The Channel

Now in its 18th year, October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021 and this year’s theme is “Do your part. #BeCyberSmart.”  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.

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

1. Message is unexpected or oddly timed
2. Message contains odd spelling or grammatical errors
3. Message urges actions like clicking links or opening attachments
4. Message appears to be time sensitive or threatens consequences for inaction
5. 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 helpdesk@centralriversaea.org. 

Thank you to everyone who has taken the Accessibility Self-Paced Training – CRAEA Module and given us feedback. Based on the feedback, we have made refinements to the module. Since only some sections are recommended vs required, there is no longer a summary quiz at the end. The training is still required for all staff to complete by December 1, 2021. There are still three modules that make up the course, but we have created a breakdown of which modules we suggest you familiarize yourself with vs could be useful to your job:

• We suggest you familiarize yourself with the information in this section
  • Accessibility Guidelines (Covers what the ADA says about web accessibility and covers different concepts that work together to make accessible web/digital content)
• These sections you might find useful in your day-to-day
  • Accessibility in Google Workspace Tools (Covers the tool Grackle to help make more accessible Google Documents)
  •  Zoom (Covers using Accessibility features like Closed Captioning, to help your viewership)

At the bottom of each page to move to the next page, click “Next” to take you to the next page. As you view pages, a green checkmark will appear to the right. This allows you to keep track of where you left off.

The training should take approximately 2.5 – 3 hours to complete. Once you have completed the three modules, please complete the form found on the last page of the course titled Congratulations! Course Complete!

If you have any questions or need technical assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 319.273.8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.

Many employees are receiving emails regarding a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association class action settlement.  The email contains a unique ID and links to a website with additional information. 

• This email is not a phishing attempt.  There is a pending BCBS class action settlement that may allow individuals who were covered under a BCBS policy (Wellmark) to receive settlement funds. 
• Your receipt of this email is not a guarantee that you will receive a settlement payment. 
• Individuals who didn’t receive an email may still be eligible to file a claim.
• Health Plan Name: Wellmark BCBS of Iowa
• Central Rivers AEA Group No: 36927
• Employer Address: Central Rivers Area Education Agency, 1521 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 50613

 For more information on eligibility, the claim process, and to file a claim please go directly to the settlement website.

Our office buildings and grounds 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:

• Gus Delamore, Supervisor of Buildings/Maintenance
• Gloria Hill, Lead Custodian/Maintenance
• Beth Kidder, Lead Custodian/Maintenance
• Don Brown, Substitute Custodian

Clear Lake Office:

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

Marshalltown Office:

• Lenny Hogendorn, Lead Custodian/Maintenance

River Hills School:

• Steven Hines, Lead Custodian/Maintenance
• Paul Onodinga, Custodian – 2nd Shift
• Douglas Sarauer, Custodian – 2nd Shift

Central Rivers AEA has four director districts open for re-election in December 2021. The four director districts up for re-election are: 

• Director District 1: Districts represented: Central Springs, Clear Lake, Forest City, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, Lake Mills, North Iowa, Northwood-Kensett, St. Ansgar, and West Hancock.
• Director District 2: Districts represented: Charles City, Dike-New Hartford, Dunkerton, Nashua-Plainfield, Sumner-Fredericksburg, Tripoli, Wapsie Valley, and Waverly-Shell Rock.
• Director District 7: Districts represented: Cedar Falls, Denver, and Janesville.
• Director District 8: District represented: Waterloo.

A Statement of Candidacy must be filed with the AEA board secretary no later than October 15, 2021.  Statement of Candidacy forms can be obtained by contacting Lori Thomas, Board Secretary at 319-273-8201. 

The board of directors for each school district will vote to select one candidate to serve as their representative on the AEA board and must return their official ballots by November 30, 2021. The successful candidate will be determined by a weighted voting process and sworn in to serve a four-year term during the annual, organizational meeting of the CRAEA board on December 8, 2021. 

A special “thank you” to an existing client for this request! ASI has recently released a new mobile app feature that allows participants to track and be reimbursed for medical mileage claims!

In addition to filing claims, and now, mileage claims, participants can also view their annual election amount, account balance, payments, contributions, and previously submitted claims.

