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
Click
above for an e-card (with sound) from chief administrator Paula Vincent
wishing you all a happy holiday season! (Click the full screen button
in the right hand corner to expand.)
Warm wishes to you and your families and may you find much love,
happiness and laughter throughout the holidays and in the coming year.
Thank you for sharing your talents at Heartland AEA!
The Payroll Department will have your 2014 Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement ready by mid-January. Your W-2 will be available electronically through Employee Online and a paper copy will be mailed to your home address. Please help us ensure you receive your paper W-2 in a timely fashion by verifying we have your correct address on file in our Employee Online system. Please verify your information in the system by January 10, 2015.
You can verify your address through Employee Online. Login to your Employee Dashboard. Employee Online is one of the navigation tabs at the top of the page, just like the Intranet or Leave Online tabs. Once you’ve reached the Employee Online home page, click on “Home Address” in the left hand navigation section. If you need to update your address, click on the “Edit” button in the lower right hand corner of the page. It’s that easy!
If you have questions about your personal information, contact Katie Streff, Human Resources Assistant, at kstreff@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14614. If you have any questions about your Form W-2, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14908.
Due Dates Staff members frequently inquire when timesheets, addendum pay, direct deposit forms and other changes need to be submitted to the Payroll Department in order to be processed for a particular pay date. To assist in your planning, below is a list of 2015 pay dates and corresponding due dates. Payroll needs to receive all information by the end of the day on the due date to ensure payments and/or changes are made on the corresponding pay date. Any information received in Payroll after the due date may be processed during the next payroll cycle.
For those staff members being paid from a timesheet or receiving addendum pay, please keep in mind these items are to be completed, approved/signed by a supervisor and submitted to Payroll within four working days after the end of the pay period. Any items received after the due date may be processed on the next payroll.
Pay Dates & Due Dates The first column lists pay dates and the second column lists due dates: 1/15 1/07 1/30 1/21 2/13 2/5 2/27 2/19 3/13 3/05 3/31 3/19 4/15 4/6 4/30 4/21 5/15 5/6 5/29 5/21 6/15 6/4 6/30 6/19 7/15 7/7 7/31 7/21 8/14 8/6 8/31 8/20 9/15 9/4 9/30 9/21 10/15 10/6 10/30 10/21 11/13 11/5 11/30 11/19 12/15 12/4 12/30 12/21
Questions If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14908.
It is important to have correct referral information available to internal and external customers who may call or e-mail staff members during absences. Considering our upcoming Winter Break, this is a good time to review the steps we all need to take prior to being out of the office.
Change Gmail Vacation Responder (Out-of-Office message) (sample below) Thank you for contacting Heartland AEA. I will be out of the office until Jan. 5, 2015, as our Heartland AEA offices are closed for Winter Break. I will return your message as soon as I can. Thank you.
To turn on a vacation responder message, go to the gear-shaped icon in the top right corner of Gmail. Scroll down to and then click on “Settings.” Click on the first link that says “General” and scroll down until you see the information for “Vacation responder.” Click the button next to Vacation responder “on” and then enter your message in the space provided. You have the option to set the time when your message will begin and end. Click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page when you are finished.
Tips: If you use your out-of-office email reply for every little thing, people might just stop reading it. Use your out-of-office email response only in the instances you’ll truly be unresponsive for an extended period of time—like vacation. The customer will actually read it because they haven’t gotten multiple iterations of your bounce-back email on a continuous basis. Be clear and concise about when you’ll be responding, and leave out the personal information about where you are going and why.
Change Voicemail Greeting to Unavailable (samples below) Thank you for calling Heartland AEA. You have reached Sally Smith. I am currently out of the office until Jan. 5, 2015, as Heartland AEA is currently on Winter Break. Please leave a message, and I will return your call when I am back in the office. Thank you.
