The May 2011 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting was held on May 10, 2011.
Public Forum
No one was present to address the Board.
Discussion Items Board Recognition
Ms. Sharon Kurns recognized Susan Schrader, Resources and Publications Supervisor, and Jan Carl, Library Clerk, for their hard work and flexibility during the remodeling and merger of the Agency’s libraries. The completion of the library remodel wouldn’t have been possible without their help as well as the other library staff members. The libraries were previously structured as three separate areas consisting of professional materials, children’s books and videos and DVDs. Over the last few years, staff has worked to make it one library and a major resource for educators. The library circulates 10,000 items a week, and teachers depend on the Agency’s service and quality materials.
Board Committee Reports and Updates
• Chief Administrator Evaluation Team – The committee will meet again on May 20 to create a final draft of the evaluation document and process. It will be ready for review at the June board meeting.
• Board Self-Evaluation Committee – The Board decided to keep the previous evaluation questions and will decide on a different rating scale, possibly a five-point scale.
• Cultural Competency Committee – The committee is excited about moving their work out to the regions and will meet again in June.
• Professional Development Committee – The committee will meet on May 20.
• Board Advisory Council – The council met in April and discussed priorities for working with districts. A meeting will be scheduled again during the summer.
• Board Policy Committee – The committee has meet four times and concluded early on that the current policies were too long and too detailed. An effort will be made to separate policy from procedures, and the Board will approve each series as it is completed.
Projected Table of Organization 2011-12
Dr. Vincent reviewed a draft table of organization that outlined the planning council configurations and the make-up of each council. Partnership director titles will shift to regional directors on July 1, 2011 as their job descriptions have been updated and become more complex. Their roles will be critical and challenging, similar to that of a school building principal. When the councils and regions meet, staff will have the opportunity to opt into the regional planning council meetings and make connections. It will take time to make the model work well, but at the heart is an intentional purpose to work in a democratic organization that brings out the best in everyone. Board members asked questions regarding assignments of the regional and instructional service directors, equity across regions and staffing numbers and wrapped up their conversation by expressing hope in the model.
Board Policy Manual – Series 100
Board members reviewed a draft of Series 100 from the Board Policy Manual. As the series are completed, they will be brought to the Board for at least two readings before approval.
Closed Session
The Board of Directors entered into closed session at 6:27 p.m. to discuss negotiations and returned to public session at 7:00 p.m.
Chief Administrator Comments
• Dr. Vincent acknowledged that May is Board Recognition Month. This year, time has been spent focusing and redirecting the work of the Agency, and the Board has led by example in getting the work done. On behalf of staff, she thanked board members for leading by example.
• Board members were given a copy of a letter that was sent May 9 to parent advocates asking for their assistance in discouraging legislators to cut funding to the AEAs.
• Board members were sent an email invitation to participate in a field visit with a Heartland staff member who provides speech-language services. It was a gracious invitation, and Board members asked Dr. Vincent to add it as a future work session item.
• On June 7 & 8, a joint AEA and DE conference will be held. The conference will focus on how the two organizations can work together.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Administrator Connection to Go on Summer Break
The last Administrator Connection (our weekly blog update for school leaders) for this school year will be sent on Friday, June 3. If you have any information you’d like to communicate to school administrators, be sure to send it to Claire Spellman, Communications Administrative Assistant, at cspellman@aea11.k12.ia.us by noon on June 2. The blog will start up again around the middle of August.
Setting the Agency’s Direction Update
Updates about the Agency’s future can be found on the Setting Direction blog at http://direction.aea11.k12.ia.us.
Summer Van Delivery to Begin June 13
During the summer, Heartland vans will deliver twice a week to each district administration office and each year-round school. Regular van delivery will end June 9, and summer van delivery will begin June 13, with an ending date yet to be determined.
AEA Legislative Update
Here is the weekly legislative report from AEA Government Relations Specialist Wayne Haddy.
A legislative report from Wayne Haddy, AEA Government Relations Specialist, for the week ending May 20, 2011.
Vol. XXX No. 19
Nothing New Under the Dome
Except for some floor work by the Senate this past Monday, neither side did more than gavel in and gavel out this week while budget negotiations continued behind the scenes. We continue to provide information to influence their decisions on AEA reductions, but at this point we have little insight into where it will end up, let alone when. With that in mind, I do not see any reason to continue the weekly report until we have something of interest to report and will do so when that occurs.
