The Channel

An all-regions meeting will be held on May 22 and will include a retirement celebration to recognize this year’s retirees. Watch for details in the May issue of The Channel.

Spring has sprung and the Climate & Culture Committee have planned a couple of fun ways to celebrate!

Texas Roadhouse in Cedar Falls generously donated a gift basket valued at over $30 for one lucky staff member to win. All staff are eligible to enter the drawing. Just drop your name in the basket at the front desk of the Cedar Falls office or email Kathy Barfels (kbarfels@centralriversaea.org) to put your name in for you. The deadline to enter is April 17 and the winner will be drawn and announced on April 18.

On Monday, April 22 everyone is invited to join in the fun of an outdoor Easter egg hunt in the Cedar Falls office. Those wishing to participate should gather in Central Perk at 2 p.m. for instructions before kicking off the hunt. Collect as many plastic eggs as you can find for a chance to win prizes! In the event of bad weather or muddy conditions, the egg hunt will be relocated indoors.

Almost 150 staff members signed up for the option to earn an extra $5 gift card for completing their New Year’s Resolution and of those a whopping 123 completed their resolution! Those who did not complete their resolution held up their end of the bargain and donated $5 to a cause of their choice.  

The following organizations received their donations: church & youth missions, Alternatives, American Heart Association, Children’s Discovery Center, Corey Brown ARL fund, food pantries, humane societies, MDA, National Wildlife Federation, Quota International, Special Olympics, Student Connection, Fire Departments, UNI Dance Marathon, and the Waterloo Hospitality House.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in this activity – it’s great to see how even one small donation can make a huge difference in the communities we live and work in!

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors met on Monday, April 1 with the three area community colleges. Board agendas and minutes can be found online.

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors wishes to thank everyone who went above and beyond to help the staff of Lowell Elementary transition to their temporary home in our former location. As a board, we were extremely proud of the rapid and compassionate response provided by those involved. Your efforts exemplified everything that our agency stands for including an unwavering commitment to students.  

Dr. Debra Rich, President, Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors

What are you grateful for? Staff and visitors to our Clear Lake office shared their thoughts on the bathroom mirror via sticky note! How is your office “owning it” these days? Send your pictures to Beth Strike or Karl Kurt.

The purpose of the Central Rivers AEA website is to provide a dynamic forum of communication designed to educate and inform the communities and school districts about AEA programs, services, events, and other general information relating to the AEA or its school districts. Most Central Rivers AEA programs & services are represented by official web pages developed using the official agency WordPress content management system.

To this purpose, an online module has been created by the AEA technology integrationists to help learn more about WordPress and website accessibility. This online module is a requirement to complete for those who currently author pages or plan to in the future.  

Individuals or teams who have a presence on Central Rivers AEA website should take some time to review the pages they are responsible for and ensure information is current and accurate. To access the online module, look under Technology Support>WordPress Module on the staff website!

Questions? Please contact Beth Strike, Phil Hendricks or Kay Schmalen. 

The Climate & Culture Committee is once again having the March Madness Yahoo Tourney Pick’em Pool. The link to create your account, if you do not have one from last year will be in the Portal next week.  You can make and change to your picks as often as you like, but your final bracket must be submitted before tipoff of the first game on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Only one entry per person and the grand prize is bragging rights with prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awarded.  

In addition to March Madness, the Committee would like to extend an invitation to all staff to wear their favorite team colors or attire as appropriate for your position on Friday, March 29.   

Back in December, you were asked to create a New Year’s resolution and keep it until after Valentine’s Day.  If you completed the resolution you would be able to select a $5 gift card. If you didn’t complete the resolution you promised to donate $5 to a charity of your choice. Please submit the results of your New Year’s resolution by March 15!