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
At Heartland AEA, we define culture as “the way we do things around here.” It’s about our collective behaviors that are driven by our individual assumptions and beliefs. This matters because our collective behaviors lead to our results. Culture is often confused with climate, which is “the way we feel about the way we do things around here.” Obviously, both culture and climate are important.
Is it possible to shape our culture (the way we do things around here)?
Absolutely! And we have been actively working to shape our culture over the past several years. In the spring of 2012, 2013 and 2014 our agency administered the Denison Organizational Culture Survey to a stratified sample of our staff, and last year the survey was administered to all agency staff. The Denison Survey is designed to assess an organization’s strengths and weaknesses as they apply to organizational performance. In past years we’ve also included two modules, trust and commitment, with the survey. Click here for a brief video about the culture model narrated by Dan Denison, author of the Denison Survey.
What do we know about our results so far?
Over the four years in which the Denison survey was administered, our agency saw what the Denison consultants call “textbook progress.” In other words, our efforts have impacted our assumptions, beliefs and behaviors (the way we do things around here), which in turn is reflected in more positive survey results. This was made possible by our collective input, suggestions and actions. This infographic shows a snapshot of the Agency’s progress from our original 2012 survey.
What’s next for ALL staff?
It is time to update our culture (the way we do things around here) survey results once again.
- The Agency Planning Council (APC) has decided to move forward with administering the entire survey in even numbered years and administering a portion of the survey that measures specific traits from the Denison circumplex in odd numbered years. That means, based on feedback in last year’s survey, staff will complete a survey based on the Consistency trait this year. In last year’s results, Consistency was identified as an area with opportunity for growth.
- The survey is scheduled to launch on March 20 and will close on March 31.
- All employees will receive an email with a link to the survey. This link will take you to a survey website that has been designed specifically for Heartland AEA. Please be as honest as possible when completing the survey. Your responses are completely confidential and cannot be tracked.
What’s in it for you?
We are glad to be able to provide ALL employees with the opportunity to complete the survey this year. By completing the survey, you will ensure that your voice is heard along with your colleagues about the way we do things around here. This input has and will continue to be very important as we look for themes and points of leverage for advantage in areas such as impact of our services, our professional relationships and our continuous improvement. We hope each and every one of you will take the time to complete the Denison Survey and provide your input.
Thank you in advance for your time and feedback!
The March 2016 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is now available.
The March 2016 issue of the Each and Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education is now available. Read how this school incorporates technology designed to give hands-on experience at a wealth of different career options. The goal? To ensure hard-to-fill, good-paying jobs have a ready supply of job candidates who in the past were often overlooked.
As a reminder, the Agency will hold its third annual Education Career Fair on March 8 from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. at our Johnston Regional Education Center. The Fair will be an opportunity for teachers and other education professionals to meet with a dozen central Iowa school districts at one location to apply for jobs for the next school year.
In anticipation of extra visitors being on-site, we ask that staff from both the REC and Administration Center park in the Friends of IPTV parking lot or on Corporate Drive. If there’s anyway to carpool, we encourage that option as well. Thank you for your cooperation!
Reminder about the details:
March 8, 2016
2:00-5:30 p.m.
Heartland Area Education Agency
Johnston Regional Education Center
Visit the Career Fair page on the agency’s website for all the info!
As we enter the Seize the ZZzzzz Sleep Challenge on March 13, here are some recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation about how to calm your boy before bedtime.
It can be difficult to fall or stay asleep if you’re stressed out. In fact, stress can lead to insomnia by causing hyper-arousal in your body and mind. Making matters worse, getting too little sleep can make you feel even more stressed, leading to a vicious cycle of continuous tossing and turning and tension. That’s why it’s smart to take steps to leave any stress behind before you go to bed. These strategies that will help you do that.
Exercise in the morning or afternoon. Whether it’s walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming, playing a sport, using a cardio machine, or taking an exercise class, engaging in physical activity is a great way to release both physical and mental tension. Since exercise increases body temperature temporarily, it’s best for many people to work out at least three hours before bedtime so that their body temperature has enough time to drop and set the stage for sleep. However, if you find that evening exercise doesn't negatively affect your sleep, then there's no reason to make a change.
Take time to downshift before bedtime. For at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour) before bedtime, avoid doing anything stimulating or stressful. That means: No texting, no catching up on work, and no watching tense TV shows. Instead, dim the lights and lower the volume; read an interesting book, take a warm bath, do some gentle stretching, or listen to music that helps calm you.
