The Channel

Final details are being handled for the upcoming spring retirement open houses. Please make plans to attend to honor our retiring colleagues. Below please find a list of those retiring who will be honored at each open house.

May 18–AEA 267 Cedar Falls Conference Center: Mary Bing, Cindy Brown, Claudette Butler, Beth Cole, Stan Hanus, Marjorie Krull, Jean Meehan, Ramona Moeller, Michele Murphy, Oletha O’Donnell, Terry Reed, Dr. Dean Meier and Dr. Ralph Bartelt.

May 19–AEA 267 Clear Lake Office: Joanne Blake, Louise Cameron, Robert Coates, David Kisilewski, Sandy Klaudt, Brenda McKee, Liz Wenger and Chris White. Dr. Dean Meier will also be honored.

May 20–AEA 267 Marshalltown Office: Damon Lamb and Beverly Spence. Dr. Dean Meier will also be honored.

All open houses will be held from 3:30-5 p.m.

Last month we shared with you that AEA 267 is now communicating to our constituents via Facebook and Twitter.  Many of you are becoming “fans” and “followers” and we want to share some important information with you to help you avoid time-consuming repairs to your computers.

Facebook, a popular social networking tool, is becoming more prevalent as it is used by businesses and education agencies to advertise their services. Because staff may be accessing Facebook from agency computers, it is important that you are familiar with basic security concerns surrounding this site.  While Facebook itself is not problematic, certain links and applications that work along with the site can infect your computer with malware (spyware) and/or viruses.

Consider the following when accessing Facebook from your computer:

• Be cautious of suspicious messages or links posted to your wall which ask things such as “Have you seen this video?” or “Is this you in this photo?” If you click such a link, you run the risk of your computer being infected by malware or a virus.
• Be wary of clicking on a link in Facebook and downloading software. One computer worm, “Koobface”, spreads by delivering Facebook messages to people who are ‘friends’ of a Facebook user whose computer has already been infected. Upon receipt, the message directs the recipients to a third-party website, where they are prompted to download what is purported to be an update of the Adobe Flash player.
• Be wary of advertisements listed within Facebook.  While you may assume them to be harmless, some contain malicious links.  Others may launch pop-ups, which indicate your computer is infected with a virus, asking you to download software to remove the virus.  Unfortunately, the end user ends up downloading something infected with malware or a virus instead of the helpful software it claims to be.
• Installing non-Facebook games, quizzes and utilities can also place malware and/or viruses on your computer.  The basic Facebook interface is said to be safe but third-party options are not and can cause you and your computer grief.

From a related security standpoint:

• Be sure you are not opening your account to people you do not actually know.  Hackers create fake profiles, which can be used to access your account.
• Be mindful of security settings for your account.  Leaving your account wide-open in regard to privacy settings can leave you open to cyber-stalkers or others, which you may not wish to have access your information.
• Think before posting certain information such as the fact that you may be out of town or away from home for a certain period of time.  While your friends may be interested to know you are on vacation, there are others who may be very interested to learn you are away from your home.
• Remember, any information you post online is accessible and can be accessed in one way or another.  Even if your privacy settings are secure, data that you post can still be shared by word-of-mouth.
• While the agency does provide some of the best anti-virus and malware software, in some cases it can only catch the virus after it infects your computer.  Infected machines need to be cleaned immediately and this may result in time away from your computer while the infection is removed.

To ensure that you do not end up with an infected machine, please be mindful of computer security when accessing any sort of social networking site or publicly available online tools.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met May 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the SCMT High School Media Center in Sheffield for their regular meeting. The board met in Sheffield to facilitate a public hearing of the proposed reorganization of the SCMT and Rockwell-Swaledale school districts (now whole grade sharing as “West Fork Schools”).

During the meeting, the board:

• Accepted with regret the retirement of Joan Lentz, Speech-Language Pathologist (Cedar Falls), effective January 5, 2011.
• Accepted with regret the resignations of Deb Zebill, Special Education Consultant (Sector 3), Emily Lucas, Teacher of Multi Disabilities/Special Class with Integration (Waverly-Shell Rock Jr. High), Janeal Lyons, Teacher of Multi Disabilities (Dysart Elementary) and John McEwan, Teacher of Mental Disabilities (Mason City High School), all resigning effective end of the 2009-10 school year.
• Approved Chief Administrator’s recommendations to terminate licensed staff contracts (due to staff reduction needs).
• Approved renewal of instructional coaching contracts with AEA 267 districts using remaining ARRA funds.
• Renewed one-year extension on the lease with North Iowa Community Action Organization for Charles City sector office.
• Approved an agreement with Jester Insurance for Agent of Record agreement for AEA 267’s Workman’s Comprehensive Insurance Program.
• Approved the EMC Insurance Program for 2010-2011.
• Approved the contract amendment with FMC Decat for Coordination Services.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

At  7:00 p.m. the board members attended the public hearing on SCMT and Rockwell-Swaledale Reorganization.