Tip: If you want to change your voicemail greeting from your home phone or cell phone, you may do so by calling either (515) 270-0405 or (515) 473-7450 and pressing # when you begin to hear the greeting. This gets you into your voicemail, and you can then follow the prompts to access your messages, change your voicemail greeting or set it to out of office if you are ill and want callers to get immediate help. Please be mindful not to refer a customer to another staff member who is also scheduled to be out of the office. Check with that person to make sure he or she will be available and aware that you are forwarding customers and/or staff members to them during your absence.
Last Friday Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck announced the next group of school districts chosen to launch local teacher leadership plans through Iowa’s new Teacher Leadership and Compensation System.
This effort to tap into the expertise of top teachers to improve classroom instruction and raise student achievement is the centerpiece of the state’s landmark education reform package passed by the Legislature in 2013. The system paves the way for more support and greater collaboration for all teachers to learn from each other instead of operating largely in isolation within their classrooms.
Buck said 170 school districts from across the state applied to join the teacher leadership system in the second round.
Of those, 126 school districts were chosen to put in place local plans – 76 of them during the 2015-16 school year and another 50 during the 2016-17 school year. The school districts serve a mix of urban, suburban and rural communities. The 125 selected districts join 39 other districts that were chosen to implement the first teacher leadership systems this fall. The goal is to have all Iowa school districts participate in the optional system by 2016-17, Buck said.
School districts were chosen based on recommendations of the Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation, which evaluates the applications.
Teacher leadership plans promise to help students learn more by better meeting their individual needs. They also will attract and retain more effective teachers by enhancing career opportunities and paying stipends for taking on extra responsibilities.
“The more I visit schools that are implementing teacher leadership plans, the more convinced I am that this system will improve learning and achievement for all students,” Buck said.
We have received various questions asking for clarification around the one-hour agency holiday leave that is granted to employees prior to official agency holidays.
This hour of agency-provided leave applies to employees who are at work the day prior to a holiday.
This leave does not apply to staff who are not scheduled to work or who have taken other forms of leave (sick leave, vacation, OPL, etc.).
We recognize the hour of holiday leave does not apply to all staff all the time, but we hope it is recognized as a goodwill gesture for those who have not used other forms of available leave. If you have any further questions, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Manager, at tchiaramonte@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14534.
Thank you for the questions and best wishes for the holidays, Paula Vincent
Your Wellness Program leads – Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, and Katie Streff, Human Resources Assistant – wanted to provide you with a recap of the exciting things happening in the Wellness program!
“Healthy Express” Google Site Juliette and Katie have been developing a Wellness Google Site, and they are calling it the “Healthy Express!” Look for it on Jan. 5! The site will be full of information, such as:
A monthly calendar for 2015 that will have wellness activities you can participate in on a regular basis
Tips on how to setup and use your Fitbit
Information about the five elements of wellness
Recipes
General wellness information/tips
Information on how to use the Wellmark/WebMD sites
Fitbits Everyone can earn a Fitbit! All you have to do is complete your Health Assessment and Biometric Screening! Once this is completed, Wellmark will notify Human Resources, and they will make arrangements to get you your Fitbit. Because Wellmark has been updating their site, we ask that you wait until Jan. 5, 2015 or after to start completing these steps. Fitbits can track your activity, steps and sleep, and you can sync them to your computer or phone. Look for more information on the “Healthy Express” Google Site!
Biometric Screening This is the blood work that is drawn for lipids, glucose and triglycerides. You have to fast for 9 hours before this test. We will be having screenings available on certain dates at our offices, and these dates will also be on the “Healthy Express” Google Site. If you can’t participate on one of these dates, you can go to any Hy-Vee store that has a dietician. This list is also on the “Healthy Express” Google Site. If you don’t see the location you want, contact Katie or Juliette.
500 Point Wellness Challenge There are activities on the WebMD portal that you can participate in and earn a gift card when you reach 500 points. You can find more information on the “Healthy Express” Google Site. The goal for Heartland AEA’s Wellness Challenge is for you to start a healthy habit. We have five wellness elements – Career, Community, Financial, Social and Physical. You will choose at least one challenge from each element, and once you earn 500 points you will get a $50 VISA gift card!
