This week, the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors approved an agreement with Mississippi Bend AEA to share the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Jennifer Coombes will support both agencies beginning January 1, 2024, through June 30, 2024. This will allow the agency more time to explore our options in replacing Michael Kalvig, our current CFO who resigned, effective December 30. Michael’s expertise and dedication to the agency will be greatly missed! Please join us in wishing Michael and his family the very best as he continues working to support school districts.
We also want to give a warm welcome to Jennifer as she joins the Central Rivers AEA team! We are looking forward to our new partnership with Mississippi Bend AEA and working with Jennifer!
Congratulations to the December Central Rivers AEA staff who were nominated for a Difference Maker Award by our LEA partners (school administrators, superintendents, principals, teachers, etc.). For our December nominees, here is what our LEA partners that nominated you had to say:
Cari Teske, Director of Media
“Cari invested time, care and energy by coming to our district for conversations focused on improving our district. From reviewing our specific board policies related to selection and review of materials to providing curricular resources, paraeducator library media technology courses and connections to helpful CRAEA media supports.” -Belmond-Klemme school administrator
Holly Ritter, Consultant for Literacy
“Holly supported our district with building a solid understanding of the comprehensive literacy framework. She co-taught alongside me, observed and provided feedback to new staff members. Holly has such a contagious positive attitude and is a huge asset to our school!” -Independence CSD teacher
Melissa Blohm, Consultant for Literacy
“Melissa has made a world of difference in helping East Marshall out. Her leadership capabilities are complementing our district leadership team in ways that we never imagined. Oftentimes as leaders, we talk about putting the right people on the bus in the right seats. She has complemented our leadership team in so many ways – too many ways to mention. We are grateful to have her as part of the Mustang team!” -East Marshall CSD school administrator
Amie Smith, Consultant for Mathematics
“Amie has been very helpful to my class. She introduced us to the Select, Organize, Associate and Regulate (SOAR) curriculum that we now use with our special education students who have math goals. We are grateful to have her in our school!” -Nashua-Plainfield CSD teacher
Liz Donnelly, Speech-Language Pathologist
“Liz does a great job connecting and communicating with teachers. She makes a point to reach out with concerns or things she noticed while working with students. She makes learning fun with her interactive and engaging lessons. Liz is so positive and enjoyable to have in our building. She works so well with teachers and students and has been fantastic in her communication and relationships with parents. We love having Liz in our schools – she has been a great addition to our district!!” -DNH teacher and school administrator
Emily Grantham, School Psychologist
“Emily comes to school everyday with a positive attitude and a heart for kids. She is a great resource and support system. Emily puts in extra time and hours, going out of her way to make sure that everyone has what they need. She makes time to brainstorm solutions, collaborate on writing IEPs and gives the staff she works with little “pick me ups” after a challenging day. Emily is a great fit for NP and we don’t know what we would do without her.” -Nashua-Plainfield CSD support staff, teachers and school administrator
If you missed the last Coffee with The Chief, the link to the recording and passcode to view can be found below. The next Zoom meetings will be held in 2024 on February 9 and April 12.
We are excited for the opportunity to participate in giving back to our communities again this holiday season! This year, we are partnering with the Toys for Tots campaign with drop off locations at each of our three main Central Rivers AEA offices. From now until December 11, please help donate new toys to give children a better Christmas season.
Last year, Toys for Tots impacted over 31,000 children in the Cedar Falls, Clear Lake, and Des Moines (includes Marshalltown) areas. Toys for Tots is not just for young children – they give gifts to all children up to age 18, living in the home. The older kids need personal care items, clothing and other accessories. The following is a more detailed list of items needed other than toys.
Earbuds
Perfume, cologne, lotion, and body wash sets
Makeup, nail polishes, jewelry and hair accessories
Movies and board games
Pajamas, trendy clothes and NFL hats and caps
Handheld electronic games
Purses, backpacks and duffle bags
Exercise and sports equipment
Tools
Manicure/pedicure sets
Phone accessories
Outdoor gear (i.e. snowboards, sleds)
Scrapbooking sets
Arts and crafts kits
All donations are appreciated and there are never too many gifts because Toys for Tots distributes remaining gifts all year long, giving to hospitals and other organizations with a need! Drop off your new and unwrapped toy or gift item at one of our office locations by December 11. Questions can be directed to Laura Rinnels, Administrative Assistant at 641-329-4244.
