The Channel

Enjoy these photos of your teammates showing off their AEA pride as part of the 40th anniversary #iowaaea campaign on Twitter. Want to get in on the fun? Snap a photo of your team or yourself with one of the “I Am AEA” or “We Are AEA” signs available through your service area director and send it to Beth Strike to post to the agency Twitter account. Or, post it yourself and tag @aea267 and use the hashtag #iowaaea. For more pictures, check out the agency Facebook or Twitter sites!

Ed Services staff and others enjoy a lighter moment following AIW training.

Sally Wolfe, Early Childhood Special educator, works with Wendi Coen-Ward, AEA 267 Charles City Office secretary.

Our stellar Human Resources Office staff.

AEA 267 team at the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) annual convention in Orlando, Florida.

Are you on Facebook? Please “like” the AEA 267 Facebook page so you can keep up with daily news regarding the agency. Here are two stories we recently shared that you may have missed.

“Education vs. Domestic Violence” event deemed a huge success

Rod had great support from his friends at AEA 267 including (front row, L to R) Dennis Sinclair, Beth Strike, Julie Davies, (back row) Shirley Horak, Rod, Kaden Ball (third row) Kim King, Kerri Wilson, Hether Gustafson, Kathy Enslin (back row) Shane Wolf & Greg Koppes. — at Beck’s Sports Brewery.

Representatives from Waterloo Community School District, Cedar Falls Community School District, Cedar Valley Catholic Schools, the University of Northern Iowa, Sylvan Learning Center, Kaplan University, AEA 267, and Upper Iowa University participated in a wing eating contest to raise money for the Cedar Valley Friends of the Family domestic violence shelter. AEA 267’s own Rod Ball put up a valiant effort eating 44 hot wings in eight minutes, bested only by Henry Shepherd of Waterloo Community School District. The event was a lot of fun for a great cause! Thanks to everyone who donated and supported the event.

Horn, Vincent present to Senate Education Committee

Dr. Horn and Dr. Paula Vincent (Heartland AEA Chief Administrator)  presented to the Senate Education Committee the week of February 16 in Des Moines. Their mission was to help those in the legislature come to an even better understanding of  the critical mission of Iowa’s AEAs in helping the state’s students, families, and school districts. By all accounts this was a highly successful presentation. Senators were particularly interested in the work that AEAs are doing with some recent focus issues such as dyslexia and autism, and seemed pleased with the response.  Pictured with Horn and Vincent is Dr. Tom Lane, AEA 267 Legislative Liaison for Iowa’s AEAs.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 6 p.m. in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a program review from Dr. Jerry Schnabel and Michelle Cowell on Robots in Education.
• Approved the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan goals for 2015-16 through 2019-20.
• Approved the Extended Year Program Calendar for 2015.
• Awarded the contract for the Cedar Falls Conference Center remodeling project.
• Rejected all bids for a lease agreement for copiers as recommended.
• Approved April 6, 2015 for a joint Board of Directors meeting at Hawkeye Community College.
• Set a date of April 6 for the April AEA 267 Board of Directors meeting.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

The AEA 267 Foundation Meeting was held immediately following.

Rod Ball, AEA 267 Assistant Director of Special Ed (Instruction)

Not doing anything on Friday, February 27 at 8 p.m.? Make a trip to Beck’s Sports Grill in Cedar Falls to support our very own Rod Ball who will represent AEA 267 in the first annual “education vs. domestic violence” fundraiser to support Cedar Valley Friends of the Family. For eight minutes, Ball will compete against representatives from Waterloo Community Schools, Cedar Falls Community Schools, Cedar Valley Catholic Schools, UNI, Kaplan University and Upper Iowa University to see who can eat the most buffalo chicken wings. Each representative will seek donations (per wing or in a lump sum) which will go directly to benefit the Cedar Valley Friends of the Family domestic violence shelter.

Interested in supporting this great cause? Download the donation form and send your donations directly to Rod Ball/Keri Hudson in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Special Education Building.

Dr. Debra Rich, AEA 267 Board President

As part of their February board meeting, the AEA 267 Board of Directors engaged the services of G. Tryon & Associates, a professional search firm based out of Des Moines, to lead the search for a replacement for Dr. Horn. The board established a rigorous timeline for the process, with the expectation of securing a new leader by April 8 (to officially begin work July 1). Staff will be invited to serve on focus groups to assist the board in the final stages of selection.

