The Channel

The Open Enrollment period for insurance changes will begin April 25 and ends on May 15.  There are no changes to premiums this year and very minimal changes to the plans. Even if you do not take insurance, you must go through the open enrollment process, which can be found on the Portal under My Benefits > Benefits Enrollment. Please use a Chrome or Firefox browser and be sure to go through each step carefully.

An insurance presentation for all staff will be held on Thursday, April 28 at 3:30 p.m. The Zoom information to join is below:

• Join Zoom Meeting on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 3:30 p.m.
• https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/84638752831
• Meeting ID: 846 3875 2831
• One tap mobile: +1-646-558-8656 

Need support? Contact the CRAEA Tech Help Desk at 319-273-8231.

Dr. Leslie Moore

Last month, we shared with you that we will begin to take steps to ease away from working with ESSDAK and begin to fold the INspired Leadership efforts in-house. Specifically, we communicated that we would have a 1.0 FTE in-house staff member who is responsible for providing training opportunities, LMS content, and individual, group, and mentoring coaching conversations beginning in 2022-2023.

It is with much excitement that we welcome Dr. Leslie Moore to this role beginning July 1st. Leslie currently serves as a School Improvement Consultant. She will be trained and earn certification through iPEC to be in a position to help staff become more aware, build resilience, and lead consciously. 

As we embark on this new journey, we are hopeful that we can use the framework to positively impact our team members both professionally and personally. We also have an eye on the potential to provide some of these opportunities to our LEA partners, as we have consistently heard about how powerful the work is and believe that this could be value-added support that we provide to our school partners in the future. 

Please join us in welcoming Leslie to her new role and we embark on the journey to provide additional support and opportunities for our team members!

IPERS is still not scheduling any local face-to-face meetings or individual appointments. You may contact member services at (800) 622-3849 to schedule an appointment or visit the IPERS website for resources. A Retirement Tools and Resources page is available for additional assistance.

Plan now to join your colleagues for the all staff retirement celebration on Friday, May 27, beginning at 9:00 am. Due to the great response after last year’s event, this year’s celebration will be held virtually with a similar format. Look for a complete listing of our retirees in next month’s staff newsletter.

Zoom to join:

• May 27, 2022, 9:00 AM
• https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/87124894173
• Meeting ID: 871 2489 4173
• One tap mobile +13126266799,,87124894173# US 
• Need support? Contact the CRAEA Tech Help Desk at 319-273-8231.

A new INspired Leadership Toolkit site is now available for everyone who wants to further their training. Filled with resources, it’s a great place to learn more about:

• The 7 Levels of Energy
• Decision Making
• Communication
• Reflection
• Problem-Solving
• Mindset

Staff who were unable to join Chief Administrator Sam Miller on April 1st for the latest agency update can view the recording online. Use the passcode +b2hDYTQ.

Please reach out to your direct supervisor if you have any questions. 

Within our shelter schools our goal is to provide opportunities for students to learn and use skills that will build their employability goals and be future ready when they leave our programs. To provide those opportunities, we have teamed together with our Work Experience Coordinator to begin to build a school based enterprise within the shelter school setting.

Recently we were awarded the McElroy Excellence in Education Enrichment Grant. With that grant we were able to purchase the items we needed to begin our Woofhaven Barkery business at our Woodhaven Youth Shelter Classroom. The students will be making homemade dog treats to sell within the community.

Our students are excited to begin this venture and would love to get some help from within our agency as they prepare their business plan. Part of that plan includes market research to determine what types of treats they should make. We would love your help in completing a survey that our students will use to further their business plans. This is a short 10 question survey that will be used within our shelter classroom to research product interests. We have also included our initial plan proposal for you to see our vision for our students. 

“The goal of this project is to create a school-based enterprise for our students to operate in collaboration with our educational staff. Students will transfer the 21st-century employability skills and grade-level math, reading, and writing skills from in the classroom to the school-based enterprise. Students will write up a plan and calculate costs and a budget for the enterprise.

Once a plan has been developed, students will then research and purchase the needed materials to create dog treats. Students will create marketing campaigns in the local community to promote their products. Students will create samples of the dog treats and distribute them to local community members and dog daycares. Students will work on building relationships with local businesses in order to create a steady stream of customers to sell their products. 

Timeline -Create a written plan and budget by 12/20/21. Purchase materials by 1/30/22. Make samples to hand out to local community members and businesses by 2/20/22. Have an operational school-based enterprise with a steady stream of customers by 5/20/22.” 

Please complete the Woofhaven Barkery Questionnaire by April 10, 2022. Thank you for supporting our students!

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on our survey! We learned a lot from the data and responses. Below, you will find a few things we learned across the whole organization. Your feedback will help us get better at what we do.  

2022 Survey Stats
513 employees were invited and 458 responded (89.3%).
We received over 1600 comments as well.

What three words best describe Central Rivers AEA?

1. Supportive
2. Positive
3. Collaborative

Top Scores 

These three areas were identified as the most encouraging:

1. Execution – At Central Rivers AEA, we do things efficiently and effectively.
2. Appreciation – I feel genuinely appreciated at Central Rivers AEA.
3. Values – Central Rivers AEA operates by strong values.

Bottom Scores

These three areas have the most room for improvement:

1. Meetings – Meetings at Central Rivers AEA make good use of my time.
2. Inclusion – I feel included at Central Rivers AEA.
3. Clued-In Leaders – Administrators understand what is really happening at Central Rivers AEA.

Getting your feedback on the survey was the first step and we loved hearing about what you appreciate, and also what concerns you. Our data indicates that the Culture and Climate is very positive, and we are performing well in comparison to our peers. However, we know we do have some opportunities for improvement, that can make us even better.  

We are in the process of reviewing the comments that we received to gather a deeper understanding as we look to create plans for improvement. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, we look forward to taking the necessary steps to improve.

Having trouble hiding floating controls on Zoom?

Sharing your screen in Zoom and can’t get that pesky floating meeting controls panel out of your way? Hiding it takes only a few seconds! Learn how you can hide your meeting controls from the screen so you can present with ease. 

• In your Zoom meeting control panel, select More…
• Select Hide Floating Meeting Controls

Google Workspace Docusign add-on creates convenience

Having DocuSign eSignature in your Google Workspace puts electronic signing where it offers the most convenience. Generate agreements from Gmail, Drive, or Docs, add recipients or a personal message, then tag the document in DocuSign. Collect signatures or sign agreements all through the DocuSign add-on in your Google Workspace.