The Channel

This month, we continue our agency updates highlighting the three main focus areas of the agency strategic plan by focusing on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for Well-Being. Dr. Dana Miller, School Psychologist, and lead for the work, describes the work and what it means for you.

Sarah Nelson, currently a school improvement consultant serving Region 10, has been appointed to the position of Director of Information Technology with the agency. Nelson will replace Jen Sigrist who is now taking on additional responsibilities in providing Future Ready support for schools and staff. (Sigrist will continue to oversee the Media department.) 

“Sarah has a great skill set that will add tremendous value to the technology department,” said Sam Miller, Chief Administrator. “This position will allow her to continue her work in school improvement while spending some of her time influencing the direction of an important department in our agency.”

Nelson joined the agency in 2016 as a Technology Services Coordinator and later transferred to the role of Consultant for School Improvement. Her previous positions include K-12 Instructional Coach/Technology Integrationist with the Waverly-Shell Rock CSD as well as serving as a technology consultant and teacher with Waterloo CSD. 

Do you love Brene Brown’s work as much as we do? If so, you’ll want to make plans to subscribe to her new podcast coming in March 2020 called “Unlocking Us”. For more information, check out her website! Subscribe at: https://brenebrown.com/subscribe/

Have a question or issue with using your new phone features in Zoom? Not sure how or why you are getting phone calls when you are on a Zoom or presenting?  Unsure how to access your voicemail or even where to start? We will be hosting Zoom support office hours with Kay Schmalen where you can drop in and together we can support you and help you with your questions.  Come once, come twice, come as many times as you need to feel comfortable. Join at one or more of the following dates/times and come and go anytime within the time frame.  

• Friday, February 7,  8am-9am Zoom Link- https://zoom.us/j/420035303
• Wednesday, February 19,  8am-9am- Zoom Link-https://zoom.us/j/608247725
• Monday, February 24,  8am-9am Zoom Link – https://zoom.us/j/838240809
• Tuesday, February 25,  Noon- 3pm Zoom Link – https://zoom.us/j/155266013
• Wednesday, February 26,  9am-12pm Zoom Link – https://zoom.us/j/487709136

Please contact Kay Schmalen or Jeremiah Lehr if you have additional questions. 

Please note: We will be transitioning the phone systems in the Cedar Falls Office and River Hills School over to Zoom on February 15 & 16. Those affected have received a direct communication regarding training.

Do you know someone who has made outstanding contributions to education and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs)? Please take a few minutes to nominate this person for recognition!

Iowa’s AEAs bestow three awards annually to outstanding candidates for their contributions to education and the work of Iowa’s AEAs. To submit a nomination, complete this application by Feb. 14, 2020. Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination.

Awards will be presented during the annual Iowa’s AEAs Boards of Directors’ Conference and the ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. on March 26, 2020 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston.

The three awards and criteria can be found below. Each nomination should include examples of why your nominee should receive the award.

Friend of the AEA Award

Acknowledges contributions by policymakers, citizens, board members, school district partners, businesses and organizations who have been great partners and demonstrate strong support for furthering the mission of Iowa’s AEAs. Open to all policymakers, citizens, board members, school district partners, businesses and organizations.

E. Robert Stephens Award

Dr. E. Robert Stephens, better known as “Dr. Bob” and the father of Iowa’s AEAs, acknowledges contributions in the area of innovation and support to local districts, AEAs, the Department of Education and other partners/organizations. There should be evidence of outstanding contributions to the well-being of the educational community including:

• Benefits of this individual’s leadership;
• Creative leadership in inspiring and motivating others to achieve and contribute;
• Strong commitment to the profession by active participation in professional activities; and
• Evidence that the individual is respected by his/her colleagues and the community.

Open to AEA staff who serve in an administrative role and AEA board members.

Innovative Creator

Celebrates amazingly innovative and creative thinking and actions to get results for students, educators, Iowa’s AEAs, school districts and other partners. Open to all AEA staff, board members, educators, policymakers, students…we are all creators!

For more information, contact Connie Johnson, Iowa’s AEAs Communications Director, at (712) 335-6044 or cjohnson@plaea.org.

