GHAEA Voice

From Lori Kinyon, director of human resources As the holiday break approaches, here is a quick reminder about how you should handle the upcoming days when the agency is closed.      The last regularly scheduled work day for the Agency is  Thurs., Dec. 24 . All offices will be closing early that day at  2:30 pm , and all hourly employees working that day will be excused at that time. For certified staff,  Dec. 24  through  Jan. 1  is a recess period (Master Contract Article XII), and you should not have any scheduled work days during that time, nor should you adjust an early out day on your last scheduled work day in December.      All year round employees will need to enter appropriate leave for any days the agency is closed during the break, other than Christmas and New Year's Day as they are paid holidays. Options for leave include vacation, personal day, compensatory time, unpaid, or any combination of these in the leave system. Please have your leave entered before leaving

Congratulations to Elliott Elem., Griswold CSD, for being one of five schools to receive an award through Google and the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council. Last week, the district was awarded $4,000, along with schools in Pleasant Hill, Rockwell, Sioux City and Waterloo. The school hopes to use the money to purchase equipment to promote STEM education. More on this and last week's Hour of Code coming up!     

Some of you may remember Sarah Watkins. She was employed with GHAEA as a part-time school based interventionist, 2013-15. Regional Administrator  Jenny Barnett  shared this heartwarming story about Sarah and her fiance, Chris Ridl. Instead of setting up a gift registry for themselves, they asked their wedding guests to donate to Toys for Tots. With 270 guests invited to their wedding, that resulted in a lot of toys for children! Sarah and Chris were united in marriage on Dec. 5. Sarah is now a case worker with the Missouri Dept. of Social Services.  View the story here!

We have a long list of birthdays to carry through the first part of January!

Sandi Burk (literacy consultant) and Mark Draper (special education director) presented  What's Special about Special Education? Specially Designed Literacy Instruction at this year's AESA Conference in New Orleans, Dec. 2-5. Their presentation was one of more than 100 presentations over the course of three days.  The theme of this year's conference was  Get Rid of the Noise and Listen to the Music .  The Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) is a professional organization serving educational service agencies in 45 states. 

Marie Neve , literacy consultant, Missouri Valley, believes "literacy makes all learning possible." Husband Loyd is a loan processor. They have two adult children, Stephen and Jaclyn, and two grandchildren. Marie enjoys gardening, reading and spending time with her grandsons. "My husband and I love spending days reading at the beach!" .  

12-4-2000   Debra Hayes 12-6-2010   Susan Himes 12-11-1989   Julia Hood

I would like to thank everyone at Halverson, especially my co-workers in Media, for the support they have given me and my husband with the passing of my mother-in-law, Helen Dewaele. They were always willing to listen no matter what else was going on. Helen was not only my mother-in-law, but my friend and we had lots of fun together over the years.

At their regular meeting on Nov. 18, the State Board of Education voted unanimously to revoke the accreditation of Farragut Community School District. GHAEA Chief Administrator Lane Plugge informed GHAEA staff and board of this decision, and its impact on the agency, in an e-mail on Nov. 20: "The District will continue to exist and operate as a school corporation until  June 30, 2016 , under receivership of GHAEA. The Farragut Board of Education will technically exist until the formal dissolution date of  June 30, 2016 , but will have no authority for decision making. Day-to-day operations of the district are delegated to the AEA Chief Administrator or his/her appropriately licensed designee. This includes personnel and finance decisions. The Department of Education and the AEA are responsible for dividing the assets and liabilities of the District. The DE is responsible for distributing the land comprising the Farragut CSD to contiguous school districts. On two previous occas

Congratulations to Michelle Hicks (speech-language pathologist, Creston) for receiving the 2015 Stephen Tsai Award for Excellence in Autism Education. The award was presented at the Autism Society of Iowa's fall conference and honors an individual who has had a positive impact on an individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is named for Stephen Tsai, who was diagnosed with ASD when he was three years old. Today at 36, Tsai is working at a library and living a full life, thanks to dedicated individuals, like Michelle, who help persons with ASD. Michelle is a core team member on the GHAEA Autism Resource Team. Photo: Evelyn Horton (ASI Board President), Michelle, Kris Steinmetz (ASI Director).