This fall a variety of resources have been shared for implementation of Chapter 62 (early literacy). Many of these resources have been pulled into a Google Drive folder for easy access. It may be helpful to bookmark the link as additional resources will be added throughout the year. Some of the resources in the folder include:
DE Parent notification template and family partnership tools
DE guidance documents for Early Literacy Implementation
Q & A for Chapter 62, September 2014
Archived Zoom session facilitated by Heartland AEA on 11/3/2014
Two weeks ago we told you about changes that will be impacting the way we offer credits at Heartland AEA. They both go into effect July 1, 2015. As a reminder, those changes are:
1) All graduate credit courses must now include 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time.
2) All license renewal classes offered for graduate credit will need to include the 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time. (You may still offer a course for LR only, but if it is offered for graduate credit, the expectations for both LR and graduate credit will be the same.)
Because we anticipate many questions regarding the change and the process for rewriting courses, we are holding two instructor meetings in early February and have now added two more meetings in April. This is entirely voluntary, however, we encourage you to register for one of the sessions to collaborate with other instructors, Heartland AEA and Drake University as we move to this change in practice.
Starting Feb. 1, 2015, and lasting throughout February, AEA PD Online kicks off its brand new OLLIE online community for teachers. Part of their Online Learning for Iowa Educators (OLLIE) series, the community provides educators resources, live events, discussions, sharing and networking with other educators. It’s the perfect learning place for teachers looking to add blended or flipped learning to their classroom.
During 28 Days of OLLIE, we will have daily events, activities and even contests with prizes, where you can get acclimated to the community. Be sure to check out our AEA PD Online website in the upcoming weeks for more details.
In the off chance you are looking for some professional readings during winter break, here is a mini-catalog of 101 of the newest professional books in the Agency’s library. Reserve your materials through our library catalog. Happy reading!
Monday, December 15, 2014
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
Click above for an e-card (with sound) from chief administrator Paula Vincent wishing you all a happy holiday season! (Click the full screen button in the right hand corner to expand.)
Warm wishes to you and your families and may you find much love, happiness and laughter throughout the holidays and in the coming year. Thank you for sharing your talents at Heartland AEA!
Due to the upcoming agency holiday schedule, staff members paid from a timesheet must have their Dec. 1-15 timesheets completed, approved by their supervisor and submitted to the Payroll Department by the end of the day on Dec. 19 in order to ensure they receive pay at the end of the month.
The December end of month payday will be Dec. 30. If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14908.
The IRS has increased the 403(b) contribution limits for 2015. Regular elective deferrals are increased from $17,500 per calendar year to $18,000. The catch-up contribution limit for employees age 50 and over has increased from $5,500 per calendar year to $6,000.
And as an educational organization, if you have 15 or more years of service with Heartland AEA, you may be eligible for an additional catch-up contribution of up to $3,000 per calendar year. A calculation is required to determine the actual amount available under this special catch-up provision. If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14908.
The Social Security Administration has announced that the 2015 FICA wage base will be $118,500, an increase of $1,500 from the 2014 wage base of $117,000. The tax rate of 6.2% remains unchanged. As in prior years, there is no limit to the wages subject to the Medicare tax. The tax rate of 1.45% also remains unchanged. If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14908.
Did you know the Agency has an “Introduction to Heartland AEA” brochure that gives a general overview of the Agency, our services, goals, mission and fast facts? These brochures can be distributed to parents, educators and other community members to give them a brief overview of what the Agency is all about. Brochures can be requested by contacting the Communications Department. As with any other print job, please allow two weeks for completion.
The Teach Iowa Scholar Program provides qualified first-year Iowa teachers with awards of up to $4,000 a year, for a maximum of five years, for teaching in Iowa schools in designated shortage areas. This year, qualified teachers are those currently teaching in designated shortage areas under their first contracts in Iowa schools. The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) is seeking applications from teachers who graduated from teacher education programs during the 2013-14 academic year. For more information and to apply, please go to Iowa College Aid’s website.
