Author: lthomas

As part of a unified effort with all nine of Iowa’s AEAs, the Central Rivers AEA Creative Services department is proud to roll out a new ordering system. The new system offers several benefits to our customers which include: 1.) the ability to retain a personal order history; 2.) an expanded array of products and sizes; 3.) faster re-orders; and 4.) the ability to view the production status of each order including a notification once complete. The system also estimates the cost of your order based on the information provided. (Please note that this is only an estimate.)

When you are ready to place your next order, please begin using the new system and let us know about your experience! If this isn’t typically a heavy order time for you, we’d be happy to walk you through the system with previous orders in mind so that you have a sense of how it works. Simply contact Deb Hanson, to schedule a time to Zoom and learn more.

To assist you, we have created this set of directions and quick video tutorial to get you started. (If you have ideas for making these clearer for future users, feel free to use the comment feature and offer suggestions!) We will be rolling out the new system to local school districts beginning January 18.

Thank you for your continued partnership with Creative Services. We are excited to create for you in 2021!

Mental health professionals from Iowa’s nine AEAs recently collaborated to create a website for Iowans who are searching for mental health assistance. The website at www.IowaAEAMentalHealth.org came from a request by the state legislature to help educators, parents, and students navigate resources related to mental health and well-being in Iowa. In addition to AEA contacts for the schools, the site provides contacts for the home setting from Iowa’s Mental Health and Disability Services (MHDS).

The website features vetted sources to educate visitors about addiction and substance abuse; anxiety and stress disorders; attention deficit disorder; depression; eating disorders; and self-harm.

A listing of Iowa groups and agencies that advocate for children and families is part of an education component of the site, as well as reducing the stigma associated with mental health.

MHDS employees who work with community partners and clients are encouraged to check out the site, especially the “Find Support” page, in order to demonstrate how to navigate the resources.

The Health Savings Account (HSA) calendar-year limits are set for 2021.  Please email Betty Hesseling, Benefits Specialist, if you would like to change your HSA contributions.  Betty will create a life event on the Portal that will allow you to change your monthly contribution. 

As we look forward to 2021, it’s a great time to review your retirement plan.  Employees contributing to a 403b will want to double check to make sure their contributions do not exceed the maximum contribution limit for 2021.  The table below explains the maximum contribution amounts.  Please complete the salary reduction form found on the Portal > My Benefits > Retirement and submit to Betty Hesseling, Benefits Specialist.

If you don’t have a retirement account such as a Roth IRA or a pre-tax 403b account, maybe this is the year you consider saving a little extra for retirement.  (Note: Those of you on our $3,500 High Deductible Health Plan could consider maximizing contributions to a Health Savings Account as part of your retirement plan as well). 

As the new year begins we want to remind staff about our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP can help you with your day-to-day concerns or provide guidance through challenging situations. Agents are available 24 hours per day, every day of the year and can be accessed by calling 1-866-451-5465. More details can be found on this flyer.

The EAP is a no-cost, confidential resource for a variety of issues, including:

• Depression
• Stress management
• Financial or legal concerns
• Marital difficulties
• Anxiety
• Eldercare, and more.
  

New in 2021 is the LIFT session, a virtual fitness platform. LIFT is an accessible, effective, and affordable way for you to reach your fitness goals. It features personalized programs, access to coaches for questions, and the ability to work out under the live supervision of a coach online in 1-1 personal or group sessions.

Zoom regularly provides updates to their platform in order to make the application more efficient & effective for their users. Below are a couple feature updates that recently were made. In order to make these new features available, you will need to be running the latest version of Zoom. 

Enhanced Zoom Co-Host Privileges over Breakout Rooms
With the latest feature update, Zoom has announced an enhancement that will allow co-hosts to have the same breakout room controls as the meeting host, such as starting or ending breakout rooms, assigning participants, etc.  Hosts and co-hosts will now also have the option to assign a participant back to the main session, rather than ending all breakout sessions.

Enabling Screen Sharing and Chat for Participants
A security change impacted several agency users who have reported that screen sharing and chat capabilities have been reset to “Host Only” rather than “All Participants.” To re-enable these settings, first verify that you are signed into Zoom and running the latest version, 5.4.7 and follow the steps outlined in this document.

If you have any questions or need technical assistance on any of the new Zoom updates, please contact the Help Desk at 319-273-8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.

ClassLink recently received a feature update that will help staff organize and customize their personal dashboard. 

