The Channel

As we continue moving forward together, the agency is kicking off a new monthly series designed to help all staff better understand our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan – and, just as importantly, what it means for your work every day.

Whether you support students directly, work in operations, provide professional learning, or serve behind the scenes – this series is meant to help CRAEA staff see how our shared goals and values align with the many ways we serve.

We invite you to engage with this series along the way. Have questions? Want to share reflections or ideas? Feel free to leave comments on each post. Your input helps strengthen our collective understanding and supports ongoing alignment as an agency.

Schedule:

• January: Introduction to the Strategic Plan + Mission & Vision – Stan Rheingans, Chief Administrator
• February: Core Values – Karl, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Human Resources
• March: Goal #1: Promoting safe, orderly, and welcoming learning environments – Tesha Moser-Zimmerman, Executive Director of Educational Services
• April: Goal #2: Promote equity in education by closing achievement and opportunity gaps – Annette Hyde, Executive Director of Special Education
• May: Goal #3: Ensure consistent quality in the delivery of AEA services to Iowa’s accredited schools – Karl Kurt (Wrap-up/Summary)

Thank you for taking time to follow along each month and for the work you do every day to advance our mission. We’re excited to build shared clarity and momentum around the Strategic Plan – and we hope this series helps every staff member feel connected to the bigger picture.

Across Iowa and the nation, some families are expressing concern about immigration enforcement activity and what it could mean for students at school. Central Rivers AEA is committed to helping schools maintain safe, calm, and welcoming learning environments for every learner.

First, it’s important to recognize a foundational legal principle: all children have the right to attend public K–12 school regardless of citizenship or immigration status. This is long-standing federal law and is not subject to local interpretation.

In addition, schools have clear responsibilities related to student privacy. Student education records are protected under federal law (FERPA), and staff should always follow established district procedures if any outside agency requests information about a student. For CRAEA staff members, the most important guidance is practical:

• Follow district policy and administrative direction if any outside agency requests access to information or a school building.
• Do not attempt to interpret legal documents or respond independently – route concerns to school administration immediately.
• Maintain confidentiality and avoid speculation, rumors, or sharing unverified information.
• Continue focusing on what schools do best: creating stable routines and safe relationships that support student learning.

Families seeking legal information or assistance may benefit from reputable community resources, including legal aid providers and organizations that compile “know your rights” materials. (Two Iowa-based resources that some families may reference are the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice website and this tipsheet.)

Central Rivers AEA supports schools by promoting lawful, consistent practices that protect student privacy, reduce misinformation, and reinforce safe learning environments for all.

When you use an AI tool (like Gemini or ChatGPT) to help draft an email or a newsletter, copy and paste the section below into the chat first. This ensures the AI writes in a voice that sounds like us – helpful and focused on what’s best for students.

Copy and paste this “persona” into your AI tool:

• Role: You are [identify your title] for Central Rivers Area Education Agency (CRAEA).
• Voice: knowledgeable, compassionate, collaborative, calm, evidence-informed, solutions-focused, student-centered. Professional but deeply human. “We” language.
• Service stance: coach/partner/mentor/advocate/expert guide. 
• Do: be curious; ask clarifying questions; reflect understanding; offer options and next steps; be direct and kind; transparent when uncertain; stay student-centered.
• Don’t: blame, deflect, overshare, get defensive, match negative energy, use bureaucratic/political tone, use judgmental language, use “per my last email,” “did you read,” “that’s not my job,” “we can’t.”
• Preferred phrases: “How can we support you?”, “Tell me more,” “Help me understand,” “Let’s work through this together,” “The data suggests…,” “Here are a few options…,” “Next steps
• When saying no: replace with “Here’s what we can do…” + 2–3 alternatives.

Branding requirements & expectations

As AI tools become a popular way to help us get our work done faster, it is more important than ever to make sure everything we share still looks and feels like Central Rivers AEA. Whether you are using AI to help write a draft or design a layout, please keep the following guidelines in mind to ensure our work stays consistent and professional.

Keeping our look consistent

Whenever you create documents or presentations for school districts or team meetings, please use our official agency branding. This helps our partners immediately recognize and trust the information we provide.

Presentations & themes

To keep our look uniform, please do not build your own slide themes from scratch or try to customize existing ones in the Google gallery.

• Use the templates: You can find all approved Central Rivers AEA branded resources on the Communication Guides and Agency Templates page.
• Need something special? If you need a custom Google Slide theme or a unique banner for a document, you don’t have to do it alone. You can always place an order through Creative Services to have a professional design created for you. (Or reach out to Randy Darst, CRAEA Print Facilitator.)

Flyers & promotional materials

When you need to create a flyer or a brochure to promote a program or event, it’s important that it meets our agency standards.

• Ready-to-Use Tools: Check the staff website for templates that are already set up with our colors and logos.
• Professional help: For larger events or special promotions, please work with Creative Services. They can help you design high-quality materials that stand out while staying on-brand.

If you have accessibility questions, please review the Accessibility Module. If you have questions regarding branding guidelines and requirements, please reach out to Beth Strike, Director of Communications & Creative Services or Contessa Van Buskirk, Communications Specialist, for assistance.

As we look toward the 2026-27 school year, we want to ensure everyone has the information they need to plan their schedules. If you are a member of our certified staff and are considering reducing your work hours (FTE) for the upcoming year, please keep the following details in mind:

• Deadline: All requests must be submitted by March 1.
• Action Needed: Complete the request form by March 1.
• Submission: Please email your finished form to hr@centralriversaea.org.