Heartland AEA is taking part in a completely confidential survey, and we would greatly appreciate your participation. It is a wellness interest survey developed by a third party organization--the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. They are conducting a study on employee wellness programs, and we have agreed to partner with them. The study is designed to help organizations like ours better serve you (the employee) by designing wellness programs that you are interested in. Please complete the survey by Dec. 19.
Monday, December 8, 2014
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
Semi-annually, Heartland AEA must comply with the Federal Grant rules identified in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87, pertaining to documentation needed for federal expenditures. For employees who are funded 100% with federal funding, there are Circular A-87 audit requirements we need to meet in order to document appropriate expenditures.
If you are in the fully-funded group, on Wed., Dec. 10 you will receive an email from heartlandworkflow with the subject A87 Certification Notice - Action Required with a link to the certification page. The process is very simple and the same as previous years.
If you are new to this process or need a refresher, this 5-minute PowerPoint presentation explains the background for Circular A-87 and the steps Heartland AEA is taking to meet the A-87 requirements. Keep in mind that the video was created in March 2011. Although, some of the dates and timelines in the video are old, the process and the purpose of the A-87 certification are still the same. The password to view the video is: a87aea
You will need to click on the play button in order to start the video. As the video will explain, employees who are fully-funded from one grant will need to certify every six months that they are performing duties allowed under the federal grant.
If you have any questions, contact Brian Whalen, Business Manager, at bwhalen@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14005. The Business Office appreciates your prompt completion of the certifications and your assistance in helping us comply with this reporting requirement.
The Dec. 2014 issue of the Each and Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Dept. of Education showcases the top school in Iowa when it comes to delivering a quality education for students on Individualized Education Programs. At the school – Davis Elementary in the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District – a full 82 percent of its students on IEPs are proficient in reading and math.
Colfax-Mingo CSD has changed its e-mail addresses. All e-mail addresses now end with @colfaxmingo.org instead of @mail.colfax-mingo.k12.ia.us. Please make any needed changes to your contacts and distribution lists.
As was communicated last spring, the
Agency Planning Council (APC) has decided to try something new during
the 2014-15 calendar year that is a change from our traditional
“floating holiday” schedule for staff who have 261-day work schedules.
See below for a schedule of what we will call “Winter Break.” This
extended Winter Break is something the Agency will try this year, and
APC will review it as part of the annual calendar-building process.
Wednesday, Dec. 24
Staff work day
Offices closed to the public
One-hour early dismissal (as usual before a holiday)
Thursday, Dec. 25
Official agency holiday
Offices closed to staff and public
Friday, Dec. 26
Official floating holiday
Offices closed to staff and public
Monday, Dec. 29 & Tuesday, Dec. 30
Additional floating holidays for employees with 261-day work schedules
There are two policy changes impacting the way we offer credits at Heartland AEA. They both go into effect July 1, 2015, but we want to alert you of these changes as you plan for your professional learning opportunities after that date.
LR/EDMA Policy Changes 1) All graduate credit courses must now include 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time.
2) All license renewal classes offered for graduate credit will need to include the 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time. (You may still offer a course for LR only, but if it is offered for graduate credit, the expectations for both LR and graduate credit will be the same.)
Instructor Meetings Scheduled Because we anticipate many questions regarding the change and the process for rewriting courses, we are holding two instructor meetings in early February. This is entirely voluntary, however, we encourage you to register for one of the sessions to collaborate with other instructors, Heartland AEA and Drake University as we move to this change in practice.
The sessions will be held at the Heartland AEA Johnston REC in Room 107B as follows:
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
The BusinessPlus systems (formerly known as IFAS) will be taken down at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, for a software upgrade. These systems will not be available until Tuesday morning, Dec. 9. This affects all Dashboard functions including Leave Online, Calendar Online, Expense Online, Employee Online, purchase order entry, etc. There is a possibility that these systems will be available late Monday afternoon. In that case a communication will be sent to all staff. Please contact Rod Howell at rhowell@heartlandaea.org or at ext. 14599 if you have any questions. Thank you for your patience while we work through this upgrade. Have a great week!
