GHAEA Voice

A message from Chief Administrator Dr. Lane Plugge       On Feb. 16, the Iowa legislature approved changes to the state law (Chapter 20) which governs union negotiations for public workers. The new legislation will limit the role public employee unions can play in contract negotiations, including no longer being able to negotiate health insurance, evaluation procedures, staff reductions and leaves of absence for political purposes, among others.       The GHAEA Education Association and Board reached an agreement for the 2017-18 school year during a special meeting on Feb. 13. This agreement increases total compensation by 2 percent and ensures that health insurance plans will remain as is, with the exception of certified staff paying 20 percent of family health premiums rather than a flat amount. Details can be found in the Feb. 28 board agenda.      With this agreement, GHAEA staff can count on: .  The Board and administration understand the strength of GHAEA lies in the

IPERS (Iowa Public Employees Retirement System) representatives will be in Council Bluffs, April 24-27.  Other dates and locations are: March 23 Creston Creston Regional Med Center 1700 West Townline St April 6   Mount Ayr Ringgold County Hospital 504 North Cleveland Street May 11 Atlantic Cass County Memorial Hospital 1501 East Tenth Street June 8 Red Oak Montgomery County Hospital 2301 Eastern Avenue If you want to learn more about your retirement benefits, schedule an appointment today by calling 800-622-3849 . More information here . 

Michelle Hicks, Paula Godwin, Sandi Sickels and Maureen Lonsdale  are Iowa Strong. They joined hundreds of other in showing  their support for unions at a hearing in Des Moines earlier this month. 

Dr. E. Robert Stephens who wrote the original legislative language to create Iowa's AEAs died on Feb. 8. He served nationally on the Association of Educational Services Agencies Board and was a champion for education, especially for educational service agencies. One of the Iowa AEA Awards is named for him and recently he was presented with a Friend of the AEAs award by the AEA chief administrators (photo). His obituary can be viewed at Lensing Funeral Home , Iowa City. 

The GHAEA Communications Committee will meet electronically on March 7. If you have a question, comment or concern, contact a committee member, use the comment box in your office or submit online . Committee members are Casey Abler, Faith Bessire, Brooke Dornack, Denise Fricke, Sarah Matulka, Carissa Otto, Laurine Price, Nancy Sudmann, Rana Thomsen, Beth Torneten, Meta Trailer, David VanHorn and Angie Williams . 

Konnor Sudmann, daughter of Derrick and  Nancy Sudmann  (instructional materials assistant, Halverson), is a member of the Treynor High School girls basketball team (25-0) which advanced to the Iowa State Girls Basketball Tournament. They play tonight, Feb. 27, at 8:30 p.m. against Van Meter (21-3). If they win, they go on to play Thursday at 3:15 p.m. against the winner of Central Decatur and Cascade. The championship game will be played Friday, March 3.  Konnor is a sophomore and plays point guard. She is #24 (white jersey) and #25 (red jersey). Another honor is in store for Konnor as she found out late last week that she made the All-District girls basketball team.  Congratulations to Konnor and the Treynor girls basketball team!

Suicide Risk Assessment Training will be offered on March 29 in Creston or April 3 in Avoca. This workshop is free for AEA staff ($50 for LEA). It will address best practice in school suicide risk assessment procedures.The book Suicide in Schools and related risk assessment documents will be provided, as well as sample procedures from area school districts. It is designed for counselors, special education representatives, school-based interventionists, nurses or anyone who would be involved in district-level suicide assessment. More information here . 

Chris Coffelt, superintendent at Central Decatur CSD, was featured in Education Week 's Leaders to Learn From. Building Up the Teacher Workforce in Small-Town Iowa looks at the challenges of this 750-student district that is making strides in improving its teacher workforce.  Read article here . 

Join teachers, teacher leaders, mentors and administrators on April 6 to learn and plan for students' future successes and achievements.The Educator Quality Conference will be held at Simpson College in Indianola. Topics will include a focus on unifying educators and a look at the roles of positions from Teacher Leadership and Compensation (TLC) to English language learner teachers (ELL). First through third year teachers are encouraged to attend, in addition to TLC and ELL educators.  Regist ration deadline is March 17 .

Test your math know-how with sample questions from the new Accuplacer, courtesy of the New York Times .  These placement tests claim to be more effective in helping institutions place students in classes that match their skill level and include texts and tasks encountered in first-year college courses.

Mary Carstens  2/27 Debra Schwiesow  2/28 Jen Dillon  3/2 Cynthia Redding  3/5 Amanda Burnette  3/7 Rita Schechinger  3/7 Andy Ruff  3/12 Jana Hensley  3/16 Melissa Lassek  3/18 Andy Raczynski  3/18 Pam Sargent  3/19

There was a big turnout at the State Capitol on Feb. 2 for the 2017 Legislative Education Advocacy Day, sponsored by Iowa Area Education Agencies and School Administrators of Iowa.       Several superintendents from our area attended, joined by more than 150 superintendents and education leaders from across the state: Chris Anderson, Woodbine; Casey Berlau, CAM and Nodaway Valley; Martha Bruckner, Council Bluffs; Chris Coffelt, Central Decatur and Lamoni; Paul Croghan, East Mills; Devin Embray, Glenwood; Chris Herrick, Fremont-Mills and Stanton; Angie Huseman, Tri-Center; Steve McDermott, Creston; Tim Mitchell, Riverside; Kerri Nelson, Shenandoah; Tom Ridder, Logan-Magnolia; Lance Ridgely, East Union; Lyle Schwartz, West Harrison; Steve Seid, Clarke; Deron Stender, Clarinda, and Justin Wagner, Harlan. All were united in their vocation and in their request for Iowa legislators to attend to the needs of the state's students. 

