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 26-January 2 for the holiday break.

Voicemail example:
“Hello, this is (your name). Our office will be closed beginning Monday, December 26 and will reopen on Tuesday, January 3. Please leave your name, telephone number and a brief message and I will return your call on the third. Thank you and have a safe and happy holiday season from all of us at Central Rivers AEA.”

Email “away” message example:
Thank you for your email. I will be out of the office beginning Monday, December 26 and will respond to your email upon my return when offices reopen on Tuesday, January 3. Thank you and have a wonderful holiday season!

If you need assistance with either task, please contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

*(If you are already signed up, you do not need to do anything.)
With winter almost here, be sure you are signed up to receive Central Rivers AEA weather alerts via text, call or email regarding office closings or professional learning cancellations.

Staff members can contact Shirley Horak, Human Resources Coordinator, for assistance with signing up.

Anything created by Central Rivers AEA employees should follow branding, copyright and accessibility guidelines, including using the CRAEA approved fonts. The approved fonts are:

• Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold and Arial Narrow when possible.
• You can also use Times, Open Sans or Garamond.
• *Do not use “cute” or decorative fonts like Chalkboard, Papyrus, calligraphy or handwriting fonts for brochures, newsletters, calendars or email signatures.
• You may use decorative fonts for flyers or materials for extracurricular activities.

Also, the colors we use matter! The approved colors are:

• Primary blue (#001e5f)
• Primary orange (#fa9e0d)
• Primary green (#94d500)
• Primary gray (#666366)
• Secondary blue (#45637a)
• Secondary orange (#c68627)
• Secondary green (#638f38)
• Secondary gray (#e2e1dd)

*Important to note: The exception to the rule would be if colors were following the branding of another purpose or organization (ie. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or The New Teacher Project (TNTP). Check out and bookmark this slideshow for everything on Copyright, Branding and Accessibility. Please contact Beth Strike, Director of Creative Services/Communications or Contessa Van Buskirk, Communications Specialist, with any questions.

Ben Collins, Google Developer Expert & Data Analytics Instructor teaches Google Sheets and Google Docs tips. This paste special tip works for Google Docs, Slides and Drawings.

Google Sheets Tip #229: Paste Special

You’re probably familiar with the copy-and-paste shortcuts (Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V). Paste Special takes that a step further by letting you perform an operation as you paste the data. Majority of the time, paste data as values only is used, which removes any underlying formulas and the formatting. To paste as values, use the shortcut keys:

• Ctrl + Shift + V on PC/Chromebooks
• Cmd + Shift + V on Macs

It’s a universal shortcut that works elsewhere too. It’s useful when copying from one place to another, for example, if you want to copy a table from a website into a Google Sheet without all the formatting issues.

Other Paste Special Operations
Paste special is more powerful than just pasting values. Right click in Google Sheets to bring up the menu. Hover over “Paste special” and you’ll see the different operations you can perform on data you’ve copied to the clipboard:

For more weekly Google tips, sign up for Ben Collins’ newsletter.

Our agency’s annual review of mandatory policies and procedural items are now available! For viewing, please visit the document as there are important updates to read. A few examples include:

• Agency Operations (such as our vision, values, equity updates, etc.)
• Navigating and understanding the important items in your Weblink portal
• Quick links available on our new staff intranet

There is plenty of information to go through, please contact Shirley Horak or Robin Billerbeck, in HR with any questions.

In Iowa, more than 300,000 Iowans experience food insecurity at any given time. Food insecurity happens in every town, every community and in every school! Low-income and fixed-income families do not have the money needed to spend on nutritious food and sadly, hunger impacts children the most. One-third of those considered food-insecure in Iowa are children. 

This holiday season, Central Rivers AEA is supporting the Food Bank of Iowa and the Northeast Iowa Food Bank in order to provide meals to families in need. Between them, the two food pantries cover our entire service area!

Between Thanksgiving and December 21, your donations will go directly to support needy area children and their families!  And, as a way of thanking you, every dollar you give gets you entered into a raffle for prizes, generously donated by the CRAEA administrative team. Prizes include gift cards to places such as Casey’s, HyVee, Target and Walmart, along with other great items!

To participate, send a check to Lori Thomas, Executive Assistant/Board Secretary in the Cedar Falls office, made out to the food bank of your choice (Food Bank of Iowa or Northeast Iowa Food Bank). Donations by credit card will need to be made directly to your chosen food bank and you can send a screenshot or actual copy of your receipt to Lori. If you prefer to give a cash donation, be sure to designate the food bank and Lori will send you a receipt.

Together we can help ensure that no child in Iowa experiences food insecurity!

Plan now to join the Chief Administrator, Sam Miller, on Friday, November 18, at 8 am for a virtual update 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
• One tap mobile +16469313860,,87609674396# US
• Meeting ID: 876 0967 4396

*Meeting link can also be found on the CRAEA Master Calendar.

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. Please reach out to Gina Weekley, Coordinator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, with any questions.

Join us from 11-11:30 am on November 28 for the first Courageous Conversations meeting. Courageous Conversations will be 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? 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:

• Join the Zoom Meeting: https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/86262411246
• Zoom ID: 86262411246

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.

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.

As a reminder from what was released from the Equity Audit, the “APA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Inclusive Language Guide” is an optional tool available to all staff to enhance learning and awareness of DEI terms and concepts.

Did you know… A minority group is a population subgroup (e.g., ethnic, racial, social, religious or other group) with differential power than those deemed to hold the majority power in the population.

• The relevance of this term is outdated and has changed as the demographics of the population change.
• You should avoid using the term “minority” and use the specific name of the group or groups to which you are referring.
  • E.g., say people of color or communities of color vs. ethnic and racial minorities