This month’s message is dedicated to you, the employees of Heartland AEA. During the last couple of weeks, I have had countless opportunities to observe our staff and to participate in a broad range of activities including an IFSP meeting, chat sessions, a meeting with program assistants, a Staff Advisory Council meeting, Lighthouse Project sessions and several job shadows. Your work is outstanding, and you inspire me as you carry out your responsibilities. Everywhere I went, I saw evidence of Heartland’s vision, mission and core values. Over and over, you go the extra mile. I wish that every community member, agency partner and parent could have the opportunity to observe you in action.
For example, at an IFSP meeting in a home, the social worker, therapists and teacher were all well prepared, shared progress data and listened carefully to the parents of the child they are serving. Heartland staff had communicated with the medical providers and demonstrated how they could support the family and the child. Through their skilled efforts and influence, the family was taking steps to gain additional information about their child in the face of the fear of what they might learn. It was the work of our team members over time that led them to this action. It was evident that these team members were making a dramatic difference in the lives of this child and family.
In another instance, I learned about how we are making a difference with our classrooms, schools and districts by providing support for understanding and interpreting data through professional learning communities. Keys to the success of this work are the relationships and trust that were carefully built over a long period of time.
The immigration forum that the Agency sponsored in February drew rave reviews from all areas of the community, increasing awareness and understanding of immigration. Also, hundreds of you are demonstrating your commitment to your communities by building homes, cleaning school grounds and streets and volunteering to spend additional time with children as part of your development of cultural competence.
Your successes and excellence are everywhere. There are many more examples of your accomplishments, and you can read about them in the Board of Directors meeting minutes after the Board has honored agency and district staff, in the HeartBeat where a different work group is being featured monthly as well as through the cultural competency events. There’s no doubt about it: Heartland staff are exceptional and are changing lives every day. That makes every day of work a pleasure. Thanks to each and every one of you.
If you celebrate Easter, I wish you a blessed Easter, or alternatively, a joyful spring.
Maxine
Monday, April 6, 2009
Spring Office Meetings Quickly Approaching
Our spring office meetings are quickly approaching. These meetings will be held in regional locations and are required for all staff. Meetings for regional staff are all day and will begin at 8:30 a.m. Central office staff who are not assigned to a region will participate in one of two office meetings. The meeting for staff in Professional Learning & Leadership, Innovation & Accountability, Curriculum & Instruction and Special Education will be held on April 17 and will begin at 1:00 p.m. Central office Operations staff will have a meeting later this spring and will receive information about the date and location of that meeting at a later date.
- Regions 1 and 2
Annunciation Parish Hall, 723 Elm Street, Coon Rapids
- Regions 3 and 4
Grace Lutheran Church, 23932 Meadow Road, Adel
- Regions 5 and 7
Ames AEA Office
- Region 6
Best Western Hotel, 2500 University Blvd., Ames
- Region 8
Woodside AEA Office
- Region 9
St. Mary of Nazareth Church, 4600 Meredith Drive, Des Moines
- Region 10
Zion Lutheran Church, 4300 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines
- Region 11
First United Methodist Church (Hospitality Room), 307 W. Ashland Avenue, Indianola
- Regions 12 and 14
DMACC, Rooms 251 and 258, 600 N. 2nd Ave. W., Newton
- Region 13
Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1701 8th St. S.W., Altoona
- Central office PLL, SPED, C&I and I&A staff
New Hope Assembly Church, 6800 Townsend Avenue, Urbandale
- Central office Operations staff
To be announced
As with other office meetings this year, professional learning for regional staff will be offered opposite the office meeting. The schedule below indicates whether each region has this professional learning in the morning or the afternoon.
