Staff will have a chance to sit down informally with Chief Administrator Sam Miller this month at each of the three sites for an update regarding the budget, leadership transitions, and facility renovations. The dates and locations are as follows and all meetings will begin at 3 pm. Attendance is voluntary. Please plan to attend if your schedule allows.
Cedar Falls: Monday, April 24th in the Conference Center, Rooms B & C
Clear Lake: Tuesday, April 25th in Room A
Marshalltown: Wednesday, April 26th in Rooms A, B, & C
For those who are unable to attend one of the meetings, a recorded version will be available. If you have questions or concerns, please leave those in the comment section of this post and Sam will address those at the meetings and in the recorded version.
A huge thank you to everyone who has worked together to bring the new Central Rivers AEA website to completion. The new website features more streamlined content, a news bureau of both agency and school district news, live chat, quick facts about the agency, and blogs. The site will be launched in May with the roll-out of Gmail (see related article below) and our new agency email addresses. A companion intranet (staff website) is also being completed to launch at the same time. We think you’ll love it!
We are looking for staff members who are willing to author blogs on the new site. Interested? Contact Beth Strike.
The Creative Services staff greatly appreciates the partnership that we have had with our local school partners and staff members over the years to provide printing services. In that spirit, we wanted to let you know about some slight changes going forward.
For those customers who have used our “Digital Storefront” ordering system, it will be discontinued at the close of the day on April 14 and orders will need to be submitted using a simple form found on the Creative Services section of the website. Additionally, the cfprintshop@aea267.k12.ia.us and clprintshop@aea267.k12.ia.us addresses will also be discontinued for receiving orders. Van mail and walk-in orders will still be happily accepted (although we love it when you use the new order form when possible!). This change will help us get to your orders more quickly and streamline work and billing for our staff.
Here are a few tips to make your experience with the new order form a success:
Before you sit down to place an order using the form, please have all the information in front of you regarding how you would like the order completed including paper color, quantity, finishing details (like stapling, hole punch, etc.)
If you have an attachment that goes with your order, please note that you will receive an email (after you submit your order) that provides you with a link to upload your attachment. Don’t be alarmed if this takes a minute or two.
Thank you for your business! If you have questions, please direct them to Dave Johnson or Beth Strike.
Ultimately our mission at AEA 267 is to support educators, parents, and the communities we serve as we work together toward one ultimate goal–to improve student learning. As we think about this mission, we want our staff members to work as efficiently and productively as possible and we feel that Gmail and Google Calendar provide opportunities for our staff that they may have not had before. Therefore, the agency has decided to move forward and begin implementing these tools with all staff yet this spring. This decision is aligned with all the other Area Education Agencies (AEAs) in the state of Iowa and a majority of the schools we serve.
In order to support staff, AEA 267’s transition team has identified early adopters. These early adopters will be working with the tech integrationist team to support the transition. These individuals were moved over on April 10th while all other users will transition to the new system on May 15th.
Communication will be key during this transition, including opportunities for staff to ask questions before the move and access an FAQ page. We will communicate when this process begins and when it is complete, you will also be informed of any implications you may encounter during this transition. In addition, we will provide multiple opportunities to learn the new system through face to face, virtual, and online tutorials given by our experienced instructional technologists. A number of those opportunities have already been scheduled and you can take advantage of as many of these opportunities as you would like! Check out the offerings! Keep an eye out for additional information about this move in the coming weeks.
Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition, and provide the necessary support so that any issues or bugs are worked through by the end of the year. This will enable us to return from summer ready to focus our time, attention, and energy on providing excellent services to our students, teachers, and families.
As announced in the December Intersections, all media materials will be housed in the AEA 267 Marshalltown office next year. What follows are some specifics of the transition this summer:
The Clear Lake and Cedar Falls media materials will be moved during the summer to our Marshalltown office. All our lending libraries will be closed June 15-July 31 to accommodate the moves
Please return all items checked out from the lending library by June 9, 2017 so that the materials can be included in the move. If you absolutely need items over the summer, please contact the AEA lending library so that we can record the summer check-out.