The Iowa DE’s Dec. 2014 School Leader Update includes Director Brad Buck’s thoughts on the year coming to a close. Attorney Nicole Proesch writes about those pesky snow days. And you’ll want to know which schools in Iowa are the best of the best – all of them recipients of this year’s Breaking Barriers to Teaching and Learning Award.
The University of Northern Iowa College of Education will host several town hall meetings across the state to discuss education in Iowa. The next meeting will be held in Johnston from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston.
Meetings will allow educators, parents, students, community leaders, lawmakers and others to join in the conversation about what is needed for the future of education. Topics will include recent Iowa education laws and how UNI is working to support these initiatives; the upcoming renovation of Schindler Education Center on UNI's campus and how it relates to the preparation of highly effective teachers for Iowa; UNI's new Center for Educational Transformation and its role in the future of education in Iowa; and what is needed for Iowa's students to be college-, career- and citizenry-ready.
Meetings will be held across the state from now until December. For more information, contact Dwight Watson, dean of the College of Education, at (319) 273-2717 or dwight.watson@uni.edu.
Recently, the 2014 STEM Education Award for Inspired Teaching sponsored by Kemin Industries was launched to honor educators and their dedication to STEM education in Iowa.
This award will honor one teacher from each of the six STEM regions will be awarded $1,500 award with an additional $1,500 to be used in their classroom.
Anyone can submit a nomination online at stemaward.fluidreview.com from now until Dec. 12, 2014. After a teacher is nominated, they will be asked to fill out an application. They will have until Jan. 9, 2015 to send in their completed application. These forms will then be sent to a panel of judges who will select the six winners who will be announced at the Statewide STEM Conference in March 2015.
Benefits specialist, Juliette Houseman, is happy to report that the Agency received the adequate number of supplemental life insurance enrollment forms. This means that all who applied do NOT need to fill out additional Evidence of Insurability paperwork! Thanks for getting your forms submitted in a timely fashion.
Heartland AEA is taking part in a completely confidential survey, and we would greatly appreciate your participation. It is a wellness interest survey developed by a third party organization- the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. They are conducting a study on employee wellness programs, and we have agreed to partner with them. The study is designed to help organizations like ours better serve you (the employee) by designing wellness programs that you are interested in.
As was communicated last spring, the Agency Planning Council (APC) has decided to try something new during the 2014-15 calendar year that is a change from our traditional “floating holiday” schedule for staff who have 261-day work schedules. See below for a schedule of what we will call “Winter Break.” This extended Winter Break is something the Agency will try this year, and APC will review it as part of the annual calendar-building process.
Wednesday, Dec. 24
Staff work day
Offices closed to the public
One-hour early dismissal (as usual before a holiday)
Thursday, Dec. 25
Official agency holiday
Offices closed to staff and public
Friday, Dec. 26
Official floating holiday
Offices closed to staff and public
Monday, Dec. 29 & Tuesday, Dec. 30
Additional floating holidays for employees with 261-day work schedules
'Tis the season for celebrating the holidays, and we want staff to celebrate any holiday they observe! We encourage you to share the traditions and meaning behind these holidays with your co-workers so we can all learn from one another.
Monday, November 24, 2014
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
Winter
weather is here this year a bit ahead of schedule, so we are quickly
reminded of inclement weather conditions that can cause closures and
cancellations. Offices will typically be open unless all schools in a
region are closed and travel is not recommended. But we all know that
scenario plays out at least a few times each winter, 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, cancellations and delays.
First, go to section 11:14 of the Staff Handbook to read the Agency’s Inclement Weather policy.
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. To access Employee Online, sign in to
Employee Dashboard and navigate to the Employee Online tab at the top of
the page. 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.
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.
Iowa’s AEA recently launched the inaugural issue of the "AEA Advocate," a newsletter for AEA staff and board members. This communication vehicle is intended to share what’s happening within the AEA system and how it impacts you as a staff member of Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. A subscribe feature is included.
The former Impacting Lives blog has now been moved to a module on Iowa's AEAs website. Find great stories about what your colleagues across the state are doing to improve the well-being and learning outcomes of Iowa’s children and students. If you have any questions about the AEA Advocate or Impacting Lives, contact the Communications Department at comms@heartlandaea.org.
