The Wellness Challenge just ended its seventh week and all the staff participating are to be commended, as team scores are tight. With only three weeks left to go of the challenge, be sure to fill out your scores each week. (Rankings are shown below, however, a couple teams have not been reporting and a few may not be up-to-date.)
Copies of the book Eat, Move, Sleep are available for check out to any staff member interested in finding out how to improve one’s overall health simply by making small specific changes. Contact Lori Thomas if you would like to check out a copy.
As was previously announced, Amy Knupp, currently a Regional Administrator with the agency, has been selected as the agency’s next Executive Director of Special Education. Amy will succeed Dr. Mary Stevens, who is retiring effective December 31, 2017.
Amy started with AEA 267 as a team representative and school psychologist. She has also been an adjunct professor for Kirkwood Community College. Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and family services, a Master of Arts degree in educational psychology, and an Education Specialist degree in school psychology from the University of Northern Iowa, Amy also holds a Director of Special Education endorsement.
We had a chance to talk with Amy and find out a little about her vision for the agency.
What do you believe is our biggest challenge going forward as an agency? The continuation of integrating services throughout all areas within the AEA in the most efficient way possible. Another challenge will be to continue to use the resources we have to provide the best services for our schools, students, and families.
What will the first 100 days of your leadership look like?I will be very busy working with Dr. Mary Stevens to plan for the year! I will also be meeting with stakeholder groups so I can learn all the aspects of the agency…working with Ad Cabinet to develop plans which focus on our agency goals…and meeting with staff/discipline groups to acquire information on current practices and long range plans.
What do you think are our greatest strengths as an agency? Our greatest strength is our employees! We have very dedicated and hard working employees. We also have strong leaders driving our agency with innovative ideas that push the agency forward. All of these entities will lead our agency to excellence!
What do you want people (who haven’t had a chance to work with you previously) to know about you? I am very passionate about student achievement and closing the achievement gap. I like to hear about, and be involved in, innovative practices that lead to increased achievement for all students. I want everyone to know I have an open door policy so everyone is welcome to stop in, introduce yourself and talk with me.
Please join us in congratulating Amy on her new position. We look forward to her leadership!
In an effort to provide more “DIY” options to staff when it comes to recording video and audio material, “Mobile Video Kits” have been assembled for staff use. There are currently two Mobile Video Kits available for staff to checkout from the AEA 267 media center.
Each kit includes accessories that staff can hook up to their tablet in order to record video content on their own. Staff who do not have an AEA 267 tablet can check one out from the media center to use with the kit. The kit includes: a 57-inch aluminum tripod with a tablet mount, a professional tablet microphone, a microphone windshield for outdoor recording, a set of headphones to monitor audio, and a quick start guide explaining how to set up all the kit materials. Contact the AEA 267 media center to reserve one today and feel free to contact Sarah Lalk for further information or training on how you can use this new tool!
Did you know that the AEA 267 Creative Services department receives approximately 100 orders per day? Orders currently come in via two different email addresses, an online form on the website, van mail, walk-in, as well as Digital Storefront, a virtual “store” for print. That’s a lot of channels to manage for workflow as well as track for accurate billing!
A new Google order form has been developed and is being piloted. While the form seems straightforward from the user’s side, with the help of advanced Google coding, the “back side” of the form automates the workflow and billing incredibly saving Creative Services staff time and eventually increasing efficiency.
If you would like to participate in the pilot, feel free to use this form when submitting your order during the week of March 6-10. We know the form isn’t perfect, so share your experience in using by responding to this survey when you are done. If you have questions or concerns while submitting your order, please direct them to Dave Johnson.
In an effort to ensure greater continuity between our regions and allow for more opportunities to meet as a full agency, the following dates have been selected for 2017-18 for regional/agency team meetings. While locations of the meetings have not been fully finalized, please reserve each of these dates and schedule professional and personal obligations around them as attendance will be mandatory. Locations are listed where they are known. All meetings are scheduled for 9 am-3 pm. More details will be sent out to you as they are finalized. (In general, Regional Meetings will take place in the AM and Discipline/Content Teams will meet in the afternoon. The day of the week for the meetings will rotate as suggested to help ensure that services by direct service providers are more equally spread out and don’t always occur on the same day of the week.)
August 14, 2017: Central Rivers AEA, 1521 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls (All staff kick-off meeting)
September 12, 2017
October 18, 2017
November 17. 2017
December 21, 2017: Central Rivers AEA, 1521 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls (All staff)
January 23, 2018
February 19, 2018
March (date determined by Regional Administrator)
April 26, 2018
May 23, 2018: Central Rivers AEA, 1521 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls (All staff)
We received news last month that Dr. E. Robert (“Bob”) Stephens died peacefully on the morning of Feb. 9. For those not familiar with Bob Stephens, he wrote the original legislative language to create the AEAs in Iowa. He also served nationally on the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) Board. The AESA has three awards nationally that honor individuals, and one is named after Bob. (The AEA system also honors his legacy with an award named after him.) He was truly a champion for education, especially for educational service agencies and was relentless in his pursuit to serve students and staff. We’ve lost a giant in our field, and he will be missed.
The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Monday, March 6, 2017 in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. The board packet is available online and the minutes will be published online after approval at the next month’s board meeting.
The Wellness Challenge just ended its seventh week and all the staff participating are to be commended, as team scores are tight. With only three weeks left to go of the challenge, be sure to fill out your scores each week. (Rankings are shown below, however, a couple teams have not been reporting and a few may not be up-to-date.)
