UW employees, subject to supervisor/budgetary approval and UW’s release time policy. Please view our policy page for additional information.

Turn Your Career Goals Into Accomplishments
Whether you’re trying to set career goals or finally achieve them, one-on-one career counseling can provide direction, focus, and momentum. Training and Organizational Development Consultant Susan Templeton offers a variety of tools and strategies for evaluating your strengths, assessing your career fit, exploring your career path, and planning for success. Sessions are $95 per 1-hour session if paid with a UW budget number (with supervisor approval) or $109.82 if paid with cash, check, or credit card (due to a mandatory institutional overhead fee). Learn more about career counseling.

FUNCTION at a Higher Level With POD Webinars
POD offers dynamic live webinars that can be taken right at your computer, with short sessions that can easily fit into your day. These webinars include advance distribution of the webinar slides via email and a link to a recording of the webinar afterward. See below for KEYS to optimizing your productivity through POD Webinars! Learn more about taking webinars.

ESCAPE Your Excel Inadequacies
Whether you’re relatively new to Excel or are a seasoned pro, you probably use numerous shortcuts to expedite your work and could perform many functions with your eyes half-closed. But there are probably also gaps in your Excel knowledge that you work around in less-than-efficient ways. Two upcoming webinars are designed to take your Excel skills to the next level, whether that’s mastering the fundamentals or learning advanced techniques. Register for Microsoft Excel Techniques or Microsoft Excel Macros.

SHIFT Your Microsoft Mindset
Microsoft Office is a workplace workhorse that many of us rely on just about every waking minute of every day, from creating documents in Word to managing files, sending email, and tracking tasks. Two September webinars can teach you powerful techniques for saving time, discovering new ways to optimize Office, and using various options and settings to your advantage. Register for Microsoft Office Tips & Tricks or Managing and Organizing Your E-mail Inbox in Microsoft Outlook.

CONTROL Your Time, Priorities, and Workload
As overwhelmed as you may feel by emails, meetings, projects, tasks, and competing deadlines, it is possible to establish control over how you respond to workplace demands. This live webinar includes a companion book and is designed to help participants establish sustainable practices for getting outstanding results while dealing with information overload. Register for Accomplishing More With Less.

The Whole U Brings You New Contests, Events, & Discounts
Yoga! Enter to win a free yoga class for your team in your location! Also register for the 21-day Yoga Pose Challenge. Reap the benefits of each pose and learn how to incorporate them into your exercise routine. Learn more.

Gardening! There are only 30 spots left for the gardening seminar with UW expert Ray Larson. Learn how to enhance your fall landscape. Register now.

Running! The Whole U is organizing a weekly run or walk on the Seattle campus. Want to join us? Register for the training plan of your choice and say YES to an organized group.

We’re up to 180 deals for faculty and staff. We want to expand to the areas where YOU live, so send us your ideas!!

Join Fidelity Investments at any of the following free seminars to learn savvy ways to save and invest! Access event registration and information here.

Designing Your Financial Roadmap
This seminar will be held on August 19 at Bothell, and again in October at Harborview and Tacoma.

• Design a financial roadmap to help you achieve your savings goals
• Establish a budget and manage debt
• Balance and prioritize other nonretirement goals such as college planning

Getting on the Right Path with Your Workplace Savings Plan
This seminar will be held on August 28 at the UW Tower.

• Effectively balance your saving, spending, and debt
• Set goals and develop a plan to reach them
• Estimate how much to save for retirement and set your contribution rate

Confident Investing in Any Market
This intermediate-level seminar will be held on September 19 at the UW Tower.

• How to actively evaluate your investment portfolio
• Build a tax-smart investing strategy
• Evaluate if you have the right mix of investments
• Assess what factors impact portfolio performance

Join our credit union partners at any of these free seminars to learn how to protect your money and good name. Access event registration and information.

Scams, Shams & Identity Theft
Get up-to-date on the latest statistics, discover how identity theft happens, learn ways to prevent having it from happening to you, and see how to protect yourself from scammers. Presented by WSECU, this seminar will be offered on September 3 at South Lake Union and October 2 at Health Sciences.

Social Media & Your Child’s Financial Future
Social media can help or hurt your child’s chances of getting into college, landing a job, and gaining financial independence. Focusing on Facebook, you’ll learn effective strategies for your child and the top ten social media mistakes to avoid. Presented by SECU, this seminar will be offered on September 3 at the UW Tower and October 14 at Harborview.