The State Board of Education honored five schools from across the state last week for their work to raise achievement among students who traditionally face challenges in the classroom.
The State Board of Education created the “Breaking Barriers to Teaching and Learning Award” to recognize successful efforts to eliminate gaps in achievement among students.
This year’s award-winners were recognized for having the highest proficiency rates statewide in math and reading among a specific subgroup of students, such as students who do not speak English as their native language and students from low-income backgrounds. State assessment data from five years were examined to confirm a positive trend for each school.
The schools that met these criteria are:
Cedar Falls High School, Cedar Falls Community School District: Recognized for its work with African-American students. A full 78 percent of the school’s African-American students are proficient in math and reading, compared to a statewide average of only 52 percent.
Davis Elementary School, Grinnell-Newburg Community School District: Recognized for its work with students on Individualized Education Programs or IEPs. The proficiency rate for Davis Elementary students on IEPs is 82 percent in reading and math. That compares to a statewide average of 43 percent.
Hillside Elementary School, West Des Moines Community School District: Recognized for its work with English language learners or ELLs. The proficiency rate for Hillside’s ELL students is 70 percent in reading and math. That compares to a statewide average of 49 percent for the same group of students. Riverdale Heights Elementary School, Pleasant Valley Community School District: Honored for its work with Latino students. Ninety-eight percent of Latino students are proficient in reading and math, compared to the statewide average of 62 percent.
Southeast Elementary School, Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District: Recognized for its work with students who come from low-income families. With a third of the school’s student population qualifying for free and reduced-price lunches, 98 percent of those children are proficient in reading and math. The statewide average is 65 percent.
Interviews with school principals revealed a common thread between the honored schools: the use of evidence-based practices, a staff-wide commitment, high expectations and substantial teacher collaboration.
We are getting closer but still have a ways to go! Sixty-seven (67)% of eligible employees have enrolled in or waived the dependent care benefit. Eligible employees who must enroll or waive are full-time staff and 96-day or over part-time staff. Dependent care enrollment for 2015 must be completed online via the Employee Dashboard by Nov. 28. If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at jhouseman@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14315.
Important reminder: Even if you choose not to participate in this program, you must waive it!
Even if you are opting for the same deduction as last year, you must type over the amount in the box and then save it in order to complete your enrollment correctly.
Instructions for enrolling or waiving:
Go to the Employee Dashboard.
Click on the Employee Online tab.
Click on the Enrollment link on the left hand side of the page.
Enter the amount to enroll or enter “0” to waive.
Save.
We have been notified that some people are encountering issues when trying to enroll. This is happening to a small group of people, and the Information Systems team is unable to duplicate the error. If you experience issues, quit Firefox, restart your computer and try the enrollment steps again. Make sure you have logged out of your Dashboard by clicking the “Log Off” link in the top right hand corner. Then sign-on again to see if you still see an error. If you don’t normally click “Log Off” this could cause this type of error and others. If you are still experiencing issues, contact Juliette Houseman.
Enrollment ends on Nov. 28 for this new benefit option, and we only have half of the sign up we need in order to ensure that no one will have to complete the Evidence of Insurability forms! So if you are considering enrolling in the supplemental life insurance benefits, return your completed form to Juliette this week! This benefit is being provided to due to the amount of employee requests from last year’s Benefit Survey.
After this initial enrollment, in order to get supplemental life insurance, new enrollees will have to complete the Evidence of Insurability form, which will then have to go through underwriting to determine acceptance. So if you are considering enrolling, but don’t want to have to jump through those hoops, enroll during this initial offer!
If you are applying for the post-employment benefit, submit your original application, letter of resignation and Things You Should Know Before Applying for the Post-Employment Benefit to Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, by Nov. 28, 2014. If you have any questions, contact Juliette at jhouseman@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14315.
As many of you were notified last week, we recently received a copy of the FAST Vendor User Benchmark Scores and Normative Information. This information led to changes in the content that was delivered during the remaining three sessions of the November literacy professional learning for our school psychologists, special education consultants and professional learning providers. The updated content, including a recorded presentation, can be found in this Google folder.
