The policy for Inclement Weather Office Closings is available on the Heartland Intranet. This policy contains decision-making guides for staff members to use during inclement weather. The guide describes your options when snow or other inclement weather impedes your ability to get to and from work or when your work site is closed. The policy provides guidance for those who complete timesheets.
All staff members who complete timesheets need their supervisor’s approval before scheduling make-up time. Any make-up time must be scheduled by the end of the following pay period.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Required Action: Registration Process for Staff Members for Heartland Professional Learning Opportunities
Heartland staff members have had questions regarding the registration process for professional learning opportunities. The following is meant to provide clarification on this process. Prior to registration, staff members must receive approval from their supervisor to attend the professional learning opportunity.
• If taking the opportunity for advancement on the salary schedule:
- Days must be off contract.
- The employee must pay registration fee.
- Course approval must be completed and approved by supervisor. PRIOR TO beginning the course.
- Universal Registration is used for registration.
• If taking the opportunity but not using it to advance on the salary schedule:
- If no special course fee: register using Universal Registration and selecting “Heartland employee fee” option.
- If course fee: Call Carol Naylor in Professional Development (ext. 14443) to register.
Also, if you are registered for a course and then cannot attend, please contact Professional Development to cancel your registration. This is necessary for several reasons. First, spaces in courses are limited. Additionally, there will be no fee so the money that your supervisor paid for the course will remain in your budget. Last, food and handout numbers will then be accurate. Thank you for following this process.
Click here for a chart showing this process.
• If taking the opportunity for advancement on the salary schedule:
- Days must be off contract.
- The employee must pay registration fee.
- Course approval must be completed and approved by supervisor. PRIOR TO beginning the course.
- Universal Registration is used for registration.
• If taking the opportunity but not using it to advance on the salary schedule:
- If no special course fee: register using Universal Registration and selecting “Heartland employee fee” option.
- If course fee: Call Carol Naylor in Professional Development (ext. 14443) to register.
Also, if you are registered for a course and then cannot attend, please contact Professional Development to cancel your registration. This is necessary for several reasons. First, spaces in courses are limited. Additionally, there will be no fee so the money that your supervisor paid for the course will remain in your budget. Last, food and handout numbers will then be accurate. Thank you for following this process.
Click here for a chart showing this process.
Availability of Personal Information on the Web
In response to concerns, we have moved staff members’ personal information (home address, phone number and photo) from our online staff directory to PeopleBox, which requires a password to login. This means that school staff or community members will not be able to access personal information. They will still have access to your professional contact information, but only other Heartland staff members can see your personal information. For business purposes, photos and phone numbers will remain available through the secured PeopleBox site.
Providing home addresses is a positive way to develop a Heartland culture of community. It gives staff members the opportunity to send cards and invitations to co-workers. But we realize that for some, this is not desirable. If you wish to suppress access to your personal information, send your request to Carolyn Jones at cjones@aea11.k12.ia.us. If suppressed, your personal information will not be given out by Human Resources or the Business Office.
We realize many offices keep written lists of personal information available. If you are printing information, be careful, as paper is less secure than our solution.
Providing home addresses is a positive way to develop a Heartland culture of community. It gives staff members the opportunity to send cards and invitations to co-workers. But we realize that for some, this is not desirable. If you wish to suppress access to your personal information, send your request to Carolyn Jones at cjones@aea11.k12.ia.us. If suppressed, your personal information will not be given out by Human Resources or the Business Office.
We realize many offices keep written lists of personal information available. If you are printing information, be careful, as paper is less secure than our solution.
403(b) Update – Start Saving Now!
When it comes to planning for a secure financial retirement many people ask, “When should I start saving?” The answer is that it’s never too late, but it’s always better to start early and save regularly.
Saving early allows you to take advantage of the power of compound interest, in other words, earning interest on your interest. Saving regularly means a steady and systematic build-up of your retirement funds. If you invest in stocks, regular savings helps smooth out the day-to-day fluctuations in market prices. This is called dollar cost averaging.
Click here for an example of why saving early is so important.
If you haven’t started saving for your retirement, the time to start is now. If you are already saving, continue to do so. Sign up now to be a part of the new 403(b) program effective January 1, 2009. Enrollment forms must be returned to Kathy Martin, benefits specialist, in the Johnston office by the end of the day on November 26, 2008, in order to be effective with your January 15, 2009, paycheck.
Provider Fairs
It’s not too late to participate in the 403(b) provider fairs. The last two fairs are being held on November 18. One fair is being held at the Annunciation Parish Hall at 723 Elm Street in Coon Rapids from 4:30-5:30 p.m., and the other is in the ICN room at the Johnston office from 4:00-7:00 p.m. You are welcome to bring a spouse or friend and come and leave as your schedule permits.
