The Channel

The Department of Education concluded its accreditation visit on Wednesday, October 5. The initial report shared during the exit interview was extremely positive. We appreciate everyone who helped prepare for the visit or who served on interview teams. The Department of Education will recommend our full accreditation for the next five years as part of the State Board meeting on October 15.

The biggest thank you goes to our entire staff, whose efforts on a day-to-day basis have earned us this glowing review. The accreditation visit and feedback received from the Department of Education is yet another data point that emphasizes the excellent services our staff provides to our LEA partners. You should take great pride in the fact that our partners (superintendents, principals, curriculum directors, teachers and parents) sang your praises, and are grateful for your guidance, support and skills. We know we have an amazing and dedicated team, and the results of the report confirmed just that!

Central Rivers AEA strives to cultivate a workplace in which everyone feels welcomed and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Continuing work done by the Equity Committee, in partnership with the Leadership Academy, and through the guidance of Gina Weekley, Coordinator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, we will implement DEI training and provide resources to create awareness, educate and reinforce policies that support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

We collected staff feedback through a series of focus groups, as well as gathered the perspectives and input of all stakeholders through anonymous surveys. As a result of what was released from the Equity Audit, the “APA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Inclusive Language Guide” is an optional tool available to staff to enhance learning and awareness of DEI terms and concepts.

Did you know… terms such as “tribe” and “spirit animal” should be avoided in conversations? According to the “APA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Inclusive Language Guide”:

• Outside of being used to describe cultural groups, the word “tribe” was historically used in a dehumanizing way to equate Indigenous people with being “savage” or “primitive”; modern misuse could be interpreted as a microaggression in conversations.
  •  Suggested alternatives: friends, group, pals or team
• In some cultural and spiritual traditions, spirit animals refer to an animal spirit that helps guide and/or protects a person through a journey; equating this with an animal you like strips the term of its significance.
  • Suggested alternatives: favorite animal or animal I would most like to be

For more information and resources, please visit the DEI+Belonging page on the Central Rivers AEA staff website.

Central Rivers AEA is a Top Iowa Workplace! To showcase our exciting honor, staff now have access to a new email signature template. When creating your version of the template:

• View the new email signature template document.
• Select file > Make a copy, label and save to your drive to edit.
• To download your headshot photo, go to the CRAEA staff directory page and search your name.
• Drag the photo to your desktop and replace the image in your copy of the template.

A reminder that all staff should be using an email signature. If you have any issues getting your image, contact HR for assistance. If you need help updating your email signature, please reach out to the Central Rivers AEA help desk for assistance.

The agency is once again partnering with the Hy-Vee Pharmacy to offer flu shot/Covid-19 booster clinics for employees and their families. The vaccination schedule is as follows:

Monday, October 24, 2022 from 7:30-8:30 am

• Cedar Falls Office – 1521 Technology Parkway (Central Perk)
• Clear Lake Office – 9184 265th Street, Suite B (Room D)
• Marshalltown Office – 909 South 12th Street (Room F)

October 25, 2022, from 8-10 am

• River Hills School – 2700 Grand Blvd, Cedar Falls (large conference room)

Please complete the 2022 Flu Shot/Covid booster registration form by Friday, October 7 if you wish to participate. Please remember to bring:

• A copy of your driver’s license.
• A copy of your insurance card (front/back).
• A completed flu shot consent form and/or Covid-19 consent form.

Flu shots and the Covid-19 boosters are covered at no cost to employees and their family members with proof of insurance. The cost is $42.99 without insurance. The Covid-19 vaccination is free for everyone.

Please contact Michael Kalvig at mkalvig@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8206, with any questions.

All agency documents and presentation materials that staff create to present to their school districts or in team meetings are expected to follow official Central Rivers AEA branding guidelines to maintain a consistent look. When writing for the website (including blogs), please use the online writing guide, which includes important accessibility information. If you have accessibility questions, please review the Accessibility Module.

The Communication Guides and Agency Templates page on the staff website offers many Central Rivers AEA branded resources. Some reminders to staff:

• If you want a custom Google Slide theme, you can place an order through Creative Services.
• Do not create your own themes from scratch or by editing/customizing copies of the themes found in the Google Slide gallery.
• *The Branding, Copyright, Accessibility & LMS Guidelines presentation is the “one-stop-shop” resource for all guidelines.

If you have questions regarding branding guidelines and requirements, please reach out to Beth Strike, Director of Communications & Creative Services or Contessa Van Buskirk, Communications Specialist, for assistance.

