Our Mission
To
improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth
by providing services and leadership in partnership with families,
schools and communities.
Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success
We look forward to a FULL DAY of connecting, celebrating and learning from one another!
Location
Sheraton Hotel
1800 50th St.
West Des Moines, IA
Time
8:45-9:30 a.m. – Registration, Coffee and Conversation
9:30 to 11:30 a.m. – General Session (Note that the morning meeting does not begin until 9:30)
11:30 a.m-1:00 p.m. – Boxed Lunch (Provided by the Agency on-site; turkey sandwich, chips, fruit, dessert, beverage)
11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. – Benefits/Wellness Fair
1:00-3:30 p.m. – PechaKucha Presentations
Details
General Session
The
morning’s general session will be a chance to hear from our agency’s
leaders about updates for the year to come and highlights from the past
year. We’ll also have a chance to celebrate successes and honor our
years of service award recipients.
PechaKucha Presentations
Our
afternoon will be spent learning from one another during
PechaKucha-style presentations (6 minute, 40 second presentations with
images and lively storytelling). There are time slots for you to see up
to five presentations from your colleagues.
United Way
We
will kick off our annual United Way campaign again this year at the
All-Staff meeting. We are counting on you to once again pledge record
support to United Way, so they can in turn support communities through
education, income and health initiatives! Watch your tables for pledge
forms to begin pledging your support on Sept. 9. Everyone (whether you
donate to United Way or not) will have the chance to fill out a form to
get your name in a drawing for some great gift cards!
Benefits/Wellness Fair
The
Benefits/Wellness Fair will be held from 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Many of
our past vendors will again be on hand, including our flu shot nurses!
The Fair will be held in the atrium area of the hotel (look for the
waterfall) and in the hallway next to the ballroom.
Dress for the Day: Agency Spirit!
We're
adding a twist to our regular business casual dress for the All-Staff
Meeting—show your agency spirit! You can wear your agency colors —
purple or green—or a logo shirt from Lands' End
or your regional, department or wellness t-shirt. Whatever you choose, we
encourage you to proudly display your Heartland AEA pride (but no jeans,
please)!
Fill in the Tables
Please
make every attempt to fill the chairs at every table. Please do not
move chairs around from table to table, either. We would like to avoid
having to scramble to find a place for everyone to sit.
Carpool
Spend some more time with your co-workers—carpooling is encouraged!
With the new school year comes updated agency publications and resources, which are now available on the Intranet > Communications. If you have any questions about these publications, contact the Communications Department.
Communications > Annual Publications
- 2016-17 Staff & Schools Directory (coming in late September)
- 2016-17 Regional Map w/ RDs
- 2016-17 Regional Director Assignments
- 2016-17 School Composite Calendar
-
2016-17 Superintendent Directory (Hard copies of the superintendent directory will be sent to each regional office)
-
2016-17 Van Route Schedule
Communications > Resources
- Agency Infographic
- Planning Councils Structure & Membership Chart
- Mission & Priority Services Sheet
- Agency Blueprint (to come)
The Sept. 2016 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is now available.
There have been some questions about the need to notify Human Resources if you are related to agency or district staff. This requirement asks you report if you are related to agency and district staff members—not children attending districts/schools in our service area. Board Policy 407 Conflicts of Interest states the reason for notifying HR of relative relationships, as well as the types of relationships that need to be reported. If you have any further questions, contact the Human Resources Department.
Your first step to participating in this year's agency Wellness Program will be to log on to wellmark.com! This will ensure you have an account set up and ready to go when it comes time to participate in new and exciting challenges this year. So log on today using these instructions! If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman or Katie Streff, Wellness Leads.
Flu Shots
Get your flu shot at the Fair! Please fill out the flu shot request form beforehand to help speed up the process for everyone.
Screening Cards
Don't forget to pick up your screening card to track your vitals at the Drake University, Kaplan University or Hy-Vee Dietician tables!
EAP Provider
LifeWorks, the Agency’s new anticipated Employee Assistance Program (EAP) vendor, will not be in attendance as our contract with them has not been formally approved. We jumped the gun on this—sorry! Watch for more information to come.
Job-Alike Facilitators
The job-alike facilitators will have a table at the Fair to explain more about what they do at the Agency. The primary support functions for job-alike professional learning are:
- New staff training
- Mentoring/induction
- Coaching
- Writing a professional learning plan for their own group to support cutting-edge professional development
HEA & Teamsters
Heartland Education Association is the negotiating agent for full-time and regular part-time certified personnel. Teamster’s Local Union No. 238 is the negotiating agent for full-time and regular part-time classified personnel. Stop by their tables to learn more about these organizations.
Digital citizenship is a fundamental aspect of being a student, teacher and administrator in PK-12 schools. To that end, Heartland AEA is hosting a Digital Citizenship professional development opportunity on Sept. 13. Sessions will provide teachers and administrators with ideas, information, resources and inspiration to help guide their schools through the many facets of digital citizenship. Ryan Wise, director of the Iowa Department of Education, will provide opening remarks and sessions will focus around Mike Ribble's Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship.
Sept. 13, 2016
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Johnston Regional Education Center
Administrators, Curriculum Directors, Media Specialists and teachers
Register by Sept. 8
Registration for Teacher Quality Courses and Study Groups begins today and ends Sept. 16, 2016. Teacher Quality (TQ) courses and study groups meet for 15 hours off contract time
and participants are eligible for a stipend upon completion. New staff
members are eligible to sign up for these opportunities.
The amount
of the stipend is established after registration closes. Last year
eligible staff members were paid $640 to participate in a course or
study group and were paid $600 in 2014-15. The amount for 2016-17 will
be determined when registration closes on Sept. 14. Classes and study
groups will be offered from Oct. 2016 through June 2017.
Here is a frequently asked questions document that will help answer questions.
Professional Development Redesign TQ Option
The
current work of the Professional Development Cade and Work Groups is
taking longer than expected to develop and package for delivery to
staff. In light of that, 15 hours of TQ pay is being offered for
interested agency staff to pilot some of the PD Redesign materials as
they are developed. Participants will pilot pre-assessments, engage in
online content in at least three areas identified for agency
professional learning: adult learning, data and assessment and
instruction.
The
time participants spend in the different areas reviewing content will
vary depending on knowledge and skills, experiences, work style, etc.
Participants might also complete modules in some additional areas
(Behavior, Child Find, Early Childhood, Problem Solving and Technology)
if they haven't used up all their TQ hours in the first three content
areas. Participants will give feedback to work group leads through
online surveys and focus groups held through Zoom. Most of the content
will be online but learning activities, etc. can be done with a partner
or a small group. The amount of time spent in online modules could vary
based on a participant’s background and experiences. Staff members will
complete the modules between Oct. 2016 and April 2017. Video
instructions will be sent to participants when modules are available.
The Heartland AEA Health Screening form was updated this summer. The new form adds “Disability Suspect” as a purpose for screening and has a new header, creating a “Results” section with prompts. Special Education staff can find the updated form and instructions for completing it on the agency website under Special Education > Student & Family Services > Nurse Consultation > Health Forms. You can also watch a tutorial video about the form that explains when and how to use a health screening, as well as where to find the form. For additional information, you may read the Nurse Blog (a learning site for school nurses) under the heading “Updated Health Screening Form.” If you have any questions, contact your assigned Special Education Nurse Consultant.