“The board takes this process very seriously,” said Dr. Deb Rich, AEA 267 Board President. “Given the reputation of the agency, we are confident that we will have many talented candidates to choose from.”

Updates on the process will be provided monthly via Intersections.

The secretaries in the AEA 267 Clear Lake get into the “selfie” spirit by posing with the We are AEA sign.

In the spring of 1974, the Iowa Legislature passed House File 1163 establishing Iowa’s 15 area education agencies with the same service areas as the merged area schools (community colleges). The AEAs, as they came to be called, began operating on July 1, 1975. So if you do the math, that means the AEAs will be celebrating an important anniversary in 2015 – 40 years!

With the establishment of the area education agency system, Iowa became a national leader in providing regional, intermediate educational services. Our Iowa system continues to be among the most respected in the country. Though 44 other states have some kind of educational service agency, the scope of those agencies varies from state to state. None have the unique partnering relationship that Iowa’s AEAs have with local districts.

The AEAs are planning ways to observe this milestone year throughout 2015. If you have feedback or memories to share, don’t hesitate to contact Beth Strike.

One of the first fun ways we’ll celebrate is by doing a selfie social media campaign! We hope you will join us and encourage your co-workers to take part in the fun. Each service area director and office has two signs (ask to use them!), one saying “We are AEA” and the other “I am AEA.” Hold one of these signs as you take a selfie or a group photo in the office, in a meeting, in a school, on a home visit – wherever! Post your photo on Twitter and/or Facebook with the hashtag #iowaaea and email your photo to Beth Strike. (Please remember that signed consent forms are needed if you post any photo with a child.)

We hope this will be a fun activity to kick off our celebration. Be watching for other 40th anniversary ideas we’ll be sharing soon!

AEA 267 is looking at bringing Weight Watchers to our workplace. Weight Watchers at Work gives you access to weekly meetings at your workplace or in your local community and includes the Weight Watchers suite of digital and mobile tools along with 24/7 Chat.

This 17-week plan offers a great opportunity to have the motivation needed for a healthy lifestyle with guidance from a leader who has faced the same challenges. Twenty participants are needed for the meetings to be held at any one of our three office locations.  Any location with less than 20 can still benefit from the workplace rate with the same eTools available and staff are able to attend meetings in their local communities.

The cost is typically $186 payable upfront or in three monthly payments of $62 each. However, during the month of February, Weight Watchers at Work is offering a special offer providing two weeks free (approximately $22 off the regular price) of the 17-week program. Under certain circumstances, you may be allowed to use flexible spending dollars to pay for weight loss programs. Please visit with your doctor and consult with WageWorks if you are considering this benefit. The required medical necessity form can be found in the iVisions Portal under My Benefits>Information Center>Flexible Spending>Healthcare.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity please sign up by February 16 on this Google document. Once we have a minimum of 20 people, a local Weight Watchers leader will come out to give an overview of the program, answer questions and help those who are interested to register for the program.

Any questions can be directed to Beth Strike or Lori Thomas in the Clear Lake office.

In an effort to ensure consistent information regarding special education procedures, there is now an additional resource available to you.  The AEA 267 Special Education Procedural Q & A is intended to be used in combination with the Statewide Special Education Procedures Manual, What Forms to Use When, and your sector Beginning of Year Information.  This resource is accessible from the AEA website by clicking on ‘Special Education’ from the home screen, then ‘Procedures and Forms’ on the right hand column under ‘Procedures’, then ‘Special Education Procedural Q & A’ on the left side under ‘Procedures’.  This document will be periodically updated by the special education administrative team as procedural questions continue to be posed and clarified. For additional support or clarification regarding procedures beyond the available documents listed above, please contact your coordinator.

Letters of advocacy from staff, LEA partners, parents, and even students to local legislators are always encouraged, especially letters of support regarding our AEA legislative priority areas for 2015.  We have created a flyer that lists legislators serving AEA 267 school districts. You can search by senate, house representative or by school district. This is a convenient way to find a particular legislator and his or her contact information.

Please remember when sending messages to legislators that it is important for you to personalize emails or letters and send them from your personal email account or stationary. It is against the law for us to lobby the legislature using agency email or stationary. Also, do not send any such messages during agency work hours, as that would also be a violation of the law.