A legislative report from Wayne Haddy, AEA Government Relations Specialist, for the week ending May 20, 2011.
Vol. XXX No. 19
Nothing New Under the Dome
Except for some floor work by the Senate this past Monday, neither side did more than gavel in and gavel out this week while budget negotiations continued behind the scenes. We continue to provide information to influence their decisions on AEA reductions, but at this point we have little insight into where it will end up, let alone when. With that in mind, I do not see any reason to continue the weekly report until we have something of interest to report and will do so when that occurs.
Farewell Reception for Nold Bond May 31
Please come help us say thanks and farewell to Nola Bond, Director of Human Resources, at a reception honoring her on May 31 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. in the Administration Center lounge. Cake and lemonade will be served.
Official Agency Hours and Summer Flex Hours
Official Agency Hours
The official agency hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Supervisors may schedule staff outside of these hours to meet the unique coverage needs of each work area.
Flexible Scheduling
Employees will be allowed to request reconsideration of their scheduled hours on the first day of March, June, September and December. Supervisors shall be responsible to ensure that modified schedules will not result in reduction in services to clients.
In regional offices, office hours are set by the Regional Directors based on the needs of the region. The Regional Directors will schedule staff accordingly. Regional Directors will communicate their office hours to their districts, their staff and the Agency receptionist. Staff members should discuss any questions about flex hours with their supervisor.
Summer Flex Hours
Summer flex hours are available this summer from June 13, 2011 to August 10, 2011 with regular scheduling resuming on August 11, 2011. During this period, supervisors may approve summer flex hours between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. With supervisor approval, the 60-minute lunch break may be shortened to 30 minutes.
When considering approval of summer flex hours, priority will be placed on coverage of work functions over staff preference. Therefore, there may be some variation of individual schedules within or across workgroups. Staff members should discuss any questions about summer flex hours with their supervisor.
The official agency hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Supervisors may schedule staff outside of these hours to meet the unique coverage needs of each work area.
Flexible Scheduling
Employees will be allowed to request reconsideration of their scheduled hours on the first day of March, June, September and December. Supervisors shall be responsible to ensure that modified schedules will not result in reduction in services to clients.
In regional offices, office hours are set by the Regional Directors based on the needs of the region. The Regional Directors will schedule staff accordingly. Regional Directors will communicate their office hours to their districts, their staff and the Agency receptionist. Staff members should discuss any questions about flex hours with their supervisor.
Summer Flex Hours
Summer flex hours are available this summer from June 13, 2011 to August 10, 2011 with regular scheduling resuming on August 11, 2011. During this period, supervisors may approve summer flex hours between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. With supervisor approval, the 60-minute lunch break may be shortened to 30 minutes.
When considering approval of summer flex hours, priority will be placed on coverage of work functions over staff preference. Therefore, there may be some variation of individual schedules within or across workgroups. Staff members should discuss any questions about summer flex hours with their supervisor.
Kerio Mail Server to be Upgraded
New hardware has been purchased for the purpose of upgrading our Kerio Mail Server to the latest version. The server has already been delivered and configured with some data migrated to it. The Internal Technology staff is currently testing it to ensure functionality and performance.
On the evening of May 27, 2011, all mail data from the current Kerio Mail Server will be migrated to the new one. This will take up to 36 hours and may cause the current e-mail system to be a little slower than usual. If you experience some e-mail performance issues during the weekend of May 27, keep this in mind.
On June 22, 2011 at 10:00 p.m., the final stage of the upgrade process should be completed. At this time, the new server will go live and a final data synchronization will take place. If the process is successful, the new server will be available on June 23. The Internal Technology staff up to and during this time will be testing the new Kerio Mail Server to see if there are any issues that would change this timeline. If there is any need to change it, that information will be communicated as soon as possible.
Even though this is a major upgrade for the e-mail server, most of the enhancements will be behind the scenes. Your user experience will be very similar to the previous version. The enhancements that will be apparent will be better support for mobile devices, better anti-virus, fewer problems with web browsers and improved performance. Kerio will also gain support for a variety of new mobile devices with the installation of the upgrade.
The most noticeable change for users will be in the login screen. The login screen will present a graphic that says “Kerio Connect Webmail” instead of “KerioMailServer6 WebMail.” Below are images that show what your login screen will look like after the change is complete. The current login window has authentication fields that look like this:
The new login window will look like this:
If you have any questions or issues with logging in, please contact Jim Lagnese at ext. 14462 or jlagnese@aea11.k12.ia.us.
