One of the selling points for working for Albuquerque Public School – aside from the fact that we change young lives and impact the future of our community – is the excellent benefits package that comes with the job. APS offers its employees medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage; long-term disability and life insurance; flexible spending accounts; and excellent retirement plans (information available on the APS Jobs website.)

I bring this up because it’s that time of year when employees are encouraged to review their benefits and adjust as needed to fit their lives.

You can add or change your benefits during open/switch enrollment beginning Monday, Oct. 5, through Wednesday. Oct. 19. Not sure what options are available and which work best for you and your family? The APS Benefits team is providing information in several ways, including live and recorded webinars, web posts on such topics as medical plan comparisons and premium rates, and in-person assistance at the annual Employee Wellness Fair on Thursday, Oct. 6.

At the wellness fair, held from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Berna Facio Professional Development Complex, you can also get a flu or COVID shot, have your blood pressure and vision checked, visit with the local gym you’ve been thinking about joining. There will be yoga in the morning, coffee and food trucks onsite, and sessions on finances, navigating grief, mental health in the workplace, and positive psychology. 

The theme of this year’s open/switch enrollment and wellness fair is Your Benefits Connected. As APS Wellness Coordinator Becky MacGregor explains it, some of the most important connections we can make for our wellbeing are with ourselves and the resources available to us.

“When we feel better mentally, emotionally, and physically, when we build buffers against stress, the view around us changes. We have more energy, hope, a better attitude, positivity, and kindness. And that reflects on others,” she said. “Reflecting more patience and grace changes our collective environment because others feel it, too. It’s a beautiful thing!” 

As rewarding as our jobs can be, they are no doubt stressful, which takes a toll on our mental and physical health. You need to take care of yourself, especially these days, as we come out of the global pandemic and continue dealing with all its repercussions. The job is hard enough but even more challenging when you aren’t feeling yourself. 

We will soon be getting an extra day or two or three off. Thursday, Oct. 6, begins fall break for schools on a traditional calendar. Schools on an extended calendar join them on Friday, Oct. 7. And all schools and offices are closed on Monday, Oct. 10, for Indigenous Peoples Day. 

Even if you have to work Thursday, I hope you have a chance to sneak away and visit the wellness fair, which Becky describes as a “one-day, one-time a year event that gives back to our wonderful, hard-working employees.”

No matter how much time off you have in the next couple of weeks, try to get some rest and catch your breath. We could all use a moment to step away, to turn off for a while.

And then come back reenergized and reinvigorated because we all have important work ahead of us.