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!
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 you in your planning, see the 2016 Payroll Dates document, which is archived on the Intranet > Business Office > Payroll Forms & Information > 2016 Payroll Dates, for a list of 2016 pay dates and corresponding due dates. The Payroll Department 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.
If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at ext. 14908.
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 Friday, Dec. 18 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 ext. 14908.
Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise announced last week the next group of school districts chosen to launch local teacher leadership plans through Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation System. Ninety-seven school districts have been added to the state system, bringing the total number of districts in the teacher leadership system to 295 (88 percent of Iowa districts).
Iowa’s teacher leadership system, which taps 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. It is the nation’s most comprehensive teacher leadership system. About 25 percent of Iowa teachers will be in leadership roles when the system is fully phased in.
As of this fall, all 336 Iowa school districts had applied to join the teacher leadership system. The 97 newly accepted districts will implement their teacher leadership plans in the 2016-17 school year. The remaining 40 school districts will have an opportunity to refine and re-submit their plans for approval in the next two months. Wise said he is hopeful that all of Iowa’s school districts will join the teacher leadership system by the 2016-17 school year.
“I have had the opportunity to visit many school districts with teacher leadership plans, and the feedback has been very positive,” Wise said. “What I’m hearing is that the system empowers teachers and principals to work together in new ways and that teachers have found greater support, opportunities for collaboration, and ownership over decision-making, particularly as it relates to professional development for their colleagues.”
A recent report on the first year of Iowa’s teacher leadership system found progress has been made toward each of the system’s five goals, including attracting new teachers, retaining effective teachers, promoting collaboration, rewarding professional growth and effective teaching, and improving student achievement. In addition, students in the first 39 participating school districts saw a jump in proficiency rates on state math and reading tests.
School districts are chosen for the system based on recommendations of the Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation, which evaluates applications.
Of the 97 newly accepted districts, the following are in the Heartland AEA service area: Ballard, Colfax-Mingo, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton, Glidden-Ralston, Interstate 35, Lynnville-Sully, Madrid, Martensdale-St Marys, Newton, PCM, Perry, Twin Cedars and Woodward-Granger.
If you’re in the market for a hearing aid, make sure to check out the discounts offered via Wellmark’s Blue 365 Member Discounts and Services. Go to the Healthy Express Wellness site, click on the “Wellness Discounts” tab and then click on Blue 365. If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at ext. 14315.
Some of you have had questions about where to find your biometic numbers in order to enroll in the Naturally Slim program. (Reminder in the article below about what the program is.) This document contains instructions for how to find your biometic numbers on the Wellmark website. The instructions are also archived on the Healthy Express Wellness site under the Naturally Slim tab.
Heartland AEA is offering you an opportunity to lose weight with a program called Naturally Slim®.
Naturally
Slim is a 10-week online program that helps you lose weight plus
improve your overall health – all while eating the foods you love! With
Naturally Slim, you will learn that you don’t have to starve yourself or
count calories to lose weight and keep it off forever.
How does the Naturally Slim program work? Naturally
Slim is a mindful-eating program that helps you change how you eat
instead of what you eat. It is not a diet. And, as you lose weight, you
also improve your health by improving the risk factors that can lead to
serious, chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and
more.
Why not give it a try? You
can still eat the foods you love and this could be the solution that
you’ve been looking for. Thousands of people have used the Naturally
Slim program to successfully lose weight. The average weight loss in
just ten weeks is 10.1 pounds. In fact, 15% of participants lose more
than 20 pounds in that time.
How do I apply? The program begins on Jan. 18, 2016 but participation is limited so you must complete the online application. Enrollment begins Dec. 7, 2015 and closes on Dec. 23, 2015. Please note: By submitting the online application, you are committing to participate in the program, if accepted.
How will participants be selected? Program
professionals select participants based on pre-determined criteria and a
willingness to meet all program completion requirements as outlined
below. You will be notified of your application status via e-mail by Jan. 8, 2016.
What are the program completion requirements? In order to successfully complete the program, you must:
Submit the online application and sign all appropriate releases by their associated deadlines.
Complete
at least 8 of the 10 online video courses for Naturally Slim
Foundations within their set weekly time frames. It will be your
responsibility to ensure your participation is accurately recorded each
week.
Complete a pre- and post-program biometric screening.
Pre-biometric screening must be obtained and submitted to the Wellmark portal by Dec. 23.
Post-biometric screening must be obtained at a local Hy-Vee by April 13 (2 weeks after Foundations class concludes).
What is the cost for the program? There
is no cost to you for the Naturally Slim Program. Your participation
will help Heartland AEA achieve our goal of becoming a more
health-conscious agency!
However, if you do not meet the
program completion requirements as defined above, you will be
responsible for reimbursing Heartland AEA $75, which is a portion of the
program fee originally paid on your behalf.
A Note about Confidentiality… The
information that you provide to Naturally Slim will be considered
confidential and will be available only to you and the program
professionals. Heartland AEA will receive participation reports for
administration of payroll and billing processes. Otherwise, the
information you provide to Naturally Slim is confidential and available
only to you and Naturally Slim and its affiliates involved in conducting
or evaluating the program. Naturally Slim cannot sell or otherwise
divulge any participant information to any unauthorized party.
If you have any questions, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Manager, at ext. 14534.
How Much Space Do I Have on My Computer? Have you ever wondered how much space you have on your computer or how much space you have left? This week’s Tech Tip will show you how to identify how much space is really being used on your computer.
