The Channel

One of the new laws created during the 2014 legislative session focused on dyslexia. The legislation defined this as an educational diagnosis and so it was added to Iowa Education Code. Dyslexia is defined as “a specific and significant impairment in the development of reading, including but not limited to phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension that is not solely accounted for by intellectual disability, sensory disability or impairment or lack of appropriate instruction.”

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies created these resources for school leaders:

• Details of the dyslexia legislation and how Iowa’s AEAs support struggling readers;
• Learn more about dyslexia; and
• Early Literacy Guidance Dyslexia Checklist – resources and talking points.

At AEA 267, Dr. Carol Sensor and Kim Swartz have been designated as your resources when you receive a request for support for a student struggling with dyslexia. Please contact either Carol or Kim to discuss the request so that together you can decide how best to respond.

Do you lead or facilitate an internal meeting? Last month, the all-agency Leadership Team approved an official Meeting Agenda & Minutes template for use agency-wide. Please use this template for building agendas and maintaining minutes whenever you work with an AEA 267 team. Simply click “use this template” and Google will make a copy of the template and place it in your Google Drive. From there, you can rename it and begin making changes for your specific group. (Tips: 1. Choose a logical naming protocol such as “Special Education Administrators” vs. “Agenda” when renaming your document; and 2. If you have not used the bookmark function in Google, you may want to contact  Beth Strike for help.)

A critically important aspect of the template is the column related to communicating the decisions made during the meeting. Please do not shortchange this step as you facilitate meetings! Feel free to rate the template or email Beth with your feedback!

The state has launched a new website, IowaCore.gov, to help teachers across the state put the standards into practice in their classrooms and to help increase public understanding of our statewide academic standards.

Please take time to explore the new website, which includes:

• The Iowa Core standards in a format that is searchable by grade level (K-12) and subject (mathematics, science, social studies, English language arts and 21st century skills, such as financial literacy).

• A collection of optional education resources that teachers may use to implement the Iowa Core. More than 8,000 resources are available at no charge in a central, searchable online location called IowaLearns.org, which is accessible through IowaCore.gov. The materials are adaptable to fit the individual needs of local classrooms.

• Parent guides to the Iowa Core that parents and other Iowans can use to understand what the Iowa Core is, what students are expected to know and how parents can help at home. The guides were developed in partnership with the National PTA and Iowa teachers.

November is upon us and that means that the potential for severe winter weather is increasing. Please be sure that you have taken time to thoroughly review the information on the inclement weather page of our staff website. (Use your email login and password to gain access.) This page provides all of the details you will need to learn about professional learning cancellations and office closures as well as updated procedures and answers to your most frequently asked questions about weather-related travel. If you have questions after reviewing this information, please visit with your supervisor. Stay safe and please exercise good personal judgement at all times!

Sector meeting dates for next year are now set. Please mark your calendar now for the appropriate meeting date for your sector and plan to attend!

• Instructional Programs: August 10, 2015 (location to be announced)
• NE Sector: August 11, 2015 (AEA 267 Cedar Falls Office)
• East Sector: August 12, 2015 (AEA 267 Cedar Falls Office)
• South Sector: August 13, 2015 (AEA 267 Marshalltown Office)
• NW Sector: August 14, 2015 (AEA 267 Clear Lake Office)

Each year, the Human Resources office calculates the average annual sick leave usage for the agency. The purpose of the calculation is simply to serve as a benchmark that staff can use to gauge whether their usage is on par with the average of other staff members. The average usage for this past year was 5.53 days. The calculation includes sick leave for doctor/dentist appointments as well as regular sick time used.

We welcomed many new team members this school year and to introduce all of them to you and the greater public we serve, we have been featuring them each Monday on the AEA 267 Facebook page. “Meet the Team Monday” #MTM has been a huge success and gives everyone a chance to learn a little about our new staff members!