If you have questions about how a reduction might affect your role or benefits, please reach out to your direct supervisor or the HR team.

Some questions have bubbled up recently regarding local school district access to van delivery for Special Education related items. Whether or not a school district purchases van delivery or not, special education items used in service of students can be delivered or picked-up by the agency if coordinated by a staff member. Because staff members are using the as part of their work (e.g. assistive technology devices, OT/PT equipment, test kits, etc.), this service is not subject to purchase. To arrange pick-up or delivery, simply email your request to delivery@centralriversaea.org.

If you missed the all-staff update on Tuesday, January 13 via Zoom, the slide deck and recording information can be found below. The next meeting (unless canceled if there are no new updates) will be held on Tuesday, February 10, from 4:00-4:30 pm.

Resources from 1/13/26:

• Recording
• Slides
• Strategic Plan One-Pager
• Zoom link for future meetings: https://aea1.zoom.us/j/99941260595?pwd=1L7Lj66bUNsF6KqJ3t9TU3eTHuO3aB.1
• Meeting ID: 999 4126 0595
• Passcode: 713069

We would like to welcome incoming staff for the 2025-26 school year!

Let’s be honest: technology moves fast, and it can be tough to keep up. That’s why Central Rivers AEA and Keystone AEA teamed up to create the Staff Tech Hub – your go-to cheat sheet for all things digital! Think of it as your monthly “tech upgrade.” We update this resource every month with simple, practical ideas to save you time and boost your confidence.

What’s the latest for this month’s tips?

Assistive Tech:

Sometimes the best solution isn’t a new app – it’s a pencil grip or a simple checklist! This month, we’re exploring how low-tech and no-tech tools can make a massive difference for students and staff alike. These strategies are budget-friendly, easy to start right away, and can instantly lower stress in the classroom or office.

• Simple tools: reading guides and weighted pens
• Smart tweaks: visual schedules and “quiet zones”
• Expert tips: choosing the right pencil grip

Artificial Intelligence:

Is your “to-do” list feeling a bit heavy? This month, we’re diving into how Generative AI can act as your personal teaching assistant to help you differentiate lessons in seconds, not hours.

• Instant differentiation: take one article and instantly rewrite it for three different reading levels
• Creative hooks: get five unique ways to start a lesson
• Better prompts: learn the secret to getting great AI results

Practical tech tips:

Ever stare at a blank screen wondering how to start a parent email or a project tracker? This month, we’re introducing Google Workspace Studio, a new suite of AI features built right into the apps you use every day: Docs, Gmail, Sheets and Slides.

• Docs & Gmail: instantly draft emails, IEP summaries or reports
• Sheets: Google will help you build a data tracker
• Slides: stop hunting for images – AI will generate custom illustration for your presentation
• One-click refinement: use the “refine” button in Gmail to instantly make a draft more professional and detailed with just one click

The goal isn’t just to give you more tools, it’s to make your daily work easier and more impactful. Ready for more? Head over to the Staff Tech Hub to see the full list of tips and tricks for February! Reach out to Tiffanie Zaugg, Assistive Technology/AI Specialist, with questions.

Planning an international trip? We want to make sure your access to Central Rivers AEA accounts travels as smoothly as you do! To keep our data safe, our systems are set up to block logins from outside the U.S. by default. This security measure is our first line of defense against cyber threats and unauthorized login attempts originating from overseas. If you need to check your email or log in while you’re away, our IT team needs to manually “open the door” for your specific destination.

What we will need from you

Please email the Help Desk at least one week before you leave with the following details:

• Your destination: where you’ll be headed.
• Your dates: the specific start and end dates of your trip.

By letting us know ahead of time, we can ensure your account stays secure while giving you the access you need. Safe travels! For assistance, reach out to the CRAEA Tech Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Updates with CRAEA Special Education doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel and important mid-month information)
• Special Education Updates

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Updates with CRAEA Ed Services & Media doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel and important mid-month information)
• Ed Services/Media Updates

Reduce stress & increase peace

Want more peace and less stress in your work and/or personal life? Core Energy Coaching can help! Central Rivers AEA offers free 1:1 coaching sessions with certified well-being coach Dr. Leslie Moore on Zoom. Coaching creates the space for individuals to recognize and shift out of Level 1 and 2 energy – where fear, doubt and conflict often take the lead – and move toward more empowering states like Level 5 and 6, where collaboration, possibility and purpose begin to drive thought and action. By helping people identify limiting beliefs, release blame and reframe challenges, coaching fosters a mindset rooted in curiosity, compassion and shared success. The result is greater clarity, confidence and connection – both internally and across teams. Schedule your session online!

Enhance your well-being & earn $250

Central Rivers AEA continues to encourage our staff to enhance their well-being by offering a $250 incentive for submitting evidence of understanding and skills in one micro-credential related to INspired Leadership! To learn more about microcredentials, review the Micro-credential Explanation document. To learn about and/or register for a microcredential you are interested in, choose and select: 1) Awareness of Internal Energy, 2) 4 Key Mindsets, and 3) Overcoming Internal Energy Blocks [requires both prerequisite microcredentials above]. Evidence submitted will be reviewed by Dr. Moore. If you need to create an account, have questions about microcredentials or aren’t sure how to sign up, contact Kay Schmalen at kschmalen@centralriversaea.org.