Author: Beth Strike

COVID Recovery Iowa can help Iowans with a number of issues including providing free, confidential virtual counseling and helping to connect families to food resources. There are virtual ZOOM Support Groups for teens, pre-teens and parents. The program also offers a number of virtual online activities including yoga, cooking classes, parent resources and more, to help Iowans through this stressful time.

You can find out more at covidrecoveryiowa.org, or simply call 844/775-9276 to be connected to resources. The virtual counseling sessions and support groups are free and confidential, and available to every Iowan.

The employee cell phone reimbursement is for the necessary use of a personal cell phone in order to perform the responsibilities of the employee’s position, per Central Rivers AEA Board Policies 401.27R1 and 401.27R2. Staff approved for reimbursement will have their personal cell phone number listed in the Central Rivers AEA cell phone directory, which is published only on the internal staff website. 

All requests are subject to the approval of the AEA Regional Administrator and Executive Director. The reimbursable amount is based on the number of contracted months up to $120 annually.  New employees hired after the start of the year have 30 days from the date of hire to submit a request for reimbursement at a prorated amount

To apply for the 2020-2021 reimbursement, submit the request form before August 31, 2020. Payment will be made on September 20, 2020.  Any changes to a staff member’s phone number must be promptly reported to Laura Rinnels at 641-329-4244.

The staff lounges in our three office locations are open for staff to enjoy while on breaks. This includes Central Perk in the Cedar Falls office. Staff will need to observe social distancing with just one person per table and masks need to be worn unless you are on your lunch break.  

Be sure to sanitize the table you sit at and do not leave used dishes in the room. If you use agency tableware, all items must be washed, dried and put away before you leave the room. Sanitizer will be available in each room or from the receptionist. 

 

Individual counseling sessions teach members about their retirement account, including possible retirement dates, benefit payout options and service purchase options. These sessions are for those within five years of retirement and will be held over the phone on August 24, 25, 26, & 27. Additional details can be found on this flyer. 

Pre-registration is required and appointment times fill up quickly. To schedule a  30-minute counseling session, contact IPERS at 800-622-3849. IPERS will then call you at your scheduled time to discuss your information. 

A master calendar has been created in Google for all administrative and large staff meetings taking place in the new school year. All staff can access this calendar to view the dates and you will want to consider setting up notifications in order to be aware of changes and updates to meetings each month. 

If you have questions regarding any of the meeting dates, please contact Lori Thomas (lthomas@centralriversaea.org) and if you need assistance accessing the calendar or setting up notifications, please contact tech support (helpdesk@centralriversaea.org)

Please be sure to check the outgoing voicemail greeting on your Zoom phone to ensure that you don’t still have the old message from when the offices were closed.

Your new message should say something like:

“Hello. You’ve reached (name), (title) with Central Rivers Area Education Agency. I’m away from my desk or on the phone right now but your call is very important to me. Please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible. Thank you very much for calling. Have a great day!

In an effort to increase our knowledge around ways to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, reminder that all staff must successfully complete the COVID-19 Safety Guidelines through AEA Learning Online Module R2L: Health and Safety for Teachers and Staff.  

1. • The training module is to be completed before returning to an agency facility on a staggered or regular work schedule. (If you have already returned to work on a full or part-time basis, please complete this training ASAP.)
   • To document completion, employees are to forward the training certificate to their region/program administrative assistant or supervisor.  

In addition, while we have the chance, we want to remind all staff who hold a BoEE license, that they need to complete the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and SPP (Suicide Prevention and Postvention) on an annual basis.  Certificates should be forwarded to the HR office.

 Directions to take the training(s) are outlined on this document. To view other CRAEA mandatory training, refer to this table.

Contact professionallearning@centralriversaea.org if you have any questions or problems with the training.

August brings a physical return to work for agency employees along with more frequent virtual meetings. Following months of working at home and much more casual attire, what’s the new dress code for coming back? Beginning August 3, staff members should return to traditional professional attire, whether virtual or in person. This blog post from 2019 outlines the agency’s approach to dress and can be used as a helpful reference. So, whether you are working in the agency, in a district, or providing services remotely, plan to present a professional image each day! Questions? Please visit with your supervisor.

Central Rivers AEA stands in solidarity with the Black community and with peaceful protests against the racial injustice that has plagued our nation for too long. Each of us must commit to doing all we can to counter racial injustice wherever we see it and take a stand. For lasting change to occur, we must keep the conversation going. Not just today, but in the days and months to come. Central Rivers AEA supports all ethnic groups and promotes the value of diversity in both our schools and communities.