Don’t forget to change your voicemail greeting and schedule an “away” message to your email during the Christmas holiday break so that callers and/or e-mailers will know when they can expect to hear from you. All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on December 25 – January 1 for the Christmas holiday break. All CRAEA offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 2.
Voicemail example:
“Hello, this is (your name). Our office will be closed beginning Monday, December 25 and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2. Please leave your name, telephone number and a brief message and I will return your call on the 2nd. Thank you and happy holidays from all of us at Central Rivers AEA.”
Email “away” message example:
Thank you for your email. All Central Rivers AEA offices are closed December 25-January 1 for the holiday break, so I will be out of the office beginning Monday, December 25 and will respond to your email upon my return on Tuesday, January 2. Thank you, have a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!
If you need assistance with either task, please contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.
Central Rivers AEA is a Make It OK organization. Custom shirts are available to order from our Central Rivers AEA Empowered students!
What is Make It OK?
Make It OK is a community campaign to reduce stigma by increasing understanding and creating caring conversations about mental illness. Some important key messages behind this campaign include:
Mental illnesses are common, treatable health conditions
Everyone has a state of mental health, and it varies
Stigma impacts everyone
It creates shame, isolation and reluctance to seek treatment
It disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities and people of color
The first step in helping to stop the silence is to take the pledge to Make It OK. By signing this pledge, you’re taking a stand against the mental illness stigma. Pass it on. Print it out. Tape it up. It can serve as a reminder to start more conversations and stop the stigma. Together, we can Make It OK. Take the pledge and Make It OK.
Interactive Online Learning Experiences
Dive into the Make It OK interactive experiences at your own pace to learn more about how you can help Make It OK.
It is that time of year to remind staff of the procedures for office closures due to inclement weather. The FAQ document provides a lot of information and specific examples for your reference.
260-day full-time staff:
When there is an office closure or early out due to inclement weather, and you have been previously approved for remote/temporary remote worksite, you will now be required to work your regularly scheduled day, unless you are using leave.
If there is an early out and you cannot work remotely the rest of the day, you should submit personal or vacation leave.
Unpaid leave would also be allowed for this.
For 260-day full-time staff, scheduled leave will not be granted back to you during inclement weather, except in extraordinary circumstances.
Timeclock Staff:
With remote privileges timeclock staff will now be responsible for clocking in/out themselves when there is an office closed day or early out due to inclement weather.
In the case of an early out, you should clock out when you leave the office and clock in when you arrive at your remote location.
If you are scheduled to work eight hours a day, you need to work eight hours.
This means that based on your commute, you might need to extend your work hours so that you can work a full eight hours.
Remote/temporary remote staff:
Please remember that working remotely is a privilege and not everyone has been extended this opportunity.
In the event an office closure due to inclement weather falls on your in-office day, you should adjust your schedule to dedicate three days in the office.
All-Staff:
You may arrive up to an hour late for work without using leave time or making up the time within the week if you find yourself in a unique weather circumstance that causes your delay.
It is expected that you will make contact with your supervisor to let him/her know your situation immediately upon knowing that you will be delayed so that s/he is assured that you are safe and an adjustment to your day can be made if necessary.
See A. General FAQs for more information on this.
The FAQ document was produced to assist in clarifying the agency’s procedures for inclement weather questions. Please reference as needed, and contact your supervisor if you have any questions.
You are invited to celebrate the winter season at one of our hot cocoa bars! We will have a cocoa bar set up at the three main locations, beginning December 13. (River Hills to celebrate at a later date, TBD). Stop by, say hi, put your feet up and sip a hot cup of cocoa! If you are unable to make it to an office location during that time frame, contact Robin Billerbeck before December 15.
Ugly sweater contest
Join in on the fun and submit a photo of yourself, your pet, your family, your elf or anything that screams, “ugly sweater!”
Photo contest submission dates: Wednesday and Thursday, December 13-14.
Voting begins Friday, December 15 from 8 am – 4 pm.
Winners will be selected/notified on Monday, December 18. Top 10 photo winners will receive prizes.
