The Channel

The RIC 403(b) plan lets you save for retirement with pre-tax (and possibly Roth) contributions. To start, open an account and submit the Salary Reduction Form to payroll. The 2025 contribution limit is $23,500, with higher limits for those 50+ or with 15+ years of employment. You can adjust your contributions anytime by submitting a new form. For more information, check out this 2025 Annual Eligibility Notice Iowa Retirement Investors’ Club (RIC) 403(b) Plan document or visit the RIC website to contact a provider.

Don’t forget to change your voicemail greeting and schedule an “away” message to your email for Monday, January 20 so that callers and/or e-mailers know all Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day.

Voicemail example:

“Hello, this is (your name). All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Please leave your name, number and a brief message and I will get back to you when offices reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21. Thank you.

Email “away” message example:

Thank you for your email. All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I will respond to your email upon my return when offices reopen on Tuesday, January 21. Thank you.

If you need assistance with either task, please contact the Central Rivers AEA Tech Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

We are delighted to announce Central Rivers AEA HR Office’s newest team member, Mary Beth Wood! Mary Beth joined our team in November 2024 as our HR Coordinator, due to Shirley Horak’s retirement. She will be based out of the Cedar Falls office. Please take a moment to read through Mary Beth’s following bio and welcome her to the agency!

I grew up in northwest Indiana and earned a Bachelor of Science in Consumer and Family Sciences with a focus on Child Development from Purdue University. Over the past 14 years, I’ve worked in Human Resources, most recently serving as Personnel Director at Community United Child Care Centers and Preschool.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, walking with my two puppies, golfing (though I’m not very good at it), and spending time with my family. My husband, Bryan, and I have two kids – Jacob, a freshman at the University of Iowa, and Grace, a junior at Dike-New Hartford High School. I’m thrilled to join the CRAEA team and can’t wait to get to know everyone!

New Year support for your wellbeing!

Would you like support in getting more of what you want and less of what you don’t in your personal or professional life? If so, Central Rivers AEA offers 1:1 core energy leadership coaching sessions with certified well-being coach, Dr. Leslie Moore, via Zoom. All sessions are confidential and scheduled by you when you send Leslie a Google Calendar invitation. Just select “private” on the calendar invite. Reach out to Leslie with questions.

Join the February INspired Leadership workshop in Clear Lake

If you have yet to experience a two-day INspired Leadership workshop or haven’t attended in the past three years, sign up now for our two-day workshop in Clear Lake on February 7 and 21. We’d love to see you there!

Get INspiring emails delivered to your inbox!

If you would like to receive weekly emails that support your personal and professional leadership, join ESSDACK’s INspired weekly mailing list. You can also sign up to receive their INspired Leadership blog.

Microcredential stipend is available

This year, Central Rivers AEA is continuing to support staff well-being by offering a $250 incentive for completing one of three INspired Leadership micro-credentials! The options are:

• Awareness of Internal Energy
• The 4 Key Mindsets
• Overcoming Internal Energy Blocks*
• *Please note: the new micro-credential does require the first two to be earned as prerequisites.

All of these are available in our On-Demand Library, and submissions will be reviewed by Dr. Leslie Moore. If you have any questions or need help signing up, free free to schedule a quick 15-minute session with Leslie by sending her a calendar invitation!

Central Rivers AEA strives to cultivate a workplace in which everyone feels welcomed and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Continuing work done by the Equity Committee, in partnership with the Leadership Academy, we will invest in employee development initiatives to foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture. 

“Courageous Conversations” will be featured monthly in The Channel, offering staff opportunities for self-guided learning. Starting in February, a Zoom meeting will be held on the first Friday of each month to discuss the month’s topic. (The Zoom link can be found on the CRAEA Master Google Calendar).

If you would like to join us for a Courageous Conversation about Allyship, please join the Zoom meeting on Friday, February 7 from 8:00 – 8:45 am.

Courageous Conversations: Allyship

What does it mean to be an ally?

