The Channel

We will be holding agency updates at our three main office locations next week. Each update will be held at the same time: 3:30-4:30 p.m. A Zoom option will be available on all three dates at https://zoom.us/j/345551121

These short meetings present an important opportunity to hear updates from agency Administrative Cabinet members on topics such as the new agency strategic plan, wellness, insurance, and more. They are designed to be informal and conversational so feel free to bring your questions!

• Monday, October 7 in the Marshalltown Office
• Tuesday, October 8 in the Clear Lake Office
• Wednesday, October 9 in the Cedar Falls Office

All staff members are invited to participate in an agency-wide Central Rivers AEA Halloween Costume Contest on Thursday, October 31st.  To participate just snap a picture of yourself in work-appropriate costume and upload it to this Halloween Costume Contest  Google Form or email it to Pam Kabela before 9am Thursday, October 31st.  Voting will begin at 10 am and end at 1 pm.  Winners will be announced by 2 pm via email.     

Generous CRAEA Apparel Store voucher prizes will be awarded. First place $50, Second place $30, and Third place $20.  

All locations will be decorating for Halloween, please contact your team to see how you can help create a spooktacular atmosphere at your location. We also encourage you to bring a spooky snack to share on Halloween.  

Good luck to all you ghouls and goblins! Ready, Set, Booo…

Central Rivers AEA cares about the health and well-being of its employees and recognizes that a variety of personal problems can disrupt their personal and work lives. Although many employees solve their problems either on their own or with the help of family and friends, sometimes employees need professional assistance and advice.

Everyday life can be stressful and can affect your health, well-being and performance. Fortunately, our Employee Assistance Program can aid in finding solutions. When facing personal problems, you might struggle with where to turn for help. The first step is usually the hardest, and guidance is often the key. That’s why the agency offers an employee assistance program (EAP). An EAP offers a confidential place to find the answers that work for you.

Under our EAP you can receive no-cost, confidential help for a wide variety of needs and concerns including, but not limited to:

*Depression

*Stress management

*Anxiety

*Marital difficulties 

*Alcohol and drug addictions

No problem is too large or small. Contact the EAP for assistance (866-451-5465).  

To support a timely staff replacement selection process and assist in budget planning, the early retirement incentive is being offered again this year. The incentive will be administered to Administrative, Certified, and NUSS staff as follows:

• Commitments of separation by resignation or retirement at the end of the 2019-20 work year submitted by Certified, NUSS, or Administrative Staff.
• Notification of resignation or retirement received in the Human Resources office before December 10, 2019.
• Accepted by the Board no later than the regular meeting on December 11, 2019.
• Will receive an early notification incentive payment of $1,500 payable June 19, 2020.
• Subject to the employee fulfilling their individual employment contract obligations for the 2019-20 work year. 
• Staff resigning or retiring who separate prior to the end of the 2019-20 work year are not eligible for the early notification incentive.

For more information, contact Karl Kurt, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Human Resources.

Barb Ehrig has retired from her part-time position in accounts receivable, effective September 30 and we will also be saying goodbye to Calli Boeckmann as Accounting Director on October 4. Calli resigned her position at Central Rivers AEA to become the business manager at North Polk CSD.

At this time, the accounts receivable responsibilities will be handled by Betty Hesseling, Benefits Specialist, and Mike Kalvig, Chief Financial Officer, will take over Calli’s responsibilities until an accounting director is hired.  

Please join Mike & the Business Office staff in thanking Barb and Calli for their service to Central Rivers AEA. We wish them the best in their future plans! 

Nearly 200 staff members are currently enrolled in some kind of challenge through our new Navigate website. We’d love to see even more of you using the tools to take control of your health and wellbeing while earning cash back! If you are enrolled, you might notice that you are currently receiving notifications and reminders regarding challenges you are enrolled in. Please be aware that you can control the frequency of those notifications if you’d like to receive less. Also note that you can access Navigate through our new ClassLink system. Need a refresher? Refer to last month’s post on this topic.

November 1 is the deadline for staff to update their AEA Learning Online account information. Please be sure the email address listed is your Central Rivers AEA email account  and that Central Rivers AEA is listed as your employer. Your account can be found here: https://training.aealearningonline.org. If you have any difficulties please contact Professional Learning at 319-273-8200. 