Questions
Your 403(b) questions may be directed to Steve Jordan at ext. 14908 or Kathy Martin at ext. 14385.
Saving early allows you to take advantage of the power of compound interest, in other words, earning interest on your interest. Saving regularly means a steady and systematic build-up of your retirement funds. If you invest in stocks, regular savings helps smooth out the day-to-day fluctuations in market prices. This is called dollar cost averaging.
Click here for an example of why saving early is so important.
If you haven’t started saving for your retirement, the time to start is now. If you are already saving, continue to do so. Sign up now to be a part of the new 403(b) program effective January 1, 2009. Enrollment forms must be returned to Kathy Martin, benefits specialist, in the Johnston office by the end of the day on November 26, 2008, in order to be effective with your January 15, 2009, paycheck.
Provider Fairs
It’s not too late to participate in the 403(b) provider fairs. The last two fairs are being held on November 18. One fair is being held at the Annunciation Parish Hall at 723 Elm Street in Coon Rapids from 4:30-5:30 p.m., and the other is in the ICN room at the Johnston office from 4:00-7:00 p.m. You are welcome to bring a spouse or friend and come and leave as your schedule permits.
Questions
Your 403(b) questions may be directed to Steve Jordan at ext. 14908 or Kathy Martin at ext. 14385.
Heartland Logo Clothing Options Increase
Agency staff will now be able to purchase any item of clothing from Lands' End in any color with an agency logo. Lands' End will provide clothing and embroidery of our logo along with an e-store for easy purchase of items. Watch for a Web site address where employees can log on to order any clothing item in the Lands' End catalog. The cost to add the logo to clothing is $5.95. As with any catalog order, there will be a shipping and handling fee.
Lands' End was chosen as our vendor by the Special Events Committee because employees can order whatever items they would like, the items can be ordered directly from the vendor and they can be shipped directly to employees’ homes. This streamlines the process, and items are available on demand rather than when a large enough order is assembled.
We look forward to seeing Heartland logos everywhere!
Lands' End was chosen as our vendor by the Special Events Committee because employees can order whatever items they would like, the items can be ordered directly from the vendor and they can be shipped directly to employees’ homes. This streamlines the process, and items are available on demand rather than when a large enough order is assembled.
We look forward to seeing Heartland logos everywhere!
October and November Board Minutes Now Available
The minutes from the October and November Board of Directors meetings are available on the server in draft form for your review. Go to the Workgroups volume, Meeting Notes folder then the Board of Directors folder and look for the October and November dates.
Core Values Awards Presented at Office Meetings
The previously-mentioned Core Values Awards will be presented at the November 18 office meetings. Those honored and an excerpt from their nomination will be featured in the December issue of HeartBeat.
Kabel Business Services Holiday Hours
Kabel Business Services, the company that handles Heartland’s flex and HRA claims, will have the following holiday hours:
Thanksgiving
Closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. There will be no disbursements for claims on these days.
Christmas
Closed at noon on Wednesday, December 24. Claims will be processed in the morning. Closed all day December 25.
New Year’s
Closed at noon on December 31. Claims will be processed in the morning. Closed all day January 1.
Thanksgiving
Closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. There will be no disbursements for claims on these days.
Christmas
Closed at noon on Wednesday, December 24. Claims will be processed in the morning. Closed all day December 25.
New Year’s
Closed at noon on December 31. Claims will be processed in the morning. Closed all day January 1.
Co-Teaching Professional Development Opportunity
Co-Teaching: Creating and Sustaining Classroom Partnerships
Presented by Dr. Marilyn Friend
Monday, February 16, 2009 – Fort Dodge, Iowa
OR
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 – Sioux City, Iowa
Dr. Marilyn Friend, an expert in the field of co-teaching, is coming to Iowa this winter. If your district is attending one of Dr. Friend’s presentations, or if you would like to attend, please contact your partnership director/supervisor for approval for travel. Click here for a flyer that provides more information on her presentations, including registration information.
Presented by Dr. Marilyn Friend
Monday, February 16, 2009 – Fort Dodge, Iowa
OR
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 – Sioux City, Iowa
Dr. Marilyn Friend, an expert in the field of co-teaching, is coming to Iowa this winter. If your district is attending one of Dr. Friend’s presentations, or if you would like to attend, please contact your partnership director/supervisor for approval for travel. Click here for a flyer that provides more information on her presentations, including registration information.
Stay Connected to The Connection
Heartland has multiple avenues for two-way communication: The Connection, e-mail, talking with your Staff Advisory Council representative, comment cards, phone calls and face-to-face meetings. Several of these options provide you a way to make comments anonymously.
