Author: lthomas

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 year you can make any changes without a qualifying life event.  The new rates and coverage take effect July 1, 2022. 

Use the MyPortal iVisions application in Classlink and go to My Benefits > Benefits Enrollment. Please use a Chrome or Firefox browser and be sure to go through each step carefully.

The zoom meeting recording (Passcode: ws1=VOR.) and PPT are available in The Portal > My Benefits > 2022-23 Insurance Information. 

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 identifying “safe to fail” experiments designed to test practices that may move the agency forward toward a desired state. Safe-to-fail experiments are often used when dealing with complex problems (e.g. equity challenges) that often require experimentation to discover promising solutions that cannot be known in advance.

The current working themes from the audit work include:

• Leadership Communication – Central Rivers AEA leadership has an opportunity to make values and actions more visible that support the organizational priority of equity. Two-way communication (e.g. we all have our roles in working toward equity) must be strengthened. We all have to support and engage in the work together to solve problems. 
• Courage and Candor – How might we continue to grow our culture and climate to include more understanding, transparency (marketing & hiring processes), learning and building skills sets in culturally responsiveness and build upon the ability to lean into conversations to deepen people’s comfort level to increase our authenticity in being an equitable and brave work space and carry these mindsets into the systems we serve?  (How do we make these terms explicit?)   
• Professional Learning – We have a current structure for meetings and learning that often creates barriers to deeper learning and progress. There are no structured intentional spaces for discourse that support this learning and the discomfort that comes with growth.  We are lacking clear public articulation of why equity, diversity and inclusion matter to our agency from our leadership. Our focus within the three big rocks does not include much intentional room for diversity, equity and inclusion.   
• Staff Diversity – We need a system that fosters and develops the recruitment, retention, and support of marginalized groups. We need to ensure that all staff (administrators, Certified, NUSS, and Classified) explore their biases and implement a system to address biases, language used, and microaggressions at all levels. We need to be intentional in our interview process to ask questions that address DEI. Questions that ask about beliefs, experiences, practices. 

Work toward developing an action plan will take place in the near future and updates will continue to be provided through The Channel. We are also working toward an organizational definition of equity.

Questions? Please contact Karl Kurt.

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 is $50 per person and includes golf, cart, lunch, and prizes! Shotgun start is at 8:30 am. Please indicate your interest in attending by completing this Google form. (Note that participation is completely voluntary.) Deadline to register is June 16. Please reach out to Sarah directly if you have questions. While this is not an agency-sponsored event, we are happy to pass the information along!

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 of you that travel throughout June, submit your June mileage on iVisions MyPortal by July 5. We plan to begin using Web Link to submit July expense reimbursement by the end of August.

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 suitable and feature-rich, such as Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC.

1. Right-click the PDF file, then choose Properties
2. In the Properties window, select Change
3. Choose Adobe Acrobat DC and select OK
4. In the Properties window, select Apply then OK

Chrome Omnibox offers helpful features

That little box at the top of Chrome is called the Omnibox, and it isn’t just for website addresses.  It’s also a calculator, currency/unit converter and more. Type in your query and the Omnibox will immediately provide the answer in a pop-up window.

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 virtual options matched to the needs of adult learners. Kay will replace Amy Moine who will be moving closer to the work of school improvement.

Kay has served as a consultant with the agency since 2004 when she first worked in the areas of literacy and technology integration. Prior to that she was a middle school teacher and teacher leader in South Dakota. 

“Kay is a perfect fit for this role,” said Jen Sigrist, Executive Director Educational Services.“ She has vast experience in the areas of teaching and learning and has earned a reputation for customer service and excellence in serving our local school partners. Her technology background, combined with her professional learning experience, will also help to propel our new Learning Management System forward.”  

Please join us in congratulating Kay on her new role!

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 go through the open enrollment process, which can be found on the Portal under My Benefits > Benefits Enrollment. Please use a Chrome or Firefox browser and be sure to go through each step carefully.

An insurance presentation for all staff will be held on Thursday, April 28 at 3:30 p.m. The Zoom information to join is below:

• Join Zoom Meeting on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 3:30 p.m.
• https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/84638752831
• Meeting ID: 846 3875 2831
• One tap mobile: +1-646-558-8656 

Need support? Contact the CRAEA Tech Help Desk at 319-273-8231.

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 staff member who is responsible for providing training opportunities, LMS content, and individual, group, and mentoring coaching conversations beginning in 2022-2023.

It is with much excitement that we welcome Dr. Leslie Moore to this role beginning July 1st. Leslie currently serves as a School Improvement Consultant. She will be trained and earn certification through iPEC to be in a position to help staff become more aware, build resilience, and lead consciously. 

As we embark on this new journey, we are hopeful that we can use the framework to positively impact our team members both professionally and personally. We also have an eye on the potential to provide some of these opportunities to our LEA partners, as we have consistently heard about how powerful the work is and believe that this could be value-added support that we provide to our school partners in the future. 

Please join us in welcoming Leslie to her new role and we embark on the journey to provide additional support and opportunities for our team members!