The Channel

Area Education Agency 267 (AEA 267) is pleased to announce that Darshini Jayawardena, currently a board member with the Mason City Community School District, has been elected to serve on the AEA 267 Board of Directors.  Darshini will succeed Darrel Lind serving Director District 2. She will represent the districts of  Central Springs (portion that was Nora Springs-Rock Falls CSD), Mason City, Osage, Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock (RRMR) & St. Ansgar .

Darshini and her family have lived in Mason City for the past 12 years. Of those 12 years, she has served on the Mason City Community School District Board of Education for the past five years, and was just recently re-elected for another four-year term. She has also served on the board of the United Way of North Central Iowa as well as the Foundation Board of North Iowa Area Community College.

Darshini holds a Master’s degree in International Economics and is currently working on her Doctorate in Public Administration through Capella University in Minnesota. She will be sworn in at the AEA 267 Board of Directors’ meeting on November 2.

In past years, the agency cell phone directory has been distributed in hard copy form. However, given the ongoing changes that occur with individual phone numbers, staff resignations and hires, etc. it has been challenging to print and distribute a paper directory that is current for any length of time. Please be aware that although a printed directory will not be officially distributed, a current version of the cell phone directory is always available on our staff website at http://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/staff/index.php?page=phonedirectory (login: aeastaff/password: aea267ia). If you print one from this site, please remember to periodically go back and seek an update as the information is constantly changing.

For more information, contact Sue Hotzel in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Administrative Services Building. Sue coordinates all cell phone related information for the agency.

We are in the midst of many transitions in education which affect us and our jobs each day.  With transitions come new learning, anticipation and uncertainty which can cause additional stress and concern.  Not to mention, we have personal obligations with family, church, community, etc., that can cause us to feel a little overwhelmed at times.  Most of the time we can endure and handle the additional pressures, but sometimes we all need a little help in coping with the day-to-day challenges of life.  Please do not forget that AEA 267 is one of many employers that takes part in the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

The EAP can aid in finding solutions. The EAP offers a confidential place to find the answers that work for you. Whether the issue is depression, stress, anxiety, family conflict, or financial difficulties, trained counselors are available to assist. For more information, download the EAP brochure today. Please remember that when you reach out to the program, it is kept in the strictest confidence and the contact is not reported back to the agency.

At noon today, Iowans from all walks of life participated in the “Start Somewhere Walk” to kick off Governor Branstad’s “Healthiest State” initiative. Several employees from the AEA 267 Cedar Falls campus took a break from vigorous strolls around campus to pose for a photo. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Joni Puffet and Kerri Wilson; (second row, left to right) Jennie Miller, Roxanne Colling, Shirley Horak and Cynthia Fry; (back row, left to right) Dan Dreyer, Shane Wolf, Sue Hotzel and Betty Beauregard.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met October 5, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. in the AEA 267 Conference Center for their regular meeting. During the meeting, board members were recognized for their time, energy, commitment and dedication on behalf of the agency and directing it through another successful year of operation. The “old” board then adjourned the final meeting of the 2010-2011 Board of Directors.

Immediately following the meeting, an organizational meeting of the “new” board was convened during which time the board:

• Elected Charlotte Upah as the new President and Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson as the new Vice President for 2011-12. Kerri Wilson administered the oath of office to each newly elected officer.
• Appointed Kerri Wilson as board secretary and Dennis Scudder as board treasurer. The board president administered the oath of office to each of them.
• Heard a presentation regarding a “white paper” developed by Dr. Roark Horn and Dr. E. Robert Stephens regarding the value of the AEA system. Watched and reacted to a new advocacy video and hypersite created by the AEA Communications Committee.
• Motioned to accept a variety of resignations, retirements and hires.
• Set meeting dates and times for 2011-2012 board meetings.
• Approved appointments to the AEA Legislative Committee and the AEA Executive Committee.
• Approved Wells Fargo Bank as a depository of AEA funds with a $10,000,000 limit and the Great Western Bank as a depository of AEA funds with a $3,000,000 limit.
• Appointed Steve Weidner as legal counsel for 2011-2012.
• Approved reciprocal transportation agreements between:
• Belmond-Klemme and Clarion-Goldfield
• Forest City and Central Springs
• Central Springs and Mason City
• Forest City and Clear Lake
• Approved both the Orientation and Mobility Services agreement and the Itinerant Teacher Services agreement with Statewide System for Vision Services (SSVS).
• Approved the agreement with Four Oaks Independence Facility.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Following the AEA 267 regular October meeting, a River Hills Foundation Board meeting was held and members elected the new President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer and heard a River Hills Committee Fundraising update.