W-2s for calendar year 2019 were mailed to your home during the week of January 27, 2020.  If you need another copy, please visit the IVisions portal under My Compensation and download the form. Questions should be directed to Shane Wolf at swolf@centralriversaea.org or 319/273-8203.

To celebrate the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day, the Culture and Climate Committee is sponsoring Foodie February at each office location.  During the month of February, we will be collecting canned soup, peanut butter, jelly, and crackers. (NOTE: Please make sure donations are in-date.) 

Donations will be given to each local food bank and drop-off locations at each office are:

• Cedar Falls, lower level by the water fountain – contact Robin Billerbeck, Ashley Samek, or Barb Schroeder
• Clear Lake – contact Donna Perry or Laura Rinnels
• Marshalltown – contact Carolyn Wanatee
• River Hills School – contact Kathy Williams

To add to the fun, each office is challenged to display their donations in some form of football theme! Photos will be shared in March’s edition of The Channel. The best display will win bragging rights!

Wellmark offers insured employees the opportunity to enroll in their Blue365 program and during the month of February you can join Fitness Your Way and have the $29 enrollment fee waived.  You’ll pay just $29 a month for access to their network of over 10,000 gyms and with Fitness Your Way, you are not limited to just one facility and can workout at multiple participating gyms.

Wellmark Blue365 can be accessed through the Portal > My Benefits > 2019-20 Insurance Information > Wellmark > Wellmark.com. Login to an existing account or register for a new account. You will need your insurance ID number to create an account. Once in your personal account, click on Well-Being > Visit Blue365 (under Member Discounts).

There you will find great deals on a variety of benefits for members. Fitness Your Way is located under the Fitness tab.

Please contact Betty Hesseling at 319-273-8202 if you have questions or need assistance setting up your Blue365 account.

This month, we continue with highlighting the three main focus areas of the agency strategic plan by focusing on Specially Designed Instruction (SDI). Please use this link to the form referenced in the video. A big thanks to Brena Huber for being featured!

Do you ever wonder how your other Central Rivers AEA co-workers spend their work life? On the Job @ Central Rivers AEA is a monthly series we’ve just launched to give you a peek into the work of others in the agency. Each month, Chief Administrator, Sam Miller, will spend time with a Central Rivers AEA employee and learn more about the work involved in their position. These highlight videos will also be shared on our website and social media sites to help educate the public about the work of an AEA.

This month? Dawn Jaeger, School Social Worker and member of the agency well-being team.

The 2020-21 office calendar has been approved by the board and is now available to view/download on the staff website under Resources > Meeting Dates & Office Calendar.

While it’s been a pretty mild start to winter so far, undoubtedly, a major weather event is in our future. This is a good time to review the inclement weather and emergency closing information, which can be found on the staff website under Resources > Inclement Weather and Emergency Closing Information and also on the portal under My Toolbox. 

Be sure to read through the weather FAQs as several different scenarios are addressed.  Remember that for those serving local school buildings directly, our priority is to be in schools and calendar adjustments need to be submitted to your supervisor in a timely manner.

Please keep in touch with your supervisor when weather-related issues arise and share any questions that may come up.

At roughly the half-way of the year mark, 411 of 545 staff earned dollars through Navigate.  We will be paying out $47,565 on January 23 and this incentive you have earned will be a separate/additional deposit from your monthly paycheck. 

The next agency-wide challenge, Spring into Shape, begins February 3. Here’s to a happy and healthy 2020!!

The CRAEA Board recently approved moving to a new phone system with Zoom.  Our current phone systems located at each office will be phased out by March 2020.  If you will be impacted by this change, you will be contacted via email from Zoom when your phone number has been established.  Below are scheduled training and telephone system cutover dates for each region. As we move forward migrating each region we will be sending out communication via email and The Channel with detailed instructions.

The dates and locations for training are as follows:

Clear Lake: December 19th

Marshalltown: January 14th

Cedar Falls: February 17th

River Hills: February 17th

Questions? Contact Bryan Knecht.