GHAEA Voice

Getting to Know You , a compilation of photos and bios on GHAEA staff, has been updated for 2015-16. Each office will receive a hard copy once staff have a second chance to review and update their information (by Sept. 30 ). This publication comes in handy for new and veteran staff alike to put a name with a face. It can be found under For AEA Staff , Communication/Media/Logos on the GHAEA website. 

9-23   Kathy Hanafan 9-23   Jamie Ptacek 9-27   Jenna Hoesing 9-27   Melanie Van Dyke 9-28   Amanda Halstead 9-28   Marie Neve 9-30   Lucinda Denke Koll 9-30   Kimberly Madsen 10-1   Leslie Dickinson 10-4   Jessica Williar 10-6   Carole Neary 10-7   Jessica O'Dell 10-9   Kristine Kelly 10-10   Kathleen Gearhart 10-11   Rebecca Hamilton 10-11   Lane Plugge 10-12   Emily Nelson 10-13   Patricia Schimmel 10-13   Amy Whipp 10-15    Cheryl Case 10-18   Terri Bush 10-18   Danelle Glidden 10-23   Jeri Fyock 10-30   Edie Goodwin

Cheryl Case , occupational therapist, Red Oak, knows all too well what it is like for a child to have cancer. Her son, Emmett, was only 14 months old when he was diagnosed with cancer on Oct. 25, 2012.      Forty-six children each day are diagnosed with cancer and seven will not survive the diagnosis, Cheryl says. One in 285 will be diagnosed by age 18. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children and adolescents.       Fact: Only two drugs have been developed for children in the last 30 years. This and other facts are being shared on social media during the month of September -- Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month -- by parents and loved ones of children affected by cancer.       “While we see these facts, they often are not made real until you know someone involved,” says Cheryl. "Emmett will be in treatment until Feb. 25, 2016, for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In his lifetime, he has been in treatment longer than he was not.”      “Most likely there is a child

Looking to avoid getting the flu this year? A shot in the arm should help! Again this year, the Visiting Nurse Association will provide flu shots. GHAEA staff and family members can attend whichever location is most convenient. A listing of acceptable insurances and the costs associated with those not insured, along with the necessary consent form, were sent in an email from Lori Kinyon  on Sept. 15. Be sure to print and bring the consent form with you.  Oct. 9 , 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Avoca                            Oct. 13 , 7:30 to 8:15 a.m., Missouri Valley Oct. 13 , 3:15 to 4 p.m., Glenwood High School Oct. 14 , 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., Glenwood Northeast Elem . Oct. 14 , 3 to 4:30 p.m., Peterson Oct. 15 , 3 to 4 p.m., Halverson Center Oct. 20 , 3:30 to 4 p.m., Osceola Oct. 21 , 3 to 4 p.m., Creston Nov. 3 , 7:30 to 8:15 a.m., Atlantic Nov. 3 , 4 to 5 p.m., Red Oak

The Voice 's GH Exchange works! Sadie, Pat Perkins ' dog who needed a new home due to a move, has been adopted by Jenny Barnett (regional administrator, Peterson) and her family. Jenny says Sadie is doing great and has adapted to life with two teenage boys, Conner and Nick!

Cait Boyer is our first new employee to be in the Voice spotlight! Cait, a   school based i nterventionist, Peterson, hails from Tulsa, OK. She and husband, Brian, have a cat named Chip.  Cait enjoys helping youth to learn and grow. She likes to work out and shop. “The day after Brian and I got engaged, we did a two-week cruise in the Mediterranean. Greece was our favorite!” Favorite movies include How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Moneyball and she likes to listen to Ron Pope and The Eagles.

Several colleagues of Molly Ternus (speech-language pathologist, Creston) went to see her as Rapunzal in the Des Moines Playhouse's production of Into the Woods . Pictured, l-r, are Michelle Hicks, Angie Hance , Val Caputo (retired), Molly, Jackie Luther, Sandi Sickels , and Debbie Norman : The play continues through Oct. 4. 

The work of GHAEA impacts the lives of families, students and educators each and every day. The agency’s newsletters and social media are the best way to share the great things going on in our agency and local schools. Did you know that you, as an employee, are the eyes and ears of our agency?  Here are just a few ways you can help spread the news ! Contact Denise Fricke , ext. 6203, for more information.

Here are some changes you may want to note in your 2015-16 Directory.  Lamoni K-12 principal: John Burrell, jburrell@lamoni.k12.ia.us Peterson Regional Office: Remove Erika Schuck (resigned) Mandatory Reporter Training:  Description should read,  Required by the State of Iowa once every five years for all educators. To assist educators in meeting new State of Iowa Mandatory Reporting of Child and Dependent Adult Abuse requirements, training is available through Heartland AEA’s online training. There is a $25 fee.  Paraeducators:  Connie Richardson should not be listed as a contact Substitute Authorization:  Connie Richardson should not be listed as a contact. Description should read,  Iowa Western Community College is the newly approved provider for the Substitute  Authorization program. Substitute Authorization  allows an individual to substitute in grades PreK-12 for no more than five consecutive days and no more than 10 days in a 30-day period in one job assignmen

Celebrate Iowa's AEAs' 40th anniversary with discounted Iowa football tickets to the Iowa vs. Minnesota game on Nov. 14 in Iowa City. Tickets are available to employees of any AEA and is being offered at no cost to the AEA system.  Order tickets and more information here.  