Ally = ACTION (it is both a noun & verb):

• Being an ally is to provide support and help educate others about behaviors, language and different perspectives.
• Don’t assume – it’s best to ask – just be willing and open.
• Microaggressions & the techniques to battle them.
  • We must be open to initiating those “tough” conversations. Just because “we were raised that way,” or “it’s always been this way,” doesn’t mean it’s always right.
  • The first step is awareness.
• *Microaggressions = the tiny, casual, almost imperceptible insults and degradation often felt by any marginalized group.
  • They are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative slights and insults to the target person or group.
  • Examples: Doing imitations of accents, mistaking someone for someone else of the same ethnicity/race, speaking over or interrupting someone in meetings, especially women or other underrepresented groups.
  • *For the recipients, they are exhausted and chip away at self-confidence and belonging.
• Behaviors of allyship include activism, using more inclusive language and combating forms of prejudice (such as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism and other forms of discrimination).
• Allyship is the practice of emphasizing social justice, inclusion and human rights by members of an ingroup, to advance the interests of an oppressed or marginalized group.
• Allyship takes place in many areas of both our public and private lives.
• Allyship is not an identity – it is a process of building relationships based on trust, consistency and accountability.

An ally actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts and actions that benefit people as a whole.

Who Can Be an Ally?

Everyone! Each of us are a part of a dominant group at different times. For example: white women can be allies to people of color, men can be allies to women, able-bodied people can be allies to people with disability, economically privileged people can be allies to those who are not, etc.

Helpful learning: What Does It Really Mean To Be An Ally?

LEA updates: January’s LEA updates that will be shared through Leadership Connections on January 15 are now available.

Updates from Amy Starr: Amy’s updates for January are now available for viewing.

Harvest: Take a moment to watch this brief video from Annette and reflect on the updated Harvest guidance.

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Special Education Updates
• Updates with CRAEA Special Education doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel)

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Ed Services/Media Updates
• Updates with CRAEA Ed Services & Media doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel)

Insignia, Media’s new reservation system, is live

Central Rivers AEA switched to Insignia – our new online catalog designed to simplify access to our extensive collection of resources. From boxed book sets and audiobooks to VR headsets and the Starlab planetarium, this new platform offers a wide range of physical items to enhance learning and engagement in classrooms. Reach out to Cari Teske, Director of Media, with questions.

Congratulations to Central Rivers AEA’s Dr. Elizabeth Voigt, Occupational Therapist, on being named a 2024 recipient of The Courier’s 20 Under 40 Awards!

A Waterloo native, Elizabeth is deeply committed to her profession and community. She volunteers at her church, offering presentations on occupational health for mothers, and serves on the Program Committee at House of Hope, where she helps strengthen programs that empower families and break the cycle of homelessness in the Cedar Valley.

Elizabeth’s true passion is supporting children through occupational therapy services in local schools. In her spare time, she creates “Occ-Health” boxes to help kids develop fine motor skills while having fun.

Congratulations, Elizabeth, and thank you for all you do!

Congratulations to Perla Greenwood, who was recently honored with the School Social Worker of the Year Award at the Iowa School Social Workers Association – ISSWA (ISSWA) conference!

Perla’s dedication to school social work, her creative approach, and her meaningful impact on students and the community showcase her leadership. Through her work at Central Rivers AEA and as ISSWA Treasurer, Perla leads and inspires with genuine passion.

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) have launched a new strategic plan for the statewide system. This comprehensive plan outlines the AEAs’ commitment to serving as educational partners, supporting schools and driving positive outcomes for students across the state. The plan builds on the strengths and core values of previous individual AEA strategic plans and aligns closely with the State of Iowa’s Board of Education’s goals and standards.

Key priorities of the new plan include:

• Serving students and educators: Addressing immediate needs and providing ongoing support to ensure all students have access to high-quality education.
• Driving impact: Achieving meaningful and lasting positive outcomes through evidence-based strategies and collaborative partnerships.
• Fostering excellence: Striving for excellence in service delivery, emphasizing collaboration, relationships and continuous improvement.

Iowa’s nine AEAs will take the plan to their boards for adoption. AEAs will begin to layer the plan into existing AEA strategic plans, creating a more cohesive approach to serving Iowa’s students and educators.

“The new plan is an important step in ensuring that Iowa’s AEAs are meeting the needs of Iowa’s students and educators,” said Stan Rheingans, shared Chief Administrator of Central Rivers AEA and Keystone AEA. “This plan will help us to better align our work across the system and with the state’s educational standards.”