Author: cvanbuskirk

  • All Central Rivers AEA staff have access to the Everyday Inclusion DEI App

    The Everyday Inclusion App delivers diversity, equity and inclusion solutions that support inclusive values, create daily behavior change and embed inclusion in culture in a digital and scalable format on your cell phone. The app is available for all Central Rivers AEA staff to download and use. View the app download instructions document on the staff website to download and create your account. Please reach out to Gina Weekley, Coordinator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, with any questions.

    The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging page is available on the staff website and provides various resources for all staff to create awareness, educate and reinforce policies that support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

    As a reminder from what was released from the Equity Audit, the “APA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Inclusive Language Guide” is an optional tool available to all staff to enhance learning and awareness of DEI terms and concepts.

    Did you know… African American and Black are not always interchangeable.

    • “African American” should not be used as an umbrella term for people of African ancestry worldwide because it obscures other ethnicities or national origins, such as Nigerian, Kenyan, Jamaican, Bahamian, Puerto Rican, or Panamanian.
      • In these cases, use “Black.”
    •  The terms “Negro,” “colored,” and “Afro-American” are outdated; therefore, their use is generally inappropriate.
  • Disrupting bias learning sessions will be offered at all Central Rivers AEA offices

    Registration for the full-day Disrupting Bias learning session, offered by Gina Weekley, is now open and will be offered at each Central Rivers AEA office location. Register online through the AEA Professional Learning system.

    *This training is for Central Rivers AEA Staff only, and each session is limited to 50 attendees max.!

    • The Marshalltown Office session will be held on March 30. Section #314600.
    • The Clear Lake Office session will be held on April 19. Section #314597.
    • The second Cedar Falls session will be held on June 21. Section #314599.

    Course #204700: Join us for a full-day learning session that will provide a framework to disrupt bias behaviors. Bias limits our ability to make the best decisions for our teachers, our students, and our families. The awareness of our biases is foundational to becoming more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Unconscious bias is something everyone has and that doesn’t make us bad; it makes us human. Through this session, you will be able to recognize bias, disrupt bias, learn how to choose courage and increase your connections!

    Please reach out to Gina Weekley, Coordinator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, with any questions.

  • What’s new with INspired Leadership?

    Central Rivers AEA wellbeing team logo

    Find Balance in the New Year
    If you would like to jump into the next section of Tina Boogren’s 180 Days of Self-care for Busy Educators, now is a great time to start! Chapter three (p.77) begins the next phase of the school year with nine weeks on Finding Balance. That balance is supported each week with strategies for creativity, altruism, indulgence, adventure, orderliness, obligations, play, email and replay. Consider spending five minutes on yourself by reading and reflecting on each week’s ideas or grab a co-worker to chat about the ideas together. Both will support you in living your best life!

    Get INspired Leadership resources delivered to your inbox
    Would you like to receive weekly emails that support your personal and professional leadership? Join ESSDACK’s INspired weekly mailing list. You can also sign up to receive their INspired Leadership blog.

  • All Central Rivers AEA offices closed Monday, January 16 in observance of MLK Day

    All Central Rivers AEA offices closed Monday, January 16 in observance of MLK Day.

    Don’t forget to change your voicemail greeting and schedule an “away” message to your email for Monday, January 16 so that callers and/or e-mailers will know all Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on Monday, January 16 in observance of  Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day.

    Voicemail example:
    “Hello, this is (your name). All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day. Please leave your name, number and a brief message and I will get back to you when offices reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17. Thank you.

    Email “away” message example:
    Thank you for your email. All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day. I will respond to your email upon my return when offices reopen on Tuesday, January 17. Thank you.

    If you need assistance with either task, please contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

  • New Google Workspace learning opportunities will be available soon

    Google Workspace will be providing online learning opportunities starting on January 8. Need more flexibility? There is also a self-paced Google Sheets 101 Course! Self-paced courses can begin at any time, are fully online and have no deadlines for completion. Section course numbers and dates can be found below.

    Course #: 180278 LO – Intro to Google Classroom (1 LR or 1 Graduate Credit)

    • Section #313245 | online January 2023  
    • Section Dates: Jan. 8 – Feb. 12

    Course #189386 LO – Google Sheets 101 (2 LR or 2 Graduate Credit)

    • Section #313892 | online January 2023  
    • Section Dates: Jan. 22 – Feb. 26
    • Section #314276 | online March 2023  
    • Section Dates: March 5 – April 9

    Course #: 202799 LO – Utilizing Google Forms (2 LR or 2 Graduate Credit)

    • Section #314277 | online February 2023  
    • Section Dates: Feb. 5 – March 12

    You can sign up for 2 LR Credits or 2 Graduate Credits

  • Help us fill area food pantries this holiday season

    Help us fill area food pantries this holiday season

    Boy looking sad sitting on the ground.In Iowa, more than 300,000 Iowans experience food insecurity at any given time. Food insecurity happens in every town, every community and in every school! Low-income and fixed-income families do not have the money needed to spend on nutritious food and sadly, hunger impacts children the most. One-third of those considered food-insecure in Iowa are children.

    This holiday season, Central Rivers AEA is supporting the Food Bank of Iowa and the Northeast Iowa Food Bank in order to provide meals to families in need. Between them, the two food pantries cover our entire service area!

    From now until December 21, your donations will go directly to support needy area children and their families! And, as a way of thanking you, every dollar you give gets you entered into a raffle for prizes, generously donated by the CRAEA administrative team. Prizes include gift cards to places such as Casey’s, HyVee, Target and Walmart, along with other great items!

    To participate, send a check to Lori Thomas, Executive Assistant/Board Secretary or Shirley Horak, HR Coordinator in the Cedar Falls office, made out to the food bank of your choice (Food Bank of Iowa or Northeast Iowa Food Bank). Donations by credit card will need to be made directly to your chosen food bank and you can send a screenshot or actual copy of your receipt to Lori. If you prefer to give a cash donation, be sure to designate the food bank and you will send you an email acknowledgment.

    Together we can help ensure that no child in Iowa experiences food insecurity!

  • Congratulations to our staff with 10, 15 and 20 years of service!

    10 years of service CRAEA staff

    15 years of service CRAEA staff

    20 years of service CRAEA staff