Tame your tension. Spend five to 10 minutes doing a calming routine—such as deep breathing, guided imagery , or progressive muscle relaxation—before you turn in. These decompression techniques can help you feel less stressed and reduce your blood pressure and heart rate.
Turn off your thoughts. To prevent daytime worries from sabotaging your sleep, make a concerted effort to switch your mind into “off” mode before you turn in for the night. You can do this by jotting down your concerns in the afternoon and putting them aside to address the next morning. Or, you can practice mindfulness meditation: Sit quietly with your eyes closed, clear your mind of thoughts, and focus on your breathing. When thoughts do come to mind, simply notice them as if they were clouds floating across the sky and return your attention to your breathing. Having a clear, calm mind puts you a sleep-friendly state.
Not everyone needs the help of a tax professional. About 40 percent of taxpayers file their own taxes each year with the help of tax preparation software, online tax prep programs or the old-fashioned way -- with pencil and paper. But if you have questions, a complicated financial situation or an aversion to preparing your taxes, you may be considering hiring a professional this year. This article from LifeWorks will provide you with information to help you decide whether you need a professional and how to hire the right person.
Website: heartlandaea.lifeworks.com
Username: heartlandaea
Password: lifeworks
Each week during the Iowa legislative session, we will bring you an AEA Legislative Update from the AEA system’s lobbyists, Tom Lane, Matt Eide and John Pederson.
Parents, students ages 14+, school administrators, AEA staff, counselors and educators who are preparing individuals to transition from high school to postsecondary pursuits are invited to Heartland AEA’s Transition Resource Fairs in March and April.
Visit with representatives from agencies that serve students with disabilities in the areas of living, working and learning including:
• Vocational resources
• Assisted living
• College opportunities
• State and county resources
• Assistive technology
• Camps and leisure pursuits
• Finances
• Disability support resources
March 7, 2017
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Ames Regional Office
April 10, 2017
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Van Meter High School
Registration is not required, but families are encouraged to let their child’s school counselor/special education teacher know that they plan to attend.
Heartland AEA will be offering a second learning opportunity for teachers of students with significant cognitive disabilities. Improving Literacy Instruction for Students on Alternate Assessment focuses on early literacy skills for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The concepts and strategies apply to any student with significant disabilities (level 3) who has emerging literacy skills (non-readers) K-12.
This course was previously taught in Dec. 2016 and Feb. 2017 but under a different name. If interested in attending, register early as seating is limited to 35 participants. For more information, contact Pam Childers at pchilders@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14457.
Improving Literacy Instruction for Students on Alternate Assessment
July 24-25, 2017
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Johnston Regional Education Center
Registration Link
Agency-issued laptop bags (shoulder bag/backpack style) are supplied to Heartland AEA staff to assist in protecting agency equipment while offering a convenient means of carrying technology and work-related materials.
New laptop bags are offered in the following instances:
- Laptop Replacement Cycle (every 4 years): A new bag will be offered to you by the Internal Technology Department when you receive a new laptop computer as a part of our 4-year replacement cycle. You will have the choice of keeping your existing bag or selecting a new bag from current bag offerings (a typical shoulder-style bag or a backpack-style bag).
- Medical Accommodation Request: If you have a medical accommodation request for a new bag style, notify your supervisor and see Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, in Human Resources.
- Damaged, Lost or Stolen Bag: If you have an agency-issued bag that has damage beyond normal wear and tear and is no longer able to adequately protect agency issued technology or your bag is lost or stolen, notify your supervisor and see the Internal Technology Department for evaluation and resolution.
- Supervisor Approval: See your supervisor if you feel you have a unique situation that warrants a new laptop bag to perform your role. If approved by your supervisor, he/she will work with the Internal Technology Department to obtain a new bag for you.
You can now insert and play your Google Drive videos in Google Slides, in addition to videos from YouTube.
Once
you’ve added a Drive video to your presentation, you can choose when to
start and end it, whether it should autoplay when presenting and
whether it should be muted or play with audio. Simply right-click on the
video and select Video options.
If
a person viewing your presentation doesn’t have permission to view a
video embedded within it, they’ll be prompted to request access.
Note
that while you can play Drive videos in Slides on the web and mobile,
you can only insert them from the web application. For more details,
visit the Help Center.