The Connection, which is now in blog form, provides critical information for providing our services. For this reason, we are asking you to identify yourself when you make a comment. We want to be able to provide feedback to you quickly to clear up misinformation or to help clarify. Comments provided to the blog have already been instrumental in making changes and alternate solutions. Leaving your name gives us the opportunity to contact you for more specifics as well as for your suggestions. Please help us by leaving your name with your comment.
Reminder: To make a comment about an article, click on the title of the article and scroll down to the bottom of the article and click on the link that says Post Comment. You can then write in your comment.
The Connection, which is now in blog form, provides critical information for providing our services. For this reason, we are asking you to identify yourself when you make a comment. We want to be able to provide feedback to you quickly to clear up misinformation or to help clarify. Comments provided to the blog have already been instrumental in making changes and alternate solutions. Leaving your name gives us the opportunity to contact you for more specifics as well as for your suggestions. Please help us by leaving your name with your comment.
Reminder: To make a comment about an article, click on the title of the article and scroll down to the bottom of the article and click on the link that says Post Comment. You can then write in your comment.
Technology Update
Phone System Update
The branch office telephone systems have recently been converted to the new Voice over IP system, except Indianola, which will be converted the week of November 24 and Carroll, which is scheduled for mid-December. This new system offers a lot of new functionality and connects our offices in new and meaningful ways. Changing telephone systems is a big shift for everyone and now is the perfect time to offer some “tips and tricks” on how to use the new system effectively.
Once all offices are completed…
• Staff members will no longer need to “call an office” to talk with someone. Simply dial a person's five-digit extension number, and you will be connected to them directly regardless of their office assignment.
• There will be no need to call long-distance between offices. By using the extension numbers for staff members, you can call between offices without incurring long distance charges.
• Caller ID. Need we say more?
• You won't have to tell a client to “please hang-up and dial...” to reach another office or staff member. Any phone on the new system can transfer a call to any other extension regardless of their office assignment.
• As part of our commitment to customer service, someone from Heartland will always answer the phone. The systems are being programmed so that callers will never hear a busy signal when calling Heartland. If your branch office lines are full, calls will roll to the receptionist in Johnston and be routed back accordingly.
• To check your new voicemail, you will have several options. You can call your local office after hours and press # or you can call the Johnston auto-attendant 800 number at (800) 255-0405, press # and follow the prompts.
• To find the new five-digit extension numbers for staff, you can use the PeopleBox online directory for the most up-to-date and accurate information. Extensions will be updated in PeopleBox the same day the new extensions take effect. Please check the Technology Information Archive on the Intranet under “Phone System” for user guides and quick reference sheets.
The new Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system may take some getting used to, but it has been worth the wait. Our new phone system is already helping us serve our clients and communities more effectively while allowing us to deliver improved customer service to our partners in learning.
Internal Calendar Link
The link to the Internal Calendar has been removed from the Intranet. The Intranet calendar link allowed view-only access and was creating some confusion. The internal calendar is available to all staff members through Kerio e-mail, which provides the ability to view events as well as add them to your personal calendar.
The branch office telephone systems have recently been converted to the new Voice over IP system, except Indianola, which will be converted the week of November 24 and Carroll, which is scheduled for mid-December. This new system offers a lot of new functionality and connects our offices in new and meaningful ways. Changing telephone systems is a big shift for everyone and now is the perfect time to offer some “tips and tricks” on how to use the new system effectively.
Once all offices are completed…
• Staff members will no longer need to “call an office” to talk with someone. Simply dial a person's five-digit extension number, and you will be connected to them directly regardless of their office assignment.
• There will be no need to call long-distance between offices. By using the extension numbers for staff members, you can call between offices without incurring long distance charges.
• Caller ID. Need we say more?
• You won't have to tell a client to “please hang-up and dial...” to reach another office or staff member. Any phone on the new system can transfer a call to any other extension regardless of their office assignment.
• As part of our commitment to customer service, someone from Heartland will always answer the phone. The systems are being programmed so that callers will never hear a busy signal when calling Heartland. If your branch office lines are full, calls will roll to the receptionist in Johnston and be routed back accordingly.
• To check your new voicemail, you will have several options. You can call your local office after hours and press # or you can call the Johnston auto-attendant 800 number at (800) 255-0405, press # and follow the prompts.
• To find the new five-digit extension numbers for staff, you can use the PeopleBox online directory for the most up-to-date and accurate information. Extensions will be updated in PeopleBox the same day the new extensions take effect. Please check the Technology Information Archive on the Intranet under “Phone System” for user guides and quick reference sheets.
The new Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system may take some getting used to, but it has been worth the wait. Our new phone system is already helping us serve our clients and communities more effectively while allowing us to deliver improved customer service to our partners in learning.
