Issue 012 1st Quarter 2024

The VillageVIBE

Village of Bald Head Island Employee Newsletter

TRAINING EMPLOYEE

There is a whole lotta training going on!  In addition to some employees who have required training they must complete for various certifications, there is special training for supervisors and mandatory training for all employees.

Advanced Supervisory Practices

In early April, several Village employees attended the follow-up to the UNC School of Government’s Fundamental Supervisory Practice course, Advanced Supervisory Practices.   The first course was taken over several months. This second course is over two days.  Eleanor Green taught the first class and Rick Rocchetti will be on the island June 12, 2024, to complete day two.

The goals of this program are to identify and practice applying skills to improve a supervisor’s emotional intelligence at work, provide a framework to use for solving problems and coaching employees to increase individual and organizational effectiveness, review and practice using skills needed to resolve conflict and manage difficult performance issues, increase supervisor’s awareness around team dynamics and team climate and provide a lens for analyzing team performance.

Mandatory Training

All Village staff have been assigned five training courses through the KnowBe4 training system.  This training is required for all staff and needs to be completed by May 23, 2024.  Employees should have received an email from KnowBe4 which includes the list of courses and the link to start training.

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If you cannot find the email, you can search “KnowBe4 training” and reach the log in page which will prompt you for your work email and password.  If you forgot your password, click the "Forgot your password?" button and follow the instructions.  Once you access your account the links to the course assignments will show up on the dashboard.   If you need a laptop to complete the courses, please notify your supervisor.

Here is a list of the courses you will be taking:

2023 Danger Zone

Back Injury Prevention

Slip, trip, and Fall Prevention

An Introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace

2024 KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training

On June 26th a workshop on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has been scheduled for all employees!  Two sessions will be held, one at 9 am and one at 11 am.  Departments will coordinate which time works best as there is limited space in the Multi-purpose room.  For employee's who are off Island on June 26th  a make-up zoom meeting has been scheduled for July 17th.

GOOD STUFF

RECOGNITION

Zachary Hewett, Finance Director, was recognized by Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce and South Brunswick Magazine as one of Brunswick County’s “Future 10.”

This is a select group of young professionals excelling in their respective fields and positively influencing the growth, prosperity, and quality of life in Brunswick County.

Congratulations Zack!

CERTIFICATIONS

Congratulations PSO Dylan Matthews!

Matthews passed the state exam and graduated from the paramedic program at Robeson Community College.

(In photo: PSOs Cody Walters, Dylan Matthews and Chief Josh Gibson)

Matthews also received a certificate for outstanding drive and resilience throughout his time in the EMS program.

Congratulations Sergeant Jacob LeBer for completing the HeartSaver and BLS (CPR) certification which allows him to teach CPR classes to staff and the community.

Kasey Leonard started working for the Village as a Public Safety Officer (PSO) on April 17, 2024. Welcome Kasey!

Happy Birthday ! STRESS LESS for a Healthier Heart

YOUR HEALTH

Stress happens. You can’t always prevent or avoid it. But you can change how you respond to it. Try these tips. You may feel better—and have a healthier heart, too!

Know How Stress Affects Your Body

Whether it’s from everyday deadlines, the work-life balancing act, or financial struggles, stress shows up often. Your body reacts to it. Your heart rate increases, your blood vessels narrow—and especially over the long term that’s not healthy!

Research shows that stress can make us more likely to get heart disease and have a heart attack.

The origins of heart disease begin at a young age, so the earlier in life you learn how to de-stress, the happier you and your heart will be.

Ongoing stress acts on more than just your heart. It affects everything from your nervous system and hormones to your lungs and gut. You may not see the connection, and healthcare providers may not ask about your stress. So try to listen to your body while thinking about what’s going on in your life.

Turn on Your Relaxation Response

Did you know your body also has a relaxation response? Your breathing slows and blood pressure and heart rate decrease. The good news is you can trigger that response. Ways to do so often combine breathing deeply and focusing your attention on pleasing thoughts and images.

Here are a few relaxation response techniques to try. You can do these on your own or find a teacher or class to start. They may take some practice!

Progressive Muscle relaxation

This approach calls for tightening individual muscles in your body and then releasing the tension. Start by tensing and relaxing your toes, then your calves, and on up to your face. Do one muscle group at a time.