To date, we have profiled 14 new team members. Including:

• Whitney Aldrich: Whitney earned her degree from UNI and taught five years before coming to River Hills School. She student taught at River Hills and is excited to be back there. Whitney spends her leisure time with her husband and 2 year old daughter.
• Elizabeth Ascherl: Liz is a Speech-Language Pathologist serving the Northwest Sector. She received her M.A. from UNI and worked for Grant Wood AEA before joining AEA 267. In her free time, Liz enjoys boating and sporting activities.
• James Fineran: James obtained his B.A. from UNI and is currently working on earning a master’s degree in Special Education from Morningside. James is excited to return to River Hills where he taught for eight years prior to his previous job with Cedar Falls CSD. With three daughters it’s tough to find time for himself, but when he can James enjoys playing softball and singing.
• Brooke Foster: Brooke is an Educational Assistant at River Hills. Brooke earned a B.A. in Family Services from UNI and enjoyed working at River Hills so much during her internship, she decided to make it her career. To relax, Brooke turns to crafts, movies and the outdoors.
• Michelle Haberman: Michelle obtained both her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Northern Iowa and before coming to AEA 267, she was a teacher for over 20 years. Michelle’s favorite place to be? Okoboji.
• Jeremiah Johnson: Jeremiah is the High School Math Teacher at Bremwood and received his B.A from Wartburg College. When he is able, Jeremiah plays an active role on his family farm.
• Jodie Klatt: Jodie is a Teacher of Behavioral Disorders at Pinecrest Center. She finished her teaching degree once her children were in school and graduated from Buena Vista University. Jodie is currently working on her BD endorsement and spends her leisure time with her family and hunting for bargains.
• Jennifer Kluesner: Jennifer works with students at Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center. She graduated from Ellsworth Community College and is currently pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice at Upper Iowa University. Jennifer enjoys camping, hiking and has a strong interest in photography.
• Ann Lasher: Ann is a Special Education Consultant in the NE sector. She earned her B.A. from UNI and her M.A. from Southwest Minnesota State. Before coming to AEA 267, Ann taught elementary and middle school students for over 20 years. Her free time is taken up with following her three kids’ activities.
• Sara Nickel: Sara is a School Improvement Consultant based out of Marshalltown. Sara received her B.S. from Iowa State and a M.S. from the University of Kansas and was a semifinalist for the 2013-14 Kansas Teacher of the Year award. Sara enjoys running, yoga and finding new recipes for her cooking blog.
• Sara O’Brien: Sara received her M.A. in Audiology from UNI. She worked at Cedar Valley Medical Specialists prior to coming to AEA 267. Sara has two daughters and loves to bake, sew and travel.
• Corey Rogers: Corey comes to us from Bunger Middle School in Waterloo where she served as Media Specialist. She earned her B.S. from Grand Valley State University in Michigan and her M.S. from Concordia University. Corey enjoys reading and working on home improvements.
• Alayna Schutte: Alayna studied psychology at Central College and is currently attending UNI to pursue a degree in school psychology while working as an Assessment Intern with AEA 267. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, crafts, jogging, and kayaking.
• David Valdez: David is the new PE teacher at River Hills School and earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. David is an avid outdoorsman.

Be sure to “like” AEA 267 on Facebook and meet the remaining new team members!

Recent news has included a story involving the settlement of a lawsuit involving the  Iowa Educators’ Consortium/Iowa Association of Educational Purchasing. The IAEP is an organization formed by the Iowa Area Education Agencies (AEAs) under Chapter 28E of the Iowa Code, to assist member schools with the purchase of products and services that enhance their school meals programs in support of the educational goals of students.

This was a  class action suit filed by a couple in the Adel-DeSoto district.  The premise of their suit was that Martin Brothers conspired to restrain competition in the market for the retail sale of food to schools and that Martin Brothers attempted to monopolize that market in violation of Iowa antitrust laws.

This case has been in process for over three years as Martin Brothers was not willing to settle the case because they thought this was a totally bogus class action suit. After further consultations with their attorneys, Martin Brothers generally made a business decision to limit their legal fees and attempt to reach a settlement through mediation.

