Monday, November 14, 2011

Reminder: Agency Planning Councils Structures & Functions

We’d like to take a moment to remind you about the Agency’s planning councils structure. Planning councils are representative structures intended to improve communication, planning and learning. A few of the key functions of the planning councils include coordination of joint learning among team members and members of local schools, integration of services throughout the agency and coordination of service plan implementation. The members of each council are listed below. If you have questions about the work of these councils, please contact any of the council members.

Agency Planning Council (APC)

Paula Vincent, Chief Administrator

Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources
David King, Chief Financial Officer

Sheila King, Executive Director of Instructional Services

Steve Prall, Executive Director of Operations

Cindy Yelick, Executive Director of Instructional Services


Learning and Leadership Planning Council (LLPC)

Paula Vincent, Chief Administrator

Grace Bargstadt, Regional Director

Leanne Chapman-Thill, Regional Director

Misty Christensen, Regional Director

Rachelle Dawson, Regional Director
Jerry Gruba, Regional Director
Steve Iverson, Regional Director and Shelter Care Program Administrator

Charlie Johnson, Regional Director

Karla Jones, Regional Director

Sheila King, Executive Director of Instructional Services
JoAnn Klocke, Regional Director
Sharon Kurns, Regional Director
Ron Lorenz, Regional Director
Chris Pierson, Regional Director

Wendy Robinson, Regional Director
Nikki Roorda, Regional Director
Mari Stirler, Regional Director

Kim Thuente, Regional Director

Dave Tilly, Regional Director

Kristi Upah, Regional Director

Jim Verlengia, Regional Director

Tinna Walberg, Regional Director

Anita Westerhaus, Regional Director

Dave Wood, Regional Director

Cindy Yelick, Executive Director of Instructional Services


Shared Services Planning Council (SSPC)

Paula Vincent, Chief Administrator

Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources

David King, Chief Financial Officer

Steve Prall, Executive Director of Operations

Lance Wilhelm, Director of Technology


Regional Planning Councils (RPC)

Region 1

Gwen Hoffman, Special Education Clerk

Tammy Hulsing, Assistive Technology Specialist and Speech-Language Pathologist

JoAnn Klocke, Regional Director

DeAnn Leiting, School Social Worker
Barb Shutt, Reading Curriculum Consultant
Julie Soukup School Psychologist
Julia Thompson, Special Education Consultant

Kim Thuente, Regional Director


Region 2

Matt Cretsinger, Special Education Program Assistant and School Psychologist

Misty Christensen, Regional Director

Emily Donovan, Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant

Carla Grasty, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Jody Kerchal, Special Education Consultant

Denise Krefting, Instructional Technology Consultant

Keyea Meyer-Fowles, School Psychologist
Janet Norman, Speech-Language Pathologist
Keri Renze, School Social Worker

Donna Simpson, Secretary

Tinna Walberg, Regional Director

Sue Young, Assistive Technology Specialist


Region 3

Rhonda Anderson-Balch, Speech-Language Pathologist

Theresa Barkey, Special Education Consultant

Leanne Chapman-Thill, Regional Director
Lori Eekhoff, Early Childhood Special Education Consultant
Sheila Fay, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Ron Lorenz, Regional Director

Julie McGinnis, Special Education Consultant

Mary Montgomery, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Marla Roush, Regional Secretary

Kristin Orton, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant
Kristy Sadler-Teidt, School Social Worker
Nicole Siemens, Speech-Language Pathologist

Lisa Smith, Physical Therapist

Dave Wood, Regional Director

Joe Woracek, School Psychologist

Region 4

Martha Condon, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant
Anita Davids, Administrative Assistant
Julie Hukee, Mathematics Curriculum Consultant

Rob Kleinow, Science Curriculum Consultant
Sharon Kurns, Regional Director
Lynn McCartney, Program Assistant, Instructional Technology

Linda Moehring, Reading Curriculum Consultant

Lori Pearson, Reading Curriculum Consultant

Cheryl Risen, External Professional Development Program Assistant

Sue Severson, Special Education Program Assistant

Dana Strother, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Mike Szymczuk, Assessment Consultant

Becky Teut, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Dennis Vogel, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant
Toy Waterman, Instructional Technology Consultant

Region 5

Pam Childers, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Mariann Culver, Assessment Consultant

Cathy Hansen, Special Education Consultant

Ellie Holland, Speech-Language Pathologist

Joy Lyons, Assistive Technology Specialist

Kathy Randel, Secretary
Tanya Richards, School Psychologist

Courtney Robinson, School Social Worker

Vicki Stumme, Special Education Program Assistant

Stacy Volmer, Challenging Behavior & Autism Program Assistant and Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant

Michelle Weinberger, Early Childhood Special Education Consultant


Region 6

Nicole Craun, Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant

Amy Garrett, Assistive Technology Specialist
Candice Gravett, Early Childhood Special Education Consultant
Jeri Gustafson, Reading Curriculum Consultant
Shannon Heller, School Social Worker
Mary Johnson, Secretary

Becca Lindahl, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Linda McAtee, Speech-Language Pathologist

Judy Oltman, Special Education Consultant
Jennifer Riedemann, Assessment Consultant

