The Channel

Thank you to everyone who donated both cash and prizes for the 2014 Food Bank Drive. Together, we were able to raise $2,241 to help stock food pantries in Iowa. What a great accomplishment! Special thanks to Dyan Johnson, Morgan Frederick, Beth Strike, and Lori Thomas for their support and assistance with this process.

On December 19, a random number generator was used to pick the winners of the prizes donated by our administrative staff. The winners were:

Do you love working at AEA 267? If so, feel free to nominate us for the honor of one of Iowa’s Top 100 Workplaces! Earlier this year, Prairie Lakes AEA and Grant Wood AEA received this honor. We think we have a lot to be proud of as well.

If you plan to complete the nomination form, please note that:

• We have approximately 615 employees
• Kathy Enslin, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of HR should be listed as the contact at 319-273-8245.

Did you know that 88% of Iowans filed their income tax returns electronically last year? Filing electronically or “e-filing” is easy, safe, and decreases the time it takes to receive your refund. Those individuals who are 25 or younger, 65 or older, or in the military may qualify to efile for free. For more information, visit www.iowa.gov/tax  The Business Office will be mailing W-2’s to all employee’s homes toward the end of the month. They will also be available through the iVisions portal.

The Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) website offers a convenient feature called “My Account” which offers individualized information about your IPERS benefits. This feature allows you to view a record of contributions, keep your contact information up-to-date, estimate your benefits, and update beneficiary information. For more information, visit www.ipers.org

“Meet the Team Monday” #MTM was a huge success and gave everyone a chance to learn a little about some of our newest staff members! We introduced you to the first half  of our new team members in November’s issue of Intersections, and here are 18 more we would like you to meet:

• Jennifer Anderson: Jennifer is a Special Education Consultant and earned her degree from Cornell College. Jenn has a wide range of teaching experience, having taught kindergarten as well as college students.
• Stephanie Collins: Stephanie is a Special Education Consultant and received her degree from the University of Iowa. She taught for eight years in Marshalltown and Iowa City before coming to AEA 267.
• Michelle Cowell: Michelle is an Instructional Technology Consultant and worked at Grant Wood AEA before joining us. She earned a M.Ed from ISU and is also a Google Education Trainer.
• Kelly Gallagher: Kelly is a Consultant for School Improvement with AEA 267. She received her degrees from UNI and the University of Wisconsin. Prior to joining AEA 267, Kelly spent 13 years teaching fourth grade.
• Shannon Graves: Shannon is an Educational Assistant at Pinecrest Center and worked for 10 years as an Assistant Preschool teacher before coming to AEA 267.
• Christopher Hamilton: Chris is teaching art at Bremwood and earned his degree from UNI. He has worked as a graphic designer as well as coaching soccer in the Cedar Valley.
• Angela Harvey: Angela graduated from Missouri State University with a Doctorate in Audiology and worked at Hearing Associates in Mason City before joining AEA 267.
• Molly Johansen: Molly is finishing her internship requirements for an Ed.S degree in school psychology with us. She holds double majors from Buena Vista University in human services and psychology.
• Hannah Korcuska: Hannah joins us as a School Psychologist and is working on completing her specialist degree from Minnesota State University- Moorhead.
• Caitlin Lauritzen: Caitlin is a recent graduate from UNI with a B.A. in English and is our newest Lending Library Coordinator,
• Audrey Putz: Audrey earned her degree as a School Social Worker from Wartburg and the University of Iowa. Before coming to AEA 267, she worked at Mississippi Bend AEA.
• JR Trembly: JR received his degree in Management Information Systems and previously worked at McFarland Clinic in Ames. He is one of our two Special Education staff members overseeing data entry.
• Jessica Sexe: Jessica comes to us from Humboldt County Memorial Hospital, where she started her career as a SLP. She earned her degrees from Truman State University in Missouri and UNI.
• Diane Volkman: Diane recently graduated from Morningside College. She taught at BGM, Newton and Grinnell Community School Districts before joining AEA 267 as a Special Education Consultant.
• Jennifer Waterman: Jennifer earned her degree from St. Cloud State University and is currently attending UNI to obtain her Ed.S. as a School Psychologist.
• Kami Wenzel: Kami obtained her degree from Drake University and expects to receive her Ed.S as a School Psychologist in May 2015.
• Sara Wiley: Sara recently graduated from UNI with her master’s degree and did her internship with us before being hired full time as a SLP.
• Dawn Williams: Dawn earned her degrees from BVU and Morningside. Before joining AEA 267 as a Special Education Consultant, Dawn worked at Osage Community School District.

Be sure to “like” AEA 267 on Facebook and look for our new featured series coming soon!

Kris Colwell, AEA 267 Graphic Artist

Please welcome back Kris Colwell, Graphic Artist working out of the Marshalltown office! Kris accepted the position upon the retirement of Tracy Voss, our Graphic Artist in Clear Lake.

