The Channel

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors met Wednesday, April 11 at 6:00 p.m. in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. Minutes of the meeting will be available after approval at the next month’s meeting. May’s board meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 2.

Stuck in a winter rut? Jump in and take part in any one of the following fun activities from our agency Culture/Climate committee!

• March Madness – Enter the Central Rivers March Madness Yahoo Tourney Pick’em pool by selecting the link above & creating an account (if you don’t already have one).  You can make and change your picks as often as you like, but your final bracket must be submitted anytime before or up until tipoff of the first game on Thursday, March 15th.  One entry per person. Grand prize is bragging rights and a secret prize!
• Join us on Thursday, March 29th in the Cedar Falls Office for an outdoor Easter egg hunt! Those wishing to participate should gather in Central Perk at 2:00 pm 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.
• Financial Wellness Challenge. For the month of March, pick one day a week to be a “no spend day”.  A “no spend day” allows you to pay only for things that are necessities (rent, mortgage, utilities, etc.).  Wants (eating out, shopping, entertainment, etc.) are not approved in hopes that depriving yourself of the “wants”  in life will give you a better appreciation for your financial health.
• Health Challenge. The Committee is challenging everyone to personally initiate one change from the Blue Zone Power 9 list. Choose one thing to change and try to make it a habit before the end of March!

• Upcoming summer volunteer opportunity. Interested in helping build a Habitat for Humanity house in the Cedar Valley? Good news! We have reserved three dates for AEA teams to volunteer their time and talents to build a community home, June 12, 13, and 14. Shifts run from 8:30 am-3:30 pm. Sign up is available on a first come, first served basis and must be off-contract time (off contract day, vacation day, or work with your supervisor on making up your hours).  You will receive a confirmation by June 8 with tasks, location, and more details! Wear appropriate (casual) clothes and closed-toed shoes. Tools will be provided. Make a difference and sign up today!

The Central Rivers AEA board of directors approved three new policies, two of which are related to agency logo usage and employee social media use. Staff members are encouraged to review 703.3 Agency Name/Logo Use and 703.4 Employee Use of Social Media. Board policies can be found on the agency’s website under About > Board of Directors > Board Policies. Questions? Contact Beth Strike.

An insurance resources “repository” has been established on the staff website. The repository has a link to the presentation made the week of February 26 by Assistant Chief Administrator Karl Kurt and Chief Financial Officer David Nicholson regarding the rationale for the changes in insurance. In addition, a link to the insurance plan document is also available. Please note that additional resources will be made available as they are created including a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and answers. The Open enrollment period for insurance and benefits will be from May 1 – 20, 2018.  Even if you do not take the insurance, you must go through the open enrollment process. More information and tools such as ALEX, the interactive Jellyvision program, will be made available to employees in April.

To find the repository, visit the Central Rivers AEA staff website under Resources and click on Insurance Resources. (Remember that you will need to use your email username and password to access this site.)

The All Staff Meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, August 14th. Please be sure to change this date on your calendars. A calendar of important dates for 2018-19 can be viewed and downloaded from the staff website.

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors met Wednesday, March 7th at 6:00 p.m. in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. The agenda can be viewed online and minutes will be posted after approval at the next board meeting.

Heather Gould, Consultant for School Improvement

Congratulations to Heather Gould, Consultant for School Improvement who will be stepping in as Regional Administrator for Region 9, effective July 1. Heather has been with the agency since 2009, serving primarily in the areas of literacy, teacher leadership, and school improvement.  Prior to that, she taught middle school English Language Arts at East Marshall.

Heather earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Northern Iowa, with an English Major and a Reading Minor.  She then received her Master’s Degree from Viterbo University in 2008, Literacy Coaching Certification from Iowa State University in 2015,  and an Administrative License from Morningside College last year.

Heather and her husband, Chad, live in rural Marshalltown with their three children:  Gabe (15), Carli (14) and Mya (8). She enjoys spending time with family and friends, attending her children’s activities, and traveling.

Kim Swartz, Regional Administrator

With our strong focus on literacy and math, the agency has restructured to create a Director of Instruction position beginning with the 2018-19 school year. Kim Swartz has been selected for the new position given her knowledge and experience in reading and math instruction. Congratulations, Kim!

Kim has been a professional educator since 1984 teaching elementary students. She joined the AEA system in 2000 as a literacy consultant before becoming a Regional Administrator.  She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Educational Technology, both from UNI.

Kim’s family includes her husband Kevin and children Ryan, Austin, and Spencer and their spouses. She has two grandsons and her interests include spending time with family and friends, as well as biking, hiking, gardening, and singing in the church choir.

The Central Rivers AEA literacy conference is scheduled for June 13 & 14 to be held in Cedar Falls. A powerful roster of speakers is scheduled including Timothy Rasinski, Antonio Fierro, Deborah Reed, Barbara Golub, David Kilpatrick and Jim Burke. Important topics such as foundational skills, fluency, word study, vocabulary, the reading-writing relationship, and reaching English learners will be addressed. Staff is encouraged to attend. Fill out a travel request in Ivisons and register now!