School Board Recognition Week is May 9-15, 2010. Our agency Board of Directors and the board members of the local school districts in our area volunteer countless hours of their time each year to serve their communities and schools. Please consider sending a note of thanks to the quality people who serve on the AEA 267 Board of Directors. (Click on the link to access email and home addresses of board members.) With two administrative searches and a variety of other board obligations, this year our AEA 267 board members have truly gone way above and beyond!

Do you love coming to work and getting home a little earlier? Summer hours are just around the corner! The official start to summer hours will be Monday, June 7 and last through August 13. Summer hours will again be 7:30 a.m. through 4 p.m.

Sherry Becker, administrator at North Iowa Vocational Center Services, and Beth Petersen, special education instructor at Rudd, Rockford, Marble Rock Community Schools have been selected as recipients of Arc of Iowa Awards for 2010.

Becker will receive the Administrator of the Year Award, and Petersen, the Educator of the Year award for the state. The awards will be presented at the 57th annual Conference of the Arc of Iowa, May 13-14, at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center in Cedar Falls.

As administrator, Becker supervises a staff of 42 people that teach, train and then find and provide meaningful employment  for over 340 clients a year, with disabilities and employment barriers in North Iowa.

Petersen is described as an outstanding teacher who brings real world experiences to her classroom, and is a tireless advocate for her students’ success in school and in life.

Congratulations Sherry and Beth!

Area Education Agency 267 (AEA 267) is pleased to announce that Dr. Anne Sullivan, currently associate clinical professor at the University of Iowa, has been selected as the agency’s new assistant chief administrator/director of personnel.  Sullivan will succeed Dr. Ralph Bartelt, who has been the AEA 267 assistant chief administrator since 2003 when the agency merged from three AEAs (Northern Trails AEA 2, Area Education Agency 6 and Area Education Agency 7) to one.

“I was interested in this position because of the amazing opportunity and challenge,” said Sullivan. “With my background in K-12 administration and higher education, I believe I can bring knowledge and skills to assist in the collaboration among all educational institutions locally and statewide.”

In her new position, Sullivan will direct the human resources management of 1,150 full and part-time staff members who provide special education and school improvement services, along with technology support for over 66,000 students and 5,000 educators throughout 18 counties of north central and northeastern Iowa. She will also provide leadership in the area of AEA accreditation, organizational/operational effectiveness and continuous improvement.

“Selecting the right people for both the chief administrator and assistant chief administrator positions is among the most important work we will do as a board,” said Charlotte Upah, AEA 267 board president.  “Dr. Sullivan is a wonderful compliment to our agency team and has an amazing amount of talent and experience.” Upah also praised the work of  AEA 267 chief administrator-elect Roark Horn, for his leadership in the search.

Prior to taking the position as associate clinical professor at the University of Iowa, Sullivan served as associate superintendent at Ankeny Community School District and superintendent at Norwalk Community School District.  She has also served as a principal, gifted and talented director, special education coordinator, technology coordinator, and teacher.

Area Education Agency 267, with service delivery centers in Cedar Falls, Clear Lake, and Marshalltown, is the largest AEA in the state in terms of geography and the number of school districts served.  The mission of the agency is to provide educational leadership, services and support to positively impact children, families and educators within the local school districts served.

Are you a “fan” of AEA 267 on Facebook yet? Are you “following” AEA 267 on Twitter? If you haven’t already heard, the agency has joined legions of businesses and organizations that have established a presence on each of these popular social networking sites.

“Over 150 million users visit Facebook on a daily basis,” said Beth Strike, Communications Specialist. “While it first gained in popularity as a personal networking site, more and more organizations are finding that Facebook is a great way to solicit success stories and support.”

Followers of the agency on Twitter will find short bursts (140 characters or less) of news and information shared throughout the week. “Twitter allows people to quickly scan headlines from a variety of sources and delve into those stories that interest them the most. We want to be included in what people are finding there.”

In order to keep “fans” and “followers” interested, your help is needed in submitting stories and news to share. Please review the agency’s strategic plans for AEA 267 Facebook and Twitter plans and contact Beth Strike with suggestions for content.

Wondering how you can become a fan? Simply go to the agency’s website and look under “Social Networking” in the bottom left corner. You will need to create a free account for both sites to officially join, which takes just a few minutes.

Last month’s Intersections article gave the executive summary of the results from the Agency Internal Needs Assessment for 2009.  The survey sought opinions on continuous improvement and district needs.  The first Internal Needs Assessment survey went out in Spring of 2008 and the table below shows the comparison between the two surveys.  As well as a higher number of participants in the 2009 Survey, the percentages of people who strongly agree/agree to the statements, other than one statement, have also improved.  Thank you to everyone who participated.

Percent of AEA 267 staff who strongly agree or agree