Author: Beth Strike

The Flex Room contains resources and technology that require special training in order to use them to their full capacity, beyond the basic projecting of one computer screen to all monitors.  This training will provide participants with the capability or projecting multiple devices at the same time, choosing multiple input and output selections and wireless presenting.  Participants can attend these half-day trainings for one, two, or three hours depending on their needs.  You can sign up for the Flex Room Training (Course # 15399)  through our professional learning system.

1. October 26 – 1:00 P.M.
2. December 13 – 1:00 P.M.
3. January 4 – 9:00 A.M.
4. April 25 – 1:00 P.M.
5. June 22 –  1:00 P.M.

If you have any questions about trainings, please contact Michelle Cowell.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, October. 5, 2016 in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. The board agenda and packet is available online and the minutes will be published online after approval at the next month’s board meeting.

To support a timely staff replacement process and assist in budget planning, a retirement incentive will be provided for Certified and Administrative Staff who provide early notification of their intent to resign or retire at the end of the 2016-17 work year.

The proposed incentive would be administered as follows:

Commitments of separation by resignation or retirement at the end of the 2016-17 work year submitted by Certified or Administrative Staff, and received in the Human Resources Office between October 3, 2016, and December 2, 2016, and accepted by the Board no later than the regular meeting on December 7, 2016, will receive an early notification incentive payment of $1,500 to be payable June 30, 2017 subject to the employee fulfilling their individual employment contract obligations for the 2016-17 work year. This incentive is only being offered to Certified and Administrative staff due to the challenge in securing replacement licensed staff in these categories.

The topic of professional dress has recently been discussed at our Regional Administrators’ meeting in an effort to ensure that we present ourselves and AEA 267 in the most positive light.  Our dress code was last clarified back in 2012, but with the beginning of the year, we felt it was important to remind everyone of the expectations to ensure consistency.  

The “spirit” of our expectations around professional dress is to represent our agency in a professional light and underscore the important work that we do.  We hope to present ourselves as an organization that takes their work and roles seriously and dress in a way that is parallel to the responsibilities of our jobs.

Here are some general reminders:

Monday-Thursday: Business casual (khakis/polos, dress pants, tops, etc.) to business professional (skirts, pant suits, etc.) depending on who your audience is for the day. If you are giving a presentation, you would probably choose business professional.  If you are simply working  in the office, then business casual is probably just fine (as well as a minimum expectation).

Friday: Jeans are welcome (with a business professional top).  However, again, please remember who your audience is for the day and dress appropriately given your audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some general rules of thumb:

• Please, no t-shirts.   
• No Flip-Flops. (Flip Flops are not the same as open-toed shoes.)

If you have compelling reasons for requesting variance to the expected attire, please speak with your supervisor. Our hope is that we don’t have to spend a lot of time or energy on dress code issues as we all have much more impactful priorities that desire our attention!  Thanks for your cooperation. Questions? Contact your supervisor.

Safety and accountability are important values for all AEA 267 employees. To ensure that all our staff are safe and accountable, beginning with the 2016-17 school year, we are asking all staff to check into and out of the facilities they support. While most school buildings have a sign-in area, AEA 267 administration has asked that all do by the start of the new school year. Not only is this an important accountability step, it will also ensure that your whereabouts are always known in the event of an emergency.

In addition to signing in at buildings, starting July 1, all staff are asked to ensure that their online calendars are kept current and detailed as follows:

(Deviations from these expectations can be made at the discretion of the supervisor.)

(Category 1) “Full” Calendar: Calendars will indicate on a daily basis using the “busy” designation where the staff member is physically located at the approximate times. In addition, other meetings may be listed on the calendar that the staff member may want to be conscious of or attend if time allows and are indicated using the “free” or “tentative” designation. All leave types should also be noted (i.e. sick, personal, EQ, etc.) using the “out of office” designation.

Staff who fall into this category: Administrative Team, direct service providers such as ECSE, Early Access, itinerant hearing, itinerant visually impaired, orientation & mobility , OT/PT, work experience/transition specialists and coordinators, audiologists, audiometrists, COTAs, SLPAs, Family Educator Connection staff, technology consultants, consulting staff, teacher librarians, and technology staff who serve multiple locations or districts.