The agency will be hosting two contests with prizes. Like last year, the winners will be awarded a certificate, bragging rights and vouchers to purchase books for the school of their choice! Contest details are as follows:

Halloween costume contest #1 categories:

• Group: (2+ co-workers): first-place $50 / second-place $25 
• Solo: first-place $40 / second-place $20
• Snap a picture and upload it to Halloween Costume Contest #1 (All Staff) or email it to Robin Billerbeck before 9 am on Monday, October 31.
• Voting will begin at 10 am and end at 1 pm with winners announced via email.

Halloween family photo or pumpkin contest #2 categories: 

• Family (photo of you with your kids/pets): first-place $30 / second-place $15
• Pumpkin creations (photo of your unique pumpkin): first-place $10 / second-place $5 
• Snap a picture and upload it to Halloween Costume Contest #2 (Family/Pumpkins) or email it to Robin Billerbeck before 9 am on Tuesday, November 1.
• Voting will begin at 10 am and end at 1 pm with winners announced via email.

Now’s the time to imagine what/how you’ll dress up for this year’s Halloween contest. Inspiration from previous years can be found on the “Spooktacular Hall of Fame” page.

In a follow-up to the All Staff Kick-off meeting in August, “Drink the Stupid Water” stickers have been created and will be available for staff to pick up at the three main Central Rivers AEA locations if interested. Contact Robin Billerbeck with any questions.

Who are the faces of the professional learning team and what do they do? Our Central Rivers AEA professional learning team is working hard to provide high-quality service and one way that we can do this is by identifying and sharing our roles and responsibilities, see the list below. You can reach the team at ProfessionalLearning@centralriversaea.org or (319)-272-8200. View or save the Professional Learning Team Workflow chart for more information. Please don’t hesitate to contact our team if you have any questions or need assistance.

Professional learning team member, role and responsibilities:

Kay Schmalen, Director of Professional Learning

• Lead, Inspire, Innovate series
• Approve and train instructors
• Communications to RAs
• Develops/updates instructor guides
• Oversees PL budget
• Contact person for CPI contracts
• Manages on-demand learning system
• Updates and manages PL webpages, blog and newsletter

Angie Gansen, Professional Learning Coordinator

• Manages contracts for PD learning
• Approves new courses
• Supports course proposal development
• Develops/updates instructor guides
• Oversees paraeducator process
• Contact person for CPI contracts
• Manages on-demand learning system
• Updates and manages PL webpages, blog and newsletter

Julie Danker, Professional Learning Assistant

• Approves vitas
• Point person for new sections
• Troubleshoots registration issues
• Submits grades to colleges
• Manages CRAEA staff course registration
• Communications low enrollment
• Manages chat line
• Manages front desk and phones

Corlene Collum, Professional Learning Assistant

• Approves vitas
• Oversees room reservations
• Troubleshoots registration issues
• Emails instructors for tech needs
• Orders course materials and office supplies
• Communicates with tech department
• Manages chat line
• Manages front desk and phones

While we are super excited to have people in our buildings again, making room reservations is even more important than ever! For some of you, it may have been a while since you made a reservation. Others may be new to our agency. Making a room reservation helps our staff prepare for you, helps visitors know where to go when they come to our offices and eliminates confusion and conflicts. If you are unfamiliar with the process, this article can help you with the process of how to make a room reservation. Three important things to keep in mind when making room reservations:

1. Be as specific as you can in the title of your reservation so those at the front desk can direct visitors to the proper location. *If your reservation is connected to a course, please use the course number and title.
2. If you no longer need the room, please cancel so others may reserve the room and staff are aware.
3. Use the system to communicate with Corlene (at Cedar Falls), Melinda (at Clear Lake) or Carolyn (at Marshalltown) to indicate technology needs. You can also email them as well. This helps our technology department be prepared so your event runs smoothly.  

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Corlene Collum at (319)-273-8246 or ccollum@centralriversaea.org.

Our professional learning team is here to help! As you create your courses and sections, keep in mind we appreciate them being submitted at least three weeks in advance. Here are some tips:

Title of Courses

• Central Rivers AEA offerings must start with CR<space>dash<space> (For example CR – Paraeducator Generalist Certification Program – Course II Instructional Support)
• District Offerings: include District in the Title

Section Titles

• Physical City/Site Location of class Start Date and Year
  • • Cedar Falls CRAEA October 6 2022 (means the section is at Central Rivers in the Cedar Falls office)
    • Clear Lake CRAEA December 11 2022
  • If class location is in school district, use the District or Building
    • Cedar Falls High June 7 2023
    • Nashua October 31 2022
  • If Zoom, use Zoom Origination site and Zoom 
    • Cedar Falls CRAEA Zoom October 15 2022

Courses offering Licensure Renewal Credit or Graduate Credit:

• Credit must describe activities that add up to the full number of hours in the course in order to be approved.
  
