The staff allocation process is moving along according to schedule, and we would like to reinforce the planned next steps.
• Heartland Assessment Team members have started the process of calculating staff allocations for the 2009-2010 school year.
• Number of FTE by workgroup will remain the same as approved by the Heartland Board of Directors, and we will allocate to our current configuration of regions.
• The allocations should be ready for partnership directors, assistant directors, special education program assistants and discipline program assistants to use at their meeting on February 24.
• Staff assignment decisions will be driven by formula-based calculations, supplemented by input from school districts, Heartland staff and knowledge of local conditions and needs. The system will be data-driven and based on lessons learned over the past 12 months for making Heartland’s staff allocation process fair, equitable, efficient and transparent.
• Leaders have begun reviewing staff assignments for each region and are having conversations with Heartland practitioners and school districts to bring unique local needs into the decision-making process.
• The goal is to have conversations completed and decisions made by the time schools begin their spring breaks.
• If you have questions or ideas about staff allocation and assignments in your region, be sure to bring them to your partnership director and/or take advantage of opportunities your partnership director creates to have that dialogue in your region.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
Heartland Instructional Coaching Academy Information Session
The Heartland Instructional Coaching Academy information session will provide awareness of the professional learning opportunities for instructional coaching sponsored by Heartland AEA. This session is designed for administrators or teacher leaders interested in participating in the Heartland Instructional Coaching Academy (HICA) for 2009-2010. Please direct questions to Cheryl Risen at ext. 14587 or at crisen@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Register for the session through the Universal Registration system using Activity Number IS012792110901.
Crafting the Art of Differentiation
Cindy Strickland will be back to support Heartland area teachers and administrators on our differentiation journey. Ms. Strickland will address tiered lessons for readiness and respectful differentiation for interest and learning profile. Participants will be expected to bring a KUD (Know, Understand, Be able to do) that has been designed for a unit of study and will use the KUD to develop 1-2 lessons during the session. Make sure you sign up – you won’t want to miss this learning opportunity! Please direct questions to Cheryl Risen.
Date: June 15, 2009, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston
Cost: $45 (lunch will be provided)
Registration: Please register through the Universal Registration system using Activity Number AS004699990901.
The Heartland Instructional Coaching Academy information session will provide awareness of the professional learning opportunities for instructional coaching sponsored by Heartland AEA. This session is designed for administrators or teacher leaders interested in participating in the Heartland Instructional Coaching Academy (HICA) for 2009-2010. Please direct questions to Cheryl Risen at ext. 14587 or at crisen@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Register for the session through the Universal Registration system using Activity Number IS012792110901.
Crafting the Art of Differentiation
Cindy Strickland will be back to support Heartland area teachers and administrators on our differentiation journey. Ms. Strickland will address tiered lessons for readiness and respectful differentiation for interest and learning profile. Participants will be expected to bring a KUD (Know, Understand, Be able to do) that has been designed for a unit of study and will use the KUD to develop 1-2 lessons during the session. Make sure you sign up – you won’t want to miss this learning opportunity! Please direct questions to Cheryl Risen.
Date: June 15, 2009, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston
Cost: $45 (lunch will be provided)
Registration: Please register through the Universal Registration system using Activity Number AS004699990901.
Heartland/IPTV Blood Drive on February 26
The Blood Center of Iowa Bloodmobile will be at Iowa Public Television on February 26 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The Blood Center currently has a critical shortage of blood types O Negative and B Negative. Donors who participate in the Partners for Life program will be eligible for double points for their donation on this date. To schedule a donation, please contact Steve Zimmerman at szimmerman@aea11.k12.ia.us or at ext. 14534.
Bloodmobile Tour
If you are curious about the blood donation process and would like to take a tour of the Blood Center of Iowa Bloodmobile, please contact Steve Zimmerman before February 26. Steve will be leading a tour through the Bloodmobile at Iowa Public Television from 8:30-9:00 a.m. on February 26.
Bloodmobile Tour
If you are curious about the blood donation process and would like to take a tour of the Blood Center of Iowa Bloodmobile, please contact Steve Zimmerman before February 26. Steve will be leading a tour through the Bloodmobile at Iowa Public Television from 8:30-9:00 a.m. on February 26.
