All-Staff Meeting: Watch Video Invite, Find Map & Directions, Wear Agency Colors for All-Staff Photo

Location: Palace Theater at Adventureland 

Time: 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. – Benefits/Wellness fair, Continental breakfast 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. – All-Staff meeting 

Afternoon meetings: Region 5 (training), Zion Lutheran Church, Des Moines 
Region 6 regional meeting, Johnston REC, Conference Rooms 13A & B 
Central Support Staff meeting, Palace Theater at Adventureland 

Click here for a video invitation to the All-Staff meeting from chief administrator Paula Vincent. 

 







Click here for a map to the Palace Theater. 

Directions: 
Coming from I-80: 
• Turn Left on to Adventureland Drive. 
• Turn Right into the Adventureland Park Entrance. 
• Continue through the unattended parking gate. (Parking will be free.) 
• Park in the first or second parking lot to your left. 
• Enter through the furthest gate to the right (if you are looking at the park). 
• If you continue to walk straight after entering the park, the Palace Theater will be right in front of you. 

We are planning to attempt to organize everyone for an all staff photo! You are encouraged to wear Heartland AEA logo colors—purple or green—for the large group shot we hope to take outside near the Adventureland train depot.

Reminder About Iowa Gift Law

Iowa’s gift law prohibits Heartland AEA staff members from accepting gifts, with the following exceptions: food or drink valued at under $3 a day per donor, mementos with negligible resale value (such as a personalized plaque) and items included as registration fees or offered to the general public. If you have any questions, contact Kurt Subra, Chief Financial Officer, at ksubra@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14613.

Reminder: Direct Deposit of Employee Expense Payments Coming Soon

Beginning September 6, 2013, the Agency will begin to use direct deposit for paying employee expense reimbursements—no more trips to the bank or the possibility of lost checks! This change will make handling employee expense reimbursements more convenient for both you and the Business Office. You may opt out of receiving your expense payments through direct deposit. 

Go to Business Office tab on the Intranet to find a form to fill out if you do not want to receive your expense reimbursement via direct deposit. Please email completed forms to Accounts Payable at acctspay@heartlandaea.org or through interoffice mail.

September 2013 School Leader Update From Iowa Dept. of Education

Click here to read the September 2013 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education. In this issue, look for a greeting from the DE’s new director, Dr. Brad Buck; details about grant money for school districts to establish competency-based education pilot projects and a couple of fun opportunities for students. In this month’s column, Policy Liaison Mike Cormack discusses new leadership and “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Attorney Nicole Proesch gives helpful advice about common student residency issues.

September 2013 Each and Every Child Newsletter From Iowa Dept. of Education

Click here to for a link to the September 2013 edition of the Each & Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education. The e-newsletter is designed to enhance communication between parents and teachers. This issue features how a family and teachers from Tripoli worked through their differences over educating a boy with special needs. Please forward it to parents and use the stories as opportunities for discussion.

Learning Forward to Offer “Becoming a Skilled Facilitator in a Learning School” Sessions

Learning Forward is offering two sessions of the workshop “Becoming a Skilled Facilitator in a Learning School,” one on October 4 in Cedar Rapids and one on November 1 in Carroll. 

Participants will have an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and skills in becoming a skilled facilitator in a learning school (PLC). The focus will be on learning and practicing the essential skills needed to facilitate effective leadership and collaborative learning teams. Emphasis will be on building a foundation for effective teams, preparing and organizing teams, defining team expectations, conducting effective team meetings, engaging in collaborative inquiry and monitoring and assessing team progress. For more information please visit our website: http://www.learningforwardiowa.org. 

Click here for a brochure with a registration form. 

The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.

“Anti-Bullying: The Why, The What and The How” Course to be Offered

The news is consistently full of stories of bullying and harassment in schools, the workplace and the community. In 2007, the Iowa Safe Schools Bill was passed in an effort to make our schools a safer place. This two-day course on September 19-20, 2013 will examine the current state of bullying in Iowa and the country as well as the legislation and reporting requirements for educators in Iowa. Woven throughout the course will be examples in best practice for bullying prevention. Click here to register.

Alternate Assessment Training Encouraged for Staff Members Who Support Students With Significant Disabilities

This year the state has determined it is mandatory for all teachers who have students taking the Alternate Assessment to go through training. It would be helpful for Heartland AEA staff members who are supporting these teachers to also take the training. The link is now open to begin this process. Directions for logging in to the training are below, with the training taking about 45 minutes. If you have any questions, contact Angie Calhoun, Regional Director, at acalhoun@heartlandaea.org or ext. 11279. 

To complete Iowa Alternate Assessment online training: 
1. Go to the AEA PD Online Learning System at http://training.aeapdonline.org 
2. Login to the system (or register into the system if you have not logged in before). 
3. Select the course catalog from the menu in the upper left. 
4. Select the Iowa Alternate Assessment Training from the menu and click on the register button. 
5. Verify district information and begin the training. 

This training is also open for administrators and other personnel who support the educational programming of students with significant disabilities. 

If you need technical assistance, contact Emily Thatcher, consultant, at the Iowa Department of Education, at emily.thatcher@iowa.gov.

Reminder: Corrections to AEA Special Education Procedures Manual

Please make note in your Area Education Agency Special Education Procedures Manual dated July 25, 2013, of two needed corrections: 

1.) On page 406 the following information should read: An IEP team may elect to provide a trial out of all special education services and supports. A 45-day trial out may be initiated at either a Review or Reevaluation type of IEP meeting. A reevaluation IEP meeting must be held at the conclusion of the trial. The trial is calling the question of continued need, and therefore, eligibility for special education and this may only be done in the content of a reevaluation process. 

2.) On page 149, IEP Changes Matrix, the second bullet under the column heading "Revaluation" and the row of "When it is Required" should read: Exit from special education services when terminating student due to completion of IEP/no longer eligible (exit code RRG).