Internal Calendar Link
The link to the Internal Calendar has been removed from the Intranet. The Intranet calendar link allowed view-only access and was creating some confusion. The internal calendar is available to all staff members through Kerio e-mail, which provides the ability to view events as well as add them to your personal calendar.
Winter Travel Safety Tips
Winter travel is potentially dangerous, and Heartland staff members are encouraged to take precautions to ensure their safety. Heartland employees are trusted to make decisions regarding their own safety and should never drive if they believe it would be unsafe.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offer the following tips:
* Listen for radio or television reports of travel advisories issued by the National Weather Service.
* Do not travel in low visibility conditions.
* Avoid traveling on ice-covered roads, overpasses and bridges if at all possible.
* If you must travel by car, take a fully charged mobile phone with you.
* If you must travel, let someone know your destination and when you expect to arrive. Ask them to notify authorities if you are late.
* Check and restock the winter emergency supplies in your car before you leave.
According to FEMA, you should consider carrying the following items if possible:
* shovel
* windshield scraper and small broom
* flashlight
* battery-powered radio
* extra batteries
* water
* snack food
* matches
* extra warm clothing
* first aid kit with pocket knife
* necessary medications
* blanket(s)
* tow chain or rope
* road salt and sand
* booster cables
* emergency flares
* fluorescent distress flag
* tire chains
* Never pour water on your windshield to remove ice or snow; shattering may occur.
* Don’t rely on a car to provide sufficient heat; the car may break down.
* Always carry additional warm clothing appropriate for the winter conditions.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offer the following tips:
* Listen for radio or television reports of travel advisories issued by the National Weather Service.
* Do not travel in low visibility conditions.
* Avoid traveling on ice-covered roads, overpasses and bridges if at all possible.
* If you must travel by car, take a fully charged mobile phone with you.
* If you must travel, let someone know your destination and when you expect to arrive. Ask them to notify authorities if you are late.
* Check and restock the winter emergency supplies in your car before you leave.
According to FEMA, you should consider carrying the following items if possible:
* shovel
* windshield scraper and small broom
* flashlight
* battery-powered radio
* extra batteries
* water
* snack food
* matches
* extra warm clothing
* first aid kit with pocket knife
* necessary medications
* blanket(s)
* tow chain or rope
* road salt and sand
* booster cables
* emergency flares
* fluorescent distress flag
* tire chains
* Never pour water on your windshield to remove ice or snow; shattering may occur.
* Don’t rely on a car to provide sufficient heat; the car may break down.
* Always carry additional warm clothing appropriate for the winter conditions.
“Go Green” Tip of the Week
Greener Purchasing
Purchasing seems like such an innocent act. Yet it can do significant environmental damage when we are not aware of the impact of our choices. Purchasing has an enormous effect on what processes are used to make and sell things, on pollution and on those resources that are taken out of their places in Earth’s living systems. That is because every product is tied to the processes used to make it. A product can have powerful environmental impacts throughout its entire life cycle, from the extraction of resources to its production, use and eventual disposal.
Keep these things in mind when purchasing:
• Avoid buying more than you need by rotating products with limited shelf lives.
• Buy products manufactured with non-toxic materials to be safer and kinder to ecosystems by checking the labels.
• When purchasing cleaning products, buy products without hazardous contents that require special handling and disposal.
• Ask if the product will biodegrade, or will it add to the waste system?
• Look for products that are certified as green.
• Check to see that wood products do not contain threatened tropical hardwoods, such as mahogany or teak.
• When possible, buy products that are easy to maintain and inexpensive to repair or upgrade.
• For battery-operated products, favor rechargeable batteries over disposable ones.
• Use products completely before discarding them.
• For products used infrequently, consider renting or sharing a product.
Purchasing seems like such an innocent act. Yet it can do significant environmental damage when we are not aware of the impact of our choices. Purchasing has an enormous effect on what processes are used to make and sell things, on pollution and on those resources that are taken out of their places in Earth’s living systems. That is because every product is tied to the processes used to make it. A product can have powerful environmental impacts throughout its entire life cycle, from the extraction of resources to its production, use and eventual disposal.
Keep these things in mind when purchasing:
• Avoid buying more than you need by rotating products with limited shelf lives.
• Buy products manufactured with non-toxic materials to be safer and kinder to ecosystems by checking the labels.
• When purchasing cleaning products, buy products without hazardous contents that require special handling and disposal.
• Ask if the product will biodegrade, or will it add to the waste system?
• Look for products that are certified as green.
• Check to see that wood products do not contain threatened tropical hardwoods, such as mahogany or teak.
• When possible, buy products that are easy to maintain and inexpensive to repair or upgrade.
• For battery-operated products, favor rechargeable batteries over disposable ones.
• Use products completely before discarding them.
• For products used infrequently, consider renting or sharing a product.
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