The Channel

A special “thank you” to an existing client for this request! ASI has recently released a new mobile app feature that allows participants to track and be reimbursed for medical mileage claims!

In addition to filing claims, and now, mileage claims, participants can also view their annual election amount, account balance, payments, contributions, and previously submitted claims.

ASI’s app is free and available online at www.asiflex.com or through Google Play or the App Store.  ASI prides itself on being forward thinking with technology. Do you have a new feature you’d like to see on the app or online? Let us know at marketing@asiflex.com

Avoid USPS Mail delivery delays
With the recent increase in postage costs, and the many consolidations of processing facilities, the USPS has indicated there will be mail delivery delays. Plan participants can avoid these delays and get reimbursements and communications instantly!

Simply go to asiflex.com, login to the Employee Portal, go to Account Settings and sign up for:

• Direct deposit – No need to wait for check reimbursements. Participants can get their money faster when signed up for direct deposit.
• Email and text alerts – Receive email and text alerts from ASI about when a claim is received, paid, or if additional documentation is necessary to process claims. 

To submit claims, participants can skip the mailbox. ASI offers multiple, convenient claim submission options:

• Mobile app
• Online Employee Portal at asiflex.com
• Recurring provider payments
• FSA Store Cardless Pay

This year, we are expanding the costume contest fun to include our entire CRAEA family.  What does this mean? 

It means we will have two contests this year to compete in to win bragging rights in the “Spooktacular Hall of Fame” and prizes.

This year’s prizes are extra special as we will be awarding vouchers in various amounts to purchase books for the school of your choice!

Halloween Costume Contest #1

Categories: 

• Group: (2+ co-workers): 1st place $50 / 2nd place $25 
• Solo: 1st place $40 / 2nd place $20
• Snap a picture and upload it to this Halloween Costume Contest#1 (All Staff) – Google Form or email it to Robin Billerbeck before 9:00 am on Friday, October 29.
• Voting will begin at 10:00 am and end at 1:00 pm with winners announced via email. 

Halloween Family Photo or Pumpkin Contest #2 

Categories: 

• Family (photo of you with your kids/pets): 1st place $30 / 2nd place $15
• Pumpkin creations (photo of your unique pumpkin): 1st place $10 / 2nd place $5 
• Snap a picture and upload it to this Halloween Costume Contest#2 (Family/Pumpkins)- Google Form or email it to Robin Billerbeck before 9:00 am on Monday, November 1
• Voting will begin at 10:00 am and end at 1:00 pm with winners announced via email.

The agency has a large supply of PPE available for staff which includes face masks, wipes, and hand sanitizer. If you need any items, please contact your regional administrative assistant.

The agency is once again partnering with HyVee Pharmacy to offer flu/Covid vaccine clinics for employees and their families. The vaccination schedule is as follows.

October 12, 2021, from 8:30-10:00 AM

• River Hills School – 2700 Grand Blvd, Cedar Falls (large conference room)

October 19, 2021 from 7:45-10:00 AM

• Cedar Falls Office – 1521 Technology Parkway (Central Perk)
• Clear Lake Office – 9184 265th Street, Suite B  (Room D)
• Marshalltown Office – 909 South 12th Street  (Room F)

Registration for the 2021 Flu/Covid vaccination is now open and will close Tuesday, October 5.   Please remember to bring a copy of your driver’s license and a copy of your insurance card (front/back) and a completed Flu consent form and/or Covid-19 consent form.

Flu shots are covered 100% to employees & their family members with proof of insurance. The cost is $42.99 without insurance.  The Covid-19 vaccination is free for everyone. 

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

Central Rivers AEA is introducing a new digital accessibility plan to help employees learn about creating inclusive digital content and establishing best practices.  Digital accessibility is not only a legal requirement, but an obligation to ensure everyone can utilize our products and services.  Creating an inclusive digital environment will provide access  to our resources and limit barriers while enhancing participation among those we support and serve.  Please note that the required training module is for all staff. 

REQUIRED: Self-Paced Training Module – This Canvas course will cover topics such as creating accessible documents, images, and videos while ensuring *ADA (Americans with Disability) compliance.  Additional modules will cover accessibility within Google Workspace and Zoom. (Please do not try and login with your Google login credentials.) Please confirm your completion of all modules by December 1, 2021.

OPTIONAL: Zoom Help Sessions – Experienced staff will be available during four Zoom sessions to assist employees with questions and completion of the training modules.  Registration is not required.

(Two options- either add the event to your calendar via the Calendar Event Link that includes the Zoom link in the event, or go directly to the Zoom link for that help session.)

Grackle Tip Sheet – Grackle is a Google Workspace add-on that checks digital content for accessibility and helps users remediate issues with a built-in correction tool.  Central Rivers AEA has purchased Grackle for our entire domain, and it is currently installed for all users.

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

The Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention (SPP) & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) trainings are required annual trainings for all school personnel who hold a license, certificate, authorization, or statement of recognition issued by the board of educational examiners, and who have regular contact with students in K-12.

A complete listing of mandatory training can be viewed here. Training that has been submitted to the Human Resources department can be reviewed by visiting the iVisions Portal > My Personal Information > Personal Information.  Please email HR any updated PDFs of training or if you have any questions.  

The Central Rivers AEA Media Team is excited to announce a new resource that is now available to the schools we serve—PebbleGo/PebbleGo NEXT! PebbleGo is a database that is used for research distinctly customized for our students in grades K-3rd. It’s intuitive and easy to use for our teachers and learners and helps students practice foundational research skills.  

PebbleGo also provides support such as audio voice-overs, the ability to highlight text, and complete scaffolding to support differentiated instruction. With the click of a button, PebbleGo has a full Spanish option as well. It’s perfect for ELL students or Dual Language programs to enhance content and increase language development.  PebbleGo NEXT is for our upper elementary students. The text is specifically engineered for students in grades 3rd -5th  and provides articles and activities that meet the curriculum unique to those grades.  

Another added benefit is both databases include features such as lesson plans, activities, videos,  as well as reproducible for our educators to use. PebbleGo and PebbleGo NEXT are available now on our Digital Resources page. 

Check out PebbleGo/PebbleGo Next using these sign-in credentials. For more information, contact Cari Teske, Director of Media.

• Username:  crmedia
• Password:  craea

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 Creative Services/Communications
• Kristine Kienzle, Technical Support Manager for Media

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