Region 7

Lisa Barnett, Special Education Consultant

Denise Carlson, Mathematics Curriculum Consultant

Beth Dedic, Special Education Program Assistant
Nancy Dunn, Assistive Technology Specialist
Jennifer Funk, School Psychologist

Laura Frescoln, Special Education Clerk

Charlie Johnson, Regional Director

Chris Rial, School Social Worker

Berrett Rice, Assessment Consultant

Wendy Robinson, Regional Director

Lisa Taylor, Speech-Language Pathologist

Kristi Upah, Regional Director

Linda Wegner, Special Education Nurse

Natalie Welter, Early Childhood Consultant


Region 8

Mary Boshart, School Psychologist

Nichole Coe, Early Childhood Special Education Consultant

Linda Hoobin, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Gina Koehler, Special Education Consultant

Terri Paulson, Secretary

Jessica Pottebaum, Occupational Therapist

Kerri Schwemm, Speech-Language Pathologist

Valerie Steinbach, Parent & Educator Connection Coordinator
Stephanie Ver Helst, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant
Denise White-Staecker, Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant
Todd York, School Social Worker

IFAS Systems Down for Maintenance Nov. 16

On Wednesday, November 16, the IFAS systems will be taken down for maintenance at 3:00 p.m. The systems will be available the following morning when you arrive to work. These systems include all the functions available on your IFAS Dashboard. Thank you for being patient during this scheduled system down time. If you have any questions, please contact Rod Howell at rhowell@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14599.

We Thank You for Your Service During American Education Week

Communities across the nation will join the National Education Association (NEA) November 14-19 to celebrate American Education Week. The annual observance, now in its 90th year, honors students’ hard work to learn, recognizes the professionalism and dedication of teachers, support staff and other educators, thanks parents and members of the community who help students succeed and rededicates the community at large to quality public education for every student.

In 1921, the NEA Representative Assembly in Des Moines, Iowa, called for designation of one week each year to spotlight education. In its resolution, the NEA called for: “An educational week ... observed in all communities annually for the purpose of informing the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs.”


During this week, we thank you for your service to students, parents and educators across central Iowa, and we encourage you to honor students, parents and educators this week as well!

Holiday Office & Van Route Schedule

All Heartland AEA offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 24 and 25. Agency offices will also be closed December 26, 27, 29 and 30 during the holiday season. Please take note of the following schedule as you plan to send and receive items through our van mail.

• November 23-25, 2011 -- No Van Delivery

• December 19-22, 2011 -- Regular Van Delivery

• December 26-30, 2011 -- No Van Delivery

• January 2, 2012 -- Regular Van Delivery Resumes


Additionally, there will be no Administrator Connection blog updates on November 25 or December 30.

25% Off & Free Shipping From Lands’ End!

Just in time for the holidays, let Santa know that you need some new Heartland logo clothing! Lands’ End is offering 25% off and free shipping on items through tomorrow. Visit the Ageny’s e-store at ces.landsend.com/heartlandaea to order!

Make Sure You’re Familiar With the Inclement Weather Policy

As winter nears, please make sure you are familiar with the inclement weather policy and how it affects you as a member of your particular employment group. Click here to read the policy. It is archived on the Intranet>Human Resources>Agency Information and Policies>Inclement Weather Policy.

EER Updates

EER/Google Docs Webinars Now Available
The webinars for the EER/Google Docs training are now available. These are intended for anyone who missed one of the training sessions offered over the past few weeks. Part One is a review of considerations for completing EERs and clarification of the Disability Suspect process. If you have any questions about this part, please contact your regional director or Sharon Kurns.


Part Two is a review of how to use the Heartland Google Domain to develop EERs. If you have difficulty accessing the Heartland Google Domain, contact Jim Lagnese. If you have questions about the process of uploading or downloading files to Google Docs, visit with one of your team members who attended the training or contact Julie Sypersma. The direct links are below. You can also access them by going to EduVision (use the icon at the bottom of the Heartland homepage) and going to AEA 11 Staff Only channel or typing in EER into the search box.


Part 1 - Educational Evaluation Report - Fall 2011

https://aea111.eduvision.tv/Default.aspx?q=X3Y5NcZVhaB8TzPeJkEJmw%253d%253d

Part 2 - Managing an EER Using Google Docs within Heartland's Google Domain

https://aea111.eduvision.tv/Default.aspx?q=X3Y5NcZVhaAR70fU0fWBiA%253d%253d

Use of the New EER Form

Please make sure that you are using the EER Word document template and uploading it to the Web IEP. Please DO NOT use the EER that is connected to the Web IEP, as it is no longer valid. This change went into effect statewide on November 1, 2011.

IEP Updates

Deleting a Goal at an Amendment Meeting: Important Information to Know
An IEP team can delete a goal at an amendment IEP meeting, but please be aware of the following information:

When the goal is deleted using the “Delete” button on the Goal Overview screen in the Web IEP system, all data and the graph associated with that goal will be lost and is not archived with the prior IEP.

If the team wants the web graph and data preserved, the team should write “Goal discontinued on (date)” on the goal page and begin a new goal (if needed) for more advanced work and leave the discontinued goal intact at the time of the amendment IEP meeting.

IEP Meeting Date
If an IEP meeting re-convenes on subsequent dates, the last meeting date is the date the team would use as the meeting date on page A and throughout the IEP as that is the day that the final decisions are made.