Author Archives: lthomas

With American Education Week just around the corner (November 16-20), the agency is celebrating YOU and all that you have accomplished this year – especially in light of the challenges of COVID 19. The agency is hosting a “selfie challenge” … Continue reading →

The holiday season is almost upon us and in the past Central Rivers AEA has participated in many in-person giving opportunities throughout the communities we serve.  Due to the continuing pandemic, our efforts will need to be done differently this … Continue reading →

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, the safety and well-being of our staff is a priority and as an agency, we will continue to follow the same guidelines that were put into place in August with the Return to Work plan.  … Continue reading →

With winter right around the corner, stay in the know whenever there’s an office closing or professional learning cancellation. Sign up to get Central Rivers AEA weather alerts via text, call, or email. Staff members can contact Shirley Horak, Human … Continue reading →

Don’t forget to change your voicemail greeting and set an away message to your email during both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday breaks so that callers and/or e-mailers will know when they can expect to hear from you. Voicemail example: … Continue reading →

Similar to Wellmark and VSP, Delta Dental is now offering a hearing exam and hearing aid discounted pricing to those employees/members enrolled in the dental plan. They are partnering with Amplifon for this service.  Providers are located in Cedar Falls, … Continue reading →

With support of the insurance committee, Central Rivers AEA will implement an infertility benefit with a lifetime maximum of $15,000, effective on January 1, 2021.  Once more information is received from Wellmark, it will be added to the portal under … Continue reading →

The Iowa Department of Education, in collaboration with the AEAs, is seeking input around Deaf & Hard of Hearing education in the state. The intended audience is for those with an interest in the education of our students with hearing … Continue reading →

Thanks to the nearly 230 of you who completed the recent staff survey! We appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback, as it helps us identify your needs and how we can support them.  At the beginning of the … Continue reading →

Details regarding this year’s Educator Quality program are now available! Watch this short video to learn more about how to access these funds.

Some users who have recently attempted to reset their CRAEA password in Classlink have reported receiving an error message; the pop-up window states “Undefined.” Even though this message appears, please note that your password has been successfully changed. You may … Continue reading →

As part of the agency’s overall COVID-19 risk mitigation efforts, maintenance staff are using electrostatic sprayers in conference rooms, work areas and offices. Please clear your desk each night of papers and close laptop lids. In addition, our maintenance staff … Continue reading →

Central Rivers AEA staff who receive reimbursement for their personal cell phones or carry an agency-owned cell phone are listed in the directory, which can be found on the staff website under Communications.  The directory can also be downloaded using … Continue reading →

Did you know there is a direct relationship between how much you pay in fees and the return on your investments? You can earn more by paying less! This is a great time to start identifying exactly how much you … Continue reading →

Did you know that Zoom now offers Closed Captioning? Closed Captioning enables you to not only hear the speaker but see what they are saying in transcript form. If you are the host of an upcoming meeting, please use these … Continue reading →

Mark your calendars now for an all-staff information meeting to be held virtually on Tuesday, November 10, beginning at 3:00 p.m. More details and the Zoom link will be included in November’s staff newsletter.