(Category 2) “Repeat” calendar: Calendar shows the physical location where the staff member is located each day as well as the actual times they are in each location. Use the “busy” designation.  (If you deviate from your assignment, that deviation should be noted on your calendar.) All leave types should also be noted (i.e. sick, personal, EQ, etc.). Use the “out of office” designation.

Staff who fall into this category: Staff members who have a consistent schedule at multiple locations (e.g. Special Ed Team Reps, consultants, social workers, psychologists, SLPs,  and support staff assigned to River Hills.)

(Category 3) “Minimal” calendar: Calendar indicates when the staff member is out of the office for a meeting, vacation or other leave. Use the “out of office” designation.

Staff who fall into this category: Staff members who have a consistent schedule at one location including secretaries, HR & Business Office staff, custodians, print room staff, lending library staff and shelter/detention staff. All leave types should also be noted (i.e. sick, personal, EQ, etc.).

(Category 4) No online calendar completed

Staff who fall into this category: Van drivers.

Questions? Contact your supervisor.

To support the new integrated services model, the agency is pleased to offer an electronic Professional Learning/Travel System to support staff with expenses such as conference registrations and travel arrangements (hotel/flight/rental car). The new system merges the internal PD request system, the external PD request form, EQ requests, and travel requests into one line of communication with notifications delivered via AEA 267 email. Transportation arrangements for staff will be handled by Keri Hudson (NW/S sectors) and Barb Schroeder (NE/E sectors). For your convenience, the system will be linked to the Professional Learning website. Staff will be asked to specify the type of request they are seeking. Options include:

Approval Only

o   I am requesting approval to attend an event and there are no material fees or travel arrangements needed. Any fees incurred are mileage only and reimbursement will be made by the staff member.

PO Number Needed

o   I am requesting approval to take an internal Professional Learning opportunity and need an internal purchase order number to register for a course with material fees. This is for No Credit. If approved, you will receive a purchase order number and will register for the AEA 267 PD offering using that purchase order number.) Travel arrangements will be forwarded to an administrative secretary.

Reimbursement Needed

o   I am requesting approval to take an internal course and plan to request reimbursement for material fees. This is for fee-based credits – graduate, licensure renewal, substitute authorization, Para educator, and classes with Audit Fees. If approved, you will then register using your credit card. Travel arrangements will be forwarded to an administrative secretary. Your credit card will be charged for the credit and the materials. You may request reimbursement for materials through the same process by uploading your invoice onto the system after registration.

Travel/Conference Registrations

o   I am requesting approval to attend an event and need travel and/or conference registration arrangements to attend. Travel may involve hotel, airfare, and rental car needs. If approved, the request will route to an administrative secretary for processing. Any mileage/parking/meal fees incurred will be submitted for reimbursement by the employee

Thank you to everyone who responded to the evaluation of our Opening Day meeting on August 11. Feedback on the day was overwhelmingly positive despite our spontaneous schedule and presenter changes. Thanks for rolling with the punches! In addition to your appreciation for the day, it was also clear that you prefer to keep the meeting centrally located in Cedar Falls in the future. For that reason, we are currently looking for a site for next year’s meeting somewhere in the Cedar Valley. Also, you suggested that we move the meeting back a week to better accommodate the transition back to contract time for those staff who are off contract for the majority of the summer. Thus, we are considering August 14, 2017 as our date for next year.

Stay tuned for more details which will be shared via Intersections.

The 2016-17 Ed Directory is in the process of being printed and will be distributed to all AEA 267 staff this month. In the meantime, the online searchable schools directory (including labels) is current and accessible and administrative listservs have been updated. Please contact Lori Thomas, Admin. Assistant if you have questions.

AEA 267 Contact Manager is a great source to target email messages to specific groups of educators served by our agency (Use your email login/password to access.) The staff website has help tips for using Contact Manager and if you have questions, contact Beth Strike, Director of Creative Services or Deb Culp, Admin Assistant/Internet Network Service Coordinator.