Meditation

This is one of the most-studied approaches for handling stress. There are a variety of ways to do it, including through mindfulness meditation. Most meditation styles involve:

●  Being in a quiet location with as few distractions as possible

●  Being physically comfortable either sitting, lying, or walking

●  Focusing your attention on a specific word or set of words, an object, or your breathing

●  Having an open attitude and letting distractions, including thoughts, come and go without judgment

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Guided imagery

This involves a series of steps that include relaxing and visualizing the details of a calm, peaceful setting, such as a garden. Learn more about stress and try a guided imagery session

Find Your Way to Healthy Relaxing

Deep Breathing

This is something you can do anytime, anywhere. Take in a slow, deep breath, let your stomach or chest expand, then exhale slowly. Repeat a few times.

There’s no one way to control stress. You may want to try a stress management program, do yoga, talk to a professional counselor, take an art class, or join friends for a brisk walk. Being in nature is very soothing for some people.

If you’re short on time, make a list of three-minute activities you love. Add one to each day of your calendar. Consider:

Listening to a favorite tune at lunch.

Stretching after a warm shower.

Catching a few minutes of the sunrise or sunset.

Finding healthy relaxation exercises is just one way to protect your heart. Combine de-stressing with other heart-healthy habits: eat nutritious foods, move your body more and exercise, get enough sleep, and develop a strong social support system.

OUR VISION

Our vision is nothing less than realizing our team's full potential in providing quality public service through mutual respect, trust, communication, and enhancement of community values.

OUR MISSION

To work together as a team providing exceptional customer service based on ethical and transparent practices while promoting personal employee growth.

EMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARIES

January

February

March

Taylor Kennedy - Public Safety - 1/26/2022 - 2 Years

Stephen Pevarnik - IPC - 2/12/2019 - 5 Years

Bill Warren - Public Services - 2/14/2022 - 2 Years

Joe Martino - Public Services - 2/17/2016 - 8 Years

Greg Still - Public Safety - 2/23/2022 - 2 Years

Franklin Blanton - Public Safety- 2/23/2022 - 2 Years

David Morales - Public Services - 2/27/2019 - 5 Years

Joshua Gibson - Public Safety - 3/28/2018 - 6 Years

Trevor Ricker - Public Safety - 3/28/2018 - 6 Years

MORE GOOD STUFF

BHI OFFICIALS TAKE VILLAGE INTERESTS TO DC

In late March the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, Village Manager, and Assistant Village manager joined our lobbyists to bring the Village’s interests to D.C. The focus of their efforts was to draw attention to the demands  of our Waste Water Treatment Plant expansion, future coastal storm damage reduction strategies, and road paving and repair projects.

DISCOUNTS FROM LIFEMART!

LifeMart is a discount program available to Village employees. You can sign up to receive deals to your email by signing into your ADP account. When you get to your dahsboard go to the tab at the top labeled "Myself" and then under benefits you should see "Employee Discounts - LifeMart. A few of the recent discount providers include Priceline Cruises, Noom, Rosetta Stone, Spot Pet Insurance, TrueCar AutoBuying, Farmers Insurance, Budget Car Rental, and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Judy's Pets Judy's Pets

Left to right, Stephanie Missert (The Ferguson Group), Mayor Pro Tem Gardner, Chris McCall (Village Manager), Jae Kim (Assistant Village Manager), Mayor Peter Quinn, Mike McIntyre (Ward & Smith, P.A.) (front), Earl Stockdale (The Ferguson Group) (back), Bradd Schwictenberg (The Ferguson Group)

CONTEST

Decode the message below. Each letter in the list of words has been replaced with a random letter or number. Email or text the correct answers to: cfaulkner@villagebhi.org or (910) 368-6338. If you have the correct answers, you will be chosen in a drawing of all of the correct answers received by Friday, March 1, 2024.

Here's a hint, "SPRING HAS SPRUNG."

VILLAGE HOLIDAYS

VILLAGE HOLIDAYS

Memorial Day

Juneteenth

Independence Day

Labor Day

Veterans Day

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Monday, May 27, 2024

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Thursday, July 4, 2024

Monday, September 2, 2024

Monday, November 11, 2024

Thursday & Friday, November 28 & 29, 2024

Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday

December 24, 25, & 26, 2024

Don't forget to use your floating holiday! (You can pick an unobserved holiday, your birthday, or any other day off - with supervisor's approval - please mark "FH" on your timesheet for tracking). Make sure you get it on the calendar before December 31, 2024, if you don''t use it, you lose it!

"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in." - Robert Orben

We want to hear about you!

This is YOUR newsletter. Tell us about your hobbies! Do you compete in competitions outside of work? Is your family growing? New child/grandchild/pet/engagement? Is your child/grandchild about to graduate? Do you have some amazing recipes? Do you volunteer? Tell us about it!

Send information to: public.information@villagebhi.org or text (910) 368-6338

We need photos of your pets for future issues! Send them to the email or phone number above!