The Channel

Just a reminder to staff that the agency archives all email that is sent and received from agency email accounts. If there is a need, designated AEA staff may access and retrieve employee email. This is in accordance to Agency Policies and Procedures that follow.

If you have specific questions, please contact Jerry Schnabel at jschnabel@aea267.k12.ia.us.

Acceptable Use Policy
Policy Number 101.4
The Agency will monitor the usage (direct or remote) of the network (e-mail, Internet, file transfer) to ensure equitable, adequate access and compliance with Board policy and regulations. Files may be accessed by persons with system privileges. The person in whose name an account is issued is responsible at all times for its proper use.

Regulations for Acceptable Use Information for Educators and Employees
Policy Number 101.4R1
The agency reserves the right to monitor users’ online activities and to access, review, copy, and store or delete any electronic communication or files and disclose them to others as it deems necessary. Users should have no expectation of privacy regarding their use of agency property, network and/or Internet access or files, including email.

Operation School Supplies is an outreach program supported by the men and women assigned to Kirkuk Regional Air Base/FOB WARRIOR. The soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and civilian contractors stationed there communicate the needs of local school children to their families, friends and organizations back home. When the donations arrive, they are packaged and distributed to the local school children in need. The group has recently been requested to assist several new schools in the northern part of Iraq. If you would like to assist, please see the information below:

Greatest needs:

• Glue Sticks
• Round-End Scissors
• Metric Rulers
• Color Pencils
• 2-Part Folders
• Construction Paper
• 8-1/2” x 11” Notebooks
• Pencil Sharpeners
• Color Markers
• Coloring Books
• Pencils
• Crayons
• Small Toys
• Kites
• Jump Ropes
• Frisbees
• Sporting Goods

(Please don’t send liquids, food or money. Please no religious specific or culturally offensive items.)

Mail to:

Operation School Supplies

C/O TSgt Patrick Brodigan

506 EOSS/OSW

Unit # 70077

APO AE 09359

“It was brought to our attention that the Student Records Office in Cedar Falls received all the credit for the recent donations to AEA 267 Devonshire School, when in fact they were from the entire Special Education Office in Cedar Falls. The Records Office did deliver them to Devonshire, and we would like to thank everyone who did donate items to Devonshire. It was very much appreciated by the students from Devonshire as well as the entire staff.”

Susan R. Glessner
Student Records Supervisor

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met February 10, 2010 at 4 p.m. in the AEA 267 Conference Center for a board work session with G. Tryon and Associates.

After the work session, the board met at 6 p.m. for a Public Hearing on the 2010-11 AEA 267 proposed budget where they heard comments for or against the proposed budget. After adjourning the Public Hearing they returned to the regular board meeting agenda.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a report from Dr. Sara McInerny, Service Area Director of Educational Services, and Linda Martin, Consultant for Curriculum Development, on their recent Educational Exchange trip to Estonia.
• Accepted with regret the retirement of Brenda McKee, Speech-Language Pathologist (Osage), and Cindy Brown, Physical Therapist (Cedar Falls) effective at the end of the 2009-10 school year.
• Motioned to hire Michelle Keough, 1.0 FTE Teacher of Multi Disab/SCI (Union Middle School).
• Approved the 2010-2011 office calendar.
• Approved renewal of the Professional Development agreement with Drake University.
• Approved the 2010-11 AEA 267 Budget.
• Reviewed and approved the ICN Service Agreement for Clear Lake.
• Reviewed and approved the AEA 267 2009-10 Annual Progress Report.
• Heard updates and approved action necessary to continue the recruitment and selection process for Chief Administrator and Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Personnel.
• Approved a motion not to approve the lease on the Osage sector office.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

For many people, this time of the year can be a bit of a drag with winter showing no sign of letting up. This video, which tells the story of Patrick Henry Hughes, a remarkable man with special needs, is just what we need to stay focused on why we are here. Enjoy!

The current Annual Progress Report (APR) is now available online for staff  and the public to view. The Annual Progress report provides detailed data that show how well the agency is doing in meeting a variety of improvement goals. For more information, contact Dr. Jon McKenzie, Director of Assessment and Comprehensive Improvement.

You have seen Picasso. You’ve seen Munch and VanGogh. Come join budding artists from the AEA 267 Bremwood School as they present “Understanding Modern Art”, the third annual AEA 267 Bremwood Art Show to be held on Wednesday, March 24^th, from 12:30-2:15 at the Lied Education Center on the AEA 267 Bremwood Campus.  The show will be held in the multi-purpose room. Refreshments will be served.

