Central Rivers AEA staff who receive reimbursement for their personal cell phones or carry an agency-owned cell phone are listed in the directory, which can be found on the staff website under Communications.
The directory can also be downloaded using the QR code. Please notify Laura Rinnels of any updates.
Did you know there is a direct relationship between how much you pay in fees and the return on your investments? You can earn more by paying less!
This is a great time to start identifying exactly how much you pay in fees. How much is the expense ratio (this is how mutual funds make their money)? Are you paying a Class A or C load (a commission that goes to a salesman)? Other commissions? Transaction fees? What is the financial advisor charging you? Other fees?
How might you pay less in fees? One option to consider is to invest in low cost index funds or ETFs that charge less than .1% per year. You should consider if paying a load or a commission when buying is worth it. One way to rid yourself of these other fees is to invest in a place like Vanguard.com. You can eliminate the advisor fee by doing it yourself.
It is never too early nor too late to better understand this world of investing. If interested in learning more you could start by reading What Color is the Sky by Michael Finley and/or The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle.
Did you know that Zoom now offers Closed Captioning? Closed Captioning enables you to not only hear the speaker but see what they are saying in transcript form. If you are the host of an upcoming meeting, please use these directions to turn Closed Captioning on and explain to users how they can use this feature. Highlighting this feature during the month of October will help others to know that it’s available which may make a tremendous difference in their ability to participate! Questions? Contact the IT Help Desk.
Mark your calendars now for an all-staff information meeting to be held virtually on Tuesday, November 10, beginning at 3:00 p.m. More details and the Zoom link will be included in November’s staff newsletter.
The Central Rivers AEA board of directors has approved the early retirement notification incentive again this year in order to support a timely staff replacement selection process.
The proposed incentive would be administered as follows:
Classified staff and staff resigning or retiring prior to the end of the 2020-21 work-year are not eligible for the early notification incentive. For more information, contact Karl Kurt, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Human Resources.
Every year the Human Resources department needs to communicate on a wide range of topics that all staff need to know.
Please review this document for specific board policies and mandatory training requirements.
Questions should be addressed to Shirley Horak, HR Coordinator (shorak@centralriversaea.org)
Be sure to check out the new Wellness Wave website this month where you will find resources and fun challenges, including:
Shandra Sarasio Meyer,
Teacher of Deaf & Hard of Hearing
The Iowa AEA system 2020 Innovative Creator Award was recently presented to our own Shandra Meyer! Shandra serves as both the Lead Teacher for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing as well as the state leader for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing teachers. The Innovative Creator Award celebrates innovative and creative thinking and actions to enrich student learning.
Shandra was nominated by Anna Crenshaw and Melissa Schossow, who wrote:
“Shandra is a hard worker who supports so many different people and groups within and outside of Central Rivers AEA. She is the discipline lead for the Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing where she leads and supports her team with grace and dedication. Shandra directly serves students across multiple districts. She writes excellent IEPs and supports her team members in doing the same. Shandra also serves as the Co-Chair for Hearing State Leadership in Iowa. Even with all of these responsibilities, she always has time for a quick chat or problem solving session. Shandra goes above and beyond for everyone that she interacts with in all of her different roles and deserves recognition for this work.”
Congratulations, Shandra!
Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. Wellness is more than being free from illness, it is a dynamic process of change and growth. It is a process of achieving a state of physical, mental, and social well-being.
Please, join us in helping you to make your wellness a priority! We made adjustments to this year’s program, and we hope the ease of use makes it painless to complete and submit your accomplishments.
Staff will have the opportunity to earn $200 (maximum) in wellness dollars for the 2020-21. The payout date will be June 18, 2021.
Activities have been divided into five categories;
Ready to check it out? Each activity is worth $10.00. When you complete an activity, just enter in the date and mark complete and you will also earn the badge that’s attached to the activity. Earned badges will show on the top right of your screen so you’ll be able to visually see your efforts. The more badges you earn, the easier they will be to find!
Please join us in recognizing staff for their many years of service to children, families and educators. Staff members receiving recognition this month include those who have reached the major milestone of 45 and 35 years of service!
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?
Who do I contact for help?
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.
Beginning September 1st, employers are given the option of implementing an executive order, issued by President Trump, that would defer the tax (6.2%) employees pay toward Social Security through December 31st. As of this writing, this is only a deferral of the tax — NOT forgiveness of the tax owed. Congress would need to act to forgive or eliminate this Social Security tax. Taxes would be owed and paid January through April.
Due to the fact that the tax is only deferred and the tax would still be collected, Central Rivers AEA has chosen NOT to implement this executive order, unless Congress takes formal action to forgive the tax. We feel it is in the best interest of our employees to continue the normal tax withholdings and avoid a greater tax burden on employees at the beginning of 2021. Please reach out to Michael Kalvig if you have any questions.
The Educational Directory for 2020-21 has been updated and can be viewed on the agency website under the About section. In addition, a downloadable pdf of the directory can be found on the resources page of the staff website. If you would like to have a printed copy, please contact your region’s administrative assistant.
Join thousands of other Iowans statewide and support Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative by getting out and walking on October 7, 2020, for 30 minutes. Iowa’s 10th Annual Walk serves as a kick-off to Healthiest State Month, happening throughout October, celebrating healthy habits all month long.
Walking is not only good for our physical health but can do wonders for our mental & emotional health! Sign up under “Central Rivers AEA”, let’s see how many staff we can get.
Whether you are new to Central Rivers AEA or had a recent title change, business cards are available to staff and can be ordered through Creative Services. The order form can be found on the staff website under Resources. Contact Deb Hanson, Creative Services Assistant (dhanson@centralriversaea.org) with questions.
