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
Monday, November 18, 2013
November Payroll Timeline—Payday Will Be Nov. 27
Agency offices will be closed on November 28 and 29 in observance of Thanksgiving; as a result, payday will be November 27. Staff members paid from a timesheet must have their November 1-15 timesheets completed, approved by their supervisors and submitted to the Payroll Department by the end of the day on November 21 to ensure they receive pay at the end of month. If you have any questions about this, contact Steve Jordan (ext. 14908) or Tammy Lawrence (ext. 14422) in the Payroll Department.
Changes Made to Agency Website—New Special Ed Tab Created, About Us Content Shifted
Based on feedback we’ve received, a decision was made to create a new Special Education tab on the main navigation bar on our agency website. Check it out at www.heartlandaea.org!
The name of the tab is “Special Education Services” and in the drop-down menu under it are four main categories:
Please be aware of this change if you have items linked to our Special Education web pages. The new navigation will mean that your previous links will need to be updated.
With the creation of the new tab, we have shifted the “About Us” information down on the page underneath the first “content box” named “Our Agency.” Click on the “About Heartland AEA” link for all the “About Us” information including agency leadership, board of directors, office locations and schools we serve.
We hope you find this change helpful for you and those you serve. Please contact the Communications Department if you have any questions.
The name of the tab is “Special Education Services” and in the drop-down menu under it are four main categories:
- Getting Started With Special Education
- Guidance Documents
- Program Supports to Schools
- Student & Family Services
Please be aware of this change if you have items linked to our Special Education web pages. The new navigation will mean that your previous links will need to be updated.
With the creation of the new tab, we have shifted the “About Us” information down on the page underneath the first “content box” named “Our Agency.” Click on the “About Heartland AEA” link for all the “About Us” information including agency leadership, board of directors, office locations and schools we serve.
We hope you find this change helpful for you and those you serve. Please contact the Communications Department if you have any questions.
Process for Communicating Inclement Weather Office Closings & Course Cancellations
It’s that time of year…time to start thinking about the winter months and the not-so-pleasant weather that comes with it. Offices will typically be open unless all schools in a region are closed and travel is not recommended. But we all know this happens! So in preparation for the possibility of office closings and professional development course cancellations, please read below for the process that the Agency uses to communicate about closings or delays.
First, click here to read the Agency’s Inclement Weather policy, which can be found on page 47 of the Staff Handbook.
Remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available.
If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, at lgillon@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14416.
Communicating Office Closures
The Agency uses a variety of methods to notify staff members of office closures due to inclement weather. SchoolReach SchoolReach is an online system that sends voice messages to staff. When used, the service will call selected phone numbers in our employee contact list and will deliver a recorded message. The service will deliver the message to both live answer and answering machines. No answers (phones ringing over 40 seconds) and busies will be automatically retried twice in 15-minute intervals after the initial call.
We will contact only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. For example, if the Newton and Indianola offices are closed, we will only call the staff members who are assigned to those offices. Staff in other offices won’t receive a call. The calls that SchoolReach makes will be generated by the Agency’s Communications Department—they will not come directly from SchoolReach.
To ensure that you receive a phone call about office closings, review your phone number information in the Agency’s Employee Online system and make sure it is up-to-date. If you have provided both a home number and a cell phone number in Employee Online, we will call you at both numbers in the event of an office closing.
Please Note the Following About SchoolReach
When SchoolReach places a call, if your phone has caller ID, the ID will display the Agency’s main number, (515) 270-9030. When you get a call from the system, there will be a short pause at the beginning of the message. This usually is only a few seconds pause. Answer your phone as you normally would with “hello” and hold for the message to begin. Multiple “hellos” will delay the message. Please inform all family members who may answer your phone of this process. If you rely on your answering machine to screen calls, the system will detect that your machine has answered and will play the recorded message to your machine. The phone will ring for up to 40 seconds. Make sure that your machine answers after four rings or you may miss the message.
At the end of the message you will be prompted to “press any key” to hear the message again. This can be helpful if a child answers the phone and hands it to a parent, who can then have the message repeated in its entirety.
Website
We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website (www.heartlandaea.org).
Cancellation Hotline
We will record closing information on a “cancellation hotline” that staff members can call into at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14041. When you call in you will hear a recorded message that says the date and which offices are closed if there are closings. If there are no closings, the message will reflect that.
Social Media
We will post closing information on the Agency’s Facebook & Twitter accounts (www.facebook.com/heartlandaea & twitter.com/HeartlandAEA).