We made it to June! This meme seems to sum up perfectly how I’ve been feeling lately. It’s been an intense past few months and I think we are all anxious to make our best attempt at enjoying the nicer weather and more relaxed pace of summer, despite the fact that Covid-19 has not gone away and likely won’t for many more months.

Over the past several weeks, our agency administrative team, in support of the board, has been working on a “Return to Work” plan which began June 1. I use the word “return” a bit lightly because I know that the work didn’t stop for the majority of us while we have been working remotely. Our plan details are as follows:

Phase 1: Approximately June 1

Safety protocols were specifically designed for each of the following departments who have now physically returned to work (or will in the coming days). Our Phase I staff members can’t physically do their work from a remote setting which necessitated their return along with the fact that they have essential responsibilities to perform. We appreciate their commitment to keeping vital services such as equipment repair, custodial maintenance, printing, and the processing of media materials operational.

• Information Technology
• Maintenance
• Media 
• Print/Production 

Phase 2: Approximately August 1

In Phase 2, we will move from essential/critical workers to lower exposure risk staff (office-based) who are eligible to return to a physical office location. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) defines these workers as having minimal occupational contact with the public and other co-workers. Office-based staff are considered lower exposure risk given that they have limited public contact and social distancing is easy to accommodate. Others may continue to work from home as deemed appropriate and necessary by their supervisor. Those employee groups who are identified as eligible to return to the office during Phase 2 include:

• Administration
• Administrative Assistants
• Business Office
• Human Resources Department
• Creative Services 
• Receptionists

Each department is developing unique safety protocols in collaboration with Human Resources to mitigate risk and create an environment that is as safe as possible in light of what we know today about the spread of the virus. These protocols will be shared with “Phase 2” staff members prior to returning in August. Special considerations will be given to those employees deemed to be in a high risk category. If you feel that this applies to you, please contact the Human Resources department.

For those staff members who work primarily out in schools, reaching a conclusion on specific protocols will be heavily dependent on the Return To Learn plans that are developed by each district and due July 1. Rest assured that the agency will have a strong voice in the conversation to ensure that Central Rivers AEA employees are put in the safest position possible while delivering service. Much more to come on this topic as details begin to emerge! Also note that because Covid-19 is an evolving pandemic, our decisions may change as we continue to stay in conversation with public health officials and analyze the data in our area. This is still a very fluid situation.

Questions about returning to work? More specific details and direction will likely be coming from your supervisor. In the meantime, feel free to share any questions, concerns or ideas with Karl Kurt, who is heading up our Return to Work effort.

Congratulations to Glenn Maring, Telecommunications Support Technician, and Sandy Kruse, Early Childhood Special Educator, who recently announced their retirement. We wish both Glenn and Sandy well and extend our appreciation for their dedicated service!

Do you ever wonder how your other Central Rivers AEA co-workers spend their work life? (Okay, we mean when we aren’t safe at home during a pandemic!) On the Job @Central Rivers AEA is a monthly series we’ve just launched to give you a peek into the work of others in the agency. Each month, Chief Administrator Sam Miller spent time with a Central Rivers AEA employee and learn more about the work involved in their position. These highlight videos will also be shared on our website and social media sites to help educate the public about the work of an AEA.

Up this month? Katie Devereaux, Early Childhood Special Educator.

This month, we continue our agency updates highlighting the three main focus areas of the agency strategic plan by focusing on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for Well-Being. Dr. Dana Miller, School Psychologist, and lead for the work, describes the work and what it means for you.

Sarah Nelson, currently a school improvement consultant serving Region 10, has been appointed to the position of Director of Information Technology with the agency. Nelson will replace Jen Sigrist who is now taking on additional responsibilities in providing Future Ready support for schools and staff. (Sigrist will continue to oversee the Media department.) 

“Sarah has a great skill set that will add tremendous value to the technology department,” said Sam Miller, Chief Administrator. “This position will allow her to continue her work in school improvement while spending some of her time influencing the direction of an important department in our agency.”

Nelson joined the agency in 2016 as a Technology Services Coordinator and later transferred to the role of Consultant for School Improvement. Her previous positions include K-12 Instructional Coach/Technology Integrationist with the Waverly-Shell Rock CSD as well as serving as a technology consultant and teacher with Waterloo CSD. 

Do you love Brene Brown’s work as much as we do? If so, you’ll want to make plans to subscribe to her new podcast coming in March 2020 called “Unlocking Us”. For more information, check out her website! Subscribe at: https://brenebrown.com/subscribe/