- Regions 1 and 2
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Regions 3 and 4
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Regions 5 and 7
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Region 6
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Region 8
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Region 9
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Region 10
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Region 11
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Regions 12 and 14
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Region 13
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Regions 1 and 2
Annunciation Parish Hall, 723 Elm Street, Coon Rapids
- Regions 3 and 4
Grace Lutheran Church, 23932 Meadow Road, Adel
- Regions 5 and 7
Ames AEA Office
- Region 6
Best Western Hotel, 2500 University Blvd., Ames
- Region 8
Woodside AEA Office
- Region 9
St. Mary of Nazareth Church, 4600 Meredith Drive, Des Moines
- Region 10
Zion Lutheran Church, 4300 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines
- Region 11
First United Methodist Church (Hospitality Room), 307 W. Ashland Avenue, Indianola
- Regions 12 and 14
DMACC, Rooms 251 and 258, 600 N. 2nd Ave. W., Newton
- Region 13
Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1701 8th St. S.W., Altoona
- Central office PLL, SPED, C&I and I&A staff
New Hope Assembly Church, 6800 Townsend Avenue, Urbandale
- Central office Operations staff
To be announced
As with other office meetings this year, professional learning for regional staff will be offered opposite the office meeting. The schedule below indicates whether each region has this professional learning in the morning or the afternoon.
- Regions 1 and 2
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Regions 3 and 4
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Regions 5 and 7
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Region 6
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Region 8
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Region 9
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Region 10
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Region 11
AM Professional Learning, PM Office Meeting
- Regions 12 and 14
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
- Region 13
AM Office Meeting, PM Professional Learning
Technology Lunch & Learn to Focus on Videoconferencing
Participants in the April 16 Technology Lunch & Learn will see different options for videoconferencing and be given resources that show them how to find these options. Participants will also see various options for videoconferencing "in action" to get a feel for the interface each program offers. Please register for this event using Activity Number IN0172-9211-09-03.
Improving Transition Results Workshop to Be Offered in May
May 8, 2009, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Heartland AEA Johnston Office, Rooms 3 & 4
This training will provide an understanding and clarification of transition assessments and how to gather assessments needed for students age 14 and up. Teachers and AEA staff will learn how to access and use the matrix designed by the Iowa Department of Education. Participants will review IEP design and the six critical elements required to meet the State Performance Plan (i.e., special education indicators 13 and 14). This training is appropriate for middle and high school special education teachers, and it would also be beneficial for AEA staff who serve in secondary assignments. Staff should register for this activity using Activity Number: DL0020-9211-09-09.
Please Note: This is the same course offered in October 2008. Heartland is offering this course for those who were unable to participate in October. If available, please bring your computer to the training. We will be accessing the Iowa Assessment Matrix.
If you have questions or concerns, contact Sue Severson at ext. 14661.
Heartland AEA Johnston Office, Rooms 3 & 4
This training will provide an understanding and clarification of transition assessments and how to gather assessments needed for students age 14 and up. Teachers and AEA staff will learn how to access and use the matrix designed by the Iowa Department of Education. Participants will review IEP design and the six critical elements required to meet the State Performance Plan (i.e., special education indicators 13 and 14). This training is appropriate for middle and high school special education teachers, and it would also be beneficial for AEA staff who serve in secondary assignments. Staff should register for this activity using Activity Number: DL0020-9211-09-09.
Please Note: This is the same course offered in October 2008. Heartland is offering this course for those who were unable to participate in October. If available, please bring your computer to the training. We will be accessing the Iowa Assessment Matrix.
If you have questions or concerns, contact Sue Severson at ext. 14661.
April SAI Leadership Link Newsletter
Click here for the April issue of the School Administrators of Iowa Leadership Link newsletter.
Technology Update
Important Changes to the Agency File Server
The current Heartland file server ("heartlandserver") will be retired on July 1, 2009. A new file server ("aeaserver") will take its place. In order to prepare for this transition, Technology Department staff will need your help. Personal folders for all staff have already been set up on the new server. We would like you to do some serious "house cleaning" of files on the old server prior to May 15. Jim Lagnese, Network Support Assistant, will transfer files from the old server to the new server for staff assigned to branch offices outside of Johnston. Jim will be able to transfer the files much faster than staff in the field would be able to.