The settlement agreement was filed with the Clerk of District Court in Dallas County on July 31. Key points of the Martin Brothers settlement include:

• Martin Brothers will pay $1,925,000 to create a settlement fund which will provide monetary relief to the settlement class.
• The settlement class is anyone who paid for a school lunch between January 1, 2000, and July 31,2014.
• A third party will arrange to have notices published in an attempt to reach 88 percent of Iowa’s residents.  This means that notices will be published in 14 of Iowa’s largest newspapers.  The notice will direct interested persons to a website.
• Individuals in the settlement class may complete and submit paperwork to receive reimbursement.  Individuals in the class may receive $3.50 for each year they attended a participating school district up to a maximum of $50.00.
• Any funds remaining after attorney’s fees and class members receive their payments will be paid to participating school districts on a pro rata basis.

Information on the settlement at the following web site http://www.iowaschoolfoodsettlement.com/.

The Iowa Association of Educational Purchasing remains committed to its mission of helping schools save money and provide students with the best meal choices.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, November 5 at 6 p.m. in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Conference Center. During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a program review regarding Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) from Shaelynn Farnsworth, Consultant for School Improvement and Jeff Struck, Consultant for Mathematics.
• Approved the Educator Quality Committee for 2014-15.
• Approved the AEA 267 Advisory Committee for 2014-15.
• Approved the contract with Struxture Architects for the Cedar Falls Conference Center remodeling project.
• Approved the Title III Grant for 2014-15 with the Iowa Department of Education.
• Approved the contract with Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin for the Assessment and Intervention for English Language Learners with Language Impairment workshop on March 27-28, 2015.
• Approved participation in the Iowa Drug and Alcohol Testing Program for 2014-15.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

A new extension directory has been added to the staff website (Communications & Technology>Cell Phone Directory & Information and Staff Office Extensions) to make interoffice calling between Clear Lake, Marshalltown and Cedar Falls easier! The directory details the 4-digit extension number for all employees housed in one of the three offices. (These numbers are not listed in the searchable Contact Us directory on our public website as the numbers can’t be used by outside callers.)

The agency crisis plan has been updated to reflect the information we received during the August sector kick-off meetings regarding options for responding to a violent intruder in the workplace. Copies of the plan are in the process of being distributed to all AEA 267 administrators and offices, where they should be kept in an obvious location for reference. In addition, the plan is available on the staff website (use your email login/password to access the staff website). Please take time to review the plan and familiarize yourself with our agency procedures.

A day of learning, fun and camaraderie is being planned for agency support staff as part of the 2014 Office Support Professionals’ Day to be held Tuesday, November 18. The morning keynote presentation will focus on key aspects of our Core Operating Principles including building and maintaining positive relationships, developing a customer-focused attitude, handling conflict effectively, and taking initiative. The afternoon will feature three skill-building mini-sessions around proofreading/editing and business writing, going deeper with Google, and learning how to use the staff and public websites as resources to tackle daily tasks.

An official invitation with more details will be sent to support staff in the coming weeks. For now, please hold the date on your calendar!

Just a friendly reminder that the agency will host three flu shot clinics for staff members this month. Contact Human Resources at (319) 273-8246 to sign up or send an email to Judy Dummermuth by October 3 at 4:30 pm.

CEDAR FALLS- Wednesday, October 15, 2014 from 6:30 am to 8:00 am in the CF Conference Center Lobby (cholesterol testing will also be available)

CLEAR LAKE- Monday, October 13, 2014 from 7:00 am to 8:30 am in Room D of the Clear Lake Office (cholesterol testing will also be available)

MARSHALLTOWN- Tuesday, October 14, 2014 from 6:30 am to 8:00 am in Room A of the Marshalltown Office

Please bring your insurance or Medicare card to the clinic!  If you do not have insurance with AEA 267, you will have to pay for the shot at that time.

Someday, each of us would like to relax and enjoy the fruits of our labor. However, the Social Security administration believes that most people aren’t saving enough for that “someday” when they retire. Social Security offers a my Social Security account to help people prepare and manage their “someday.” With a my Social Security account, you can:

• Get your online Social Security statement;
• Verify your lifetime earnings;
• See estimates of your future earnings;
• Manage your benefits; and so much more.