Campus Flu Shot Clinics are Coming
Save a date to get a flu shot! Take advantage of your Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) medical plan and get immunized before the flu season. Attend one of several convenient campus locations from September 22 - November 6. No appointment necessary. Bring your photo ID, your health insurance card, and a completed claim form so we can bill your UW plan at no cost to you. Dependents covered under your health plan are eligible to attend too! View the entire flu shot schedule.

Mammography Screenings for UMP Members
Are you a woman age 40+ who is enrolled in the Uniform Medical Plan with claims paid by Regence? Consider scheduling your next routine mammogram at the MammoVan! The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance MammoVan is a customized, mobile breast imaging clinic bringing the latest technology in digital mammograms to you at your workplace. The average appointment time is just 15 minutes. Convenience, state-of-the art technology, and exceptional quality are reasons why women choose this service.

The MammoVan is scheduled to visit on Friday, September 26 at 12th Avenue NE and NE 43rd Street, near the southwest corner of the UW Tower. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-serve basis between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Access screening information and schedule an appointment.

*Note: Group Health members are required to receive all mammography services directly from a Group Health Cooperative facility. Claims submitted from a non-Group Health facility such as the MammoVan will not be reimbursed.

Pre-Diabetes Follow-Up Sessions
If you recently completed the 16-week class series of the NOT ME Diabetes Prevention Program, whether on campus or in your community, trained coaches are available to help you stay on track. Save the date to attend free monthly follow-up ("maintenance") sessions for up to eight months after you complete your initial class series. These group support sessions also apply to adults 18+ who are on your PEBB health plan. No registration necessary, just drop-in.

UW Tower, Building C, Room C-107
Third Tuesday of each month
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Don’t Miss Out on the Party
Smoking can leave you feeling left out – out of restaurants, out of work events, and out of life events. Rather than being on the outside looking in, call the Quit For Life® Program through your health plan to talk with a Quit Coach. When you enroll, you’ll have access to unlimited calls with your Quit Coach, an exclusive online support community, and even nicotine patches or gum. The Quit For Life® team can help you change your way of thinking and become a successful quitter. Then you’ll never have to be left out of the party again. Learn more about smoking cessation programs.

Bonus! Did you know that your monthly $25-per-account tobacco surcharge can be waived as long as you and any family members on your health plan who use tobacco products are enrolled in this tobacco cessation program? Or, should you and/or family members choose not to enroll but instead quit on your own, you can still re-attest once all covered family members on your plan stop using tobacco for at least two months. In this case, your medical premiums will be adjusted effective the first of the month after the new attestation form is received. Contact the Health Care Authority at 800-200-1004 if you have questions.

HomeStreet offers free seminars to help you learn about a variety of homeownership issues related to budgeting, buying, remodeling, refinancing, and selling your home. Access event registration and information for the seminars below.

Buying a Home
Whether you’re buying your first home or just need a refresher, this seminar is for you.

• Today's real estate market
• Role of the real estate agent
• Pre-approvals vs. pre-qualifications
• Mortgage applications, home inspections, and appraisals

Offered August 21 at Bothell.

Buying a Home with Down Payment Assistance
Are you interested in buying a home but want to keep your down-payment to a minimum? In this seminar you will learn:

• Low down-payment programs and strategies
• How to use down payment assistance and the eligibility requirement
• About down payment assistance programs in your area
• How to assess your eligibility for programs

Offered on October 21 at the UW Tower and October 23 at South Lake Union.

Seasonal Home Maintenance
In this seminar you will learn:

• How to save money through regular home maintenance
• How to budget for basic home repairs
• Plus, receive a fall home maintenance checklist

Offered August 19 at the UW Tower, September 18 at Health Sciences, and November 20 at Bothell.

Individual Prequalification Appointments
Thinking of buying or refinancing a home but not sure how to get started? Why not schedule a free, personal home ownership counseling session with a HomeStreet Bank representative who can walk you through the process including prequalification? These 30-minute, one-on-one sessions are both private and informative. Your spouse, partner, or potential co-signer is welcome to attend with you.

To register or request a prequalification appointment, choose a date on the HomeStreet events calendar or call 206-628-0207.

Home$tart Program Grants Available for a Limited Time
HomeStreet recently announced that Home$tart Program grants are available to qualifying homebuyers who have previously owned a home as well as to qualifying first-time homebuyers. The grants provide a match of $3 for every $1 of a home buyer’s funds up to $5,000, to be used for down payments, closing costs, or rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing. Homebuyers earning 80 percent or less of the area median income could qualify. Funds are available for a limited time on a first-come, first-served basis. Call HomeStreet at 888-425-6990 to learn more.

