The Channel

As the new year begins we want to remind staff about our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP can help you with your day-to-day concerns or provide guidance through challenging situations. Agents are available 24 hours per day, every day of the year and can be accessed by calling 1-866-451-5465. More details can be found on this flyer.

The EAP is a no-cost, confidential resource for a variety of issues, including:

• Depression
• Stress management
• Financial or legal concerns
• Marital difficulties
• Anxiety
• Eldercare, and more.
  

New in 2021 is the LIFT session, a virtual fitness platform. LIFT is an accessible, effective, and affordable way for you to reach your fitness goals. It features personalized programs, access to coaches for questions, and the ability to work out under the live supervision of a coach online in 1-1 personal or group sessions.

Zoom regularly provides updates to their platform in order to make the application more efficient & effective for their users. Below are a couple feature updates that recently were made. In order to make these new features available, you will need to be running the latest version of Zoom. 

Enhanced Zoom Co-Host Privileges over Breakout Rooms
With the latest feature update, Zoom has announced an enhancement that will allow co-hosts to have the same breakout room controls as the meeting host, such as starting or ending breakout rooms, assigning participants, etc.  Hosts and co-hosts will now also have the option to assign a participant back to the main session, rather than ending all breakout sessions.

Enabling Screen Sharing and Chat for Participants
A security change impacted several agency users who have reported that screen sharing and chat capabilities have been reset to “Host Only” rather than “All Participants.” To re-enable these settings, first verify that you are signed into Zoom and running the latest version, 5.4.7 and follow the steps outlined in this document.

If you have any questions or need technical assistance on any of the new Zoom updates, please contact the Help Desk at 319-273-8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.

ClassLink recently received a feature update that will help staff organize and customize their personal dashboard. 

Once you login, the new features will automatically be available. More information can be found in this document. 

Contact the Help Desk at 319-273-8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org if you need assistance.   

As of Dec. 31, 2020, Adobe is no longer supporting Flash Player. Adobe will begin blocking Flash content from running in Flash Player beginning January 12, 2021. We recommend all users turn off or uninstall Flash Player to help protect our systems. Further instructions can be found here.  

If you have any questions or need technical assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 319.273.8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.

The 2021-22 office calendar has been approved by the board and is now available to view/download on the staff website under Resources > Office Calendar. 

Cari Teske, Teacher Librarian/Consultant for School Improvement, has been named Director of Media Services. Cari will provide direct oversight of all aspects of Media Services including support for school districts as they work to integrate media resources into the teaching and learning process. The Director of Media position was established following a restructuring which included moving Jen Sigrist to the role of Executive Director of Educational Services on July 1, 2021.

Cari has served as a Teacher Librarian/Instructional Technology Consultant since 2015 with the agency. Prior to that she was a high school principal at BCLUW for four years. She has also been a teacher librarian and elementary teacher and holds a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Northern Iowa along with a K-12 School Library Media Master Endorsement.

“I am so pleased to have Cari in this role,” said Jen Sigrist, Executive Director of Media & Innovation. “She has a future ready vision for where Media Services should go and a passion for working directly with teachers and other school leaders to deeply infuse Media into teaching and learning. She’s a natural fit who will bring a customer-service perspective and high level of energy to her work.”

Cari will begin her new position on July 1, 2021.

With professional learning primarily taking place remotely and many staff working from home, it made sense to revisit our procedures for inclement weather including professional learning cancellations and office closures. Below please find some clarification for the 2020-21 school year.

Will we ever actually “close” one of our three Central Rivers AEA main offices due to inclement weather if most of our staff are working remotely anyway?

Yes.  Although it will be trickier this year due to the number of districts that may be converting “snow days” to remote learning days. Site Superintendents will make a decision about a physical close of the office using the same criteria as in previous years: 1.) Local conditions in the community where the office is located; 2.) A majority of the school districts in the region are either closed or shifting to remote learning for the day.  Professional Learning will assess and determine their schedule separately this year since, at this time, the majority of offerings are virtual. Generally, virtual classes will still be held even if the main physical location is closed.

How will an “office closed” day be counted this year?

The same as it has in the past. Full-year employees who typically report to that office will observe an “office closed” day.  They may be required to work and/or choose to work, for all or part of the day, based on role, responsibilities, supervisor, and deadlines. 

Employees who are not year-round will provide services to their assigned districts as required by the district assuming the district is conducting learning (physical or virtual) for the day. If assigned districts are not conducting learning and truly observing a snow day, employees can use up to two remote office days to work from home. All other days should be an online calendar adjustment to make up the day when the district makes up the day.  This will ensure that the employee’s calendar stays in sync with the calendars of the district s/he serves.

Please speak to your direct supervisor if you have any questions or concerns. 

All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed beginning Thursday, December 24 through January 1, in order for staff to enjoy the holidays.

As a reminder, be sure to change your voicemail greeting and set an away message to your email. Offices will reopen on Monday, January 4th. 

Wishing everyone a joyful and healthy holiday season!