GHAEA Voice

Bob L. Steele, former Chief Administrator of Green Valley AEA, passed on Saturday, March 17th. Bob was proud to be a lifelong educator. He served as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and AEA chief administrator. He retired 16 years ago, and he and his wife, Judy, moved back to their hometown of Kirksville Missouri. Bob and Judy spent 13 years in his favorite place, their home in the woods outside of Kirksville. He loved his home projects, planting trees and flowers, and taking care of a wide assortment of animals (cats, dogs, raccoon, deer, and the chubbiest possum you have ever seen)! Bob and Judy moved back to Iowa 3 years ago due to health reasons. They lived with their daughter, Keri, until last year when their health needs increased. Services will be on Friday, March 23rd at the Merle Hay Funeral Home at 4400 Merle Hay Road in Urbandale, Iowa. Visitation will be from 11:00-12:00, and a celebration of life memorial service will be at 12:00. Guests are invited to stay after fo

If you are interested in one of the following positions, please contact Lori Kinyon . .50 FTE certified Early Childhood Specialist position assigned to the East region for the 2018-19 School year.  Certified SLP position in the South Region that is available for transfer for the 2018-19 school year. Current certified SLP interested in having an Early Access assignment for the 2018-19contract year, but not fully starting until December/January. We anticipate you would be assigned maybe a family to start the year so you could go through the necessary training that starts in the fall. We are looking for 1.0 total FTE dedicated to this assignment, serving children and families mostly in the North region.  Certified staff member who is interested in becoming a member of the Autism Resource Team (ART). Specifically looking for someone from the North region. The person chosen to fill this position on the team will dedicate .20 FTE to the ART.

Green Hills AEA would like to welcome Jessica Ferguson, current literacy consultant, and Roxanne Wiles as our GHAEA School Improvement Consultants for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year.

Our  In Touch newsletter , share with AEA and LEA staff is now live on Blogger! This new platform allows for a more efficient means of communication with live updates throughout the month, as well as an easy access location on the website scroll bar! The In Touch will also serve as a one stop shop for program and service information. Links to your favorite agency newsletters are included as well. Monthly updates will continue to be communicated through email. If you would like to add your program/service newsletter to the In Touch , please contact Devin Laughlin .

The Communications Committee has reviewed the results of the recent climate survey. They have provided each regional administrator with the data and asked that they analyze it to determine next steps in each office. We are excited to share that 88%+ of our agency agrees/strongly agrees with the following statements: My supervisor seems to care about me as a person My supervisor does a good job of supporting my development as a professional My coworkers are committed to doing quality work I have opportunities to learn and grow at work I know what is expected of me at work Thank you again for your comments, concerns and questions. We received an incredible rate of participation with 215 responses!  Please stay alert for further communication to come shortly.

Laurine Price,  Early Access Service Coordinator, has just completed her MS in Clinical Counseling from Bellevue University. She passed the National Counselors Exam and is currently applying for a Temp. License as a Mental Health Counselor. Laurine plans to continue with Green Hills AEA and complete two years of supervision at Healthy Homes Family Services out of Avoca and Red Oak. Congratulations, Laurine!

Green Hills AEA's Spring Break will  commence on Thursday, March 29th with a 2:30 P.M. early out. All offices will be closed on Friday, March 30th and will reopen on Monday, April 2nd at regular time.  Have a fantastic break!

4/3     Christine Auxier 4/3    Sondy Laughlin 4/4    Emily Selsor 4/5    Jonathan Skarkin 4/7    Lori Ahrends 4/7    Ellen Dosen 4/7    Jane King 4/7    Sarah Stone 4/8    Melanie Freund 4/8    Brittany Gochenour 4/9    Jessica Ferguson 4/10  Sheree Tomasek 4/11  Paula Godwin 4/11  Melanie Sifford 4/12  Karen Spahn 4/13  Patricia Roberts 4/13  Stephen Schwiesow 4/17  Rachel Kittelson 4/18  Angie Bramman 4/18   Ron Russell 4/24  Stephanie Larsen 4/25  Denise Matson 4/27  Michelle Hicks 4/27  Karen Schwenke 4/29  Cindy Wohlenhaus

4/2     Michelle Lidgett 4/17   Joan Holmes 4/18    Amy Rommel

Ms. Linda Spencer has been selected to serve as Regional Administrator for the Glenwood Office. Linda currently serves as a Regional Administrator for Prairie Lakes AEA. She previously served as a classroom teacher and building administrator in the Sidney Community School District.

