The Channel

Contact Manager is a tool created to allow staff to send email messages for targeted groups of educators. The system uses data collected and housed in the Central Rivers AEA Lending Library system (Medianet). This is a great tool for promoting your professional learning opportunities or meetings that are targeted toward specific audiences.

How do I use Contact Manager?

1. Go to: http://contactmanager.centralriversaea.org
2. If you are not signed in, click the “Sign in with Google” Button and follow the prompts to sign in through Google.
3. Click “Search Contacts” to begin.
4. Select the criteria from the options on the page to narrow your search from all the educators our agency serves to only those in your desired group.
5. Click the “search” button at the bottom of the page.
6. Select individuals or all the members of this group to email (create labels for and/or export into a spreadsheet) by using the check boxes next to each name.
7. Then, click your desired action at the bottom of the page (Email Selected Contacts, Export Selected Contacts, Generate Labels).
8. Follow the steps on screen to finish!

Who do I contact for help?

• Beth Strike, Director of Communications & Creative Services
• Kristine Kienzle, Technical Support Manager for Media

Note: These directions are archived on the Staff Website>Communications>Contact Manager for future reference.

A few years ago, 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.

Beginning September 1st, employers are given the option of implementing an executive order, issued by President Trump, that would defer the tax (6.2%) employees pay toward Social Security through December 31st.  As of this writing, this is only a deferral of the tax — NOT forgiveness of the tax owed. Congress would need to act to forgive or eliminate this Social Security tax.  Taxes would be owed and paid January through April.

Due to the fact that the tax is only deferred and the tax would still be collected, Central Rivers AEA has chosen NOT to implement this executive order, unless Congress takes formal action to forgive the tax.  We feel it is in the best interest of our employees to continue the normal tax withholdings and avoid a greater tax burden on employees at the beginning of 2021.  Please reach out to Michael Kalvig if you have any questions.

The Educational Directory for 2020-21 has been updated and can be viewed on the agency website under the About section. In addition, a downloadable pdf of the directory can be found on the resources page of the staff website. If you would like to have a printed copy, please contact your region’s administrative assistant.

Join thousands of other Iowans statewide and support Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative by getting out and walking on October 7, 2020, for 30 minutes. Iowa’s 10th Annual Walk serves as a kick-off to Healthiest State Month, happening throughout October, celebrating healthy habits all month long. 

Walking is not only good for our physical health but can do wonders for our mental & emotional health!  Sign up under “Central Rivers AEA”, let’s see how many staff we can get.

Whether you are new to Central Rivers AEA or had a recent title change, business cards are available to staff and can be ordered through Creative Services. The order form can be found on the staff website under Resources. Contact Deb Hanson, Creative Services Assistant (dhanson@centralriversaea.org) with questions. 

As supervisors begin to share out the beginning of the year evaluation documents, we wanted you to be aware of changes we have made to the system. You’ll notice a new look and revised documentation for CWA/NUSS and Certified Support Staff.  The updated system is located in the iVisions Portal>My Toolbox –  Evaluation Systems 2020-21.

Our purpose in making these changes was to more efficiently and consistently utilize documents and streamline the process.  Evaluation is intended to be interactive and collaborative between the evaluator and the employee.  The evaluation instrument is a tool to facilitate conversation and focus on your growth and development and the impact you can have on our culture and climate and our organizational goals.  We hope that you find the tool and process more impactful.

Again this year, the agency is partnering with HyVee Pharmacy to offer flu shot clinics for employees and their families. Those with health insurance through Central Rivers AEA will not have a copay. (Other insurances may be accepted. Please contact HyVee Pharmacy ahead of time to discuss this option if this pertains to you.) There will be a charge due that day if you do not have insurance. 

As an added incentive for getting a flu shot, it will count as a badge earned in our new Wellness Program and you can receive $10 just for getting one.  Sign up today for your shot.

Please bring a completed consent form for yourself and each member of your family receiving the shot and your insurance card to the clinic of your choice. You must sign up for a flu shot in advance using this form.

October 14, 2020, from 7:45-10:00 AM

• Cedar Falls Office – 1521 Technology Parkway
• Clear Lake Office – 9184 265th Street, Suite B 
• Marshalltown Office – 909 South 12th Street

October 15, 2020, from 8:30-10:00 AM

River Hills School – 2700 Grand Blvd, Cedar Falls

While HyVee does not have any specific Covid-19 requirements, Central Rivers AEA protocols must be followed, which includes wearing a mask or face covering at all times and maintaining social distancing while waiting your turn. 

Please contact Betty Hesseling, Benefits Specialist with any questions bhesseling@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8202). 

Karl Kurt, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of HR

Thank you for taking the time to complete our recent staff survey and provide feedback and suggestions regarding returning to work. Your input allows us to address areas of need/concern and will make us better prepared for when we physically return to work. Here is a recap of your feedback:

The data from the survey shows that a large majority of our staff members are feeling “Comfortable” or “Very Comfortable” with our Return to Work plan and their discipline specific plans (if applicable).

River Hills staff is looking forward to receiving more information on the Return to Work plan that will be put in place specifically for their building.  This protocol is continuing to be developed and will be shared in the near future.

A suggestion was made to make sure that Superintendents and LEA Building Administrators are aware of the guidance we are giving our direct-service providers for safety and service.  We are asking our Regional Administrators to make contact, as a result of this request, so there is clear understanding about our safety and service expectations.

We tried to respond to a number of specific staff who had comments/questions/concerns as part of the survey.  Moving forward, please don’t hesitate to make contact and ask if you need anything.

A couple common themes were that our staff is appreciative of the agency’s efforts to mitigate risks and try to balance personal and professional obligations, and that staff members were pledging flexibility as we enter into the 2020-21 school year.  

A common question was around what the schools will require with their safety protocols.  We will try and get that information into one document to share.  Just know that since we require staff to follow the most rigorous protocol (AEA or LEA), you can plan on beginning the year with masks being required as outlined in our Return to Work parameters.  

There were a number of “what if” questions.  It is tough to answer these, but we will try and work with each specific situation.  However, with that said we are working on a cheat sheet to share with staff that outlines some general steps to commonly asked questions, so you know where to start.  We look forward to sharing this document before students return to school.

There were some discipline specific questions that were difficult to answer.  These were often forwarded to the discipline liaison, so they could be addressed to the whole discipline in the afternoon of August 18th, when disciplines will be meeting as virtual groups.

On behalf of the full administrative team and board, we greatly appreciate the positive attitude that everyone is attacking this challenge with.  We can’t control everything, but we can control our attitude, and can-do spirit.

This year’s welcome back “swag” bags contain some useful items that you won’t want to miss. Please plan to stop by one of the three main offices anytime between now and the start of the school year to pick up your bag. Each supply kit contains hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, alcohol wipes, reusable and disposable face masks and a clear face shield.  Items are located in each location as follows:

• Clear Lake: Receptionist’s area
• Marshalltown: Workroom behind the receptionist’s desk
• Cedar Falls: Iowa River room

Discipline specific PPE is also being organized for you to pick up. Please watch for a communication from your discipline leadership about plans for distribution. So that you do not need to make multiple trips to the office, you may want to wait for this communication and then plan accordingly.

For more information or to replenish supplies, please contact Shirley Horak in Human Resources.