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
This message was emailed to staff on Feb. 24 and is being repeated here for your information.
A recent visit by the Johnston Fire Department to our Johnston REC and Administration Center has prompted us to address some concerns the Department had. While these concerns were found on the Johnston campus, they are items that all staff should be aware of, no matter what office you work from.
- Space heaters: Under no circumstances are space heaters to be used in any of our offices. Repeat: No space heaters! Space heaters pose a fire risk and children can burn themselves if they touch the coils. If you are currently using one, please remove it immediately.
- Power strips: Power strips (surge protectors) should only be plugged directly into the wall; they should not be plugged into other power strips. Examples of devices that are prohibited from use with a power strip are clocks, lamps, personal grooming and care devices and battery chargers. The key idea to remember is the device that is being plugged into the surge protector is voltage sensitive and can be permanently damaged by either lightning or an electrical surge.
- Extension cords: Extension cords/reels are meant for short-term use such as for an event or class. They are not meant to be a long-term power source in an office or work area.
- Electrical panels: There should not be anything in front of electrical panels (breaker boxes). If you currently have any belongings in front of an electrical panel, please remove them.
- Ceiling tiles: Ceiling tiles need to be properly in place. If you see any ceiling tiles in your office that are not properly secured, notify an Operations staff member who will make sure they are put back in place.
The Johnston Fire Department will be back at our Johnston buildings in the next few weeks to ensure we have made these necessary changes. If you have any questions about fire safety or any of the items you are currently using in your office/work space, contact Dustin Gean, Operations Manager, at dgean@heartlandaea.org.
The March 2015 issue of the School Leader Update is available from the Iowa Department of Education. In this issue, Director Brad Buck reminds us to be thankful – for our teachers. Legislative liaison Shan Seivert gives us an update on legislation that could affect all of us and attorney Nicole Proesch touches on the law – and leprechauns.
The March 2015 issue of the Each and Every Child newsletter is available from the Iowa Department of Education. In this issue, readers are taken to Elkader in northeast Iowa where our colleagues at Keystone AEA have developed a literacy program that is showing a great deal of promise.
Grand View University’s Jacobson Institute for Innovation in Education and the Grand View Education Department are pleased to host the third Jacobson Visiting Scholar Symposium from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on April 11 at Grand View University.
This year Dr. Doug Fisher, an international expert on literacy strategies and instructional design, is the featured speaker. He has published many books and articles focused on reading and literacy, differentiated instruction and curriculum design, including Better Learning Through Structured Teaching, Rigorous Reading, and Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading. On April 11, Dr. Fisher will present on access points for reading complex texts and the purposeful classroom.
This event is FREE and open to all educators. Learn more about this event including the schedule and driving directions.
If you have any questions, contact eddept@grandview.edu or Melissa Ostrem at (641) 263-2844.
As a reminder, the Agency will hold its first-ever Career Fair for school districts on March 4 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at our Johnston Regional Education Center. We hope you’ve helped us promote the event far and wide with educators you know!
The job fair will be an opportunity for teachers and other education professionals to meet with over 15 central Iowa school districts at one location to apply for jobs for the next school year. Positions will range from administration to teaching to support positions.
In anticipation of extra visitors being on-site, we encourage Johnston staff and any other agency employees to park at the Administration Center that day. We will be roping off part of the parking lot to reserve spaces for those who will be attending the career fair. We aren’t sure how many participants we’ll have, but we hope the parking lot will be full! Thank you for your cooperation!
Are you working toward earning your $50 gift card by participating in the Wellness Challenge? Go to the Healthy Express Wellness Site for more information on the Wellness Challenge. Right now not many of you are participating. Increased wellness and $50? It’s a win-win!
The deadline for completion of the Challenge has been changed to May 1, 2015, so that we can try to roll out a new program with the beginning of our annual benefit year on July 1, 2015. Staff can go back from July 1, 2014 through May 1, 2015 to enter any activities they have completed. Our hope is that on May 1 the gift card program will officially end, and we will have all cards distributed within a week. Although Wellmark’s site says that Sept. 30 is the ending date of the Challenge, we are working with them to get the date changed to May 1.
To participate in the Challenge, log on to wellmark.com and go to the ‘Wellness Center.’ Then go to the ‘Get Rewarded’ tab in the center of the page. After you click on the ‘Get Rewarded’ tab, then click on ‘Heartland AEA Wellness Challenge.’
If you have any questions, contact your Wellness leads, Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, or Katie Streff, Human Resources Assistant.
During the legislative session, the Joint Education Allowable Growth Group (IASB, UEN, AEAs, SAI, ISEA and RSAI) will once again be creating weekly factoids about the need for consistent growth in the state’s annual education spending rate. These “Facts About Education Funding” will be sent to all legislators, Gov. Branstad and Dept. of Education Director Buck highlighting a pertinent fact about education spending in Iowa. Each week this link will also be shared in The Connection.
Ed Reform Shell Game: Supplement vs. Supplant
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