Our Mission 
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth. 

Our Goals 
• Increase learning growth for students 
• Decrease the gap in achievement 
• Increase annual graduation rates 
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Johnston REC to Undergo HVAC Remodeling Project Feb.-June 2014

The Operations Department is excited to share with you the initial details about the project to replace the heating and cooling (HVAC) system in the Johnston Regional Education Center (REC). This project will bring important improvements to the environment of the building, leading to increased comfort for our staff and visitors. It will also increase the overall energy efficiency of the building. The project is slated to take place between February 1 and June 1, 2014. The remodeling will be done in phases, which means individual sections of the building will be remodeled one-at-a-time. 

Staff Relocation 
While we will do our best to maintain a normal working environment for REC staff members, your work will be impacted by the project. You will be able to remain in your offices and work stations for the most part, but you will need to be relocated to temporary work space when the project affects your area. We are still making plans for this portion of the project, and we will update you on this when we have a concrete plan in place. 

Conference/Meeting Relocation 
This also means that all large conference rooms and small meeting rooms will be taken offline, and no events will be held in those spaces. We plan to relocate ALL conferences and meetings that are currently scheduled in the REC from February 1-June 1. Central Office Administrative Assistants, Cassie Britton and Sherise Ahlers, will personally contact everyone who has an event currently scheduled in the REC during that time, and Cassie and Sherise will make arrangements for those events to be moved to alternate locations. Those who have meetings scheduled DO NOT need to make any alternate arrangements themselves. 

Construction Blog 
As with the remodeling project a few years ago, we plan to use the “Construction Blog” to provide updates about the status of the project. That blog will be the primary source of information to keep staff up-to-date on the progress of the project. 

Stay tuned, as we will continue to let you know more about the remodeling project as plans are solidified. If you have any general questions, contact Dustin Gean, Operations Manager, at dgean@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14460.

Impacting Lives Blog Showcases AEA Services

View the latest Impacting Lives update at http://aeas4iowa.wordpress.com/ for stories about the many ways Iowa's AEAs are making a difference. In this issue, read more about the work being done to improve early literacy in Iowa as well as a check-in on a child that receives services from her local AEA.

October 2013 School Leader Update From Iowa Dept. of Education

Click here to read the October 2013 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education. In this issue, look for important details about the planning grants and informational webinars associated with the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System, an update on the work to implement Response to Intervention in some Iowa schools this fall and news about the five Iowa schools named 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Be sure to read about some upcoming changes to the Iowa Department of Education’s website and find out how to give feedback on the Next Generation Science Standards, which are under review by a state task force.

Do You Need to Update Your Life Insurance & IPERS Beneficiaries?

We all need reminders to keep our beneficiary information up-to-date. Has your life situation changed? Gotten married or divorced? Perhaps your children have grown and changed names? Or perhaps your younger children are now old enough that you want them listed as your beneficiaries? 

Life Insurance 
Every full-time Heartland AEA employee has agency-provided life insurance. Click here for a life insurance beneficiary form. Your spouse’s signature is not required, and you do not need a witness. It is not enough to complete a new life insurance form. Human Resources must have the original beneficiary form or it is not valid. 

IPERS 
All full-time, part-time and some regular hourly employees have IPERS. To find out who you have listed as your beneficiary, to verify that your contact information is up-to-date or to get an estimate of your benefits, register today on the IPERS website at www.ipers.org. Under Members, click on Member login > My Account. IPERS just updated its online system so you will be required to go through the registration process again. If you need assistance, contact IPERS at (515) 281-0020 or (800) 622-3849. Click here for an IPERS change of beneficiary form. This form must be signed by your spouse (if applicable), must be witnessed by someone who is not one of your beneficiaries and the original form must be mailed directly to IPERS at the address on the form. 

Contact Information 
While getting your beneficiary information updated, take a moment to review your personal information on the Employee Online tab on our Employee Dashboard. Do you know how often Human Resources calls an employee and the contact information we have on file is no longer valid—a lot! Don’t forget to delete your old landline number or add your new cell phone number. If one of your emergency contacts was a neighbor who moved out of state, designate someone new. Please update this today! 

If you have any questions, contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14385.

October 2013 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

Click here to download the agenda for the October 8, 2013 Board of Directors meeting.