• 1 License Renewal Credit = 15 Instructor Led Contact Hours
  
• 1 Graduate Credit = 15 Instructor Led Contact Hours + 30 Out of Class Hours
  • Instructor Led Contact Hours: anything that is direct instruction, created by you, that the students read/watch. Anything that is a student collaborating with other students, like forums or group work. Anything that is direct assessment, like students performing a presentation or taking a quiz 1 discussion forum = 3 hours.  
  • Out of Class Contact Hours: the orientation, ongoing communication with the teacher, homework, reading/watching anything created by someone else (like links or articles), any work spent getting ready to prepare for assessments (like completing the assignment, completing the presentation, building the sample Google classroom course)
  • Registration: All participants, regardless of credit type, are expected to register before every professional learning opportunity. 

Use this template to create your course/workshop before putting it into the system. It is easier to communicate with Angie or Kay about updates and changes.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Angie Gansen, Professional Learning Registration System Coordinator at (319)-273-8246 or agansen@centralriversaea.org or Kay Schmalen, Director of Professional Learning at (641)-329-4271 or kschmalen@centralriversaea.org.

What do you want to learn today? Check out the latest on-demand learning pieces by our Central Rivers AEA experts!

Universal Constructs: Flexibility and Adaptability – Ann Lupkes, Work Experience/Transition Coordinator 
Flexibility and Adaptability – why are they important for future learning, working and life readiness?

Project-Based Learning in Early Childhood – Michelle Haberman & Jessie Blohm, Consultants for Early Childhood 
Project-Based Learning provides a natural way to promote student agency, integrating curriculum and social-emotional learning for students.

Dyslexia: Myths and Facts – Danielle Hakeman and Andrea Raber, Consultants for Literacy 
This video will address some common myths about dyslexia and provide facts that help educators better understand their students.

Even with 150+ content pieces in our on-demand system, we are in need of content authors! Do you have expertise in any of the following topics? Perhaps you’ve led professional learning in one of these areas?  

• Accommodations/Modifications/Adaptations to support inclusion
• Alternatives to whole group instruction
• Executive functioning – (non-triggered) supports
• Motivating the intentional non-learners
• Teaching Social Skills

Do you have an idea for a topic you wish to share with others? This on-demand learning provides guidance on how to create and submit on-demand content.

Check out all our learning opportunities by visiting Central Rivers AEA On-Demand Learning. Don’t see what you were looking for? Provide us with feedback on content you’d like to see in the on-demand system.

Just a reminder that you are invited to join your Central Rivers AEA colleagues in our INspired Well-being Zooms every Monday in October, from 8:00-8:30 am, except October 24 – office flu shot clinic.

• You’ll get ideas found in Tina Boogren’s 180 Days of Self-care for Educators.
• Connect in a quick breakout room with a few colleagues.
• Consider a next step to enhance your well-being.

Zoom links can be found on the “CRAEA Master Google Calendar.” Please reach out to Dr. Leslie Moore, Leadership Coach, with any questions.

Welcome to Cybersecurity Awareness Month! This year’s campaign theme – “See Yourself in Cyber” – reminds all Central Rivers AEA staff to own their role in protecting their part of cyberspace, stressing personal accountability and the importance of taking proactive steps to strengthen cybersecurity.

One of the best ways to protect your account is to have an extra form of verification in place, because weak or stolen passwords account for the majority of security breaches. Google has a feature called 2-Step Verification that helps keep out anyone that shouldn’t have access to your account by requiring a second step after entering your password.

What is 2-Step Verification?
2-Step Verification is an authentication method that requires the user to perform an additional step to verify access to their account. Rather than just asking for a username and password, 2-Step Verification requires one additional verification factor (typically something you have), which decreases the likelihood of unauthorized access.

Why are we requiring 2-Step Verification?
The primary benefit of implementing 2-Step Verification is to enhance Central Rivers AEA security by requiring staff to identify themselves by more than a username and password. While important, usernames and passwords are vulnerable to phishing attacks and can be stolen by cyber criminals. Enforcing the use of 2-Step Verification means increased assurance that Central Rivers AEA accounts will stay protected.

