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, 1:00-3:00 p.m., Palace Theater at Adventureland
Click here to see a list of the vendors that will be participating in this year's Benefits/Wellness fair.
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 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.
The Internal Technology Department would like to thank everyone for their patience as we move into the final stages of converting the Agency’s email from Keriomail to Google Mail (Gmail). Here is some updated information, as well as answers to some commonly asked questions about the conversion.
- There are many great training resources available on the Email Migration tab on the Employee Dashboard. The Agency will be scheduling additional trainings related to the use of Gmail, and dates/times/locations will be announced when they are set.
- There are approximately 50 full-time staff members who do not have Gmail accounts yet. We hope to have those all set up prior to this Friday’s All-Staff meeting.
- There are about 200 staff members who have filed Keriomail that has not yet been migrated to Gmail. We anticipate having those migrations completed by mid-October.
- The Agency has approximately 200 people who are temporary or part-time employees, including those who teach professional development courses. Once our full-time staff is fully migrated, we will start on the migration of the temporary employee accounts. We estimate their migration will be completed by Thanksgiving.
- Remember that you can still access your Keriomail account, even if you have been migrated, and you can send emails from that account. For those who have been converted, any email sent to your old account will be forwarded to your Gmail account. We anticipate keeping our Keriomail server running until at least July 1, 2014.
- If you have a large distribution list (50 people or more) in Keriomail that you’d like converted to your Gmail account, please contact Tim Weets, Network Specialist, at tweets@heartlandaea.org.
Again, thanks for your patience as the Agency finishes up this major migration.
Due to the All-Staff meeting this Friday, this week’s expense checks will be processed on Thursday, September 12. Expense claims must received by Mary Heaberlin, Accounting Technician, by the end of the day on Wednesday. Expense checks will then be mailed on Thursday. Employees receiving direct deposit will have funds deposited in their accounts on Friday.
Click here to download the agenda for the Sept. 10, 2013 Board of Directors meeting.
Heartland AEA will host Johnston-area business professionals at a Johnston Chamber of Commerce “Breakfast Before Business” event on September 10 from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at our Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive. If you see individuals in the building who are attending the breakfast, please make them feel welcome.
Teacher Quality (TQ) course options for 2013-14 will be in The Connection next Monday. The TQ Committee decided to spread courses and study groups out over the year to give staff more time to participate. These options are open to Certified staff only. We ask that you use your professional judgment as to what course or study group you sign up for. This should be something you will use in your current position. Registration for TQ will be open from September 17 through October 1, 2013. You must be registered on or before October 1 to participate.
There are two types of offerings: study groups and courses. The dates for the courses will be listed, but as we did last year, you will register for the study group and study group participants will form their own groups. If a staff member wants to participate in a study group and can’t find colleagues to join the group, Sue Schirmer will assign a study group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I still get paid if I did not attend the whole class?
A: No. Participants must attend the full class to receive payment.
Q: Why is there such a short time frame to register for courses?
A: The Teacher Quality Committee wants to offer courses/study groups over the entire year so staff members have more time to take a course. The amount of money that staff members will be paid can’t be calculated until everyone is registered.
Q: Can I change courses if I have a conflict?
A: Yes. This is done a few times each year. It is the exception, not the rule.
Q: I looked online and can’t find any TQ course offerings.
A: Because the options are not open to anyone (only Heartland AEA Certified employees), they are not listed on the catalog. You will need the activity number to go online and register through Universal Registration.
Q: Can I do more than one activity?
A: Yes, you can do more than one activity; however, you will only be able to receive TQ money for one activity.
Q: I took a class last year; can I retake the class this year?
A: TQ is intended for new staff learning. Participants can only be paid for classes they have not taken before. Also, if you are using the course for renewal of your license, you cannot use the same course (or one with the same title) if you have used it in the past.
Q: What if the TQ class is full?
A: If a TQ offering is full, we will try to get an additional section set up for participants. If this is not possible, you will have the option to enroll in a different offering that is not full. So that we can determine if another section is needed, please sign up for the offering as a wait list participant.
Q: What do we need to do in order to form a study group (this is not the case for “classes” as those have instructors, dates and times already set)?
A: Study groups need to have at least four people involved (one person to be the facilitator and three people as participants). Once registration is closed, sections will be established based on geographic regions. Participants will then be notified about the membership of their group(s). At that time, groups will need to collaborate to choose a facilitator (who cannot earn credit) and when and where they will meet.
Q: What are the responsibilities of study group facilitators?
A: If you are leading a study group, you still need to register. You will receive an extra $50 for being the study group facilitator. If participants in the study group take the course for Drake credit, you will also earn the Drake stipend. You will not be able to receive credit. As the facilitator, you will be responsible for ensuring the group completes meeting logs, the final concept paper and addendum pay forms. Facilitators also must determine and issue grades and record those in the web-based instructor center. If you are facilitating a study group, you can participate in other TQ options, but you would only be paid for the one you are facilitating. As a facilitator you do not need to be a content expert, but must be able to facilitate the group learning. You must also have a vita on file with professional development.
Q: What if the activity I sign up for does not have enough participants?
A: If a course or study group does not have enough participants, you will have an opportunity to sign up for a different activity. You will be notified if the activity does not have enough participants.
Q: Can I use the credit to move on the salary schedule?
A: The credits from TQ offerings can be used to move on the salary schedule. Please make sure that you review the procedures outlined in the HEA agreement and complete the needed steps for using TQ offerings to move on the salary schedule. This is the responsibility of the staff member.
Q: Can I take a TQ offering during contract time?
A: Yes, however, this requires prior supervisor approval. If participating in the TQ offering on work time, you will not get paid TQ money and will not be able to use the credit to advance on the salary schedule.
Q: Can Classified staff participate in TQ offerings?
A: Classified staff can participate in TQ offerings but are not able to be paid out of TQ money.
Q: How much money will I receive for participating in TQ this year?
A: After registration closes and we know how many people are participating, we will be able to determine the amount of money people will receive for TQ. We are anticipating that the amounts will be similar to last year.
Q: What are the deadlines?
A: Registration for TQ courses and study groups begins September 16 and closes October 1. Courses and study groups will take place between October and June 30, 2014. All learning opportunities must be completed by June 30, which is the end of our fiscal year.
If you have any other questions about TQ courses, contact Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant at sschirmer@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14379 or your discipline facilitator. If you have questions about payments or stipends, contact Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14374.
All Certified staff members (excluding first year staff) should be participating in an Internal Capacity Building Strand. These sessions start in September or October. Dates and information for each strand can be found here. Please bookmark this link for future reference. If this is your first year participating in Capacity Building and you have not signed up for a strand, please talk with your regional director about which strand you would like to participate.
The last fall course for Assessing Academic Rigor will begin September 19 and run through November 12 at the Johnston Regional Education Center. Click here to register.
