The Channel

Check out the “Spooktacular Hall of Fame” to view current and past winners and participants.

Our 2023 winners:

Group 1st place: The Kelces & T-Swift: Kirk Abkes, Rebekah Robbs, Corlene Collum, Kay Schmalen, Angie Gansen and Paul Yarrow

Group 2nd place: The Wizard of Oz: Scarecrow- Becky Wedemeier, Tin man- Angie Bergmann, Dorothy- Suzette Miller, Cowardly lion- Savannah Roquet

Solo 1st place: Scarecrow – Becky Wedemeier

Solo 2nd place: Casey Becker from Scream – Kasey Heinz

Family 1st place: Kesley the football player with Mom at the NICU & Marlee the Unicorn at home – Molly Ulenhopp

Family 2nd place: Pokémon – Sara Blake

Pumpkin Creation 1st place: Jena, Wes, Wyatt and Amelia Hardy

Pumpkin Creation 2nd place: Erica & Gwendolyn Liao: Erica Liao

Have you taken Unconscious Bias training and want more? The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee invites you to join us in a DEI-focused book study!

• All interested Central Rivers AEA staff will complete a short Google Form regarding interest and potential books.
• Based on the responses, a book will be selected and you will receive an email including the book title, a study guide and a schedule for the book study.
• We understand everyone is busy, so we will divide the book into sections to complete prior to our meeting.
• All meetings will be held via Zoom to discuss the book and dig deeper into learning, understanding and growing together.
• The book study will begin in January 2024.

If you are interested in participating in the DEI Book Study please complete this short form. We look forward to hearing from you and supporting each other as we navigate our DEI journey! Reach out to Dr. Dana Miller or MaKenzie Hakeman with questions.

The 2024 Central Rivers AEA All-Staff Kickoff meeting will be held on Friday, August 16. Please add this date to your calendar. The meeting will be held in the Cedar Falls conference center, and attendance is mandatory for all CRAEA employees.

Other important 2024 dates include:

• Wednesday, August 14, 2024: CRAEA New Staff Orientation 
• Thursday, August 15, 2024: CRAEA New Staff Mentoring

Details about the day will be shared in a future monthly edition of The Channel.

The University of Northern Iowa School Psychology Program is partnering with Central Rivers AEA, Great Prairie AEA and Northwest AEA for the “Grow Your Own” program.

We will have a meeting to discuss the program at the Cedar Falls office on Thursday, October 12 at 3 pm (or join via Zoom https://buff.ly/46C00ft).

Reach out to Amy Knupp, Executive Director of Special Education, with questions.

Plan now to join Chief Administrator, Joel Pedersen, for coffee with the chief! This is a great opportunity to hear virtual updates on agency events, current trends in K-12 education and have any questions or concerns you have answered. All of the meetings will be held via Zoom and on Fridays, starting at 8 am. So, grab a cup of coffee or your favorite morning beverage and join us!

Meeting dates:

• November 3, 2023
• February 9, 2024
• April 12, 2024

Zoom details:

• https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/87609674396
• Meeting ID: 876 0967 4396
• One tap mobile +16469313860,,87609674396# US

Need support? Contact the Central Rivers AEA Tech Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversara.org or 319-273-8231.

Mark your calendars for Monday, October 9 for a training with new website editors! The training, led by Phil Hendricks and Contessa Van Buskirk, will be held from 9-10 am, via Zoom. We will stay on Zoom from 10-10:30 am to answer any extra questions editors may have.

For those that cannot attend, this training will be recorded and sent out with a slide deck resource after the meeting. The resource/Zoom recording will also be available on the staff website in the upcoming week. Reach out to Phil or Contessa with questions.

Zoom details:

• https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/85904251394
• Meeting ID: 859 0425 1394
• One tap mobile +16469313860,,85904251394# US

Need support? Contact the CRAEA Tech Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

As promised during the October 2, “Judging Less Mindset w/ DEI,” INspired Leadership session, the slide deck is available for viewing! Future Mindset sessions will take place at all three CRAEA offices on November 28, February 15 and April 16.

Mindset Practices

During October 2’s staff learning (prior to regional meetings), practices were shared which might help us to judge ourselves and others less. Take 30 seconds to reflect right now – have you noticed a time recently where you made a judgment? Noticing when we make judgments is the first step! If that is something you want to change, which practice might help? 

Empowering Podcast

Interested in a new podcast? Search your favorite platform for Jay Shetty’s On Purpose. Here’s an episode about 12 Lessons he’s learned this year. Enjoy!

Get INspired Leadership resources delivered to your inbox

Would you like to receive weekly emails that support your personal and professional leadership? If so, join ESSDACK’s INspired Weekly mailing list. You can also sign up to receive their INspired Leadership blog.

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! The contest details are as follows:

Halloween Costume Contest #1 – categories: 

• Group: (2+ co-workers): first place $50 | second place $25 voucher for books
• Solo: first place $40 | second place $20 voucher for books
• Snap a picture and upload it here: Halloween Costume Contest #1 (Group/Solo) or email it to Robin Billerbeck before 12:00 pm on Tuesday, October 31.
• Voting will begin at 12:00 pm and end at 3:00 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 voucher for books
• Pumpkin creations (photo of your unique pumpkin): first place $10 | second place $5 voucher for books
• Snap a picture and upload it to this Halloween Costume Contest #2 (Family/Pumpkins) or email it to Robin Billerbeck before 12:00 pm on Thursday, November 2
• Voting will begin at 12:00 pm and end at 3:00 pm with winners announced via email.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and this year’s theme is, “Secure Our World.” This theme encourages individuals and organizations to own their role in protecting their part of cyberspace, stressing personal accountability and the importance of taking proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity.

Statistically, phishing emails are the leading cause of data privacy incidents, so it’s more important than ever to equip yourself with the knowledge necessary to identify these malicious messages! Phishing is a type of social engineering where an attacker sends a fraudulent message designed to trick a human victim into revealing sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious software.

Please take one minute to review the message and search for any of the five common red flags shown below:

1. The message is unexpected or oddly timed.
2. The message contains odd spelling or grammatical errors.
3. The message urges actions like clicking links or opening attachments.
4. The message appears to be time sensitive or threatens consequences for inaction.
5. The message is requesting money or personal information.

When you receive any suspicious communications: Stop and think before you click! If you suspect a phishing email, please contact the Help Desk at 319-273-8231 or at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.

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

Our office buildings, grounds and River Hills School are always looking spotless, thanks to our custodial/maintenance team! While they may be more behind-the-scenes, their hard work does not go unnoticed!

Cedar Falls office:

• Kevin McKenzie, Supervisor of Buildings/Maintenance
• Shyla English, Lead Custodian/Maintenance
• Derrek Grapp, Custodian
• Don Brown, Substitute Custodian (not pictured)

Clear Lake office:

• Skyler Wood, Lead Custodian/Maintenance
• Greg Hampton, Custodian

Marshalltown office:

• Micheal Ballhagen, Lead Custodian/Maintenance

River Hills School:

• Steve Hines, Lead Custodian/Maintenance
• Jessica Devries, Custodian
• Cory Teepe, Custodian