Author: Beth Strike

Until further notice, all in-state and out-of-state travel continues to be suspended. This includes conferences, state meetings, networks, etc. Please plan to participate in those offerings virtually and discuss any concerns with your supervisor.

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!