We have received and approved a number of requests from individuals or small groups who wish to attend professional development at an out-of-state conference or workshop. It would be very helpful to know how many people intend to request the opportunity to travel to out-of-state professional development this year. If we know this information now, we can make decisions that will be more equitable across all groups and ensure that there is still adequate funding for those who want to travel later in the year.
If you plan to request an opportunity to attend professional development at an out- of-state conference or workshop before July 1, 2009, please submit your request to your partnership director or supervisor by November 15, 2008. The procedures to do this were included in the August 31 Connection Update and can be accessed by clicking here.
Monday, October 27, 2008
403(b) Provider Fairs
Employees interested in continuing to invest in the TSA 403(b) retirement program after January 1, 2009, or employees interested in beginning to invest in the 403(b) retirement program need to join the State of Iowa 403(b) plan. To participate with the state plan called the Retirement Investors Club (RIC), beginning January 1, 2009, and after, you will need to select an agent who represents one of the six 403(b) providers. Those providers are AIG Retirement, Hartford Life, Horace Mann, ING, Security Benefit and TIAA-CREF. If you are currently contributing to a 403(b) or have a Board TSA benefit, you MUST enroll in one of these six companies or your contributions will cease December 31, 2008.
Heartland will be holding four provider fairs to give you an opportunity to meet with some of the agents from the six investment companies. Each of the six providers will be asked to invite interested agents to attend the fairs and meet individually with employees who attend. You are welcome to bring a spouse or friend and come and leave as your schedule permits. If you want to invest in a TSA 403(b) after January 2009 and have not contacted one of the provider’s agents, then this is a perfect opportunity to meet an agent and get enrolled. This will be the only arranged opportunity for this.
The agent you select will have all the necessary paperwork for you to enroll in our 403(b) plan. The deadline for returning your TSA 403(b) application form to Kathy Martin, benefits specialist, will be November 26, 2008.
The provider fairs are scheduled as follows:
Questions about the provider fairs or the 403(b) program may be directed to Steve Jordan at ext. 14908 or Kathy Martin at ext. 14385.
Heartland will be holding four provider fairs to give you an opportunity to meet with some of the agents from the six investment companies. Each of the six providers will be asked to invite interested agents to attend the fairs and meet individually with employees who attend. You are welcome to bring a spouse or friend and come and leave as your schedule permits. If you want to invest in a TSA 403(b) after January 2009 and have not contacted one of the provider’s agents, then this is a perfect opportunity to meet an agent and get enrolled. This will be the only arranged opportunity for this.
The agent you select will have all the necessary paperwork for you to enroll in our 403(b) plan. The deadline for returning your TSA 403(b) application form to Kathy Martin, benefits specialist, will be November 26, 2008.
The provider fairs are scheduled as follows:
- November 12 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Ames AEA office
- November 13 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. First United Methodist Church (new section), 307 W. Ashland Ave., Indianola
- November 18 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Johnston AEA office, ICN room
- November 18 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Annunciation Parish Hall, 723 Elm Street, Coon Rapids
Questions about the provider fairs or the 403(b) program may be directed to Steve Jordan at ext. 14908 or Kathy Martin at ext. 14385.
6445 Administration Building Construction Update
Overall construction is progressing well, with the exception of the mechanical work. Currently, the mechanical subcontractor is approximately two weeks behind because of heat pump vendor problems. Every attempt is being made on corrective action with both the heat pump vendor and the subcontractor to alleviate this schedule discrepancy. The general contractor has assured us that they will do whatever it takes to get back on schedule once the heat pumps arrive. Weekly construction meetings are being held between Heartland, the architect and general contractor to discuss construction progress, delays and concerns.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) ducting is being installed in the ceiling, as well as electrical and HVAC control systems. Interior walls are being drywalled, mudded and taped. The ceiling grid will be installed and prepped for the DIRTT wall system (an adaptable wall system), which should begin being installed in November. Shop drawings for casework, boilers, dampers, diffusers, grilles, humidifiers, roof curbs, acoustical ceiling, caulking and variable frequency drives have been submitted and accepted, with the exception of the boiler. The storefront framing will arrive soon, and vault and two pyramid skylights have been delayed until the end of November.
Two focus groups have been formed to address the HR/Business Office and support room programming. The HR/Business Office program group has been focusing on furniture and storage layouts, and the support room programming group has been focusing on the work room and administrative support areas.
