THE STONERIVER SCOOP
WELLNESS CHALLENGE
unleash your competitive spirit
Get ready to lace up your sneakers and put your step counters to the test because the Wellness Challenge kicks off tomorrow! 🎉 This is not just any wellness activity; it’s a thrilling team-building experience that you won’t want to miss! We’re super excited to have you all join in, and there are awesome prizes up for grabs! Each week, participants will be entered into a raffle, and at the end of the month, we’ll crown our grand prize winners for the overall team, as well as individual male and female champions!
Throughout the entire month of March, we’re challenging each and every one of you to rack up as many steps as possible! Whether you’re strolling during lunch breaks, enjoying outdoor walks, or engaging in fun activities after hours – every step counts! The great news? Tracking your steps has never been easier! Just let your smart device work its magic in the background while you focus on walking. You can use any activity tracker you like (Apple Watch, Fitbit, Whoop, or even a simple pedometer) as long as your progress is verifiable.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on all submitted steps to determine our individual winners. For the overall team, we’ll calculate the average steps to ensure a fair competition since team sizes may vary. Remember, all steps MUST be submitted by your team captain every Monday to ensure they count towards your team’s total.
Let’s make this a fun and friendly competition! Get ready to step it up and show what you’re made of! 🏃♂️🏃♀️
Each property has its own dynamic team, and our vibrant corporate office in Birmingham has divided into three powerhouse squads. I’m excited to share with you the names of our creative teams, each brimming with energy and innovation!
- One Highland – “Sweat Equity”
- One Highland – “Walk This Way”
- One Highland – “Gun Runners”
- WildForest – “Walkin’ on the Wild Side”
- Terraces – “All Panic, No Disco”
- Vital at Springbrook – “Vital’s Viral Rivals”
- Magnolia Grove – “Walkie Talkies”
- Inverness Cliffs – “The Cliffs Climbers”
HR Corner
BlueCross & Blue Shield Online Tools
Register for myBlueCross at AlabamaBlue.com to help you manage your health information and coverage—anywhere, anytime. You will have 24-hour access to your account and personalized health information.
Under “Manage My Contract,” you can:
- View claim statements
- Order ID cards and view virtual ID card
- View your contract & dependent info
Under “Manage My Prescription,” you can:
- View your claim history
- Find drug definitions & pricing
- Find a participating pharmacy near you
Under “Research Quality Care,” you can:
- Find a healthcare provider or facility
- Rate your doctor
Under “Management My Health,” you can:
- Take the Health Quotient (HQ)
- Compare treatment costs
- Check your symptoms with WebMD’s Symptom Checker
- Enroll in Baby Yourself
- Learn about behavioral health services
Under “Research & Tools,” you can:
- View benefit booklets and Summary of Benefits & Coverage
- View covered immunizations
- View a list of preventive services
BCBS Mobile Apps
With easy-to-use mobile apps (for your smartphone or tablet), it’s like having a personal healthcare representative at your fingertips! Whether you’re seeing a new specialist and forgot your ID card, driving to a new pharmacy and needing directions, or trying to determine if it’s the flu or just a bad cold, help is just a click away!
- Alabama Blue App – Check your benefits, view your ID card, find a doctor, and get your contract information.
- Health Handbook App – Handy reference for your common health questions
- myRX Planner App – Medication reminders, possible drug interactions, common dosages
- Baby Yourself App – Track your baby’s growth and your personal journey to motherhood
Employee News
New Hires and Promotions
February Promotions:
Let’s come together to celebrate the incredible individuals who have earned promotions in February! Their hard work, dedication, and exceptional contributions have not gone unnoticed. Join us in recognizing their accomplishments and wishing them continued success in their new roles!
- Paul Daniels: Promoted to Senior Construction Manager
January & February New Hires:
Let’s give a warm and enthusiastic welcome to our amazing new hires! 🎉 We can’t wait to see the incredible contributions they’ll make!