Communicating Professional Development Class Cancellations
If a professional development class is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website, cancellation hotline and social media.
If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, please contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at ccroatt@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14474.
First, click here to read the Agency’s Inclement Weather policy, which can be found on page 47 of the Staff Handbook.
Remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available.
If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, at lgillon@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14416.
Communicating Office Closures
The Agency uses a variety of methods to notify staff members of office closures due to inclement weather. SchoolReach SchoolReach is an online system that sends voice messages to staff. When used, the service will call selected phone numbers in our employee contact list and will deliver a recorded message. The service will deliver the message to both live answer and answering machines. No answers (phones ringing over 40 seconds) and busies will be automatically retried twice in 15-minute intervals after the initial call.
We will contact only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. For example, if the Newton and Indianola offices are closed, we will only call the staff members who are assigned to those offices. Staff in other offices won’t receive a call. The calls that SchoolReach makes will be generated by the Agency’s Communications Department—they will not come directly from SchoolReach.
To ensure that you receive a phone call about office closings, review your phone number information in the Agency’s Employee Online system and make sure it is up-to-date. If you have provided both a home number and a cell phone number in Employee Online, we will call you at both numbers in the event of an office closing.
Please Note the Following About SchoolReach
When SchoolReach places a call, if your phone has caller ID, the ID will display the Agency’s main number, (515) 270-9030. When you get a call from the system, there will be a short pause at the beginning of the message. This usually is only a few seconds pause. Answer your phone as you normally would with “hello” and hold for the message to begin. Multiple “hellos” will delay the message. Please inform all family members who may answer your phone of this process. If you rely on your answering machine to screen calls, the system will detect that your machine has answered and will play the recorded message to your machine. The phone will ring for up to 40 seconds. Make sure that your machine answers after four rings or you may miss the message.
At the end of the message you will be prompted to “press any key” to hear the message again. This can be helpful if a child answers the phone and hands it to a parent, who can then have the message repeated in its entirety.
Website
We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website (www.heartlandaea.org).
Cancellation Hotline
We will record closing information on a “cancellation hotline” that staff members can call into at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14041. When you call in you will hear a recorded message that says the date and which offices are closed if there are closings. If there are no closings, the message will reflect that.
Social Media
We will post closing information on the Agency’s Facebook & Twitter accounts (www.facebook.com/heartlandaea & twitter.com/HeartlandAEA).
Communicating Professional Development Class Cancellations
If a professional development class is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website, cancellation hotline and social media.
If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, please contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at ccroatt@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14474.
Thanksgiving Holiday Office & Van Delivery Schedule
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, all Heartland AEA offices will be closed on November 28 and 29. The van delivery schedule will be as follows:
- Regular delivery Nov. 25-26
- No delivery Nov. 27-29
November 2013 AEA PD Online & AEA K-12 Online Updates
AEA PD Online and AEA K-12 Online’s November updates are now available. For real time updates, follow AEA PD Online on Twitter @aeapdonline or on your mobile device by accessing our app at myapp.is/aeapdonline.
AEA PD Online
• Moodle Updates: Introducing the “Awesome” Bar
• Tool of the Month: Are you “Kahoot”-ing?
• Upcoming Courses
• AEA PD Online: Live!
• External Partners
AEA K-12 Online
• Accessing AEA K-12 Online's Moodle Hosting Services and E-curriculum
AEA PD Online
• Moodle Updates: Introducing the “Awesome” Bar
• Tool of the Month: Are you “Kahoot”-ing?
• Upcoming Courses
• AEA PD Online: Live!
• External Partners
AEA K-12 Online
• Accessing AEA K-12 Online's Moodle Hosting Services and E-curriculum
This Week’s Getting Great with Google Tip
Adding the Agency Internal Calendar to Your Google Calendar
First login to Google and go to your Google Calendar. To add the Agency Internal Calendar to your “Other calendars” located on the left side, copy the link below and paste it in the box just below “Other calendars.” If you do not see a box below Other Calendars, click on the arrow to the left of “Other calendars.”
aea11.k12.ia.us_gg5e2fnevnqej0cp8f5ap2a4lg@group.calendar.google.com
First login to Google and go to your Google Calendar. To add the Agency Internal Calendar to your “Other calendars” located on the left side, copy the link below and paste it in the box just below “Other calendars.” If you do not see a box below Other Calendars, click on the arrow to the left of “Other calendars.”
aea11.k12.ia.us_gg5e2fnevnqej0cp8f5ap2a4lg@group.calendar.google.com
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