Technology Update
Training Classes for Web Page Development
Staff members who have participated in the first few Web page development training classes using Heartland's Content Management System (CMS) have been raving about how helpful and well organized they are. If you haven’t signed up for a class yet, you should give it some consideration. The classes are now broken down into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced sessions to provide more differentiation. The CMS allows Heartland staff to easily create and edit content for the Web without having to be a tech guru. If you are responsible for a content area on Heartland's Web site or are exploring the possibility of putting information online, the CMS training series are “must-attend” sessions.
The training sessions combine need-to-know information regarding the CMS with a focused work session where you can collaborate on projects directly with expert support. If interested, please sign up for an appropriate course level and find out just what Heartland's Content Management System can do.
Click here for an updated schedule of training sessions.
Reminder - Password Required for Wireless Networks
As of March 2, 2009, to connect to the Heartland wireless networks, staff will be required to enter a password after selecting the wireless network name “HAEAnet.” Staff computers should remember the wireless network name and password after the initial set up. Staff will need to enter a new password that will be changed quarterly and sent via e-mail with the instructions. Instructions will also be posted in the Technology Information Archive on the Intranet for later reference. If you encounter any difficulties, you may contact a member of the Tech Support Team for assistance. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation. These steps are an important part of protecting our network and servers.
Resource Scheduler Updates
If you have recently used the 4D Resource Scheduler database to reserve a room or some equipment, you may have noticed a couple of small improvements that have been implemented.
When reserving multiple pieces of equipment for a particular date, the database will no longer reset the date and time to the current date for each reservation. Now it remembers your date and time selections for subsequent reservations.
We also have pictures of some of the equipment, so you can see
what you’re reserving. When you select the equipment you wish to reserve, a new view will appear. You still click on a line to reserve an item, but you also have the option to show a picture of the item first.
Just click on the “Show Picture” column for that item. A pop-up window will appear that displays a picture of that item.
Lastly, we’ve added a new menu item under the “Rooms” menu at the top of the screen. The
new menu item is called “List My Reservations.”
This menu item will give you a listing of all of the room reservations that have been reserved by you or that you are the contact person for. You may display these reservations based on room name, date range or description keyword. Once your list of reservations appears, you can edit or delete the reservation by double-clicking on a particular line.
Staff members who have participated in the first few Web page development training classes using Heartland's Content Management System (CMS) have been raving about how helpful and well organized they are. If you haven’t signed up for a class yet, you should give it some consideration. The classes are now broken down into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced sessions to provide more differentiation. The CMS allows Heartland staff to easily create and edit content for the Web without having to be a tech guru. If you are responsible for a content area on Heartland's Web site or are exploring the possibility of putting information online, the CMS training series are “must-attend” sessions.
The training sessions combine need-to-know information regarding the CMS with a focused work session where you can collaborate on projects directly with expert support. If interested, please sign up for an appropriate course level and find out just what Heartland's Content Management System can do.
Click here for an updated schedule of training sessions.
Reminder - Password Required for Wireless Networks
As of March 2, 2009, to connect to the Heartland wireless networks, staff will be required to enter a password after selecting the wireless network name “HAEAnet.” Staff computers should remember the wireless network name and password after the initial set up. Staff will need to enter a new password that will be changed quarterly and sent via e-mail with the instructions. Instructions will also be posted in the Technology Information Archive on the Intranet for later reference. If you encounter any difficulties, you may contact a member of the Tech Support Team for assistance. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation. These steps are an important part of protecting our network and servers.
Resource Scheduler Updates
If you have recently used the 4D Resource Scheduler database to reserve a room or some equipment, you may have noticed a couple of small improvements that have been implemented.
When reserving multiple pieces of equipment for a particular date, the database will no longer reset the date and time to the current date for each reservation. Now it remembers your date and time selections for subsequent reservations.
We also have pictures of some of the equipment, so you can see
what you’re reserving. When you select the equipment you wish to reserve, a new view will appear. You still click on a line to reserve an item, but you also have the option to show a picture of the item first.
Just click on the “Show Picture” column for that item. A pop-up window will appear that displays a picture of that item.
Lastly, we’ve added a new menu item under the “Rooms” menu at the top of the screen. The
new menu item is called “List My Reservations.” This menu item will give you a listing of all of the room reservations that have been reserved by you or that you are the contact person for. You may display these reservations based on room name, date range or description keyword. Once your list of reservations appears, you can edit or delete the reservation by double-clicking on a particular line.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)