Important Nuts and Bolts
All new employees will have a session with members of the Business Office and Information Literacy & Technology (ILT) Team during orientation. In the meantime, here are the answers to several commonly asked questions:
When do I get my first paycheck?
September 30th. Please reach out with questions regarding our payroll schedule. The Business Office is happy to address individual concerns, and if the timing of your first paycheck presents an issue, please let us know.
When and how can I access medical and other benefits?
New employees begin to receive benefits on the first day of the first month after starting, generally September 1st for employees who start work in August. The Business Office will send more information regarding benefits in early August. In the meantime, pressing questions may be sent to HR Director Sean Clark at sclark@overlake.org.
When will I get access to email and other technology resources?
Your Overlake login, aka Owl ID, will be created by the technology department. You should receive a separate message from them soon with this information, by end of July at the latest.
When will I receive my laptop?
For new employees who begin in the fall, laptops will be ready by mid-July. Please contact the technology department at help@overlake.org to arrange a time to get set up with your laptop. You may also wait until close to orientation in August if you like (Note: you should plan to arrive for new employee orientation with your laptop already set up on Wednesday, August 16th).
When can I start building my classes in Canvas?
All faculty and staff who need to learn Canvas will receive basic training at the August orientation (feel free to learn more about Canvas basics here). For ideas on various ways to organize a course, click here. If you would like to chat about ideas for your course, please reach out to Flavia Vidal, Director of Teaching and Learning at fvidal@overlake.org.
What else do I need to know about technology at Overlake?
There are a variety of other tools and programs in place at Overlake to support teaching and learning. Among them is our Student Device Program, where students are required to bring their own devices to school from grades 5-12. All classrooms are also outfitted with interactive displays, document cameras, and speakers. You will also have access to, and be required to use, our curriculum mapping software, Atlas. You can learn more about this and other technology programs, as well as the technology team, by browsing our website or accessing our Wise knowledge base. And please don’t hesitate to be in touch – you can reach the ILT team at help@overlake.org.
Is there any additional training I need to complete?
All employees are required to complete safety training. You will receive an email to your Overlake account in early August regarding CPR, First Aid, and Bloodborne Pathogens training. Please respond in a timely manner to this email to complete the online portion of the training before coming to campus for orientation. The online training module takes a few hours to complete, so plan for that time in early August. If you have CPR certification already, please communicate this when you are contacted.
Transitioning to the Puget Sound
Please feel free to reach out to the Director of Teaching & Learning or your direct supervisor for relocation tips.
Carpooling from Seattle: If you decide to live in Seattle, we encourage you to take advantage of the Vanpool which runs from Seattle to Overlake. Here are a few details about this program:
The van leaves from a designated neighborhood in Seattle according to a preset schedule. Special schedules are created to accommodate faculty/staff meetings and some community events. The typical vanpool schedule leaves Seattle around 6:45 am and arrives at Overlake shortly after 7 am, and leaves Overlake by 3:45 pm. and returns to Seattle by 4:15 pm.
The van costs approximately $40-50 per month for a full-time rider (tolls and gas included!) as the total cost is subsidized by the school. It is also possible to be a part-time rider. Please note that the actual cost varies depending on the number of riders.
To ride the Vanpool, employees must be on the official roster. Any new hire will need to fill out an application form in August and return it to our Director of Technology, Jay Heath. You may also direct any questions about the vanpool to Jay at jheath@overlake.org.
The central connection between Seattle and the Eastside is the 520 bridge. There is a toll on this bridge. For cars with a Good to Go Pass, the charge is significantly less expensive. Information on this pass is available at the Good to Go website.
Access to Campus
If your department chair or supervisor has shared your classroom or office assignment with you, please feel free to come in during the week before orientation to set up your workspace. For faculty, most rooms are shared by multiple faculty members, so check ahead of time with your department chair regarding room arrangements.
- Buildings are open Monday through Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm. Various summer programs use our campus during the day, so rooms may not always be available. Please check with our Business Manager, Warren Gilles, at wgilles@overlake.org if you want to confirm whether your room will be available.
- For faculty, as you set up your assigned space, please feel free to spend up to $50 on decorations. There is no need to purchase office supplies as those items are available in our bookstore, and department funds cover them. Please bring receipts to the Business Office when you are on campus so that we can process your reimbursement.
- Download a campus map if it is helpful for finding your space. And please know that there will be time set aside during orientation and pre-service for this, so there is no need for you to come in ahead of time.
A Few Other Resources
The Student Life: Advisory page on our website gives an overview of our advising program philosophy. You can also review many student policies if that feels helpful.