How does 2-Step Verification work?
2-Step Verification works by requiring additional verification factors, and one of the most common forms that users encounter are One-Time Passwords (OTP). OTPs are those 4-8 digit codes that you often receive via email, text or mobile app. A new code is generated each time an authentication request is submitted adding another layer of security. 

Recently, Google sent out email notifications to Central Rivers AEA staff informing them to enroll in 2-Step Verification by October 31, 2022 (see screenshot below). Please select “Enroll” from the email notification to get started with setting up your account for enhanced protection, or choose “Get Started” to complete your 2-Step Verification enrollment.

When you receive any suspicious communications: Stop and think before you click! Please contact the Help Desk at (319)-273-8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org for questions or assistance with completing your 2-Step Verification enrollment.

To support a timely staff replacement selection process and assist in budget planning, the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors approved an incentive be provided for Certified, NUSS, CWA and Administrative Staff who provide early notification of their intent to resign or retire at the end of the 2022-23 work year.

The proposed incentive would be administered as follows:

1. Commitments of separation by resignation or retirement at the end of the 2022-23 work year.
2. Notification of resignation or retirement received in the Human Resources Office before January 3, 2023 and 
3. Accepted by the Board no later than the regular meeting on January 4, 2023.
4. Will receive an early notification incentive payment of $2,000, payable June 20, 2023.
5. Subject to the employee fulfilling their individual employment contract obligations for the 2022-23 work year. Staff resigning or retiring who separate prior to the end of the 2022-23 work year are not eligible for the early notification incentive.
6. Staff must have worked for Central Rivers AEA for three full years to receive this incentive.

A reminder that staff have the opportunity to personally choose and purchase a “Thank You” Central Rivers AEA branded apparel item until December 31. There are two storefronts set up for this promotion; One site is preset with $30 items only and will be charged straight to the agency for each order. The second site will allow those who want to shop for little higher-end merchandise to use the $30 “THANKYOU” code voucher and your own credit card to make a purchase. Instructions to access the storefronts can be found below:

1. Visit the CRAEA staff intranet.
2. Go to the Business Office/HR page.
3. Select the Central Rivers AEA “Thank You” Storefront page.
4. Choose one of the two catalogs to shop from (read the page for web store details e.g. – tax-exempt vs. non-tax-exempt).

For more information, please see the FAQs for CRAEA “Thank You” storefront document or contact Jenny Young, (jyoung@storeykenworthy.com) our apparel account representative.

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors has officially begun a search for a new Chief Administrator. The recruitment effort is led by the executive search firm GR Recruiting.

The search will begin immediately and continue through December with the successful candidate named ideally before winter break. Staff have been invited to provide input regarding which key leadership traits and qualities are most important for the position to ensure the new hire is a good fit for the AEA. A survey was sent to all staff on August 29 for input. *Please note that feedback is due by 10:00 am on Friday, September 9. The GR Recruiting search team will produce a report based on the information gathered in the survey which the board will utilize in developing a position profile that will be utilized in recruitment.

In addition, the process of identifying staff members to fill out interview teams has been completed. A team of 10-12 staff members in each of the categories of Administration, Certified, Classified/NUSS staff and Superintendents will be chosen.  

The Central Rivers AEA board appreciates your input! Other important dates to note in the search process.

• Board Meeting to Finalize Candidate Profile September 15
• Application Period September 16 – November 7
• Board Meeting to Review Candidates November 21 (closed session)
• First Round Candidate Interviews November 28 – 29 (closed session)
• Interview Finalist Candidates December 12 – 14 (closed session)

For more information about the Chief Administrator search process, please reach out to Lori Thomas.

Contact Manager is a tool created to allow staff to send email messages for targeted groups of educators. This is a great tool for promoting your professional learning opportunities or meetings that are targeted toward specific audiences.

How do I use Contact Manager?

1. Go to: http://contactmanager.centralriversaea.org
2. If you are not signed in, click the “Sign in with Google” Button and follow the prompts to sign in through Google.
3. Click “Search Contacts” to begin.
4. Select the criteria from the options on the page to narrow your search from all the educators our agency serves to only those in your desired group.
5. Click the “search” button at the bottom of the page.
6. Select individuals or all the members of this group to email (create labels for and/or export into a spreadsheet) by using the check boxes next to each name.
7. Then, click your desired action at the bottom of the page (Email Selected Contacts, Export Selected Contacts, Generate Labels).
8. Follow the steps on the screen to finish.

Who do I contact for help?

• Beth Strike, Director of Creative Services/Communications
• Kristine Kienzle, Technical Support Manager for Media

*Note: These directions are archived on the Staff Website>Communications>Contact Manager for future reference.