Author: cvanbuskirk

We want to ensure you have these important dates on your calendar as we look forward to celebrating our team and preparing for the year ahead.

Retirement Celebration & All-Staff Meeting

This year’s retirement celebration and all-staff meeting will be on Thursday, May 21. We will gather to celebrate our retirees and hold our final all-staff meeting of the year. More details will be shared soon! Those retiring include:

• Katherine Anderson, Early ACCESS Educator
• Margy Averill, Special Education Secretary
• Bret Battles, Audiologist
• Diana Boeck, Early ACCESS Educator
• Corlene Collum, Prof. Learning Conf. Center Service Facilitator
• Rhonda Eilderts, Detention Center Teacher
• Joe Kremer, Assessment Coordinator
• Lorelei Lake, Special Education Consultant
• Patsy Luker, Receptionist/Secretary
• Michelle McFee, SLP
• Suzann Mulnix, SLP Assistant
• Lori Nurse, Early ACCESS Educator
• Laura Rinnels, Admin Assistant – Integrated Services
• Cheryl Rosenow, Acquisitions & Data Management Technician
• Melissa Sander, Early ACCESS Educator
• Elaine Schult, Early ACCESS Service Coordinator
• Jody Seemann, School Psychologist
• Lanette Sents, SLP Assistant
• Ann Tippett, Early ACCESS Educator
• Tina Westphal, Educational Assistant

River Hills School

• Tammy Knox, Educational Assistant
• Diane Lavenz, Educational Assistant
• Jane Reynolds, Educational Assistant

2026-27 All-Staff Kick Off

We are excited to begin another school year together! Please save the date for our All-Staff Kick Off in August 2026. While we are still finalizing the official date and location, we look forward to this time of connection and preparation. Keep an eye on your inbox for a full schedule and more details coming soon!

We’re excited to announce that the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors has again approved a retention incentive payment as an early contract signing bonus for all Central Rivers AEA eligible staff members! This incentive is a direct reflection of the Board’s appreciation for your ongoing dedication and commitment to the educators, students and families we serve. It’s also a way to recognize the exceptional work you’ve done, particularly during the challenging times we’ve navigated together.

Here are the key details regarding this incentive:

• Amount: $500 per eligible staff member.
• Payment Date: This incentive will be issued as a separate deposit in September 2026, rather than in June as it was last year. Standard payroll tax withholdings will apply.
• Eligibility: To receive this incentive, you must:
  • Accept and return your employment contract within five business days of receiving it. (Please note: You still have the standard 10 days for Classified, NUSS and Administrative staff and 21 days for Certified staff to sign your contract/NOC, but only five business days to receive the incentive).
  • Have received an employment contract/NOC during the 2025-26 school year and remain employed with CRAEA through the 2026-2027 school year.
• Proration: The $500 incentive will be prorated based on your FTE for the 2026-2027 school year, if you work less than 1.0 FTE.
• Ineligibility: Staff members who have received an early notification incentive are ineligible for this retention incentive.
• Recoupment: If you receive this incentive and do not fulfill your 2026–2027 contract in full, the entire $500 will be subject to repayment. This replaces last year’s prorated repayment structure.

To confirm your understanding of these requirements and to receive the incentive, please sign and accept your contract within the five-day time frame. If you choose not to receive the incentive, please wait until after the five-day time frame to sign your contract, or communicate your decision to the Human Resources Office.

We are truly grateful for your continued commitment to our agency.

If you missed the all-staff update on Tuesday, February 10 via Zoom, the slide deck and recording information can be found below. The next meeting (unless canceled if there are no new updates) will be held on Tuesday, March 10, from 4:00-4:30 pm.

Resources from 2/10/26:

• Recording
• Slides
• Zoom link for future meetings: https://aea1.zoom.us/j/99941260595?pwd=1L7Lj66bUNsF6KqJ3t9TU3eTHuO3aB.1
• Meeting ID: 999 4126 0595
• Passcode: 713069

We would like to welcome incoming staff for the 2025-26 school year!

We’re always looking for ways to celebrate the impact of our work – and that starts with the students we serve. Do you know a student who’s made big strides in their learning or reached a milestone thanks to the support you or your team provided? We’d love to share their story as a way to highlight Central Rivers AEA services and the powerful results they lead to.

If you have a story in mind, complete this quick Google Form to get started. Let’s keep shining a light on the difference we’re making together! For questions, please reach out to Contessa Van Buskirk, Communications Specialist.

Check out some of our submitted stories for inspiration:

To help block “calendar spam” and keep your schedule clutter-free, we’ve updated our security settings. Previously, invites from all sources were added to your calendar automatically. Now, an event from outside the CRAEA domain will only appear on your calendar after you click “Yes” or “Maybe” in the email invitation.

Why the change?

• Better security: It prevents scammers from “parking” malicious links or fake alerts directly on your schedule.
• Cleaner view: Your calendar will only show events you’ve actually reviewed and accepted.
• Privacy: It stops outside parties from seeing your availability by sending unsolicited invites.
• Internal continuity: Calendar invites from inside the CRAEA domain will still show up on your calendar automatically, so your workflow with colleagues remains unchanged.