As a reminder, Hometown benefits extend to your immediate family members too!

Preparing Your Savings for Retirement
Join Fidelity in this free lunchtime seminar, designed for the beginning investor.

• Maximizing your savings as you work
• How to conduct an income and expense analysis
• Strategies to maximize income sources, and the impact of health care costs on retirement savings
• Estate planning and key estate planning tools

Register to attend on September 23 at Seattle’s UW Tower.

Are You on Track for Retirement?
Maximize your retirement savings and key financial goals! Experienced financial professionals from Fidelity or TIAA-CREF are available to meet with you either in person or over the phone to help you:

• Evaluate investment choices that meet your needs
• Create an action plan to get and stay on track for retirement
• Review your retirement income options
• See how you can save more through Voluntary Investment Program contributions, either pre-tax or after-tax (Roth)

Whether your retirement is years away or just around the corner, schedule a free check-up to compare, project, and sync your investment portfolio with your retirement goals. Access registration information.

Retirement Workshops
If you're planning to retire from the UW within the next 12 months, be sure to attend a free retirement workshop to help you plan for this major milestone.

Topics include arranging details for retirement, tailoring your benefits to best meet retirement income needs, and continuing your health plans. Timelines, forms, and procedures are also covered—plus you’ll receive all of the materials necessary to file for retirement.

Choose the workshop that matches your specific retirement plan:

• Retiring from UW Retirement Plan (UWRP)
• Retiring from Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)

Note: You must apply for PEBB retiree benefits (or insurance deferral) within 60 days after UW-paid or COBRA coverage ends. If you miss that deadline, you will have to go back to work to re-qualify for PEBB retiree coverage.

UW Retiree Resource Fair: September 17
Do you know what perks, privileges, and volunteer opportunities will be available to you at retirement? If you’re getting ready to retire, save the date to join us at the UW Retiree Resource Fair on Wednesday September 17, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the HUB South Ballroom to explore your options! Preview the current list of vendors. Sponsored by the UW Retirement Association.

Changes to Asbestos Training Requirement
The Environmental Health and Safety department recently announced changes to asbestos training for UW employees. While all new employees are still required to complete the training, most UW employees will no longer be required to complete it annually.

Annual asbestos awareness training remains a requirement for maintenance staff, custodial workers, and others whose work may bring them into contact with asbestos-containing materials, and additional specialized training is still required for those who work directly with asbestos-containing materials.

All UW employees should continue to report damaged building materials or asbestos concerns to their supervisors or EH&S. EH&S will continue to work with all departments to ensure they understand and meet the established health and safety requirements for asbestos. For more information, see details on the EH&S page.

Recently Change Your Name or Address?
If you were recently married, had your name legally changed, or moved to a new address, be sure to update your personal information in the UW systems so you will receive important benefits information at your home address. Remember, legally changing your name requires that you complete a number of local and federal government forms before making changes to your benefits. See Name and Address Change instructions.

Free UW-IT Workshops: Make Data Work for You
Is data analysis part of your job? Sharpen your skills with free workshops from UW Information Technology on Excel, Tableau, Enterprise Data Warehouse and more. Upcoming classes include:

Tableau Hands-on Introduction
Take a hands-on tour of Tableau software, which allows you to work with large sets of data and then simplify their meaning by creating dynamic data visualizations.

Handling Data 101
While you may not have intended to become a data analyst, you are now in a position where you need to use and analyze data to be successful. In this 2-hour workshop, learn how to begin to take control of your data and analyses using Excel pivot tables and charts.

See all class offerings.

The Community Outreach Unit at the University of Washington Police Department provides security assessments for your workplace or building at your request. Following the security assessment, an officer is available to come speak with your unit or department about the assessment and what you can do to stay safe in the workplace.

To learn more, contact the UWPD Community Outreach at crimeprv@uw.edu or call 206-616-0873.

Husky Shakeout
Want to know what an 8.0 earthquake feels like? Stop by the Big Shaker and find out! The world's largest mobile earthquake simulator is coming to the UW campus. Stop by for a ride in the shaker and learn about what resources are available to help you and your family get prepared!

Tuesday, August 19, 2014
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
HUB Lawn
FREE

Brought to you by UW Emergency Management

Take A Break
Make the most of this beautiful summer weather by visiting the Center for Urban Horticulture’s Miller Library, where the featured artist is Kathleen Wolfe. Wolfe elaborates her love of nature with oil paintings on canvas featuring poppies, water lilies, and landscape with majestic trees. The exhibit runs August 5–September 16, 2014.