ASI’s app is free and available online at www.asiflex.com or through Google Play or the App Store.  ASI prides itself on being forward thinking with technology. Do you have a new feature you’d like to see on the app or online? Let us know at marketing@asiflex.com

Avoid USPS Mail delivery delays
With the recent increase in postage costs, and the many consolidations of processing facilities, the USPS has indicated there will be mail delivery delays. Plan participants can avoid these delays and get reimbursements and communications instantly!

Simply go to asiflex.com, login to the Employee Portal, go to Account Settings and sign up for:

• Direct deposit – No need to wait for check reimbursements. Participants can get their money faster when signed up for direct deposit.
• Email and text alerts – Receive email and text alerts from ASI about when a claim is received, paid, or if additional documentation is necessary to process claims. 

To submit claims, participants can skip the mailbox. ASI offers multiple, convenient claim submission options:

• Mobile app
• Online Employee Portal at asiflex.com
• Recurring provider payments
• FSA Store Cardless Pay

This year, we are expanding the costume contest fun to include our entire CRAEA family.  What does this mean? 

It means we will have two contests this year to compete in to win bragging rights in the “Spooktacular Hall of Fame” and prizes.

This year’s prizes are extra special as we will be awarding vouchers in various amounts to purchase books for the school of your choice!

Halloween Costume Contest #1

Categories: 

• Group: (2+ co-workers): 1st place $50 / 2nd place $25 
• Solo: 1st place $40 / 2nd place $20
• Snap a picture and upload it to this Halloween Costume Contest#1 (All Staff) – Google Form or email it to Robin Billerbeck before 9:00 am on Friday, October 29.
• Voting will begin at 10:00 am and end at 1:00 pm with winners announced via email. 

Halloween Family Photo or Pumpkin Contest #2 

Categories: 

• Family (photo of you with your kids/pets): 1st place $30 / 2nd place $15
• Pumpkin creations (photo of your unique pumpkin): 1st place $10 / 2nd place $5 
• Snap a picture and upload it to this Halloween Costume Contest#2 (Family/Pumpkins)- Google Form or email it to Robin Billerbeck before 9:00 am on Monday, November 1
• Voting will begin at 10:00 am and end at 1:00 pm with winners announced via email.

The agency has a large supply of PPE available for staff which includes face masks, wipes, and hand sanitizer. If you need any items, please contact your regional administrative assistant.

The agency is once again partnering with HyVee Pharmacy to offer flu/Covid vaccine clinics for employees and their families. The vaccination schedule is as follows.

October 12, 2021, from 8:30-10:00 AM

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

October 19, 2021 from 7:45-10:00 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)

Registration for the 2021 Flu/Covid vaccination is now open and will close Tuesday, October 5.   Please remember to bring a copy of your driver’s license and a copy of your insurance card (front/back) and a completed Flu consent form and/or Covid-19 consent form.

Flu shots are covered 100% to employees & their family members with proof of insurance. The cost is $42.99 without insurance.  The Covid-19 vaccination is free for everyone. 

Please contact Betty Hesseling, Benefits Specialist with any questions bhesseling@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8202. 

Central Rivers AEA is introducing a new digital accessibility plan to help employees learn about creating inclusive digital content and establishing best practices.  Digital accessibility is not only a legal requirement, but an obligation to ensure everyone can utilize our products and services.  Creating an inclusive digital environment will provide access  to our resources and limit barriers while enhancing participation among those we support and serve.  Please note that the required training module is for all staff. 

REQUIRED: Self-Paced Training Module – This Canvas course will cover topics such as creating accessible documents, images, and videos while ensuring *ADA (Americans with Disability) compliance.  Additional modules will cover accessibility within Google Workspace and Zoom. (Please do not try and login with your Google login credentials.) Please confirm your completion of all modules by December 1, 2021.

OPTIONAL: Zoom Help Sessions – Experienced staff will be available during four Zoom sessions to assist employees with questions and completion of the training modules.  Registration is not required.

(Two options- either add the event to your calendar via the Calendar Event Link that includes the Zoom link in the event, or go directly to the Zoom link for that help session.)

