Category: Uncategorized

While the online searchable schools directory (including labels) is current and accessible, the hard copy of the Ed Directory is still being finalized. The directory begins printing September 13 and will be distributed to staff members in the weeks following. Questions? Contact Jan Alger, Secretary to Administration/Communication. The AEA Contact Manager system will be current with updated educator and staff contact information by the end of the month.

Are you lugging around a briefcase or purse that is straining your body? Cindy Campbell, Discipline Facilitator of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, offers two great resources—one on briefcase and another on carry purse—from the American Occupational Therapy Association to consider as you start the school year.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met September 1, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. in the AEA 267 Conference Center in Cedar Falls for their regular meeting.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a review from Dr. Sara McInerny and Linda Martin of the Equity Workshop held at AEA 267 on April 23, 2010. Nearly 30 school districts attended the conference, which was designed around the expressed needs of the schools.
• Motioned to hire Danielle Clark, Teacher of Multi Disab/SCI (Janesville Jr/Sr High); Whitney DeVilbiss, Speech-Language Pathologist (Sector 6); Kathy Kline, Teacher of Multi Disabilities/SCI (SE Elementary, Waverly); Travis Schlenger, School Psychologist (Sector 1); Susan Jarnigan, School Psychologist (Sector 1); Rochelle Triggs, School Psychologist (Sector 1).
• Appointed board members as a delegate and an alternate to the IASB Delegate Assembly.
• Accepted the Excellence in Education Enrichment Grant from the R.J. McElroy Trust for $30,870. The agency serves as the fiscal agent for the grant and funds are disseminated directly to local schools for school improvement efforts.
• Conducted a public hearing regarding Acceptable Use Policy 101.4 and approved it with no changes for 2010-2011.
• Approved the renewal of Partner Contract with Exceptional Persons for provision of Early ACCESS services.
• Approved both the Orientation and Mobility Services Agreement and the Itinerant Teacher Services Agreement with Statewide System for Vision Services (SSVS).
• Approved the contract with the Iowa Juvenile Home for psychologist services.
• Heard the second reading of Board Policy #603.6 Capital Assets and approved the proposed policy change.

Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Chief Administrator Roark Horn has been on the job since July 1. He has prepared a special video message for staff!

Many of you are aware that the Waterloo Community School District approved a district dress code policy.  The policy sets forth very specific rules about the type of clothing that is acceptable for both students and staff. Approximately 75 agency employees are assigned to the Waterloo Community School District and many other staff members will work periodically in Waterloo CSD buildings as the district’s needs require. While not mandatory, our staff will also be expected to adhere to the district’s new standards for dress in keeping with our desire to be collaborative partners with the districts we serve and do what we can to be part of the team. Most likely the dress code represents little, if any, departure in practice of dress for AEA 267 staff members as dressing professionally has always been a hallmark of our staff. If you are interested in looking at the specifics of the Waterloo CSD dress code, please refer to the district’s website.

http://www.waterloo.k12.ia.us/

Ordering food for courses, meetings and workshops just got easier! A “point person” has been established in each of the three main conference facilities (Cedar Falls, Clear Lake and Marshalltown) to handle all orders for meals and break food. This change will result in more efficient use of agency resources and better adherence to newly established guidelines regarding what the agency will provide for meals and snacks. A form for ordering food and contact information is now available on both our public and staff websites at: http://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/pd/index.php?page=food_order_forms

Last spring, the agency provided employees with a new tool that allows them to selectively target local school district staff members when sending email. By October 1, a wide variety of choices for targeting AEA 267 staff with email will also be available. This will greatly enhance communication internally!

Here’s an example: You are a member of the agency literacy team and you want to send out an email message and flyer to the following groups of local school district staff members—high school principals, secondary language arts/English teachers, journalism teachers and speech teachers in every district served by the agency. Because you want to ensure that other agency staff members who need to know about the offering do, you include AEA 267 team representatives and speech and language staff in your mailing as well. Just like that, you have ensured that the key audiences for your information were targeted.

Need more information?  Visit the staff website (username: aeastaff/password: aea267ia) at http://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/staff/index.php?page=contactmanager

Would your group like a demonstration of AEA Contact Manager? Contact Beth Strike, Communication Specialist or Deb Culp, Administrative Assistant/IT.