The Channel

Take some time on Wednesday, April 26 to recognize our outstanding office support team during Administrative Professionals Day! This group of staff working in our offices are instrumental in keeping the agency running smoothly and ensuring all staff have what they need to do their jobs. We couldn’t do what we do without them!

Caring for children can be a journey – let’s support one another! Starting on Thursday, April 20, there will be monthly Parent/Guardian/Caretaker support group meetings held at the Central Rivers AEA Clear Lake office. Important details can be found below.

• Meetings will be held from 12:30–2 pm, or 5:30–7 pm, every third Thursday of the month.
• They will be held only at the Clear Lake office location at this time.
• The support group is for all parents, guardians and caretakers of children ages birth–21.

Please fill out the Google Form to RSVP. Check out the flyer or reach out to Loni Jorgenson, Family Educator Partnership Coordinator, or Kandi Bienfang-Lee, School Social Worker, for questions or information.

Central Rivers AEA is again participating in the Des Moines Register Top Workplaces survey as part of our continuous focus on organizational health! You should have received an email on Monday, February 27 that includes an access link to the survey. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and provide us with your valuable feedback by March 12.

While the survey is good information, we hope that you aren’t waiting for the survey to share your thoughts/ideas. Our goal is to foster an environment where you feel comfortable sharing any thoughts or concerns as they arise, not just during the annual survey. *Energage, an independent research company, is conducting the survey. To protect your confidentiality, they will not disclose your specific responses to us. A few additional things to note…

• If you do not receive the survey email within the next two weeks, please check your spam or junk email for a message from “Energage Survey.” To open the survey invitation, you may have to confirm the email is not spam. 
• If you delete the survey email accidentally, you will receive a reminder message within a few days that includes another access link.
• Please do not forward the survey email to a colleague. Each email has a unique code to prevent multiple responses from a single person.

Plan now to join Chief Administrator, Sam Miller, and incoming Chief Administrator, Joel Pedersen, on Friday, April 28, at 9 am for virtual updates on agency events and current trends in K-12 education. This is a great opportunity to get to know Joel and have any of your questions or concerns answered! So grab a cup of coffee or your favorite morning beverage and join us in welcoming Joel.

Join via Zoom:

• 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@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231. If you missed the last Coffee with The Chief, the link to the recording and passcode to view can be found below.

• February 24 – Coffee with The Chief recording
• Passcode: 9d#3ee*. (Please note, there is a period in the end that is a part of the password.)

The virtual all-staff meeting to honor our retirees will take place on Friday, May 26. Please join us as we celebrate those retiring! The celebration will begin at 9 am and more details will be available in an upcoming edition of The Channel.

Following Dr. Beverly Plagge’s (Regional Administrator, Region 1) announcement of her retirement effective June 30, the agency welcomes Melissa Hesner, Brena Huber and Dana Harskamp to new roles!

• Effective July 1, Melissa Hesner will become Regional Administrator for Region 1, succeeding Dr. Plagge.
• Brena Huber has been selected to take Melissa’s place as Regional Administrator in Region 7.
• Dana Harskamp has been selected to serve as Assistant Regional Administrator in Region 7, replacing Brena.

Melissa joined the agency in 2011 as a science consultant, consultant for school improvement and AIW lead coach. Her career as a professional educator started as a high school science teacher in the Postville Community School District. Melissa has also taught high school and middle school science in the East Buchanan Community School District.

Brena joined the agency in 2016 as a Team Representative before transitioning to the Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) lead. Prior to that, she worked as a special education teacher, autism specialist and school psychologist in Arizona.

Dana joined the agency in 2021 as a Consultant for School Improvement. She has served for over 20 years in both urban and rural settings as a building administrator, instructional coach, teacher and consultant in both Iowa and Omaha school districts.

Congrats to all on your new positions!

Caring for children can be a journey – let’s support one another! Starting on Thursday, April 20, there will be monthly Parent/Guardian/Caretaker support group meetings held at the Central Rivers AEA Clear Lake office. Important details can be found below.

• Meetings will be held from 12:30–2 pm, or 5:30–7 pm, every third Thursday of the month.
• They will be held only at the Clear Lake office location at this time.
• The support group is for all parents, guardians and caretakers of children ages birth–21.

