Author Archives: lthomas

Celebrate your retiring colleagues on May 27

Plan now to join your colleagues for the all staff virtual retirement celebration on Friday, May 27, beginning at 9:00 am. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor our retirees and recognize them for their dedication and years of service … Continue reading

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Complete your benefits enrollment before May 15

As a reminder, insurance open enrollment closes on May 15, 2022. All eligible employees (including those retiring/resigning) greater than a .50 FTE must complete the open enrollment process, even if you are declining coverage.  This is the only time per … Continue reading

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Congratulations and thank you to our retiring superintendents

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Update on agency Equity Committee work

The agency Equity Committee continues to meet regularly to complete the steps in the audit process. Much of the committee’s work has centered around conducting a root cause analysis to better understand the current status of our equity efforts and … Continue reading

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Are you a golfer? Join your colleagues for a four-person best shot on June 23

Looking for some relaxed social time with your colleagues? Many thanks to Sarah LeClair-Jones, Speech-Language Pathologist, for her efforts in organizing a four-person best shot, 18-hole tournament at Prairie Links in Waverly on Thursday, June 23. The cost to participate … Continue reading

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Expense reimbursement due by June 10

Due to the accounting software conversion, we are asking that you submit your travel as soon as possible on the iVisions MyPortal after you complete your contract days. You can combine May and June travel on one request. For those … Continue reading

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IT Tips & Tricks

Adobe Acrobat DC can be your default PDF file reader Microsoft Edge is the current default program for opening PDF files on Windows 10. You can change the default program for PDF files to open in a program that’s more … Continue reading

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Kay Schmalen to become Director of Professional Learning on July 1

Kay Schmalen, Consultant for Educational Services, has been named Director of Professional Learning. Kay will provide direct oversight of all aspects of professional learning including the development of a continuum of supports that include asynchronous and synchronous, blended, face-to-face and … Continue reading

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All-Staff insurance open-enrollment meeting to be held virtually on April 28

The Open Enrollment period for insurance changes will begin April 25 and ends on May 15.  There are no changes to premiums this year and very minimal changes to the plans. Even if you do not take insurance, you must … Continue reading

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New Leadership Coach announced

Last month, we shared with you that we will begin to take steps to ease away from working with ESSDAK and begin to fold the INspired Leadership efforts in-house. Specifically, we communicated that we would have a 1.0 FTE in-house … Continue reading

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New IPERS appointment information available now

IPERS is still not scheduling any local face-to-face meetings or individual appointments. You may contact member services at (800) 622-3849 to schedule an appointment or visit the IPERS website for resources. A Retirement Tools and Resources page is available for … Continue reading

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Spring virtual retirement celebration

Plan now to join your colleagues for the all staff retirement celebration on Friday, May 27, beginning at 9:00 am. Due to the great response after last year’s event, this year’s celebration will be held virtually with a similar format. … Continue reading

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INspired Leadership Google Site now available from ESSDACK

A new INspired Leadership Toolkit site is now available for everyone who wants to further their training. Filled with resources, it’s a great place to learn more about: The 7 Levels of Energy Decision Making Communication Reflection Problem-Solving Mindset

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April’s Coffee with the Chief recording available

Staff who were unable to join Chief Administrator Sam Miller on April 1st for the latest agency update can view the recording online. Use the passcode +b2hDYTQ. Please reach out to your direct supervisor if you have any questions. 

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Support our students at Woodhaven Youth Shelter Classroom by participating in “Woofhaven Barkery” market research survey

Within our shelter schools our goal is to provide opportunities for students to learn and use skills that will build their employability goals and be future ready when they leave our programs. To provide those opportunities, we have teamed together … Continue reading

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Iowa Top Workplaces survey

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on our survey! We learned a lot from the data and responses. Below, you will find a few things we learned across the whole organization. Your feedback will help us get better … Continue reading

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Congratulations to our staff who have completed 5 years of service to the students, families, and educators of Iowa!

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