Need help drafting an advocacy letter or have questions? Contact, Dr. Roark Horn, AEA 267 Chief Administrator.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors held a Public Hearing regarding the proposed AEA 267 Conference Center remodel on Wednesday, February 4, 2015 at 6 p.m. in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. Immediately following, the board held a Public Hearing on the AEA 267 proposed budget for 2015-16.

The board held their regular meeting immediately following the budget hearing and during the meeting, the board:

• Heard a program review from Dennis Muyskens, Hogan-Hansen Auditor, regarding the 2013-14 Audit Report.
• Accepted and approved the Audit Report for 2013-14.
• Discussed and approved the process to hire a new Chief Administrator for 2015-16. (See related article.)
• Approved the 2015-16 proposed budget for submission to the State Board.
• Reviewed and approved the current mileage reimbursement rate.
• Approved the office calendar for 2015-16.
• Approved the lease renewal with North Iowa Community Action Organization for the Charles City sector office for 2015-16.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Starting February 1, and lasting throughout the month, AEA PD Online kicks off its brand new OLLIE online community for teachers. Part of their Online Learning for Iowa Educators (OLLIE) series, the community provides educators resources, live events, discussions, sharing and networking with other educators. It is the perfect learning place for teachers looking to add blended or flipped learning to their classroom.

Featured during 28 Days of OLLIE will be daily events, activities and even contests with prizes to help acclimate educators to the community.

Educators at all levels and those who support them are invited to participate. The first step is to join the community, which can be done in seconds at http://bit.ly/1wWps6k . Once you’re signed up, you’ll receive regular updates about:

• Webinars and other real-time events
• Forums on topics related to teaching and learning online
• Activities that you can be part of
• Resources that are available
• Badges you can earn
• And much, much more!

To learn more, visit http://www.aeapdonline.org/2015/01/coming-soon-28-days-of-ollie.html

In a nod to good customer service, most of us have been changing our voicemail greetings on our phone daily or at least weekly. However, given everyone’s busy schedule and the itinerant nature of our roles, for many, this was a challenge. Thus, please adopt this new approach: Your voicemail greeting should contain a standard greeting that indicates that you will return calls within a 24-hour period and the name (including the extension) of the person the caller can reach for immediate assistance. During times when you are not able to return calls within the 24-hour window, please change your greeting to reflect this. Here are two examples of scripts to use:

Standard greeting:

Hello, this is Dr. Roark Horn, AEA 267 Chief Administrator. I am away from my office or on the phone right now but your call is very important to me. Please leave your name and number and the best time to reach you and I will return your call within 24-hours. If you would like immediate assistance, please contact my assistant, Kerri Wilson, at extension 8201. Thanks and have a great day!

Greeting for when you are not able to return calls within 24-hours:

Hello, this is Dr. Roark Horn, AEA 267 Chief Administrator. I am away from my office until (date) but your call is very important to me. Please leave your name and number and the best time to reach you and I will return your call when I return. If you would like immediate assistance, please contact my assistant, Kerri Wilson, at extension 8201. Thanks and have a great day!

Just a friendly reminder that voicemail guides for all three offices are available on our staff website under Communications & Technology>Voicemail Guides (use your email username and password to access).

AEA 267 has recently completed an upgrade to the Marshalltown office telephone system. This upgrade, along with upgrades to the Clear Lake and Cedar Falls office telephone systems that occurred over the last several years, have allowed the agency to integrate the individual systems at each of the three main offices into one system. This integration allows four-digit dialing between the offices, as well as the ability to use the phone book feature to look up telephone numbers in all locations.

To dial someone within the three offices, rather than dialing the entire number, i.e. 319 273-8227 you can simply dial the last four digits of their number. In this example it would be 8227. Because there are some duplicate numbers between the Clear Lake and Cedar Falls offices, to dial any Clear Lake number that starts with a 4 you must change that first digit from a 4 to a 2. For example, 4280 becomes 2280 for four-digit dialing purposes.

To use the phone book feature on your telephone, simply press the “phone book” button, type in the last name of the person whose number you are looking for and press the “Lookup” button. With that process you can look up the number of any user within the three offices. If you have questions you can always contact Greg Ehrig, Terry Davis or Dave Schaefer and they will be glad to help.