Next steps

You don’t need to change any settings. Just remember to check your email for new invites from outside organizations – once you RSVP, the event will sync to your calendar as usual. To locate missing calendar invites, you can search for “Invitation:” in your email. If you believe the email was deleted, search for “in:trash Invitation:”. These searches should bring up all your invitations, allowing you to select “Yes” or “Maybe.”

Please reach out to the CRAEA Help Desk (319-273-8231), if you have questions.

Let’s be honest: technology moves fast, and it can be tough to keep up. That’s why Central Rivers AEA and Keystone AEA teamed up to create the Staff Tech Hub – your go-to cheat sheet for all things digital! Think of it as your monthly “tech upgrade.” We update this resource every month with simple, practical ideas to save you time and boost your confidence.

What’s the latest for this month’s tips?

Assistive Tech: Starting in April 2026, new federal rules require all public school digital materials – from websites to classroom slideshows – to be fully accessible to people with disabilities. This means every staff member must now ensure their videos, documents and social media posts are designed so everyone can easily read or hear the information.

Artificial Intelligence: Central Rivers AEA has launched a new AI tool called the “Brand Voice Gem” to help staff write emails and documents that sound professional, supportive and human. By following a simple link, you can use this assistant to turn cold or technical language into collaborative, solutions-focused communication that better serves our students and districts.

Practical tech tips: To keep your documents professional and easy for everyone to read, use the Google Docs ruler to set “tabs” and “indents” instead of hitting the space bar to align text. This ensures your layouts stay perfectly lined up on any device and meets accessibility standards for students and staff.The goal isn’t just to give you more tools, it’s to make your daily work easier and more impactful. Ready for more? Head over to the Staff Tech Hub to see the full list of tips and tricks for this month! Reach out to Tiffanie Zaugg, Assistive Technology/AI Specialist, with questions.

Reduce stress & increase peace

Want more peace and less stress in your work and/or personal life? Core Energy Coaching can help! Central Rivers AEA offers free 1:1 coaching sessions with certified well-being coach Dr. Leslie Moore on Zoom. Coaching creates the space for individuals to recognize and shift out of Level 1 and 2 energy – where fear, doubt and conflict often take the lead – and move toward more empowering states like Level 5 and 6, where collaboration, possibility and purpose begin to drive thought and action. By helping people identify limiting beliefs, release blame and reframe challenges, coaching fosters a mindset rooted in curiosity, compassion and shared success. The result is greater clarity, confidence and connection – both internally and across teams. Schedule your session online!

Enhance your well-being & earn $250

Central Rivers AEA continues to encourage our staff to enhance their well-being by offering a $250 incentive for submitting evidence of understanding and skills in one micro-credential related to INspired Leadership! To learn more about microcredentials, review the Micro-credential Explanation document. To learn about and/or register for a microcredential you are interested in, choose and select: 1) Awareness of Internal Energy, 2) 4 Key Mindsets, and 3) Overcoming Internal Energy Blocks [requires both prerequisite microcredentials above]. Evidence submitted will be reviewed by Dr. Moore. If you need to create an account, have questions about microcredentials or aren’t sure how to sign up, contact Kay Schmalen at kschmalen@centralriversaea.org.

Across Iowa and the nation, some families are expressing concern about immigration enforcement activity and what it could mean for students at school. Central Rivers AEA is committed to helping schools maintain safe, calm, and welcoming learning environments for every learner.

First, it’s important to recognize a foundational legal principle: all children have the right to attend public K–12 school regardless of citizenship or immigration status. This is long-standing federal law and is not subject to local interpretation.

In addition, schools have clear responsibilities related to student privacy. Student education records are protected under federal law (FERPA), and staff should always follow established district procedures if any outside agency requests information about a student. For CRAEA staff members, the most important guidance is practical:

• Follow district policy and administrative direction if any outside agency requests access to information or a school building.
• Do not attempt to interpret legal documents or respond independently – route concerns to school administration immediately.
• Maintain confidentiality and avoid speculation, rumors, or sharing unverified information.
• Continue focusing on what schools do best: creating stable routines and safe relationships that support student learning.

Families seeking legal information or assistance may benefit from reputable community resources, including legal aid providers and organizations that compile “know your rights” materials. (Two Iowa-based resources that some families may reference are the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice website and this tipsheet.)

Central Rivers AEA supports schools by promoting lawful, consistent practices that protect student privacy, reduce misinformation, and reinforce safe learning environments for all.

As we look toward the 2026-27 school year, we want to ensure everyone has the information they need to plan their schedules. If you are a member of our certified staff and are considering reducing your work hours (FTE) for the upcoming year, please keep the following details in mind:

• Deadline: All requests must be submitted by March 1.
• Action Needed: Complete the request form by March 1.
• Submission: Please email your finished form to hr@centralriversaea.org.

If you have questions about how a reduction might affect your role or benefits, please reach out to your direct supervisor or the HR team.