GHAEA Voice

Atlantic, Avoca and Missouri Valley Glenwood and Red Oak HCE and CBRO Creston Osceola

For the past few years, Bravo Sports has worked with Iowa college football teams offer discounted tickets to games for AEA employees. If you are an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, you're going to want to check this out! Click here for details.

The 2018 Burst Your Thirst Challenge kicks off on June 11, just in time for summer! This fun, team-based challenge encourages healthy hydration and physical activity habits within a friendly competition. Throughout the six-week event (June 11-July 20), teams of 2-10 people track and report water consumption and minutes of activity. With the flexible format and friendly approach, participants are motivated by each other and kept accountable for achieving team and personal goals.  Gather your team and REGISTER TODAY!

Earlier this year, Green Hills AEA updated its agency goals to include: Goal 1-  Every Iowa child in the area served by GHAEA will be proficient in reading and mathematics by the end of third grade. (As measured by the state assessment.)  Goal 2-  The percentage of students on IEPs showing "ambitious rate of progress" in the areas of mathematics and literacy will increase by 10% each year. Goal 3-  Through collaboration with Local Education Agency (LEAs) and in partnership with students, families, businesses, community agencies, and the Iowa Department of Education, Green Hills Area Education Agency (GHAEA) will ensure every student graduates from high school “Future Ready.” For a summary of the previous agency goal data, please click here.

Green Hills AEA has the following positions open for next year: Special Education Rep. in the East (could be filled by a School Psych., Sped. Consultant or Social Worker) Special Education Rep. in the West (could be filled by a School Psych., Sped. Consultant or Social Worker) Service Coordinator assigned to the Glenwood office (Contact Lori Kinyon by June 8th) If you are interested in one of these transfers, please contact Lori Kinyon (lkinyon@ghaea.org, ext: 3203) by June 4, 2018.

6/1    Jordan Gearheart 6/3    Devin Laughlin 6/5    Julia Hood 6/5    Steve McPhillips 6/8    Diane Hoskinson 6/8    Nancy Nelson 6/8    Kelsey Peters 6/13  Sarah Esser 6/15  Kari Olson 6/16  Lynsi Perkins 6/16  Angie Williams 6/18  Pat Rabbitt 6/18  Lynn Thompson 6/19  Cindy Juhl 6/20  Joanne Farmer 6/21  Maureen Lonsdale 6/21  Donal Welch 6/26  Meagan Ross 6/27  Pat DeLaCastro 6/27  Nancy Sudmann 6/27  Julie Williams 6/27  Meghan Wilson 6/29  Mary Dick 6/29  Lolli Haws 6/29  Amanda Juhl 6/30  Linda Streicher

Laura Williams (Science and Technology Consultant) and husband, Brennan, welcomed their first child on May 8th at 7:51. Elaina Karen  was born at 21 in. 8lb. 2 oz. Baby, Mom, and Dad are doing well! They're currently trying to get use to the baby grind and are definitely in love!

Green Hills AEA has a the following positions available:  Certified Early Access Specialist position in the East open for next year. If interested, please contact Lori Kinyon by 5/23. Certified SLP position in the West Region open for the 18-19 school year. If interested, please contact Lori Kinyon by 5/24. Current certified staff member who would be interested in having a Specially Designed Instruction assignment with a Literacy focus for the 2018-19 contract year. We are looking for 1.0 total FTE dedicated to this assignment, serving schools mostly in the North and East regions. Any certified staff member with interest in this assignment area may be considered. If interested, please contact Lori Kinyon by 5/25.

   As the end of a school year closes, we begin to prepare for the upcoming school year (I know that may be difficult to think about in May). With that preparation, comes updates in our agency "Getting to Know You" book.    Please review the current 2017-18 book here . If you would like anything changed, please contact Devin Laughlin with your revisions. We also encourage you to update your photo if it was taken more than 4 years ago. New photos may also be sent to Devin.    If you were hired this year and have not been included in a previous "Getting to Know You" book, first of all, welcome! We'd love to get to know you better. Please fill out this form for inclusion in the 2018-19 edition this fall. Thank you all!

One final reminder before the summer! Our agency Opening Day will take place on August 20, 2018 at the Adair County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, IA. Registration will begin at 8:30 with the program beginning at 9:00. Dress will be business casual. No jeans please. We are excited to highlight the work that you do at Green Hills AEA, so if you have any photos or videos that you would like to share please send them to Devin Laughlin . We also encourage you to show off some of your talents at the Talent show. Each regional office will be given 5 minutes for their performance. Sign up here!

As many of you may already know, the agency is making some changes to our health insurance plans for the new fiscal year which starts on July 1, 2018.  We anticipate there may be questions about how this change may affect your personal situation, so we brought in Cathy Allen, our ISEBA agent, for a zoom informational meeting on April 20th. You can access the recording here   on in the Staff Portal under Human Resources/Emergency Information.

Green Hills AEA employees can receive discounted tickets for Adventureland in Altoona, IA this summer with the 2018 Fun Card!  Click this link  and choose the "Individual Use Coupon" to download to your phone or computer. You may use the coupon on your phone or print a copy to show at the ticket window.

Please be on the lookout for a new Wellmark ID card to arrive in your mail shortly. The new card will contain your new Wellmark ID number. It is important to put the new card in your wallet and destroy any old ID cards with effective dates prior to 07/01/2018. If you use an old card, your benefits may not apply correctly and the payment of your claims could be delayed or possibly denied. Using your Wellmark ID card: Always show your most up-to-date ID card when you see a provider or get a prescription filled at the pharmacy. To make sure you are using the most recent card, look for the print date shown in the lower-left corner on the front of your ID card. Rather get your Wellmark ID card on your smartphone?  It’s simple with the Wellmark mobile app! Here’s what you can do: 1.     Download the mobile app from any of the app stores, or visit Wellmark.com/GoMobile. 2.     Open the app and select myWellmark. 3.     Log in using your myWellmark user ID and password. *If you ar

On April 21st, Devin Laughlin (Communications Specialist) and her boyfriend, Kevin Herrick got engaged at Waubonsie State Park. They plan to have the wedding in September 2019.

   The 2017-18 Carla J. Nigro Spirit Award was presented to Kristi Kelly, school psychologist out of Glenwood. Kristi has worked with the agency since 1989. She was nominated by several people, including LEA and AEA staff. Quotes from her multiple nominations include the following: “She is often referred to as the child whisperer as she has such a calming spirit, but can be very direct  with students who need that extra push to do their best each day.” “She pushed me to go the extra mile when I was ready to give up on parents or was feeling hopeless with  students.” “Kristi has a magical way of building relationships, especially with the most challenging parents.” “Her level of patience and persistence is like none other I have ever seen.” “Kristi made me a better professional and for that I will be forever in her debt.” “Everyone loves Kristi – she brightens everyone’s day.” “She is very positive and never gives up on a child.”    The Carla J. Nigro Spirit Award is an an