With significant advancements in technology, the need has arisen for an updated Data Handling and Security Administrative Procedure. The attached document includes the newly revised Data Handling and Security Administrative Procedure. In an extra effort to ensure security, new agency passwords will be created each September, beginning with September 2018. This process will be automatic whenever one accesses the business forms or leave/calendar program. Once you have changed your password in these programs, it will also be changed in Google.

Green Hills AEA has the following 2018-19 positions available for transfer: 1. Certified SPED Rep. position in the North Region (could be filled by a School Psych., Sped. Consultant or Social Worker) 2. Certified Early Childhood Consultant position in the West Region 3. Certified Literacy Consultant position in the East Region If you have an interest in any one of these transfers, please contact Lori Kinyon ext: 3203,  lkinyon@ghaea.org   by March 12, 2018.

  Nominations are now being sought for the 2017-18 Carla J. Nigro Spirit Award . Carla was a School Psychologist at Loess Hills AEA 13 who had an enthusiasm for life. Carla lost her life to cancer in September 2010, but will always be remembered for her great spirit in the way she demonstrated a positive outlook, a friendly nature, a selfless attitude, and a passion for helping others.   This annual award is given to a Green Hills AEA Special Education Representative (school psychologist, school social worker, or special education consultant) who exemplifies Carla's spirit in his/her daily work with students, parents, teachers, and coworkers by striving to make a difference in the lives of others. The recipient of this award will receive a gift certificate, a plaque to honor his/her commitment to others, and will be acknowledged by peers at a GHAEA Professional Learning Team meeting.   Nominations for this year’s award should be submitted here by March 30, 2018. Re-submissio

Green Hills AEA's Spring Break will begin with a 2:30 early out on Thursday, March 29th. All offices will be closed on Friday, March 30th and will reopen at regular time on Monday, April 2nd.

Mark your Calendar for these important dates: May 18th  -  Glenwood and Red Oak                    End of the Year Celebration May 18th  - Council Bluffs and Halverson                     End of the Year Celebration May 21st  - Atlantic, Avoca and Missouri Valley                     End of the Year Celebration May 23rd  - Creston End of the Year Celebration May 24th  - Osceola End of the Year Celebration August 20th  - Opening Day

  In an effort to spread awareness and better inform our districts, families, and communities of the programs and services offered by GHAEA, the communications department will be beginning a "Meet the Team" YouTube segment. These videos will provide an opportunity to showcase products, resources and services available to our districts and students. All "Meet the Team" videos will be posted on the Green Hills YouTube channel   and shared with our districts via At-A-Glance. If your team would like to book a video shoot, please contact Devin Laughlin .

   Do you know a teacher who deserves to be rewarded? For the past 10 years, KMA has partnerd with the Green Hills Area Education Agency to present the Charles E. Lakin Outstanding Teacher Award. This $10,000 award is given to four teachers (2 elementary and 2 secondary) who, "Entice students to come to school everyday." An additional $2,500 is also provided to the recipient's school district.    Instructors within a 40-mile radius of Emerson, Lakin's hometown, are eligible to be nominated for the award. Nomination forms will be available here throughout the month of March. The award winners will be announced in May. Last year's winners included: Jennifer Anderson (AHSTW, Kindergarten), Machenzie Hoffman (Tri-Center, Special Education), Tammy Norris (Clarinda, Junior High Math) and Bob Peterson (Red Oak, Career and Technical Education) Eligible school districts include: Atlantic, AHSTW, Clarinda, CAM, East Mills, Essex, Fremont-Mills, Glenwood, Griswold, Hambu