There will be van delivery this summer between offices once a week.
You will be able to order materials via the online catalog for the 2017-18 school year beginning July 31.
What follows are some specifics of the transition during the school year:
The vans will run between the Clear Lake, Cedar Falls and Marshalltown offices on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the school year.
If you order materials from the lending library, a central location to pick up your materials in the Clear Lake, Cedar Falls and Marshalltown offices will be established.
Districts should notice little difference-each district will continue to receive once a week van delivery, although the delivery day may be different next year
Thank you in advance for your patience in the fall as we get everything up and running. If you have any questions about ordering or materials please call 800-735-1539 and ask for the media department. reservations@aea267.k12.ia.us
(L to R) Sam Miller, David Barajas, Tammy Barajas, and Karl Kurt at the 2017 AEA Boards Conference.
David Barajas, CEO of the Marshalltown Regional Partnership, has been named a Friend of the AEA by Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. Barajas received the award during a presentation at the AEA Boards of Directors’ Conference on March 30 in Johnston. This is the first year for the awards and it is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate outstanding individuals for their contributions to education and the AEA system.
The Friend of the AEA acknowledges contributions by policymakers, citizens, board members, school district partners, businesses, and organizations who have been great partners and demonstrate strong support for furthering the mission of Iowa’s AEAs.
Barajas was nominated by Debra Holsapple of Marshalltown High School who stated that: “As a business leader in the community, David is always looking to support the students and members of Marshalltown Community Schools. Barajas has been instrumental in bringing Project Lead the Way Biomedical and Engineering programs to a reality at Marshalltown High School. Barajas has also been involved in raising funds to complete renovation projects at the school.”
“It is our pleasure to select David Barajas as a Friend of the AEA,” said Sam Miller, AEA 267 Chief Administrator. “ He has been a great supporter of the Marshalltown Community School District, and actively participates in the work of Iowa’s Area Education Agencies.”
The Iowa Legislature established Iowa’s Area Education Agencies in 1974 to be an effective, efficient and economical means of identifying and serving children from birth to age 21 who require special education services. This decision was a result of the federal law mandating a free, appropriate, public education for children with disabilities. Since that time, Iowa’s nine AEAs continue to provide services to every public school district and accredited, nonpublic school in Iowa. While Special Education comprise about 80 percent of the services offered, the mission of Iowa’s AEAs it to improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children.
Please plan to attend one or more of the upcoming retirement open houses honoring AEA 267’s 2017 retirees. The celebrations will be held on Tuesday, May 16 in the Cedar Falls Conference Center; Wednesday, May 17 in the Clear Lake Office; and Thursday, May 18 in the Marshalltown Office from 3:30-5 p.m. at all locations.
These celebrations present a wonderful opportunity to congratulate our honorees and recognize them for their dedication and years of service. Those being honored this year include:
Cedar Falls
Judy Bodecker, Educational Assistant at River Hills School
Ronald Danielson, Educational Assistant at Woodhaven Youth Shelter
Open enrollment for annual benefits has been set for May 1-17. All benefits-eligible employees must complete this process even if you are declining insurance, resigning or retiring. The deadline is May 17.
If you are considering retirement at the end of the 2016-17 year, please let the Human Resources office know as soon as possible. This will help to ensure that plans can be made for future staffing and also to celebrate your years of service with the agency.
Looking for clipart or photos to add to your presentation? Worried what copyright allows for usage? iClipArt is the answer for you. iClipArt is a purchased online database with over eight million images. You can choose anything from clipart, photos, web clipart, sounds, animations and videos. Learn howLaura Rinnels from our Clear Lake office uses it to enhance her work. Need to know the agency username or password? Contact Media Services for all the information you will need to get started.
The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Monday, April 10, 2017 in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. The board packet is available online and the minutes will be published online after approval at the next month’s board meeting.