Grackle Tip Sheet – Grackle is a Google Workspace add-on that checks digital content for accessibility and helps users remediate issues with a built-in correction tool.  Central Rivers AEA has purchased Grackle for our entire domain, and it is currently installed for all users.

If you have any questions or need technical assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 319.273.8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org. 

The Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention (SPP) & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) trainings are required annual trainings for all school personnel who hold a license, certificate, authorization, or statement of recognition issued by the board of educational examiners, and who have regular contact with students in K-12.

A complete listing of mandatory training can be viewed here. Training that has been submitted to the Human Resources department can be reviewed by visiting the iVisions Portal > My Personal Information > Personal Information.  Please email HR any updated PDFs of training or if you have any questions.  

The Central Rivers AEA Media Team is excited to announce a new resource that is now available to the schools we serve—PebbleGo/PebbleGo NEXT! PebbleGo is a database that is used for research distinctly customized for our students in grades K-3rd. It’s intuitive and easy to use for our teachers and learners and helps students practice foundational research skills.  

PebbleGo also provides support such as audio voice-overs, the ability to highlight text, and complete scaffolding to support differentiated instruction. With the click of a button, PebbleGo has a full Spanish option as well. It’s perfect for ELL students or Dual Language programs to enhance content and increase language development.  PebbleGo NEXT is for our upper elementary students. The text is specifically engineered for students in grades 3rd -5th  and provides articles and activities that meet the curriculum unique to those grades.  

Another added benefit is both databases include features such as lesson plans, activities, videos,  as well as reproducible for our educators to use. PebbleGo and PebbleGo NEXT are available now on our Digital Resources page. 

Check out PebbleGo/PebbleGo Next using these sign-in credentials. For more information, contact Cari Teske, Director of Media.

• Username:  crmedia
• Password:  craea

Contact Manager is a tool created to allow staff to send email messages for targeted groups of educators. The system uses data collected and housed in the Central Rivers AEA Lending Library system (Medianet). 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 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.

A few years ago, the agency unveiled a new blog called The Stream targeted specifically to region staff. The Stream is published on an as-needed basis by Regional Administrators and strives to provide news and information that staff out in the field need to best serve schools. Please don’t confuse The Stream with this publication, The Channel, which goes out monthly to all Central Rivers AEA staff members and shares more general agency-wide news and information. Both blogs serve a unique purpose and are important to review upon receipt in your in-box. You can find a live link, including archived information, to each publication on our staff website.

Want more information on the variety of ways the agency communicates? Check out this Agency Major Communication Channels doc to learn more about all our tools and how they are used to share news and information about Central Rivers AEA.

In an effort to mitigate risk due to the uptick in COVID-19 cases, a decision has been made to meet regionally rather than everyone attending in the Cedar Falls Conference Center for our all-staff meeting on Wednesday, August 18.

Staff from Regions 1, 2, and 3 will meet in the Clear Lake office.  Staff from Regions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and the youth shelters will meet in the Cedar Falls office.  Regions 9 and 11 will meet in the Marshalltown office. Please note that Region 10 is included with the Cedar Falls group. Staff members not assigned to a region (Information Technology, Creative Services, Business Office, etc.) will report to the office where they are primarily based.

The overall agenda for the day will remain the same with the presenter in the morning and regional and discipline meetings in the afternoon.  An overview of the afternoon’s agenda will be provided at each site. 

Social time begins at 8:30 am and our keynote speaker Kristen Anderson of the Brilliance Project, will begin promptly at 9:00 am.  Those attending in the Clear Lake and Marshalltown offices will be able to view the presentation via live stream.

Lunch is on your own and there will be a coffee truck on-site in the morning and La Calle food truck on-site for lunch at the Cedar Falls office, as previously arranged.  Unfortunately, due to the situation, we do not have time to secure food trucks for the Clear Lake and Marshalltown offices.  However, both areas have many wonderful restaurants to choose from and staff will be given plenty of time to enjoy lunch together. 

While wearing a face covering is not mandatory, it is encouraged in order for everyone to feel at ease when social distancing is not possible. Also, if possible, please consider wearing unscented products for the comfort of those with allergies. 

Even though the entire agency will not be all together in-person this year, the day will still be a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and network with your regional teams as we prepare for another incredible year of service!