Please reach out to Loni Jorgenson, Family Educator Partnership Coordinator, for questions or information.

Interested in engaging in courageous conversations?
Join us on March 6 for our next Courageous Conversations! Courageous Conversations are a space, either virtual or in person, for staff to gather for 30 minutes to have guided conversations, ask questions and learn about DEI topics.

Want to submit questions or comments anonymously to discuss during the bi-monthly meetings? Would you like to facilitate a meeting? Do you have general thoughts or questions about DEI+belonging that you would like to submit anonymously? Fill out the “Courageous Conversations” Google survey. Meeting information can be found below. *All meetings are from 11-11:30 am.

• March 6, March 20, April 3, April 17, May 1, May 15 *(All bi-weekly meeting Zoom links can also be found on the CRAEA Master Google calendar.)
• Join the Zoom Meeting: https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/6050295031
• Zoom ID: 605 029 5031
• Padlet: https://padlet.com/cvanbuskirk4/9kmkgeeklejy5sdx
• Meeting Overviews Google document

More information can be found on the “Courageous Conversations” page on our staff website. Please reach out to Gina Weekley, Coordinator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, with any questions.

Did you know… Individuals may identify as African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latino or other? 

• Black and African American are not always interchangeable.
• Some people prefer the term black because they do not identify as African and/or American.
• Use the term preferred by the group or individual.
• Do not say “the Blacks.” And never, ever, ever “negro” the “n-word” or “colored.”

Plan now to join Chief Administrator, Sam Miller, on Friday, February 24 and Friday, April 28, at 9 am for virtual updates on agency events and current trends in K-12 education. This is a great opportunity to get any questions or concerns you have answered. So grab a cup of coffee or your favorite morning beverage and join us!

Join via Zoom:

• 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@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors recently approved a plan for summer hours that will bring greater flexibility to those on contract in the summer months. In June and July, staff will work one of the following schedules in concert with their supervisor and department.

1. Four, 10-hour work days with Fridays off.
2. Four, 9-hour work days with a half day of work on Friday.
3. Five 8-hour work days.

*Please note that the office will officially be closed on Fridays during this period so staff working on Fridays will do so virtually with the exception of those whose roles and responsibilities do not enable them to work from home.

Please see your supervisor for more information on the schedule your department will be observing this summer.

W-2s for the calendar year 2022 were handed out to office staff or mailed to your home during the week of January 23. If you need another copy, please visit the Web Link portal under Employee Information > Payroll and Compensation and download the form. Questions should be directed via email to Shane Wolf or by calling 319-273-8203.

The 2023 All-Staff Kickoff meeting will be held on Friday, August 18. Please add this date to your calendar. The meeting will be held in the Cedar Falls Conference Center and attendance is mandatory for all Central Rivers AEA employees.

A reminder to all staff that the virtual background feature is available and allows you to display an image or video as your background during a Zoom meeting.

Not everyone has a home office and sometimes letting coworkers see into your private space can be uncomfortable, which is why Zoom offers virtual backgrounds that let users hide what’s behind them. For recommended setup and examples, please review the Virtual Backgrounds in Zoom document or reach out to the Central Rivers AEA Tech Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

The Everyday Inclusion App delivers diversity, equity and inclusion solutions that support inclusive values, create daily behavior change and embed inclusion in culture in a digital and scalable format on your cell phone. The app is available for all Central Rivers AEA staff to download and use. View the DEI+Belonging Resources page on the staff website for download details and to view account creation instructions.

February’s Badge Challenge is, “Black History Month Inclusion Champion 2023.” Did you know… Black History Month originally started out as a week-long celebration in 1926? In 1976, President Ford officially recognized February as Black History month. Check out the history and background behind Black History Month for more information. Everyday Inclusion also provides all CRAEA staff with the Top Diversity and Inclusion Words/Phrases of 2023 for an additional resource.

The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging page is available on the staff website and provides various resources for all staff to create awareness, educate and reinforce policies that support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Please reach out to Gina Weekley, Coordinator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, with any questions.