Others may have noticed, but only a handful of employees questioned the post  Feng Shui February  (1/23/17 Voice).The 823 years myth is just that -- a myth, a fake. So while some of you may have wondered if I had lost my marbles, there is a 'method to my madness.'  Maryann Farrell  (instructional technology consultant) recently wrote an article for the  CASE for Tech  blog about fake news, an issue that is becoming more relevant in this age of social media. Here is an excerpt: Spotting a Fake I rarely ask,  What happened to the good old days? , because I do firmly believe these are the best of days. However, in the field of information and access to information, I do long for the days when I used a book, an encyclopedia, a textbook, a magazine and/or Walter Cronkite to get information which I could be confident was accurate. The present day allows access to information resources 24/7 most of which are not vetted for accuracy.      Fake news has been around since of the in

The 19th Annual Muscular Dystrophy Assoc. Gala will be held March 3, 6 p.m. at the MidAmerica Center in Council Bluffs. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket, contact Denise Volker (CBRO). 

AEA PD Online will be updating the security license of the training system and learning system, Thursday, Feb. 16, at 10 a.m, and a system update on Feb. 20. Read more here . 

If you happen to see an Omaha Car Care commercial, pay attention. You may just see our very own Susie Rensch (early childhood specialist, CBRO) and her two daughters, Haley and Olivia. The Rensch family is friends with the owner so they were asked to be a part of the shoot. Susie said filming took about three hours. When the girls saw the commercial on TV, they were a little disappointed since some of their footage ended up on the cutting room floor! That's Hollywood for you!  Watch the commercial here . 

Did you know that GHAEA has an agreement with Iowa School for the Deaf (ISD) for the use of their fitness facility? GHAEA employees can use the facility for a fee of $45/quarter or an employee/spouse fee of $60/quarter (Jan-March, April-June, July-Sept., Oct.-Dec.)  The facility includes a pool, weight room, cardiovascular area and racquetball court.  The facility is open Monday through Thursday, 3 to 7 p.m. and the pool, 4 to 6:45 p.m. Reservations must be made for racquetball by calling 712-366-3232.  Make checks payable to GHAEA and send to Nancy Nelson at Halverson Center.  Contact Nancy for more information. 

Looking for: I am looking for a working Magna Doodle to use with a student. If you have one that wants a new home, I'll take it!  Thanks.   Cheryl Mulligan (Red Oak)

From now through Feb. 28, Krispy Kreme is giving customers a free doughnut for every cup of coffee purchased , this according to Travel and Leisure Magazine. The doughnut giveaway is to promote the relaunch of their coffee line.  Ever wonder why airplanes dim their lights upon takeoff and landing? Travel and Leisure Magazine explains here it.  And what about those little bumps that are showing up on sidewalks and street crossings?  Get the scoop here . 

The release of the 2017 GHAEA Summer Course Catalog is approaching! This year, the PD department will be releasing summer courses for online registration as the syllabi are approved, which is something new. Previously,  the entire catalog was released on a specific date. An icon will be visible on the GHAEA homepage -- just point, click and open the Google document. Be sure to check back often as the catalog and course listings will be continuously updated. Contact Michelle Lidgett for more information.  

As with many holidays, you either love Valentine’s Day or you can't wait for the day to pass.   According to Helen Buttigieg of We Organize U, it's all in how you look at it and what it means to you. "If you love it, perhaps it means romance and the gifts, cards and fancy dinners that go along with that. If you hate it, perhaps it creates pressure for you – having to drum up romance, whether you’re feeling it or not. Or maybe it brings up feelings of loneliness if you are not in a relationship.      If you are dreading Valentine’s Day, you may want to consider reframing it so you can actually enjoy it. Why not see it as a day for acting in a kind way – with your significant other or another family member, a neighbor, a friend, a pet or even a stranger. It's great to act in a loving way all the time, but having a day set aside especially for this acts as a powerful reminder and motivator.      It could be having coffee with someone who needs the company and convers

February 2017 marks the third annual 28 Days of OLLIE, sponsored by AEA PD Online . Powering up Personalized  Learning is this year's focus with a goal to provide participants with a personalized learning experience focused on how to further implement personalized learning with their students. It's never too late to start. 28 Days of OLLIE continues through Feb. 28.  28 Days of OLLIE participants will  Assess where they are at when it comes to personalizing learning for students. Set personalized learning goals around building their capacity to implement personalized learning opportunities in an online/blended/face-to-face classroom. Create a personalized learning path. Learn about learner profiles, learner pathways, competency based progression and flexible learning environments through different types of experiences and modalities. 

Nancy Boswell . . . Feb. 8, 1996 Katie Hensley . . . Feb. 8, 2010 Janice Hughes . . . Feb. 6, 2008 Nancy Sudmann . . . Feb. 18, 2013 Monica Weber . . . Feb. 25, 2008

Harva Paul  2/8 Kristi Minnick  2/9 Caitlin Boyer  2/11 Stephanie Dredge  2/15 Mary McLaren  2/15 Denise Fricke  2/16 Amber Brancaleon  2/19 Julie Honan  2/21 Steve Martin  2/23 Jody  Madsen  2/24 Amber Zimmer  2/24 Amber Johnson  2/26 Cheryl Mulligan  2/26 Mary Carstens  2/27 Debra Schwiesow  2/28