As an organization, we’ve made a lot of change this year. Choosing a new name, purchasing a new facility, selecting the next Executive Director of Special Education, implementing a regional administrator model, making shifts in personnel to better align with district priorities…as a system, we’ve tackled a lot.
The research on change tells us that, if not managed well, too much change at once can lead to a decrease in organizational efficiency. Put simply, people within the organization become distracted by a “what’s going to happen next” preoccupation rather than being attentive to their role in helping the organization succeed and continually innovate. The leader’s role is to stay out front, keep reiterating the vision, and embrace opportunities to listen to the concerns and expressions of anxiety that others may be feeling. This can be exceptionally challenging in an organization as complex and geographically spread out as ours–but it can still be done.
As we move through the coming months, I want to express again to you that I am interested in your feedback and it is often used to refine and improve decision making. As an example, we’ve used staff feedback around meetings to make improvements to our Regional and Discipline meetings for 2017-2018.
Call, email, stop by (if your travels bring you to Cedar Falls) or set up an appointment to visit. My role is to make clearer the rationale for the decisions that we are making and listen to how they impact you in your role within the agency. I welcome those conversations, and always appreciate the opportunity to discuss the rationale and factors that guided our decision. I think these honest conversations help all of us to stay on the same page.
Later this spring, I plan to organize a series of meetings at each of our three offices to talk further about our vision, priorities, and how the changes we have made will positively impact the student, schools, and families we serve. These meetings will present another opportunity for you to learn more and ask questions that you may have.
While change can be challenging, it’s an outgrowth of an organization that is dedicated to continuous improvement and in tune with the needs of those it serves. As the author John C. Maxwell points out, “Change is inevitable…growth is optional.” Let’s be an organization that continues to grow and thrive.
The Wellness Challenge just ended its seventh week and all the staff participating are to be commended, as team scores are tight. With only three weeks left to go of the challenge, be sure to fill out your scores each week. (Rankings are shown below, however, a couple teams have not been reporting and a few may not be up-to-date.)
Copies of the book Eat, Move, Sleep are available for check out to any staff member interested in finding out how to improve one’s overall health simply by making small specific changes. Contact Lori Thomas if you would like to check out a copy.
As was previously announced, Amy Knupp, currently a Regional Administrator with the agency, has been selected as the agency’s next Executive Director of Special Education. Amy will succeed Dr. Mary Stevens, who is retiring effective December 31, 2017.
Amy started with AEA 267 as a team representative and school psychologist. She has also been an adjunct professor for Kirkwood Community College. Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and family services, a Master of Arts degree in educational psychology, and an Education Specialist degree in school psychology from the University of Northern Iowa, Amy also holds a Director of Special Education endorsement.
We had a chance to talk with Amy and find out a little about her vision for the agency.
What do you believe is our biggest challenge going forward as an agency? The continuation of integrating services throughout all areas within the AEA in the most efficient way possible. Another challenge will be to continue to use the resources we have to provide the best services for our schools, students, and families.
What will the first 100 days of your leadership look like?I will be very busy working with Dr. Mary Stevens to plan for the year! I will also be meeting with stakeholder groups so I can learn all the aspects of the agency…working with Ad Cabinet to develop plans which focus on our agency goals…and meeting with staff/discipline groups to acquire information on current practices and long range plans.
What do you think are our greatest strengths as an agency? Our greatest strength is our employees! We have very dedicated and hard working employees. We also have strong leaders driving our agency with innovative ideas that push the agency forward. All of these entities will lead our agency to excellence!
What do you want people (who haven’t had a chance to work with you previously) to know about you? I am very passionate about student achievement and closing the achievement gap. I like to hear about, and be involved in, innovative practices that lead to increased achievement for all students. I want everyone to know I have an open door policy so everyone is welcome to stop in, introduce yourself and talk with me.
Please join us in congratulating Amy on her new position. We look forward to her leadership!