- Sandra Hernandez, Leasing Consultant (Magnolia Grove)
- Brianna Dale, Property Manager (WildForest)
- Shelby Killian, Property Manager (Inverness Cliffs)
- Bill Millen, Development Manager (Birmingham)
- Jeff Sledden, VP of Development (Birmingham)
March Contests
and Celebrations
March Madness
With the calendar turning to March, sports fans everywhere start concentrating on college basketball and preparing for March Madness. Regardless of how well your favorite team performed during the regular season, the NCAA tournament provides an opportunity to identify underdogs primed to pull off the big upset or the team that’s about to get hot and make a run to the Final Four.
The thrilling and action-packed tournament of March Madness commences with the First Four games on March 18 and 19. From there, you will witness back-to-back thrilling matches for nearly three exhilarating weeks.
More information about the StoneRiver bracket challenge will be circulated in the coming weeks. Whether you watch hours of games before the tournament starts or you pick your teams based on conference allegiance, location, or colors, the bracket challenge is a great way to enjoy March Madness while engaging in some friendly competition with your colleagues.
How to prepare for the Spring ahead time change:
Millions of clocks across the United States will revert to daylight saving time this month. Clocks will “spring forward” one hour at 2 a.m. on March 9, causing most people to lose an hour of sleep. It won’t be until Nov. 2, the first Sunday of November, when we will fiddle with our clocks again to “fall back” to standard time.
Every spring, we “spring ahead” an hour to help us make the best use of daylight during the summer. We certainly enjoy soaking up those extra hours of sun after the fact, but it can take a few days to get used to daylight saving time. But believe it or not, daylight saving time doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your sleep routine. Luckily, you can face the time change head-on by making a few simple adjustments to your routine. The best part? These expert-approved tips work equally well for kids and adults alike.
Reconsider your bedtime: Try going to bed 15 minutes earlier, starting two to three days before the time change. This will help make sure you are well-rested before the clock changes so any resulting ‘sleep debt’ will feel less extreme.
Shift your wakeup call: A few days before daylight saving time, set your wakeup time to 30 minutes ahead. This will narrow the difference and make it easier for you to adjust to the time change.
Readjust your routine: Take advantage of your earlier start for the day and shift your activities to an earlier schedule, including dinner, exercise, and bedtime.
Trick your brain: The brain looks for visual cues to know what time it is. Another thing you can do is change the time on a wristwatch 15 minutes ahead each day before daylight saving time to provide that visual cue.
St. Patrick's Day traditions that'll add a bit 'o fun to your holiday
Whether you’re Irish or just pretending for the sake of the holiday, you may be looking to level up your St. Paddy’s celebration this year. To help inspire your holiday festivities, I’ve collected some favorite traditions. Trust me when I say that these St. Paddy’s activities are worth their weight in gold.
Watch an Irish movie. Press play and transport yourself to the rolling hills of Ireland. Let Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson show you what it’s like to live on a remote island off of Ireland in “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which took home the top prize at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards. Or warm your heart (and break it) while watching “P.S. I Love You,” starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.
Cook a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast. You can serve up some traditional favorites to your family, like potato pancakes, breakfast sausage, applesauce, and Irish coffee for the adults. Or come up with your own Irish-inspired foods to serve and make breakfast a yearly St. Paddy’s tradition for your family.
Go to a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Do you and your family go to a St. Patrick’s Day parade every year? If not, it’s definitely something you should do with your with your whole family.
Wear green. St. Patrick’s Day isn’t really St. Patrick’s Day until you’re wearing green.
Share a family meal. End your day by sharing a warm and hearty meal with your family. Enjoying a meal of corned beef and cabbage around the table with the people you love is a perfect way to celebrate.
Birthdays
Wishing a very Happy Birthday to all of the March birthdays:
- 03/05 – Nino Yu Tiamco (Birmingham)
- 03/05 – Caroline Sanchez Ponce (Magnolia)
- 03/08 – Caroline Donovan (Birmingham)
- 03/08 – Summer Higgins (Birmingham)
- 03/19 – Jose Alcantara (Terraces)
Anniversaries
- 1 Year – Jonathan Morton (WildForest)
- 9 Years – Colin Moorhouse (Birmingham)
- 17 Years – Christie Smith (Birmingham)
Have an Idea?
Would you like to share your stories, ideas, or comments to feature in our upcoming publications? Kindly send your request and a member of the newsletter committee will get in touch if chosen.