On the evening of May 27, 2011, all mail data from the current Kerio Mail Server will be migrated to the new one. This will take up to 36 hours and may cause the current e-mail system to be a little slower than usual. If you experience some e-mail performance issues during the weekend of May 27, keep this in mind.
On June 22, 2011 at 10:00 p.m., the final stage of the upgrade process should be completed. At this time, the new server will go live and a final data synchronization will take place. If the process is successful, the new server will be available on June 23. The Internal Technology staff up to and during this time will be testing the new Kerio Mail Server to see if there are any issues that would change this timeline. If there is any need to change it, that information will be communicated as soon as possible.
Even though this is a major upgrade for the e-mail server, most of the enhancements will be behind the scenes. Your user experience will be very similar to the previous version. The enhancements that will be apparent will be better support for mobile devices, better anti-virus, fewer problems with web browsers and improved performance. Kerio will also gain support for a variety of new mobile devices with the installation of the upgrade.
The most noticeable change for users will be in the login screen. The login screen will present a graphic that says “Kerio Connect Webmail” instead of “KerioMailServer6 WebMail.” Below are images that show what your login screen will look like after the change is complete. The current login window has authentication fields that look like this:
The new login window will look like this:
If you have any questions or issues with logging in, please contact Jim Lagnese at ext. 14462 or jlagnese@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Contact Information For Support With Video/Audio/Multimedia Projects
The information below is intended to help Heartland staff and school districts with video/audio and multimedia support requests.
Video Production (Camera Shoot)
Supporting recording at AEA sites and schools for Heartland staff initiatives. Contact is Aaron Cook, Video/Multimedia Technology Support Specialist, ext. 14438 or acook@aea11.k12.ia.us
Photography Requests
Supporting photography at AEA sites for Heartland staff or groups. Contact is Aaron Cook, ext. 14438 or acook@aea11.k12.ia.us
iMovie, iDVD Training and Support
Contact is Julie Sypersma, Professional Learning Leadership Technology Support, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us
PowerPoint Training and Support
Contact is Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us
Adobe Connect Webinar Requests
Adobe Connect is a web conferencing application to conduct online meetings or webinars for training. If necessary, sessions can be recorded for sharing with others who could not attend or for referring back to the session if needed. Contact is Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us
ScreenFlow Media Production
ScreenFlow is a screencasting software that allows you to capture any application on your computer monitor along with audio. The finished result is a QuickTime movie. Contact Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us or Aaron Cook, ext. 14438 or acook@aea11.k12.ia.us
EduVision (Heartland AEA TV) https://aea111.eduvision.tv
EduVision is a full-featured video streaming platform that basically acts like a local YouTube. Videos created from above applications or video productions can be uploaded to EduVision. Please consult regarding high quality video compressions for uploading.
• Videos can be uploaded and shared for anyone to view.
• Videos can be viewable only through a password.
• Videos can be made private so that only those with the URL can view the video.
• Videos can be embedded so course content housed on a Moodle server could link to a video on EduVision.
Contact is Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us or Aaron Cook ext. 14438 or acook@aea11.k12.ia.us
Training Multimedia and Other Professional Learning and Leadership Technical Requests
Contact Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us
If you need assistance in any of the areas listed above, please contact the person indicated. Aaron or Julie will contact you and may have some questions to determine the technology that will best support your project.
The information above will also be available on the Intranet > Technology Supports > Video/Audio/Multimedia, who do I contact?
Video Production (Camera Shoot)
Supporting recording at AEA sites and schools for Heartland staff initiatives. Contact is Aaron Cook, Video/Multimedia Technology Support Specialist, ext. 14438 or acook@aea11.k12.ia.us
Photography Requests
Supporting photography at AEA sites for Heartland staff or groups. Contact is Aaron Cook, ext. 14438 or acook@aea11.k12.ia.us
iMovie, iDVD Training and Support
Contact is Julie Sypersma, Professional Learning Leadership Technology Support, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us
PowerPoint Training and Support
Contact is Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us
Adobe Connect Webinar Requests
Adobe Connect is a web conferencing application to conduct online meetings or webinars for training. If necessary, sessions can be recorded for sharing with others who could not attend or for referring back to the session if needed. Contact is Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us
ScreenFlow Media Production
ScreenFlow is a screencasting software that allows you to capture any application on your computer monitor along with audio. The finished result is a QuickTime movie. Contact Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us or Aaron Cook, ext. 14438 or acook@aea11.k12.ia.us
EduVision (Heartland AEA TV) https://aea111.eduvision.tv
EduVision is a full-featured video streaming platform that basically acts like a local YouTube. Videos created from above applications or video productions can be uploaded to EduVision. Please consult regarding high quality video compressions for uploading.