There are some important changes to keep in mind when sending in print requests:

• Print ready color copies and posters should be sent to either the Cedar Falls print shop or the Clear Lake print shop, not a Graphic Artist.
• PODD & Board Maker services should be sent to Judy Schuler in Cedar Falls.
• Graphic jobs should be sent to a Graphic Artist, Lindsay O’Regan in Cedar Falls or Kris Colwell in Marshalltown.  Any questions regarding Digital Store Front should be directed to Dave Johnson, Print & Production Supervisor.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, January 7 at 6 p.m. via conference call due to inclement weather. During the meeting, the board:

• Approved the 2015-16 proposed budget for publication
• Approved the final plans of Phase 1 for the remodel of the Cedar Falls Conference Center
• Heard a second reading and approved the following board policies:
  • 401.27R1 – Employee Use of Cell Phones & Other Communication Devices Regulations
  • 401.27R2 – Agency Cell Phone & Reimbursement Procedures/Request Form
  • 405.1 – Sick Leave
  • 405.3 – Bereavement Leave
  • 405.4 – Medical Emergency Leave
  • 405.7 – Jury Duty
  • 405.8 – Personal Leave
• Approved the agreement with Drake University to offer credit through Professional Learning
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members

The AEA 267 Foundation meeting was held immediately following the regular board meeting.

Thank you for your amazing response to this year’s food pantry drive. Donations have already surpassed last year’s total with one week left to donate. A huge thank you to AEA 267 administrative staff for generously donating prizes which include multiple gift cards, handmade items, baked goods and more. What a fantastic team effort!

Just a friendly reminder that for every $1 you donate, five meals can be provided to needy families in our area. Take your monetary donation to Dyan Johnson in Cedar Falls, Lori Thomas in Clear Lake, Morgan Frederick in Marshalltown, or any satellite office or special school secretary. For every $1 you donate, your name will be entered into the raffle for prizes.

Let’s work together to make an even bigger impact this holiday season!

While so far our winter has been fairly mild, poor weather conditions are likely in our future at some point. Be sure to read through the updated frequently asked questions and answers related to weather. Several clarifications have been made regarding how to handle office closed and early dismissal days in terms of work time.

Example of customizable PowerPoint template now available!

For those that use PowerPoint frequently in their work, templates with the agency’s colors and logo have been added to the staff website for your use. (Use your email username and password to log in.) Use of these templates ensures a consistent image for the agency and takes the guesswork out of design. More templates will be added in the future!

Did you know that as an AEA 267 employee you are eligible for discounts through the Iowa Educators Consortium (IEC)? Discount products include cellular phone plans, digital cameras and camcorders, health and wellness, office supplies, software and technology. For more information, contact Jamie Albertsen, jalbertsen@iec-ia.org or 800-255-0405, ext. 12346.

In an effort to keep all Area Education Agency employees and board members informed of statewide initiatives and matters of importance, a new electronic AEA newsletter, The AEA Advocate, has been developed by the AEA Communications Committee for distribution to all AEA staff on a monthly basis. The most recent issue of the newsletter can be viewed here while the January edition will be sent directly to your email in box.

The AEA Communications Committee is very interested in your feedback about this first issue along with your suggestions for information that you would like to see provided in future editions. Please feel free to comment on this post and/or share your feedback with Beth Strike.

Please change your voice mail greeting and set an away message to your email during the holiday breaks so that callers and/or e-mailers will know when they can expect to hear from you.

Voice mail example:

“Hello, this is (your name). Our office will be closed beginning Wednesday, December 24 and will reopen on Monday, January 5, 2015.  Please leave your name, telephone number and a detailed message and I will call when I return. Thank you!”

Email “away” message example:

“Thank you for your email.  I will be out of the office beginning Wednesday, December 24 through January 4 and will respond to your email upon my return. Thank you and have a wonderful holiday!”

If you need assistance with either task, please visit with your supervisor or administrator.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, December 10 at 5 p.m. via conference call from the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Administrative Building. During the meeting, the board:

• Approved a first reading of the following board policies:
  • 401.27R1 – Employee Use of Cell Phones & Other Communication Devices Regulations
  • 401.27R2 – Agency Cell Phone & Reimbursement Procedures/Request Form
  • 405.1 – Sick Leave
  • 405.3 – Bereavement Leave
  • 405.4 – Medical Emergency Leave
  • 405.7 – Jury Duty
  • 405.8 – Personal Leave
• Accepted a donation to the agency of a Zippie Wheelchair
• Voted to elect James Green of Grant Wood AEA to represent Iowa’s AEAs on the Iowa Association of School Boards
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members

The AEA 267 Foundation meeting was held immediately following the regular board meeting.

Watch your van mail during the week of November 16-22 for a special token of the agency’s appreciation for all you do on behalf of children, families and educators! Your efforts to help all students reach their greatest potential are truly remarkable. While we wish we could do more to show our gratitude, we hope you will enjoy the special treat coming your way nonetheless. Many thanks to Wells Fargo for underwriting the costs of this effort.