When you have purged your old, unnecessary files and moved any files or folders that you need to keep to your “Documents” folder, send an e-mail to Jim at jlagnese@aea11.k12.ia.us to let him know you are ready to have your folder moved. Or, if you are in the Johnston office, simply connect to both servers and move the files yourself. This will be a big job, so please do not to wait until the last minute. If you are housed in one of the Johnston offices, but would like assistance in moving your folders, you may also contact Jim Lagnese.
Staff members are encouraged to begin using the new server immediately. Each staff folder has been set up with a private Documents folder for backing up documents and a Public folder for sharing files with other staff. Your Public folder will have a Drop Box for receiving files from others. Please do not save personal files of any type on the file server, especially video, music libraries and photo collections.
To access the new "aeaserver" server, go to the “Go” menu from the Finder on your computer and select “Connect to Server…” Under Server Address type afp://aeaserver.aea11.k12.ia.us then click on the “+” sign to add the server to the list. Select the server and click on “Connect.” To log in, use your e-mail login and “aea11” as the password. You will be prompted to enter a new password. On July 1 when the old server is retired, we will be renaming the new server “heartlandserver” so all of our installation scripts will continue to work.
The “Work Groups” volume will also be transitioned to the new server. By April 15, folders and permissions reflecting our new organizational structure will be set up for “Work Groups” on the new server. By July 1, each work group will need to delete unnecessary files from the Work Groups folders on the old server and move current files to the Work Groups folders established on the new server. Supervisors will be communicating additional information about how this will take place. Each Work Group will be able to create nested folders and request specific access permissions for staff (Read Only or Read/Write). The structure and number of folders that can be nested within will be entirely up to each work group.
The hard drive on the old “heartlandserver” will be removed on July 1, 2009, and will be archived for at least one year to enable retrieval of files that weren't moved but are needed for reasons that weren’t anticipated.
The current Heartland file server ("heartlandserver") will be retired on July 1, 2009. A new file server ("aeaserver") will take its place. In order to prepare for this transition, Technology Department staff will need your help. Personal folders for all staff have already been set up on the new server. We would like you to do some serious "house cleaning" of files on the old server prior to May 15. Jim Lagnese, Network Support Assistant, will transfer files from the old server to the new server for staff assigned to branch offices outside of Johnston. Jim will be able to transfer the files much faster than staff in the field would be able to.
When you have purged your old, unnecessary files and moved any files or folders that you need to keep to your “Documents” folder, send an e-mail to Jim at jlagnese@aea11.k12.ia.us to let him know you are ready to have your folder moved. Or, if you are in the Johnston office, simply connect to both servers and move the files yourself. This will be a big job, so please do not to wait until the last minute. If you are housed in one of the Johnston offices, but would like assistance in moving your folders, you may also contact Jim Lagnese.
Staff members are encouraged to begin using the new server immediately. Each staff folder has been set up with a private Documents folder for backing up documents and a Public folder for sharing files with other staff. Your Public folder will have a Drop Box for receiving files from others. Please do not save personal files of any type on the file server, especially video, music libraries and photo collections.
To access the new "aeaserver" server, go to the “Go” menu from the Finder on your computer and select “Connect to Server…” Under Server Address type afp://aeaserver.aea11.k12.ia.us then click on the “+” sign to add the server to the list. Select the server and click on “Connect.” To log in, use your e-mail login and “aea11” as the password. You will be prompted to enter a new password. On July 1 when the old server is retired, we will be renaming the new server “heartlandserver” so all of our installation scripts will continue to work.
The “Work Groups” volume will also be transitioned to the new server. By April 15, folders and permissions reflecting our new organizational structure will be set up for “Work Groups” on the new server. By July 1, each work group will need to delete unnecessary files from the Work Groups folders on the old server and move current files to the Work Groups folders established on the new server. Supervisors will be communicating additional information about how this will take place. Each Work Group will be able to create nested folders and request specific access permissions for staff (Read Only or Read/Write). The structure and number of folders that can be nested within will be entirely up to each work group.
The hard drive on the old “heartlandserver” will be removed on July 1, 2009, and will be archived for at least one year to enable retrieval of files that weren't moved but are needed for reasons that weren’t anticipated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)