The Channel

The Culture & Climate Committee has created another round of bingo challenges for January through May. New cards were distributed at the December regional meetings and can also be downloaded from the portal. Be sure to submit your January Bingo by January 31, 2019. You’ve got this!

In the past couple days, the agency has received several fraudulent emails pertaining to direct deposit/banking information requests.  Please be careful when communicating any personal or sensitive business information via email.

Emails may appear to be sent from valid accounts that you may know.  But upon further inspection are actually from nefarious email accounts.  Please remember to use caution when asked for sensitive information pertaining to your personal accounts or CRAEA accounts.

Below are some useful guidelines to help you determine the validity of any emails in question.

1. Don’t give out personal information – legitimate organizations (e.g. banks, healthcare organizations, etc.) will never ask for personal credentials (username and password).
2. Look but don’t click– hover your mouse over any embedded links. Look at the domain, if it ends with a country code, beware (.br = brazil, .cz = Czech Republic, ru = Russia, etc)  If the link looks weird don’t click on it.  Many phishing attacks are orchestrated outside the United States.  If you think it is a valid shared Google document, log into your Google account first via your default Web browser, then click on the link.  If it is valid it will no longer ask you for your credentials.  Be aware, you must log into Google with your default Web browser first.
3. Don’t click on attachments – including malicious attachment that contain viruses or malware is a common phishing practice.
4. Don’t trust the display name – many phishing attempts spoof the display name (e.g. the “From” address”.  Hover your mouse over the From address to see the actual sender email.
5. Check for spelling and grammatical mistakes – organizations are serious about email.  Legitimate messages usually do not have major spelling errors.
6. Analyze the salutation – Is the email addressed to “Valued Customer” or such generic terms?  If so, watch out; legitimate businesses will often use a personal salutation.
7. Beware of urgent or threatening language in the subject line – invoking a sense of fear or urgency is a common phishing tactic.
8. Review the signature – lack of details about the sender or how you can contact the organization strongly suggests a phishing attempt.
9. Don’t believe everything you see – phishers are extremely good at what they do.  Just because an email has convincing brand logos, language, and a seemingly valid email address does not mean that it is legitimate.  Be skeptical when it comes to suspicious emails.  If it looks even remotely suspicious don’t open it and send it to your Info Tech support staff to verify its validity.

It’s hard to believe that it’s time once again for what’s quickly becoming an annual tradition. The Ugly Christmas Sweater competition will be held on December 19 for Rivers Hills staff and December 20 for all others. Separate contests will be held at each location with first place prizes of $25 gift cards and runner-up prize of $15 gift cards. Feel free to pair that ugly sweater with jeans as is appropriate for the day’s responsibilities. Let the games begin and the odds be ever in your favor! Happy holidays!

Hats off to the Marshalltown staff who worked together to make blankets for families impacted by tornado damage. Many children and families will be warmer this winter because of your efforts. Amazing!

The Climate & Culture Committee wishes to thank staff for participating in the Crazy Sock Day!  Overall, Central Rivers AEA raised $746.00 in donations to be given to the House of Compassion in Marshalltown.  The Clear Lake office staff raised the most money.

Great job everyone! The money collected will help families during the holidays who were affected by the tornado.

Just a friendly reminder that employees on a reduced contract will continue to have that option. Reduced contracts are considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the programmatic and workload needs of each department or discipline. Key considerations are overall efficiency and capacity to ensure equitable service to children, families and educators.

Should you have a question about reduced contract status, please contact your supervisor or Karl Kurt, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Human Resources.  Any new requests for a change to your existing contract should be made by March 1 by using the attached document. Staff members currently on a reduced contract do not need to take action to continue partial status.

The Culture & Climate Committee would like to applaud each one of you for accepting, attempting, and/or completing the Own it! Bingo challenge. Just a friendly reminder that bingo submissions are due on Friday, December 14. Even if you have not participated, we encourage you to consider an additional New Year’s Eve Challenge. All gift cards for individual BINGOs and BLACKOUTs will be distributed at the December 20 regional meetings.  Included with this distribution will be your Own it! t-shirt (if you placed an order). Those not part of regional meetings will receive their prizes via their supervisor.

Due to the success and positive feedback, we will be creating another round of bingo challenges for January through May. Cards will be distributed at the December regional meetings and available at each location. Can’t locate one? Feel free to download and print your own from the portal.

The deadline for submission of EQ individual 16 hours is December 20, 2018, with payment made on January 18, 2019. Please submit your hours on this Google document. The next and final deadline for submission will be June 8, 2019, with a June 20, 2019, payout.

Longtime board member Richard Vande Kieft passed away on Wednesday, November 7. He resigned from the Central Rivers Area Education Agency (AEA) Board of Directors on July 11 following an extended illness. Richard began serving on the board in 2008 and held the Director District 7 seat representing the school districts of Cedar Falls, Denver, and Janesville. In addition to serving on the AEA board, he also served 31 years on the Cedar Falls Community School District Board of Directors, including nine years as board president or vice president.

At the state level, Richard served as a member of the board of directors of the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) from 1993 to 2011. Elected to leadership positions of president-elect, president or treasurer of the association from 1998 to 2011. He served on the IASB Legislative Resolutions Committee, and also served and chaired the Board of Trustees for the Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust (ISJIT), Iowa Schools Cash Anticipation Program (ISCAP).

At the national level, Richard served as an Iowa representative to the NSBA Delegate Assembly and has served on both the Central Region and National Nominating Committees for NSBA directors and president.

“Dick Vande Kieft is an incredible example of selfless service to the community,” said Sam Miller, Central Rivers AEA Chief Administrator. “He worked quietly behind the scenes for decades serving children, families, and educators in the Cedar Valley. His leadership will be sorely missed.”

For information about arrangements as well as a complete obituary,  please visit http://www.dahlfuneralhome.com/obituary/richard-vande-kieft.

An email was recently sent from HR regarding the annual review of agency policies and other informational items.  Included in this email was a link regarding mandatory trainings for Central Rivers AEA staff. Please take a moment and review the listing of mandatory trainings as they pertain to you. It is each staff member’s responsibility to keep up-to-date on these trainings.  If you have any questions, please contact the Human Resources Office at 319-273-8245.

To support a timely staff replacement selection process and assist in budget planning, the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors approved an early retirement/resignation notification incentive for Administrative staff, Certified staff, and Non-Union Support Staff for 2018-19.

The incentive will be administered as follows:

1. Commitments of separation by resignation or retirement at the end of the 2018-19 work year submitted by Certified, NUSS, or Administrative Staff, and
2. received in the Human Resources Office between October 8, 2018, and December 3, 2018, and
3. accepted by the Board no later than the regular meeting on December 5, 2018,
4. will receive an early notification incentive payment of $1,500 to be payable June 20, 2019,
5. subject to the employee fulfilling their individual employment contract obligations for the 2018-19, work year.

Retirees that separate prior to the end of the 2018-19 calendar year are not eligible for the early notification incentive and this incentive is not available to CWA staff.

Congratulations to everyone in the Marshalltown Office who has worked to coordinate and complete a number of facility improvements. New conference room furniture and “soft seating” for informal gathering areas were installed earlier this month along along painting and other improvements.