Onsite flu shots will be available this year through Hy-Vee Pharmacy at each Central Rivers AEA location. All employees (and family members, age six and above) are free to go to whichever location is most convenient.  Each person receiving a flu shot will need to bring a copy of their driver’s license and both sides of their insurance card. Please sign up by October 8 and complete the required form to bring the day of your shot using this flyer.

• October 15 (beginning at 8:30 am): River Hills School
• October 17 (beginning at 7:45 am): Cedar Falls, Clear Lake and Marshalltown offices

The Culture & Climate Committee would like to thank everyone who completed the CRAEA Culture & Climate activity survey.  Many great ideas were shared and your input is greatly appreciated. As the 2019-20 activity schedule is created, many of your new ideas will be included.   

The winner of the Carlos O’Kelly’s gift basket was Christy Diermer.  Christy mentioned she has never been to Carlos O’Kelly’s so this is a terrific reason to go!

Mark your calendars now for the 2020-21 all staff meeting to be held Tuesday, August 18, 2020, in Cedar Falls. We listened to the feedback from this year’s meeting and pushed back the date to kickoff the 2020-21 school year.  The orientation for new staff will be held the day before on Monday, August 17. 

Onsite flu shots will be available this year through Hy-Vee Pharmacy at each Central Rivers AEA location. All employees (and family members, age six and above) are free to go to whichever location is most convenient.  Each person receiving a flu shot will need to bring a copy of their driver’s license and both sides of their insurance card. Please sign up and complete the required form to bring the day of your shot using this flyer.

October 15 (beginning at 8:30 am): River Hills School

October 17 (beginning at 7:45 am): Cedar Falls, Clear Lake and Marshalltown offices

This wellness initiative is worth $15 in the Navigate wellness portal.  

Have you checked out the Central Rivers AEA branded clothing store lately? Several new items have been added, including the expansion of these popular brands: Sport-Tek, New Era, The North Face, Nike, and Eddie Bauer. Grab your Central Rivers AEA swag today!

Last year, 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.

Quantum Workplace has become a valuable tool for recognizing our colleagues for their efforts. This year, a handful of regions will be piloting the use of Quantum Workplace for goal setting, one-on-one progress meetings, and other professional growth activities. Please visit with your Regional Administrator for specifics in your region! Also, Quantum now has an app for those interested.

Google Groups and email lists are maintained as a means of facilitating electronic communication between CRAEA and its stakeholders. Groups and lists are established and maintained by the Director of Communications & Creative Services in cooperation with other staff members. The Director of Communications & Creative Services and/or Chief Administrator has sole responsibility for authorizing individuals and offices/departments to post to these lists and will provide information to departments on the approval process for using distribution lists.

Individuals may create subsidiary distribution lists as desired using their individual Google or email accounts but should not duplicate efforts to solicit email addresses from local schools. Use of Contact Manager is the preferred method for reaching individual teacher groups vs. maintaining individual lists.

Agency e-mail distribution lists are not available to non-agency entities.

General guidelines for All-Staff and Superintendents Google Groups:

1. Administrative staff will forward to the Executive Assistant/Board Secretary for review any email that he/she is requesting be distributed, and will identify the list(s) to which they wish to send the message.
2. The Director of Communications & Creative Services will either approve the utilization of the distribution list (or lists) for the message or will inform the representative of the reason(s) why such utilization is denied.
3. Material sent to distribution lists must be related to the specific group to whom the mail is being sent. Email will not be sent to superintendents and principal groups to promote professional learning for teacher audiences except at the discretion of an Executive Director.
4. Use of plain black text, links and PDF attachments are encouraged. Prepare the email message exactly the way it should be sent out. Keep messages brief and to the point.
5. Each message must contain the intended recipient(s), a meaningful subject line, and signature block with sender, sender’s agency affiliation, office telephone number and email address. Emails should be edited carefully for content before being sent for review.
6. Repeat emails and corrections will be sent on a very limited basis.
7. Messages should be sent to the Executive Assistant/Board Secretary two days in advance of the requested send date to allow adequate time for review whenever possible. Requests for same-day event messages are not guaranteed to be reviewed in time for the desired distribution.

Phew! That’s a lot of “stuff” to know. If you have questions, please contact Beth Strike.