Follow-Up From Our Recent Fire Drills

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Agency’s recent fire drills. We were the lucky beneficiaries of beautiful fall weather, so stepping outside for a few minutes didn’t seem quite so bad! As with this spring’s tornado drill, we know this drill is a step in the right direction in improving our agency's preparedness. If you participated in a drill, please take a minute to complete the follow-up survey that was emailed out to you today by 4:30 p.m. on October 10. Stay tuned, as we plan for drills to become a regular occurrence at the Agency! As always, you can contact Dustin Gean, Operations Manager, at dgean@heartlandaea.org with any questions you may have about crisis planning for the Agency.

LIVE UNITED! Participate in This Year’s Agency United Way Campaign

This information was in the Oct. 4 HeartBeat and is being repeated here for your information.

This year our agency will once again hold a United Way campaign. Why, you ask? We support the United Way because it serves families and students in our communities in ways that are complimentary to our own agency vision and mission. Our donations are directly applied to United Way community priorities in education, income and health. 

The United Way supports programs that help high school students graduate on time and support programs that increase the learning growth and school readiness of early and middle grade students. That’s quite comparable to our agency’s educational goals! We hope you see the mission that our agency and United Way share and feel comfortable choosing to donate to this worthy cause! 

Our agency goal this year is to increase employee participation through pledge card giving and special events. 

New This Year: Raffle! 
We’re shaking things up a little this year with a raffle instead of an auction, and we’re currently seeking donations. Maybe you have a cabin in Minnesota that a fellow staff member could use for a weekend. Perhaps a group of you would like to host a fancy dinner. Maybe you have a Groupon that you know you’re not going to be able to use in time. For each item you donate to the raffle, you will receive a casual day sticker – so help build our list of fun raffle items! If you would like to donate an item to the raffle, send a short description of your item to Claire Sowder, Communications Specialist, at csowder@heartlandaea.org. We’ll share information about purchasing tickets in an upcoming Connection, so stay tuned! We’ll hold a simulcast drawing for raffle prizes on November 1, 2013. Each regional office will hold a potluck during the lunch hour and each office will Skype or Polycom in to hear the results of the live drawing. More information will be coming about your region’s potluck location and time. Be thinking of a tasty dish to share! 

Pledge Your Continued Support 
Pledge cards are an easy, convenient way to give your support to United Way. Staff may choose a one time donation or payroll deduction. It is important that if you choose to do a pay deduction, your total contribution must be evenly divisible by 24 pay periods. Remember that pay deduction pledges from last year’s drive continue to be in effect until December 31, 2013. You are able to designate donations of $50 or more to other United Way offices or any of the organizations listed on the United Way’s website at www.unitedwaydm.org/designations. Just mark this designation on your pledge form. As an added incentive, if you submit a completed pledge card of any amount, you can leave one hour early on any date of your choosing. You will not have to submit vacation time and if you submit a timesheet, you may mark it as “United Way Leave.” 

Pledge cards will be distributed this week. Send your completed form via van mail to Claire Sowder in the Johnston Administration Center by October 31 to be eligible for the early leave incentive. 

Volunteer Opportunities 
Something new this year will be the opportunity to volunteer in the community. Stay tuned for more information about regional and central support volunteer opportunities! If for any reason you do not wish to donate to United Way, the Community Health Charities of Iowa and Iowa Shares are two other charity organizations in which you can donate. We are unable to do payroll deductions for these organizations at this time. If you choose to donate to these organizations, you can contact the agencies at the following: 
- Community Health Charities of Iowa: (877) 517-6266 
- Iowa Shares: (319) 338-1446 

Remember that your participation in the Agency’s United Way events is voluntary. It is not the Agency’s intention to pressure any staff member into donating. We always strive to make our campaign events fun and enjoyable for staff. We hope you find United Way as an easy way to reach out and help the communities we live in!

Reminder: Staff Trainings on Gmail & Calendar Coming in October & November

With almost all agency staff transitioned to Gmail and Calendar, we are happy to announce the dates and locations of optional trainings on the basic features of Gmail and Calendar systems. All of the trainings this fall will be focused on basic features and getting started with using Google Mail and Calendar. 

This spring and summer, we will offer trainings and resources focused on more advanced features. On each of the dates listed below, there will be a 9:00 a.m. to noon session and a 1:00-4:00 p.m. session. Those interested should sign up for a morning session or afternoon session, but not both. Please pre-register for the trainings through the Agency’s Universal Registration system and using the Activity number assigned to each training. 

Click here for a list of the trainings.

If you cannot attend any of these trainings, but want to learn more, please remember there are many Google training resources available in the Email Migration tab on your Employee Dashboard. 

This Week’s Getting Great with Google Tip: 
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