This time of Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful. When it comes to showing gratitude, Denise Volker (school psychologist, Peterson) goes above and beyond. In honor of School Psychology Awareness Week (Nov. 9-13), Denise made goodie bags for the staff at Wilson Middle School, Council Bluffs. "I wanted to acknowledge and thank staff for the hard work they do each day for kids," Denise said. Along with bookmarks, an awareness week wristband, Chex Mix and candy bars, the goodie bags contained a "gratitude" note that stated, "We all have potential for greatness, and we all have the promise of possibility. However,  sometimes we are just blinded to the possibilities. In those times, we need to know how to connect   the dots. This year's School Psychology Awareness theme, Connect the Dots and THRIVE, recognizes  that everyone has strengths, skills, and abilities that can bring about positive change and  achievement.” 

Congratulations to David Bald and Sheryl Fritz (support services secretary, Halverson) who were united in marriage on Nov. 24 in Reno. David is employed with Titan Machinery in Avoca. The couple have purchased a home in Oakland. Photo: Sheryl was joined by one of her nieces Alliison Hay at a bridal shower on Nov. 18. 

Sarah Esser , school social worker, Glenwood, hails from Cedar Rapids, IA. Her husband is a teacher at Logan-Magnolia CSD and they have two sons. Sarah enjoys finding resources to help families in need and seeing students make progress. Her father lives in Hawaii, so vacations there are most memorable. She enjoys "dumb teenage movies" and likes all kinds of music. Welcome Sarah! 

Elise Juhl, daughter of  Cindy Juhl (speech-language pathologist, Avoca) participated in the Iowa State Mock Trial competition, Nov. 16-19, as a member of the 8th grade team from Harlan Middle School. Congratulations to Elise and her team members who placed second out of 34 teams at the state level. Photo: Elise (8th from left, pink shirt) with the team and coaches from Harlan Middle School

Early ACCESS staff surprised Vicki McGlade (administrative secretary, Peterson) on Nov. 19 with a grandma shower. Vicki's granddaughter, Payslee Joanne McGlade, came into this world early on Aug. 2. She is home with her parents, Jim and Nicki McGlade, and is doing great. 

11.26     Jennifer Barnett 11.28   Stephanie Mikkelsen 11.28   Christina Wahlert 11.29     Margaret Woodruff 11.30   Joan Holmes 12-2     Linda Perdue 12-3     Maryann Angeroth 12-4     Mary Walter 12-4     Michele Harrison 12-5     Billie Jo Clausen 12-5   Patricia Schliesman 12-9   Angie Hance 12-11   Cindy Unger 12-11  Darek Madejski 12-12   Jamie Reid 12-13   Debbie Hayes 12-14   Jeremy Kern 12-14  Stephanie McDonald 12-15   Brooke Lamp 12-16   Faith Bessire

It's School Psychology Awareness Week and school psychologists nationwide are celebrating with this year's theme, Connect the Dots and THRIVE! School psychologists work to help connect students to the academic and social-emotional skills they need to promote personal achievement, growth and resilience, as well as a sense of belonging and well being. Thank you, GHAEA school psychologists, for all you do!

American Education Week, Nov, 16-20, presents all Americans with an opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education. This year’s theme is "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility," and will be reflected in special observances each day of the week long celebration: Monday, Nov. 16: Kickoff Day Tuesday, Nov. 17: Parents Day Wednesday, Nov. 18: Education Support Professionals Day Thursday, Nov. 19: Educator for a Day Friday, Nov. 20: Substitute Educators Day

GHAEA realizes that when you and your family are healthy and happy, you will feel better and work better. That is why GHAEA provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through CHI Health.     This service is free to staff and their dependent family members.  The service is confidential and free. If additional assistance is needed, a counselor will refer you to additional resources included in the agency's health insurance plan, as well as other affordable options.There are many service locations with day and evening appointments available.      If you are struggling with stress, depression, grief, financial issues, or family challenges, the  first step is to call,  402-398-5566 or 888-847-4975 or visit them online at CHIhealth.com/EAP. 

11.13   Sherry Huffman 11.13     Becky Zorn 11.14     Mary Korver 11.14     Karen Wessel Hesse 11.16     Jennifer Pontefract 11.16   Vicki McGlade 11.16     Susie Rensch 11.17     Ashley Denton 11.17     Denise Volker 11.18     Echo Pierce 11.24     Jennifer Housman 11.24     Deb Zebill 11.26     Jennifer Barnett 11.28   Stephanie Mikkelsen 11.28   Christina Wahlert 11.29     Margaret Woodruff 11.30   Joan Holmes 12-2     Linda Perdue 12-3     Maryann Angeroth 12-4     Mary Walter 12-4     Michele Harrison 12-5     Billie Jo Clausen 12-5   Patricia Schliesman