Construction photos from October are posted on the Intranet under the Facilities tab.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) ducting is being installed in the ceiling, as well as electrical and HVAC control systems. Interior walls are being drywalled, mudded and taped. The ceiling grid will be installed and prepped for the DIRTT wall system (an adaptable wall system), which should begin being installed in November. Shop drawings for casework, boilers, dampers, diffusers, grilles, humidifiers, roof curbs, acoustical ceiling, caulking and variable frequency drives have been submitted and accepted, with the exception of the boiler. The storefront framing will arrive soon, and vault and two pyramid skylights have been delayed until the end of November.
Two focus groups have been formed to address the HR/Business Office and support room programming. The HR/Business Office program group has been focusing on furniture and storage layouts, and the support room programming group has been focusing on the work room and administrative support areas.
Construction photos from October are posted on the Intranet under the Facilities tab.
Heartland Composite School Calendar Now Available
Click here for the 2008-09 Heartland area schools’ composite calendar. The calendar lists our districts’ start dates, teacher workdays/in-services, parent/teacher conferences, early dismissals, holidays/no school days, breaks, semester ending dates and year-end dates.
Soundzabound Royalty-Free Music for Presentations
Heartland has purchased a license to the Soundzabound library of MP3 music clips. Using Soundzabound music provides protection against copyright violations. Staff members are encouraged to use it when creating podcasts, PowerPoints, videos, movies, Web pages, etc. You can also loop the 15-second, 30-second and 60+ second clips together for meeting openers or background music.
This is not your typical sound effects or "Muzac" music. You'll find classical, hard rock, soft rock, indie, percussion, swing, reggae, punk, country, blues, soul, sports, techno, punk, psychedelic, new age, hip-hop, urban, game show, decades of music tracks and lots more. More multicultural music will be added this year. Schools will also be encouraged to use Soundzabound for half-time entertainment, public events, digital storytelling, video yearbooks, student productions, etc.
Preview or download October's song of the month from Global Indie Bands and Artists at http://www.soundzabound.com. Login with the username/password you use for the other online databases. Call the Heartland professional library if you have forgotten the username/password.
This is not your typical sound effects or "Muzac" music. You'll find classical, hard rock, soft rock, indie, percussion, swing, reggae, punk, country, blues, soul, sports, techno, punk, psychedelic, new age, hip-hop, urban, game show, decades of music tracks and lots more. More multicultural music will be added this year. Schools will also be encouraged to use Soundzabound for half-time entertainment, public events, digital storytelling, video yearbooks, student productions, etc.
Preview or download October's song of the month from Global Indie Bands and Artists at http://www.soundzabound.com. Login with the username/password you use for the other online databases. Call the Heartland professional library if you have forgotten the username/password.
September 19 Meeting Evaluation Data
On September 19, agency-wide office meetings and special education meetings were held. We asked for your feedback on the day and want to provide you with an update regarding what we heard. Below you will see the data from the 194 staff members who took the opportunity to provide feedback on the office meeting part of the day and the 164 staff members who evaluated the special education meeting related to our Polishing Our Practice sessions. Overall, you indicated that the objectives for the day were clear and met, but we need to be more planful to ensure that your time is spent efficiently and effectively. Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. We will continue to use your feedback as we plan future meetings.
Click here for the office meetings data.
Click here for the special education meetings data.
Click here for the office meetings data.
Click here for the special education meetings data.
Poverty Simulation Rescheduled to December 1
The Poverty Simulation that was scheduled for October 30 has now been rescheduled for December 1 from 1:30-4:00 p.m. at the Johnston Lions Club. Register through the Universal Registration system using Activity Number HU016199990902. If you registered for the October 30 event and would like to attend this event, you will need to re-register.
Homeless Youth Lunch & Learn in Johnston October 28
Join us for the Homeless Youth Lunch & Learn event on Tuesday, October 28 from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Johnston Lions Club (6401 Merle Hay Road). You will have an opportunity to learn from youth and professionals from the Iowa Homeless Youth Shelter. Register for the event through the Universal Registration system using the Activity Number IN009392110903.
A collection box will be at the event to collect toiletry items, hats, gloves, scarves and socks to donate to the Iowa Youth Homeless Shelter. If you would like to donate items but can’t attend the event, contact Annis Woods in the Johnston office at ext. 14328.
A collection box will be at the event to collect toiletry items, hats, gloves, scarves and socks to donate to the Iowa Youth Homeless Shelter. If you would like to donate items but can’t attend the event, contact Annis Woods in the Johnston office at ext. 14328.
