Author: Beth Strike

It’s official! Starting this month, we will officially accept your nominations for the AEA 267 “Hall of Fame” award. Each month, we will recognize one or more staff members who do a great job demonstrating what our Core Operating Principles look like in action. Those chosen will have a feature story written about their work which will be shared both internally and externally through various agency communication channels. In addition, they will be treated to lunch with our new Chief Administrator, Sam Miller. (Sam promises to make it a fun, light-hearted luncheon!)

Use this nomination form to nominate a fellow staff member who you think deserves to be recognized!

Again this year, our office support professionals will have a chance to come together to grow professionally and network with one another at Office Support Professionals’ Day. This year, OSPD will be held on November 6 at the AEA 267 Clear Lake Office. A more detailed agenda, along with details on transportation and the day’s topics will be shared with invited staff in the near future! Get ready for a high energy of learning, incredible door prizes, and fun!

We welcomed 55 new team members this school year and to introduce all of them to you and the communities we serve, we will be featuring them each Monday on the AEA 267 Facebook page. “Meet the Team Monday” #MTM was such a huge success last year that we are excited to bring it back.

To date, we have profiled 4 new team members. They are:

• Angela Sorenson: Angela comes to AEA 267 as Administrative Assistant for Assessment and Comprehensive Improvement with a background in Criminal Justice. She recently moved back to Iowa to be closer to her family after working in Florida. Angela told us that her favorite aspect of the position is constantly being challenged to learn new things.
• Cari Teske: Cari, one of our new Integrated Learning Specialists, brings 21 years of experience in education, serving as elementary teacher, district librarian and high school principal for the BCLUW CSD. She and her husband have three boys, two in college and one in middle school. Passionate about the role technology plays in education, Cari is excited for the opportunity to support learning through the integration of technology.
• Nicole Stucker: Nicole received her MA from UNI and worked for several years at Grant Wood AEA before joining AEA 267 as a SLP. She and her husband have one young son and her favorite pastime is spending time with them. Nicole shared that she is excited to be working with Early ACCESS children this year.
• Larissa Treloar: Larissa is an Iowa State and UNI graduate and has been practicing as a SLP for five years. Her favorite activity is being “mom” to her young son. Larissa told us that everyone at AEA 267 has gone out of their way to welcome her, which she has very much appreciated.

Be sure to “like” AEA 267 on Facebook and meet the remaining new team members every Monday! #MTM

Although we can’t share this great news publicly until after September 13 when the full list of winners is announced, we have received early notification that AEA 267 has been named one of “Iowa’s Top Workplaces.” Since 2009, Register Media and Workplace Dynamics have worked together with employees to identify and honor companies across the state. Based only on employee evaluations, Top Workplaces celebrates those companies that have the state’s best working environments.

This is an exciting recognition for our agency and one we should promote (after September 13) with pride. Soon, the Top Workplaces logo will be added to the front page of our website and shared via various communication channels including our agency Facebook and Twitter pages. You can help spread the word by adding the Top Workplaces logo to your email signature using the directions below. (Again, please wait until after September 13 to do so.)

Office 2010 (Windows):

https://goo.gl/nbVhJC

Office 2013 (Windows):

https://goo.gl/7EyF6N

Office 2011 (Macintosh)

https://goo.gl/GahmNI

Entourage (Macintosh)

Please see an IT staff member and they will update you to Office 2011.

Thanks for participating in the Top Workplaces survey last spring and helping to make us one of the best in the state! Be proud to work at AEA 267.

Last month, new employees to our agency were provided with an extensive overview of the agency including our mission, vision, goals and organizational structure. The presentation served as an important part of their orientation. It was suggested that this information could also be beneficial to share with all staff members. Please take a few minutes and look at these presentation slides to familiarize yourself once again with this information. Staying knowledgeable about the agency makes us better ambassadors to our neighbors, family and friends about the important work we do!

New guidance has been shared by the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) on service purchase rules changes. If this applies to you, check out this helpful resource.

Board members are often the unsung heroes of the education system and our board members are no exception. At the September 2 meeting, two special board members were honored for their years of service to the agency. Charlotte Upah (Director District 6) and Bernice Richard (Director District 9). Both board members are not returning to the board following this month’s election. Join us in thanking both of these individuals for their incredible dedication to our agency and mission.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 6 pm in the Cedar Falls AEA 267 Conference Center. The agenda for the September meeting can be found on the agency website under About Us>Board of Directors>Board Meetings & Agendas. Official minutes will be posted the following month after board approval.

Hopefully you are just as energized as I am following our all-staff meeting earlier this week! Seeing our entire AEA 267 team in one location together provided me with a unique opportunity to understand just how incredible an impact we can make as a service agency. Thank you for your attendance, your attentiveness and the warm welcome I received!

