The Channel

The Educator Quality Committee determined at their December 1, 2011 meeting the number of days available for additional pay for the 2011-12 school year. There will be three days available as in the past for staff professional development (2.0 days available for Educator Quality and 1.0 day available for Iowa Core Curriculum).  In addition to previous years, a subcommittee will be formed to review data from the all-staff professional survey collected earlier this fall to create additional PD opportunities.  We anticipate there will be up to two more days made available to you as these additional PD opportunities are developed.  Some examples may include summer diversity workshops, low voice training, sending staff to expert speakers, bringing experts into the AEA, etc. Staff will be notified of these additional opportunities as they are determined (please watch for future emails).

Due to the late date in getting information out to staff, EQ/ICC funds for PD activities will be made retroactive to the beginning of the 2011-12 school year. 

A communication with more information is being sent to all certified staff members via the AEA 267 van delivery service and email.  The communication is also on the staff website under the Educator Quality section at http://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/staff/index.php?page=eq_comm

In his latest video message to staff, AEA 267 Chief Administrator, Dr. Roark Horn, talks about focusing internally on the organization, the agency audit, job shadowing, and reflecting on your achievements over the holidays.(Click on the play symbol below to start.)

Please change your voice mail greeting and set an away message to your email during the holiday breaks so that callers and/or e-mailers will know when they can expect to hear from you.

Voice mail example:

“Hello, this is (your name).  Our office will be closed beginning Friday, December 23 at 3:30 pm and reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.  Please leave your name, telephone number and a detailed message and I will call when I return.  Thank you!”

Email “away” message example:

Thank you for your email.  I will be out of the office beginning Friday, December 23 at 3:30 pm and return Tuesday, January 3 and will respond to your email upon my return.

If you need assistance with either task, please visit with your administrator.

Did that headline catch your attention? You won’t believe all the prizes that have been donated to encourage your participation in our first all-agency food pantry drive. Just take a look at the list below!

According to Food Bank of Iowa, 1 in 5 Iowa children do not have enough food to eat. For every $1 donation, five meals can be provided to needy families in our area*. From now until December 20, AEA 267 staff members are invited to donate to funds to support area food pantries. For every $1 you donate, your name will be entered into a raffle for prizes donated by AEA 267 team members. To participate, take your monetary donation to Kerri Wilson (Cedar Falls), Becky Stevenson (Marshalltown), Jan Alger (Clear Lake) or any sector office secretary. Participation is completely voluntary. Donations are monetary only. If you prefer to donate food or money directly to a local food pantry, please do so independent of this campaign. The recipients of our funds will be Food Bank of Iowa (serving the Marshalltown and Clear Lake regions along with the central corridor of Iowa) and Northeast Iowa Food Bank (serving the Cedar Valley). Funds will be directed to the food pantries with the greatest needs under the auspices of these two food banks.

Thank you for considering participation!

Prizes:

• Multiple convenience store gift cards (sponsored by Dr. Roark Horn, Dr. Mary Stevens, Dr. Sara McInerny, Dr. Bev Plagge, Greg Koppes, and Jay Colsch)
• Educator’s “goody bag” of resources (sponsored by Dr. Carol Sensor)
• Gourmet coffee & tea basket (sponsored by Judy Moser & Edie Penno)
• Gourmet lasagna for a family (sponsored by Gary Whitmore)
• Tin of popcorn (sponsored by Karen Aldrich)
• Gourmet cookies (sponsored by Julie Davies)
• Lighted wine bottles (sponsored by Kim Swartz)
• 2 Panera gift cards (sponsored by Dr. Anne Sullivan)
• Quilted table runner/wall hanging (sponsored by Cheryl Carruthers)
• Commuter’s goody basket (sponsored by Beth Strike)
• Texas Roadhouse gift card (sponsored by Rod Ball)
• 4 Walmart gift cards (sponsored by Dennis Scudder, Larry Niebur, and Dennis Sinclair)
• 2 Culver’s gift cards (sponsored by Jody Albertson)
• 2 Target gift cards (sponsored by Sarah Knudsen)
• Hy-Vee gift card (Jerry Schnabel)
• Willow Tree angel (Kerri Wilson)
• Hot Cocoa/S’more basket (Amy Knupp)

While it may seem harmless, employees who solicit sales for outside employment or businesses are in violation of board policy if done during the work day or on agency property. Board policy 401.29 “Employee Conflict of Interest” provides guidance for those with questions. Recent examples include staff selling items such as crafts, beauty products, home decorative items, etc. at work. If you are in question, please take a look at Board Policy 401.29 and/or visit with your administrator.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met December 7, 2011 at 6 p.m. in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Conference Center for their regular meeting. During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a presenation from Amber Mann and Nancy Moothart, Itinerant Teachers of Hearing Impaired, about a program that uses iPads as an educational tool for children with hearing loss.
• Approved participation in 2011-12 Iowa Drug and Alcohol Testing Program (IDATP).
• Tabled approval of an agreement with Timberline Billing Services.
• Approved an agreement with Solution Tree for a PLC conference featuring Becky and Richard DuFour.
• Cast ballot for the AEA District Director for IASB.
• Discussed a joint board meeting with community colleges.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Mark your calendar for Friday, August 10 for our first all-staff kickoff meeting! Details will be forthcoming.

Although Iowa’s AEAs have been helping children, families and educators for over 35 years, this comment remains, “People still don’t know what we do at the AEA.” A new video and advocacy campaign is preparing to launch within the next few weeks. The stories in this video are shared by people who have first-hand experience with the services offered by Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. 

As an AEA staff member, you have an opportunity for a sneak peek at the new video. It can be viewed online at http://www.iowapartnersineducation.org. (The public launch with educators and other partners will occur on Monday, Nov. 14, which is the start of American Education Week.)

Feel free to share the advocacy campaign with others via Facebook, Twitter or email directly from the site! When you do share it, you help to ensure that Iowa’s AEAs will be there to support the children, families and educators of our state for many years to come.

Questions? Please contact Beth Strike or Dr. Roark Horn.

American Education Week will be observed November 13-19 and is a great time to recognize all of you for the incredible work you do to serve children, families and educators. Please watch your van mail for a small token of appreciation in recognition of your efforts!

At the October 31st meeting of the Agency Continuous Improvement Team (CIT), the group spent a considerable amount of time discussing our “current reality” with respect to our progress on agency goals, key service areas and other items such as internal communication. Identifying our current reality will help as the agency makes tough decisions in the coming months and years to keep programs and services aligned with our LEA partner’s changing  needs and our budget.

For more information about the audit process or to view results, contact Dr. Jon McKenzie.