Once you login, the new features will automatically be available. More information can be found in this document. 

Contact the Help Desk at 319-273-8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org if you need assistance.   

As of Dec. 31, 2020, Adobe is no longer supporting Flash Player. Adobe will begin blocking Flash content from running in Flash Player beginning January 12, 2021. We recommend all users turn off or uninstall Flash Player to help protect our systems. Further instructions can be found here.  

If you have any questions or need technical assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 319.273.8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.

The 2021-22 office calendar has been approved by the board and is now available to view/download on the staff website under Resources > Office Calendar. 

Cari Teske, Teacher Librarian/Consultant for School Improvement, has been named Director of Media Services. Cari will provide direct oversight of all aspects of Media Services including support for school districts as they work to integrate media resources into the teaching and learning process. The Director of Media position was established following a restructuring which included moving Jen Sigrist to the role of Executive Director of Educational Services on July 1, 2021.

Cari has served as a Teacher Librarian/Instructional Technology Consultant since 2015 with the agency. Prior to that she was a high school principal at BCLUW for four years. She has also been a teacher librarian and elementary teacher and holds a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Northern Iowa along with a K-12 School Library Media Master Endorsement.

“I am so pleased to have Cari in this role,” said Jen Sigrist, Executive Director of Media & Innovation. “She has a future ready vision for where Media Services should go and a passion for working directly with teachers and other school leaders to deeply infuse Media into teaching and learning. She’s a natural fit who will bring a customer-service perspective and high level of energy to her work.”

Cari will begin her new position on July 1, 2021.

With professional learning primarily taking place remotely and many staff working from home, it made sense to revisit our procedures for inclement weather including professional learning cancellations and office closures. Below please find some clarification for the 2020-21 school year.

Will we ever actually “close” one of our three Central Rivers AEA main offices due to inclement weather if most of our staff are working remotely anyway?

Yes.  Although it will be trickier this year due to the number of districts that may be converting “snow days” to remote learning days. Site Superintendents will make a decision about a physical close of the office using the same criteria as in previous years: 1.) Local conditions in the community where the office is located; 2.) A majority of the school districts in the region are either closed or shifting to remote learning for the day.  Professional Learning will assess and determine their schedule separately this year since, at this time, the majority of offerings are virtual. Generally, virtual classes will still be held even if the main physical location is closed.

How will an “office closed” day be counted this year?

The same as it has in the past. Full-year employees who typically report to that office will observe an “office closed” day.  They may be required to work and/or choose to work, for all or part of the day, based on role, responsibilities, supervisor, and deadlines. 

Employees who are not year-round will provide services to their assigned districts as required by the district assuming the district is conducting learning (physical or virtual) for the day. If assigned districts are not conducting learning and truly observing a snow day, employees can use up to two remote office days to work from home. All other days should be an online calendar adjustment to make up the day when the district makes up the day.  This will ensure that the employee’s calendar stays in sync with the calendars of the district s/he serves.

Please speak to your direct supervisor if you have any questions or concerns. 

All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed beginning Thursday, December 24 through January 1, in order for staff to enjoy the holidays.

As a reminder, be sure to change your voicemail greeting and set an away message to your email. Offices will reopen on Monday, January 4th. 

Wishing everyone a joyful and healthy holiday season!

Earlier this year we revamped the Employee Health & Wellbeing Program to make it easier and more fun than ever to complete challenges and get great ideas for staying healthy. 

The Wellness Wave Website includes a leaderboard, a monthly spotlight challenge, ideas for family fun, lots of wellbeing resources, and the Wellness Wall, which is full of team highlights. 

And as an added incentive, staff have the opportunity to earn $200 (maximum) in wellness dollars for 2020-21 by completing challenges. Each challenge completed is worth $10. The payout date will be June 18, 2021. Login into the Wellness Wave and start earning your wellness rewards today!

The CDC recently revised their guidance, and as a result, the agency has adjusted ours as well.  The recommended quarantine period for an individual with a close contact exposure has moved from 14 days to 10 days.  In addition, a release from quarantine after a 7-day period can be accomplished if the following criteria are met: (1) a test is performed on Day 5 or later of quarantine and the result is negative, (2) no symptoms of COVID-19 develop (remain asymptomatic), and (3) self-monitoring for symptoms [check temperature and other symptoms twice daily] for an additional 7 days after release from quarantine.

Please contact Karl Kurt, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of HR with any questions regarding the updated guidelines.