The Channel

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
• It is never too late to ask for help

Visit MakeItOk.org to learn more about the campaign and “What to Say.”

Take the Pledge!

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.

There is a new link available on the staff website to order lost/broken silver name tags or updated photo ID badges. Directions can be found below.

1. Go to the staff website
2. Visit Business Office/HR
3. Go to Policies/Procedures/Training
4. Select ID Badges (reorder form) and fill out/submit the form

Reach out to Robin Billerbeck, Human Resources Specialist, with questions.

Let’s kick off the 2024 New Year by celebrating you as a parent/guardian/caretaker. Important details can be found below.

• There will be a parent/guardian/caretaker support group meeting on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 5:30 pm at the Clear Lake Central Rivers AEA office.
• The support group is for all parents, guardians and caretakers of children ages birth–21.
• The meeting will be filled with pizza and conversation to support one another in the parent/guardian/caretaker journey.

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

Better Together in Sweater Weather

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.

Starting on December 20, we will be re-introducing our wellness bingo initiative! Inspired by the principles of “Educator Wellness” from Tina Boogren and Timothy Kanold, this program is designed to enhance the well-being of our staff across four key dimensions: Physical, Mental, Emotional and Social Wellness.

Over the next six months, our wellness bingo offers a unique and engaging way for you to prioritize your health and happiness. Each square on your bingo card will represent an activity or challenge that aligns with one of the wellness dimensions. We will focus on one specific dimension for the first four months and some integration of all the dimensions for the last two months. Whether it’s a physical exercise, a mental puzzle, an activity to boost your emotional health or a task to enhance social connections, each completed activity brings you closer to filling out your bingo card!

As a token of appreciation for your commitment to wellness, if you complete 20 out of the 25 activities, you’ll earn the incentive.  The incentive is a $25 gift certificate (coupon code) from a large number of possible vendors.

Remember, this is more than just a game – it’s an opportunity to embrace a holistic approach to your well-being, find balance and enjoy the journey towards a healthier, happier you! Get ready to mark those squares, explore some wellness activities, and most importantly, have fun while doing it! Complete details will be sent out to all staff on December 20.

Registration for the full-day Disrupting Bias learning session, offered by Gina Weekley and MaKenzie Hakeman, is now open and will be offered at each Central Rivers AEA office location. Register online through the AEA Professional Learning system.

Course Description: Join us for a full-day learning session* that will provide a framework to disrupt bias behaviors. Bias limits our ability to make the best decisions for our teachers, our students, and our families. The awareness of our biases is foundational to becoming more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Unconscious bias is something everyone has and that doesn’t make us bad; it makes us human. Through this session, you will be able to recognize bias, disrupt bias, learn how to choose courage, and increase your connections! *This training is for Central Rivers AEA Staff only!

Course information to register:

• February 29, 2024 – Clear Lake office (Section #317832)
• April 23, 2024 – Marshalltown office (rescheduled session)
• May 20, 2024 – Cedar Falls office (Section #317833)

Reach out to MaKenzie Hakeman with questions.

Wondering what is happening with the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging work? We are excited to share some updates and invitations to participate in some great opportunities!

Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are moving forward! Thank you to everyone who expressed interest. Based on the feedback we will have two groups starting in January (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and LGBTQ+). If you expressed interest in a group that is not indicated because only one or no people expressed interest. This is an ongoing process and we will periodically send out the interest form. If there are two or more people expressing interest in participating in an ERG, we add it.

If you have not had the opportunity to fill out the ERG interest form, please feel free to complete it now. Dr. Miller will reach out to all group members who responded in the near future to set up an informational meeting and start walking our ERG talk. Please contact Dr. Dana Miller with any questions.

Continuing Courageous Conversations

Thank you to everyone who responded to the Courageous Conversations interest forms. Based on your responses, we will start having Courageous Conversations in January! We heard your voices last year and have changed the structure a bit based on your feedback. Each month we will share a discussion topic and you will have two opportunities to participate. We know schedules are chaotic and sometimes a barrier, so we want to be flexible. We will meet the first Friday* of each month from 8:00-8:45 am, and the second Wednesday of the month from 11:00-11:45 am. *The month of January will be an exception. Only one meeting on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 11:00-11:45 am. Invitations will be added to the Agency calendar. Please contact Dr. Dana Miller with any questions.

Book Study

We are excited to share that based on your responses, Sublet Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify and Stop Micoraggressions (Jana and Baran, 2023) was selected for our Winter DEI+B Book Study. The Book Study will start in February. If you are interested in participating, but did not complete the form, please contact Dr. Dana Miller by December 18.

Key Mindsets follow-up

During November 28’s staff learning (prior to regional meetings), practices were shared which might help us to surrender, or to stop resisting something in our lives. Take 30 seconds to reflect right now – what might you be resisting? Noticing is the first step! If that is something you want to change, which practice might help? As promised, here is the session’s slide deck to review for extra support.

Interested in 1:1 Core Energy Coaching?

If you are a Central Rivers AEA staff member, one of the well-being and leadership benefits is access to “Core Energy Coaching” with Certified Professional Coach, Dr. Leslie Moore. Sessions are one hour via Zoom, confidential, scheduled by you through Google Calendar invitations and are based on your individual Energy Leadership Index results. For more information or questions, email Leslie at lmoore@centralriversaea.org.