Toward the end of my presentation I shared a video with you featuring our staff in action. The video is set to the song “Hall of Fame” by The Script which has an inspiring message about championing a cause and finding yourself in the “hall of fame” of life. While copyright law doesn’t allow me to post the video here for another view (we had permission under a site license to show it at UNI), it has sparked an idea. What if during the 2015-16 school year, we honored one or more staff members per month who have been identified by their peers as going above and beyond to live out the agency’s Core Operating Principles? Those staff members identified could become part of our “hall of fame” at AEA 267 and recognized for their contributions. It would be great to recognize as many people as possible who are making a difference for others. Let me know what you think of this idea! Drop me an email, call or stop by the office as your schedule permits.

In the coming weeks I plan to be actively visiting with more of you and observing the incredible work you do on behalf of children, families and educators. Have a great start to the year!

Nearly 55 new AEA 267 staff members took part in this year’s New Employee Orientation which was held on August 10 at the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Conference Center. Sam Miller and Kathy Enslin, along with other central office support representatives, helped welcome new team members and orient them to the agency and our work.

All of us remember what it was like to be “new” to the organization. As you go about your daily work, please reach out to any of the following new staff members you may come in contact with and help them to become better acquainted with the agency:

• Briana Backer, SLP-Northeast Sector
• Kathy Barfels, Admin Secy-HR/Receptionist-Cedar Falls
• Taylor Baumgartner, Assessment Intern-Cedar Falls
• Melissa Blohm, Consultant for Reading/Lang Arts-Cedar Falls
• Jay Boens, Ed Asst-Pinecrest
• Allison Burchland, Sp Ed Consultant-South Sector
• Marie Butenhoff, Sp Ed Secretary-Marshalltown
• Megan Cole, Teacher of Behavior Disorders-Pinecrest
• Angie Condon, Early Childhood Sp Educator-Marshalltown
• Holli Counsell, Early Childhood Sp Educator-East Sector
• Anna Crenshaw, Teacher of Hearing Imp-Cedar Falls
• Sydney DeMaris, SLP-Northwest Sector
• Carrie Downs, Sp Ed Consultant-South Sector
• Jamie Granzow, Ed Asst-Central IA Juvenile Detention Center
• Courtney Gross, Ed Asst-River Hills
• Leigh Ann Hansen, SLP
• Patricia Heisterkamp, School Social Worker-East Sector
• Phil Hendricks, Web Developer/Designer I-Cedar Falls
• Krysta Hofler, Ed Asst-Pinecrest
• Rebecca Jenkins, SLP-NE Sector
• Kristy Johnson, Ed Asst-River Hills
• Lora Kester, Cons for Reading/Language Arts-Marshalltown
• Heidi Knoblock, Sp Ed Secretary-Grinnell
• Kristi Krmpotich, Sp Ed Consultant-Northwest Sector
• Kristin Langman, Clerk-Tech Library-Marshalltown
• Lisa Litterer, OT-Northwest Sector
• Kelcy Madison, Audiometrist-Marshalltown
• Alison March, PT-Northwest Sector
• Paul McNamara, Ed Asst/Intervention Spec-Bremwood
• Julie Miller, Sp Ed Consultant-East Sector
• Christina Smock, Assessment Intern-Cedar Falls
• Katherine Owen, Teacher of Deaf & Hard of Hearing-Cedar Falls
• Anna Phalen, Early Childhood Sp Educator-East Sector
• Sara Phillips, Ed Asst-River Hills
• Amber Post, OT-Northeast Sector
• Jennifer Poulter, Ed Asst-Pinecrest
• Katie Reed, Early Childhood Sp Educator-East Sector
• Dustin Reese, School Psychologist-Northwest Sector
• Rebecca Rother, Teacher of Behavior Disorders-Pinecrest
• Amanda Sanderman, Science Consultant-Cedar Falls
• Jennifer Schmitt, Sp Ed Consultant-Northwest Sector
• Ellen Schulz, SLP, South Sector
• Amy Sehi, SLP-Northwest Sector
• Angela Sorensen, Admin Asst for Assess/Comp Imprv-Cedar Falls
• Karen Springer, Early Childhood Sp Educator-Northwest Sector
• Brenda Streets, Clerk-Tech Library-Marshalltown
• Nicole Stucker, SLP-South Sector
• Dawn Swehla, Sp Ed Consultant-Northeast & East Sectors
• Cari Teske, Integrated Learning Specialist-Cedar Falls
• Larissa Treloar, SLP-Northeast Sector
• Andrew Voss, Teacher of Mental Disabilities S&P-River Hills
• Sarah Wessels, Sp Ed Consultant-Northwest Sector
• Sara Youngblut, COTA-NE Sector
• Tiffany Zilka, School Psychologist-Northeast Sector
• Jennifer Zitelman, COTA-East Sector