Planning to retire at the end of this year? Please let the Personnel office know as soon as possible so that we can celebrate with you and make decisions about staffing for the future. Contact Shirley Horak, Personnel Coordinator, at 319-273-8245.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors voted not to renew the lease on the AEA 267 Osage sector office citing budget restraints. Approximately 10 special education staff members are housed in the office which also serves as a daycare site for the community. Staff members will be provided office space in other locations in the area beginning July 1, 2010.

The move will save the agency approximately $35,000 including secretarial staff time and equipment related services.

After selecting G. Tryon and Associates as the firm to conduct the search for a new Chief Administrator and Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Personnel, the AEA 267 Board of Directors is moving forward with assembling focus groups to assist with the process.

Five focus groups have been identified including the following:  Classified/Non-Union Support staff, Licensed Staff, AEA Administrative Staff, Superintendents, and K-12 Administrative staff. Each focus group will be comprised of 12 to 15 people and meet six times in order to discuss desired leadership characteristics, current issues impacting the agency, and participate in candidate interviews.

An advertisement for the Chief Administrator position has been published in the Des Moines Register and other pertinent sources. It is believed that the new Chief Administrator will be secured by April 2 and the Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Personnel by April 20.

School districts and other educational agencies are encouraged to recognize the contributions of paraeducators during the month of February in observance of Paraeducator Recognition Month. The original proclamation recognizing paraeducators was issued by Iowa’s governor in 2006.  Governor Chet Culver in January of 2008 extended and expanded the proclamation to be observed throughout the entire month of February.

According to the Iowa Department of Education 2009 Condition of Education Report, some 10,270 paraeducators (“aides”) were employed in Iowa public schools in the 2008-09 school year. That number, reported in full-time equivalencies (FTEs), reflects an increase of 62 percent over the 6,341 FTEs reported by public schools in the 1997-98 school year. “As the educational system in Iowa evolves to face the challenges of the 21st century, paraeducators will continue to play a critical role in helping to meet those challenges,” says Norma Lynch, Iowa DE consultant for paraeducators.

A resource designed to assist schools in implementing effective paraeducator practices can be found at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=1297 <http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=773&amp;Itemid=1297> . Entitled Guide to Effective Paraeducator Practices, Edition II, the document can be reproduced in unlimited numbers. Contact: Norma Lynch, Norma.Lynch@iowa.gov <mailto:Norma.Lynch@iowa.gov> , 515-281-6038.

Mother Nature has provided plenty of opportunities over the past month to use our agency weather announcement procedures. Now that the weather has settled down (at least for now!), it’s a good time to step back and review. Below are three of the most commonly asked questions about our weather procedures.

If an AEA 267 service delivery center closes (i.e. Marshalltown, Cedar Falls or Clear Lake office), are all events scheduled in that office cancelled for the day?

Yes.

What about internal meetings? When professional development courses and workshops are cancelled are internal meetings automatically cancelled also?

No. Internal meetings are held at the discretion of the person leading the meeting. Many factors can be considered including the number of staff involved, where they are driving from and the length of the meeting. Be sure to check with the person leading the internal meeting if you have questions on bad weather days.

Sometimes it takes the news media or Snowcap awhile to share an announcement about an office closing or PD cancellations. Why is that? What if I need to know right away?

There are four ways to learn about whether the office is closed or PD is cancelled: 1.) the agency website; 2.) by calling our announcements line at 1-866-923-1089; 3.) signing up for email and/or text message alerts via Snowcap; or 4.) the news media. Of these four methods, the AEA 267 website and announcements line are by far the fastest. Generally speaking, within about ten minutes of a decision being made, these two resources are updated. The news media and Snowcap are “third party” carriers of our message and there are many variables that can delay timeliness including the number of other weather related announcements they are dealing with that day. When you need to know right away, check the website or announcements line first!

For a complete list of Frequently Asked Questions, refer to our staff website at: www.aea267.k12.ia.us/staff (user name: aeastaff and password: aea267ia) and look under “For Your Reference” on the right of the page.

As a reminder, if you are planning internal meetings that involve staff members from a distance, please remember to set meeting hours to start no earlier than 9 a.m. and end by 3 p.m. Having standard hours will promote car pooling among staff and allow for travel time. In addition, given budget constraints, please utilize technology for meetings whenever possible. This is highly preferred over face-to-face meetings that involve travel expense.

Some questions have been asked by staff members in service delivery center offices (Clear Lake, Marshalltown and Cedar Falls) about whether they are able to paint and decorate their office space to their individual taste. All service delivery centers have color schemes that are allowed and should be followed to support a consistent look and feel. Please remember that requests for office painting and any non-standard office decor items must have prior approval from service area directors and the person in charge of buildings and grounds in each service area.