Reminder: Who Are You Thankful for at Heartland?
As we approach the Thanksgiving season, we'd like you to reflect on who you are thankful for here at Heartland, and we'd like everyone to know how great those individuals are. After you've come up with some thoughts on whom you're thankful for, write them down and e-mail them to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us. Your comments will be published in the November issue of the HeartBeat. Please send your submissions in by October 31.
Technology Update
PeopleBox Update
As you know, PeopleBox is up and running smoothly. We are currently scrubbing the data to make it more accurate and reliable. We will soon begin our annual effort to update all school information with a new Web interface for the schools. In the meantime, if you notice any errors or omissions, please notify Chrissy Bradley at cbradley@aea11.k12.ia.us for Heartland staff or Sherise Ahlers at sahlers@aea11.k12.ia.us for district staff or information.
We are a few days away from rolling out “PeopleBox Online,” the Web interface for PeopleBox, which will permit quick and easy access to the data in PeopleBox without requiring you to bring up 4D Client. Instead, you will be able to access it with any Internet browser. The new system will require a login, and we plan on starting out with e-mail passwords, but the system will permit you to change your password once you log on. The new functionality will allow you to:
• Search and sort on Heartland and district staff in a lightning-fast and very flexible interface.
• Create and manage your own “groups” which you will fully control.
• Send e-mails directly from the interface (no Kerio interaction required).
• Print labels for groups (currently formatted for use in Safari on Tiger (OS X.4.11). We will be working on providing more options.
• Share your groups with other Heartland staff members.
Check back in the November 3 Connection to view the URL and more information so you can begin using this exciting new system.
As you know, PeopleBox is up and running smoothly. We are currently scrubbing the data to make it more accurate and reliable. We will soon begin our annual effort to update all school information with a new Web interface for the schools. In the meantime, if you notice any errors or omissions, please notify Chrissy Bradley at cbradley@aea11.k12.ia.us for Heartland staff or Sherise Ahlers at sahlers@aea11.k12.ia.us for district staff or information.
We are a few days away from rolling out “PeopleBox Online,” the Web interface for PeopleBox, which will permit quick and easy access to the data in PeopleBox without requiring you to bring up 4D Client. Instead, you will be able to access it with any Internet browser. The new system will require a login, and we plan on starting out with e-mail passwords, but the system will permit you to change your password once you log on. The new functionality will allow you to:
• Search and sort on Heartland and district staff in a lightning-fast and very flexible interface.
• Create and manage your own “groups” which you will fully control.
• Send e-mails directly from the interface (no Kerio interaction required).
• Print labels for groups (currently formatted for use in Safari on Tiger (OS X.4.11). We will be working on providing more options.
• Share your groups with other Heartland staff members.
Check back in the November 3 Connection to view the URL and more information so you can begin using this exciting new system.
“Go Green” Tip of the Week
Falling gas prices is something to celebrate in these trying financial times, but let’s not forget that conserving gasoline is not just about saving money. It’s also about being responsible with a limited resource and limiting our impact on the environment.
Whether a gallon of gas is nearing $6.00 as it is in India or the less than $3.00 that we are currently enjoying here, our impact on the environment can and should remain commensurate. We have been making strides at Heartland to be more responsible with fuel consumption. Some staff members are carpooling to work and to meetings, we are having fewer meetings that require travel and some staff members are walking or biking to work.
The Johnston office is located near several large businesses and thoroughfares, yet we are cut off from public transportation. Some staff members have expressed a desire to team up with our business neighbors to request metro transit service for the area. We need to know how many people would regularly participate in such a service. If you would be interested in such a service, please contact Lisa Lumbard at llumbard@aea11.k12.ia.us or Lynn McCartney at lmccartney@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Whether a gallon of gas is nearing $6.00 as it is in India or the less than $3.00 that we are currently enjoying here, our impact on the environment can and should remain commensurate. We have been making strides at Heartland to be more responsible with fuel consumption. Some staff members are carpooling to work and to meetings, we are having fewer meetings that require travel and some staff members are walking or biking to work.
The Johnston office is located near several large businesses and thoroughfares, yet we are cut off from public transportation. Some staff members have expressed a desire to team up with our business neighbors to request metro transit service for the area. We need to know how many people would regularly participate in such a service. If you would be interested in such a service, please contact Lisa Lumbard at llumbard@aea11.k12.ia.us or Lynn McCartney at lmccartney@aea11.k12.ia.us.
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