Looking for : Either a table or floor lamp to put in my speech room. If you have one you're willing to part with, I'm happy to take it. Thank you! Blair Voigt , Red Oak 

Help Travel Iowa launch a new Iowa Culture mobile app by sharing a creative photo at any of the cultural sites found in the mobile app. Take a photo of yourself, family or friends at one of the more 3,500 sites on the Iowa Culture mobile app, then share it on their social media sites with the hashtag #iowaculture and the name of your location. Entries with the most votes will win exclusive experiences and getaways to some of Iowa's unique cultural destinations.

This year, the Iowa Department of Education is piloting a new Differentiated Accountability system as part of the work of Collaborating for Iowa’s Kids (C4K), a partnership of the DE, AEAs and LEAs.       Forty-eight school districts, nonpublic schools and AEAs have volunteered to pilot continuous improvement processes in PreK-6  grade literacy as part of the state’s single continuous improvement  system. As the system grows, it will continue to parallel the work of C4K, creating a system of delivery for evidence-based practices across Iowa.      A new Statewide  School Improvement Team (SSIT) has been created to support Differentiated Accountability. The SSIT is comprised of members from all Iowa AEAs and the DE. Representing Green Hills AEA are school improvement consultants Andrea Danker  (top) and Tina Wahlert . The team will meet monthly to analyze health indicators data for districts, nonpublic schools and AEAs; participated in focused site visits to support volunteer district

It's opening night for the Des Moines Playhouse's Into the Woods and appearing on stage as  Rapunzel is our very own Molly Ternus , speech-language pathologist, Creston, The story of   Into the Woods is about a  childless baker and his wife who wish to lift their family curse. A scullery maid wishes to attend the King's Festival. A young boy wishes to sell his milkless cow. The baker, his wife, Cinderella, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood, and other classic fairy tale characters all journey into the woods to seek their hearts' wishes. But what happens when they get what they wish for? You'll have to see to find out! The show runs Sept. 11 through Oct. 4. For tickets and more information, visit the Des Moines Playhouse website or call  515-277-6261 or  877-862-5621 . 

Sometimes it pays to move! Earlier this month as Early ACCESS staff at Peterson were packing up to move to their new digs at Halverson Center, Amber Johnson (early childhood specialist) found a black bag that she thought would come in handy. No one claimed it, so she started filling it and as she was reaching in, she found a set of keys. She and Susie Rensch (early childhood specialist) could not stop laughing when they realized it was a set of car keys Susie lost almost seven years ago!

Jim and Vicki Joanne McGlade (administrative secretary, Peterson) are pleased to announce the birth of their first grandchild! Payslee Joanne McGlade was born on Aug. 2 to Jim and Nicki McGlade, Council Bluffs. Notice the similarities? Vicki and Nicki and Vicki Joanne and Payslee Joanne?  Mark Draper (director of special education, Halverson) welcomed granddaughter Ellis Madeline Hecht on Aug. 5. Parents are Robert and Eva Hecht. Mark's daughter, Eva, "is not the least bit excited about a return to work in her final year of audiology grad school!"

The guest passcode for the GHAEA WiFi network is ghaeaguest. Keep in mind if students frequently visit your office, do not post the guest network passcode; just pass it on to your guests. If you do not have your own desk phone and work primarily out of your home/school and you would like to have your incoming calls forwarded to your mobile, home or another business phone (with a direct line), let me know the number and I can do that for you. The forwarding phone number needs to reach you directly, not a receptionist at a school. There have been a few instances when a person has called our new toll-free number, 844-366-0503, and when asking for a specific person were told the person does not work here. This may be due to the caller dialing 800-366-0503 instead of an 844 prefix. The agency greeting always includes Green Hills AEA. If anyone reports to you that they are getting a message saying a person doesn't work here, it would be helpful if they would ask for the name of the b

Sept. 2 was Good Neighbor Day and Denise Volker (school psychologist, Peterson) surprised staff at the office with yellow roses. BloomWorks in Council Bluffs provides a dozen roses, free, to anyone in the community, while supplies last. They are to hand out 11 of the roses and keep one for themselves. Pictured are Sondy Laughlin, Denise , and Susan Himes .

9-23-96     Jennifer Bakkerud 9-9-02     Silina Branson 9-26-78     Denise Fricke 9-5-78    Sheryl Fritz 9-9-13     Kelly Gerhardt 9-11-95     Michelle Harrison 9-29-14     Lois Hartje 9-8-06     Lisa Honig 9-15-97     Dan Kenke l 9-9-81     Jean Kent 9-29-08     Cathy Mann 9-8-87     Steve Martin 9-16-02     Carrie Powders 9-16-02     Andy Raczynski 9-12-11     Ruth Rust 9-20-04     Kathleen Tague 9-29-08     Melanie Thomas 9-3-10     Deb Zebill 9-14-87     Becky Zorn

Thank you to all who sent beautiful cards or offered kind words after the death of my mother-in-law,  Audrey McGlade. It was hard to say good-bye. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. Vicki McGlade , Peterson