Purpose of Family & Community Engagement To ensure that the students of today are ready for the careers of tomorrow, families, schools and community groups need to work together to promote engagement that is systemic, sustained and integrated into school improvement efforts.
Research over the past 30 years has shown that engaging families in their children’s education increases student achievement and decreases dropout rates. Effective family engagement is not a one-time program or the choice of a good school, but rather a set of day-to-day practices, attitudes, beliefs and interactions that support learning at home, at school, after school and during the summer. - SEDL National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools
Family & Community Engagement ties directly Heartland AEA’s goals: Growth, Gaps, Graduation and Gateways. “The evidence is consistent, positive and convincing: families have a major influence on their children’s achievement. (Gaps) When schools, families and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer and like school more.” (Growth/Graduation) This statement summarizes the conclusions of A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement, the most recent comprehensive review of the research.
Key findings include:
Students whose families are involved in their learning earn better grades, enroll in higher-level programs, have higher graduation rates and are more likely to enroll in post-secondary education. (Graduation/Gateways)
When families take an active interest in what they’re learning, students display more positive attitudes towards school and behave better both in and out of school.
Children do best if parents can play a variety of roles in their learning: helping at home, volunteering at school, planning their children’s future and taking part in key decisions about the school program.
Children from diverse cultural backgrounds tend to do better when families and school staff join forces to bridge the gap between home and school cultures.
Purpose of the FCE Toolkit
Family engagement is a shared responsibility of families, schools, and communities for student learning and achievement; it is continuous from birth to young adulthood; and it occurs across multiple settings where children learn. Toward that end, the Family & Community Engagement Toolkit provides users with resources, tools and opportunities to:
Connect (make positive connections with families)
Engage (create opportunities for families to be fully engaged)
Sustain (strategies for staying connected and keeping families/community engaged)
How can the toolkit help?
How can we put these findings into action?
Recognize that all parents—regardless of income, education or cultural background are involved in their children’s learning and want their children to do well.
Design programs that will support families to guide their children’s learning, from preschool through high school.
Develop the capacity of school staff to work with families.
Link efforts to engage families, whether based at school or in the community, to student learning.
Focus efforts to engage families and community members on developing trusting and respectful relationships.
Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power with families.
Make sure that parents, school staff and community members understand that the responsibility for children’s educational development is a collaborative enterprise.
Build strong connections between schools and community organizations.
Include families in all strategies to reduce the achievement gap among white, middle-class students and low-income students and students of color.
If you have any questions about the toolkit or its contents, contact Terry Mendell, Lead Parent Coordinator, at tmendell@heartlandaea.org or ext. 17135.
Region 1 Dec. 11 Lake Panorama National Conference Center 8:30 a.m. – All Day
Region 2 Dec. 12 *Stoney Creek, Johnston Revised 8:00 a.m. – All Day
Region 3 Dec. 5 *Celebrate Community Church, 1005 N. Lincoln, Knoxville Revised 8:30 a.m. – All Day
Region 4 No Dec. meeting
Region 5 Dec. 12 Johnston Regional Education Center, Conference Rooms 107A/B 8:30 a.m. – All Day
Region 6 Dec. 12 Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston 8:00 a.m. – All Day
Region 7 Dec. 19 Oakwood Road Church, Ames 8:30 a.m. – All Day
Region 8 Dec. 4 Lutheran Church of the Cross, Altoona 8:00 a.m. – All Day
Monday, November 17, 2014
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
Winter weather is here this year a bit ahead of schedule, so we are quickly reminded of inclement weather conditions that can cause closures and cancellations. Offices will typically be open unless all schools in a region are closed and travel is not recommended. But we all know that scenario plays out at least a few times each winter, 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, cancellations and delays.
First, go to section 11:14 of the Staff Handbook to read the Agency’s Inclement Weather policy.
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. To access Employee Online, sign in to Employee Dashboard and navigate to the Employee Online tab at the top of the page. 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.
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.