• Videos can be uploaded and shared for anyone to view.
• Videos can be viewable only through a password.
• Videos can be made private so that only those with the URL can view the video.
• Videos can be embedded so course content housed on a Moodle server could link to a video on EduVision.
Contact is Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us or Aaron Cook ext. 14438 or acook@aea11.k12.ia.us
Training Multimedia and Other Professional Learning and Leadership Technical Requests
Contact Julie Sypersma, ext. 14676 or jsypersma@aea11.k12.ia.us
If you need assistance in any of the areas listed above, please contact the person indicated. Aaron or Julie will contact you and may have some questions to determine the technology that will best support your project.
The information above will also be available on the Intranet > Technology Supports > Video/Audio/Multimedia, who do I contact?
Mentoring Update
Mentoring Update
Payment & SSLogging for 2010-11
The school year is winding down, and its time to give a big thank you to all staff members who served as mentors this year. Those of you who have been serving as mentors this year should be receiving pay forms via the van mail. Please sign those forms and return them to Anita Davids at the Johnston Regional Education Center. Please make sure you have logged your 15 hours in SSLog by June 10, 2011. If you have further questions about mentoring pay or hours, contact Rob Brookhart at rbrookhart@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Application Process for 2011-12
It’s time to sign up to mentor for the 2011-12 school year! Sharing your time and expertise to welcome and integrate new employees and young professionals into the Heartland family is a personally and professionally fulfilling experience and helps us retain great employees. Mentors provide 15 hours of one-on-one mentoring with their mentee, are provided with mentorship training and in return will receive a $1,000 (gross) payment in June 2012 and the personal satisfaction of knowing that you’ve made a difference in the career of your mentee. If you are currently a mentor and would like to continue your involvement next year, please remember that you will need to re-apply.
It’s easy to sign up! Complete the mentor application and return it to Rob Brookhart at rbrookhart@aea11.k12.ia.us. After receiving applications, more information will be provided to mentors in the near future for next year’s program.
The Mentor Application and Program Guide are also available on the Intranet under Human Resources.
Payment & SSLogging for 2010-11
The school year is winding down, and its time to give a big thank you to all staff members who served as mentors this year. Those of you who have been serving as mentors this year should be receiving pay forms via the van mail. Please sign those forms and return them to Anita Davids at the Johnston Regional Education Center. Please make sure you have logged your 15 hours in SSLog by June 10, 2011. If you have further questions about mentoring pay or hours, contact Rob Brookhart at rbrookhart@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Application Process for 2011-12
It’s time to sign up to mentor for the 2011-12 school year! Sharing your time and expertise to welcome and integrate new employees and young professionals into the Heartland family is a personally and professionally fulfilling experience and helps us retain great employees. Mentors provide 15 hours of one-on-one mentoring with their mentee, are provided with mentorship training and in return will receive a $1,000 (gross) payment in June 2012 and the personal satisfaction of knowing that you’ve made a difference in the career of your mentee. If you are currently a mentor and would like to continue your involvement next year, please remember that you will need to re-apply.
It’s easy to sign up! Complete the mentor application and return it to Rob Brookhart at rbrookhart@aea11.k12.ia.us. After receiving applications, more information will be provided to mentors in the near future for next year’s program.
The Mentor Application and Program Guide are also available on the Intranet under Human Resources.
DIBELS Next Training to be Offered This Summer
There will be opportunities this summer for Heartland staff to attend DIBELS Next training. Partnership Directors have talked to those who will be going through DIBELS mentoring training. If you have been identified by your Partnership Director to be a mentor, you will be attending all four days of training.
Those staff who are not going through mentoring training, but have schools where DIBELS is being used, will have the opportunity to attend two of these days of training. These are the two days that are being presented by Dr. Roland Good on June 27 and 28. Funding is available to pay per diem for these two days, but space is limited. If you would like to attend, please go to https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/RE029399991201inv&*.
Those staff who are not going through mentoring training, but have schools where DIBELS is being used, will have the opportunity to attend two of these days of training. These are the two days that are being presented by Dr. Roland Good on June 27 and 28. Funding is available to pay per diem for these two days, but space is limited. If you would like to attend, please go to https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/RE029399991201inv&*.
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