The United Way provides support and assistance to a multitude of worthy causes in all of our communities–including our own River Hills Foundation! Each year, the agency provides staff members an opportunity to donate to the United Way either through payroll deduction or one-time donation. Donating is purely a personal choice. If you are interested, please download the 2011 United Way pledge form, complete it, and send it to Betty Beauregard in the AEA 267 Business Office in Cedar Falls by December 13, 2011.

Area Education Agency 267 will provide significant support to the staff of Waterloo East and West High Schools in their participation in the Iowa Safe and Supportive Schools effort. The effort is a federally-supported project designed to measure and improve conditions for learning in selected Iowa high schools. The schools will study issues such as bullying, school safety, attendance, and student engagement over the next four years with support through the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe and Supportive Schools grant.

“The research has long supported that a positive climate in the classroom has a significant impact on student learning,” said Dr. Sara McInerny, Director of Educational Services for AEA 267. “We are dedicating significant resources in staff time to ensuring that these two schools have the professional development needed to succeed in this effort.”

Iowa was one of 11 states to be awarded nearly $3.5 million in federal money this year, and nearly $14 million over the next four years, through the grant program. In total, twenty Iowa high schools have been chosen to participate.

Earlier this year, 60 Iowa schools were randomly selected to participate in the first-ever “Iowa Safe and Supportive Schools” survey of students, parents and teachers. The goal was to measure student safety and student relationships with peers and adults and to determine whether students have adequate resources in their schools. Leaders in 47 of the 60 schools agreed to participate in the survey, which was administered this spring and summer.

Information will be gathered each year for four years. By the fourth year, the final survey will show the nation that Iowa is a leader in improving conditions for learning.

Along with Waterloo East High School and Waterloo West High School, the other high schools selected for funding are:

• Dubuque Senior High School
• Oelwein High School
• Armstrong-Ringsted Middle School/High School
• East Greene High School
• Columbus Community High School
• Davenport Central High School
• Louisa-Muscatine High School
• Iowa Valley Junior-Senior High School
• Olin Junior-Senior High School
• Des Moines Independent East High School
• Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Community High School
• Sioux City West High School
• West Sioux High School
• Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln High School
• Burlington Community High School
• Keokuk High School
• Ottumwa High School
• Winfield-Mt Union Junior-Senior High School

We would once again like to thank everyone for attending our August Kick Off meetings!  There are never enough opportunities to meet and speak to everyone face-to-face.  We hope you found the meeting helpful, informative and a chance to meet our new staff members.  If you have any feedback, please feel free to pass it on to your service area director or email at asullivan@aea267.k12.ia.us

Have a great school year!

Did you miss attending one of the all-staff meetings? Watch recorded segments below! (Recorded from the Cedar Falls meeting.)

Dr. Roark Horn’s presentation:

Dr. Anne Sullivan’s presentation:

In order for our AEA Contact Manager system to remain current and viable, each year, AEA 267 staff members are asked to go in and update their profile in the system. This ensures that you will receive information customized to your interests and in line with what those you serve are also receiving via email. (It also ensures that your MediaNet profile is current for ordering and receiving Lending Library materials.) Updating your information (including location) takes merely a few minutes. Please take time today to take care of this important step.

Directions for updating your profile for AEA Contact Manager:

From our Get Media page – http://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/media/ – click on the link in the right column – Job Assignments-AEA 267 Staff. Log into Medianet using your client number and password. (If you have questions or need help with your Medianet login, please contact a member of the library staff in either Cedar Falls, Clear Lake or Marshalltown.) In the top section of the page, please check all of the appropriate boxes that relate to your AEA 267 job assignment (the lower section is for our LEA clients). When done, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the green submit button.

Questions? Contact Deb Culp at 641-844-2492.