Dear Outlook Users:

Last year around this time we reached out to you and asked for your help in securing and protecting your DOE identity by making use of the Password Recovery and Account Confirmation Tool (PRACT)  to validate that the email account on record was in fact the email account that you used. I am pleased to advise that the overwhelming majority of you took this seriously as over 110,000 user accounts have been confirmed via the tool. Thank you all for your help!

In a continuing effort to ensure that proper measures are in place to secure and protect DOE user identities we are at a point where we need to move forward with the next steps, by having ALL DOE Outlook password resets done via the PRACT website. While many of you are already using the PRACT website to do this, there are still a fair amount of calls that come into the Service Desk for Outlook password resets. Even though we have implemented additional security measures at the Desk, there still exists the exposure of the wrong ID being reset and we need to address this. Effective March 1, 2010, for calls that are placed to the Service Desk for Outlook Password resets, the Service Desk will provide users with the link for the PRACT website and ask that you log on and reset your password via this means.  For your convenience there is a step by step guide that walks you through using the tool available on the web page. In the event that the application does not recognize your credentials there is an option on the tool that will allow you to open an incident and one of our Security Analysts will contact you and provide assistance with identifying and resolving  your issue so you can safely use the tool in the future.  The Password Recovery and Account Confirmation Tool is currently available to DOE employees.  Non-employees, such as consultants, will be brought on-line in the future and should continue to contact the Help Desk for password resets.

In order to use the PRACT website you will need to know the following: your last name, the last 4 digits of your Social Security number and your Employee ID  Note that this is not your file number. The Employee ID is a unique seven character number assigned to every employee via the Human Resource process and is listed as the “reference number” on your pay stub.  Instructions for locating your Employee ID can be found on the PRACT web page or by contacting HR Connect @ 718-935-4000.  Also, as part of the confirmation process you will be asked to review and accept the DOE Internet Acceptance Use Policy (IAUP).

There are a number of different ways in which this tool can be accessed:

·       by clicking “Forgot your UserID or Password? Click here” from the Outlook Web Access login page

·       by browsing directly to https://idm.nycenet.edu/selfservice <https://idm.nycenet.edu/selfservice>  link.

·       by being redirected to this link automatically by Outlook Web Access when your password expires (every 90 days).

Again we thank you for your support and cooperation, in helping minimize the potential exposure for identity theft in the DOE environment.

Oren Hamami

Chief Information Security Officer

Division of Instructional and Information Technology

New York City Department of Education

ohamami@schools.nyc.gov

Please join us on Thursday, February 25, 2010, for our first Lunch and Learn in Room 450A during periods 4, 5, 6 and 7. The Lunch and Learn for this week will serve as a way to help you set up your benchmarks and performance indicators for your lessons. If you need help in setting them up or have questions about them, please bring your lunch and stop by Room 450 A. We will help you as best we can! Coffee will be served!

We would like to continue to have Lunch and Learns every other week. They will serve as small PD sessions and will address topics that teachers feel we need to work on. We would love suggestions as to what you would like to see in these Lunch and Learns. Please email me comments/suggestions so that I can have an idea as to how to frame the rest of the Lunch and Learns. These sessions are not mandatory but will only serve to help you!

Hope to see you there!

First Day of School is MONDAY February 22, 2010

Raphael Lopez is a teacher of Foreign Language and Photography at Truman High School who has recently published a book of photographs and poetry entitled My Mother’s Hands. The book is described in the following manner:

Motherhood, a universal concept that transcends time and place, is revealed and revered in this book. “My Mother’s Hands” is a photographic celebration that honors and highlights the lives of mothers with a perfect combination of imagery and poetry. It is a collection of sepia toned photographs of women’s hands interacting with other people, and familiar objects of daily life. This book is a superb collection of images and poetry that validates, recognizes and appreciates mothers around the world.

The book is a culmination of several years of work by Raphael and has received great praise thus far.

Find out more information.

There are several ways that interested students and teachers can do something positive for
Memorial Day. Associated Content gives several suggestions on their website
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/656635/how_to_celebrate_memorial_day_in_your.html

1. Bulletin Board With Information About Past Wars. Put your students into groups and assign each group a war to do research about. The American Civil War, the First World War, Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq war can all be assigned to different groups. Have your students find information about each war, including how many soldiers died in the war (on both sides). Then ask each group to create a bulletin board for the classroom about the war they were assigned.

2. War Heroes. Find some information about a famous war hero from each war and create a notebook about ‘War Heroes’. Your students can then read personal stories about soldiers who died, which brings home the war on a more personal level.

3. Write To A Soldier in Iraq. Many soldiers would love to receive letters or parcels from people back home. There are several organizations you can contact who will assign you a soldier to write to. On Memorial Day, it would be nice to send a care package to a soldier overseas so ask each child to bring in something small to add to the package.

4. Family Members in the War. If some students have family members who are in the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, have them talk about them. They can share with the class information like who they are, what they like to do, how long they have been in Iraq or Afghanistan and what they do there.

Daedalus

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Some proposed ideas include, but are certainly not limited to:

Basketball, Softball, Flag Football, Track and Field Events, Face Painting, Tennis, Water Balloon Toss, Dancing, Egg-spoon Race, Potato Sack Race, Eating Contest, Limbo, and of course, FOOD!

Making this day a special event for students, staff, and the community-at-large will take innovation and inspiration. If you have ideas and/or would like to help, WE NEED YOU!!!

THS Family Day is Saturday, May 17, 2008

In addition, AP Leddy will also need logistical/operational support during this event for those who feel they could contribute to that part of this effort.

Contact AP Barakat if you would like to help.

Free and Available Now:
Adobe Photoshop Express beta is available now for free via any Web browser.

Photoshop Express was created with Flex, Adobe’s free, open source framework for building RIAs.

Flex applications provide a consistent, rich user experience across operating systems and all major browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and others. An Internet connection and an up-to-date Flash® Player 9 are all that are required to experience Adobe Photoshop Express. In its early phases, Photoshop Express is available to US residents-only in English.

Please join us for a
FREE PREVIEW EVENT for EDUCATORS!
DATE:      Thursday, May 1, 2008
TIME:       4pm – 8pm (Open House, last entry by 8pm)
PLACE:    26 Broadway – Manhattan Financial District
RSVP:      Visit www.ticketsforgroups.com and fill out
the “SmA RSVP” (required)

We look forward to meeting you at the Educator Event.  To make a reservation now for your students, we are offering a SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY RATE of $10 PER TICKET.  And, complimentary chaperone tickets are provided! (1 for every 15 purchased)

Requirements:  Book now through April 30 for a field trip scheduled May 12 through June 30, 2008.  (After April 30, regular group prices will be $15 for grades K-12 and $19 for college level.)  Groups must have a reservation.  Minimum group size is 15 tickets.  Offer valid weekdays only.

To book, call 800.840.1157, or visit www.ticketsforgroups.com and download an Order Form.