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
The results are in, and we’re happy to report that 495 of you completed the Denison Organizational Culture Survey! This also means that 59 more of you completed the survey as compared to last year, so thank you for your participation!
This year the Agency focused on the area of consistency. The three indexes measured are listed below, and each showed significant growth (shown in the graphic above). A movement of +/- 10 percentile points more is considered a significant trend.
• Core values – The percentile change in the area of core values was a +24. • Agreement – The percentile change in the area of agreement was a +18. • Coordination and integration – The percentile change in the area of coordination and integration was a +15.
This data, along with the data collected over the past five years, gives us the opportunity to continue to grow and strengthen our culture. Stay tuned for future Connection articles about what next steps the Agency will take after gathering this year’s data.
On April 12, the second semester A-87 certification will be emailed to federally funded employees. We are following the same process we used for previous certifications. The email will come from heartlandworkflow with the subject A87 Certification Notice - Action Required. There will be a link in the email for employees to follow to complete the certification.
If you have questions or problems accessing the link, contact Brian Whalen, Business Manager, at ext. 14005. The Business Office appreciates your prompt completion of the certifications and your assistance in helping us maintain compliance with this reporting requirement.
There are literally thousands of talented Iowa educators who lead and inspire their students. But only one is chosen annually as the state’s top teacher. The deadline to nominate the 2018 Iowa Teacher of the Year is April 28, 2017.
The award is an opportunity to recognize an exceptional Iowa teacher who is helping to redefine education. Nominations will be accepted from anyone, including students, parents, school administrators, colleagues, college faculty members and associations.
Nomination forms can be found on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.
The Iowa Teacher of the Year award was established in 1958. The annual program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature. The Teacher of the Year serves as an ambassador to education and as a liaison to primary and secondary schools, higher education and organizations across the state.
Shelly Vroegh, fifth-grade teacher and instructional coach from the Norwalk Community School District, was named the 2017 Teacher of the Year. The 2018 Teacher of the Year will be announced this fall.
As a reminder, mentors must submit mentor logs to Katie Streff in Human Resources no later than May 1, 2017. The logs can be shared through Google Drive or emailed directly. If you have any questions, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Manager at ext. 14534.
Just a reminder that the Tuel Shed Training (TST) program begins today. If you did not get into the pilot program, you can still participate in the exercise portion of the program by liking the “Shaping Heartland” page, designed by TST, on Facebook.
1. Take care of your physical health. Your physical health and mental health are strongly connected. When one improves, the other will naturally follow suit. To improve your mental health, make sure you’re taking care of your physical health. Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night, and being physically active can all have a positive impact on your mental health.
2. Relax. Stress can have a big impact on your mental health. Fortunately, taking some time to relax can help combat that stress. Whether it’s a five minute break from a big work project or a much-needed vacation after a few tough months, relaxing can help you reduce stress and improve your mental health.
3. Express your emotions. It’s not always easy to talk about how you feel, but bottling everything up can take a toll on you mentally. Whether you’re struggling with something small or something huge, opening up to your support system will help you cope with the stress. They may not be able to fix what’s bothering you, but simply talking about your emotions can help you feel better.
4. Put yourself first. While it may feel noble to always put others’ needs above your own, doing so will take a toll on you physically and emotionally. It’s important to make sure your own needs are met, and doing so will help you improve both your physical and mental health. As a bonus, when you’re taking care of yourself, you’ll be better equipped to care for the people in your life when they need you.
5. Practice gratitude. As hard as life gets, there is always something to be grateful for. Even if it’s something small, focusing on something positive will help you stay in a better mindset. Over time, practicing gratitude will become a habit, and you’ll find yourself able to focus on the bright side of things more naturally.
Our annual benefit enrollment is open to all full-time and 96-day employees from April 1 through April 30, 2017
at 4:00 p.m. for the 2017-18 year benefit year, which begins July 1,
2017. Full-time employees may enroll in health and dental insurance and
medical flex spending plans, while part-time staff (96-day) may enroll
in the medical flex spending plan. (Note: This enrollment period is not
for enrollment in the dependent care plan, which is done in November.) We will need your enrollment selections even if you choose not to make any changes to your benefits for next year.
This is the time that you can add and/or drop family members to your
health and dental plans without a life event or change of status. You
can also change your health insurance deductible at this time.
Enrollment
can be completed through the Employee Online tab on the Employee
Dashboard. If you are having trouble enrolling, log out of the Dashboard
and log in before you start the enrollment process. You can also use
the enrollment instructions document, which also includes how to print off your benefit statement.
During our annual benefit enrollment, employees who didn’t opt for additional life insurance coverage through VOYA can also enroll. Complete the enrollment form and
submit it to Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist. Existing employees
who are enrolling for the first time will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form.
Existing employees who are already enrolled but who want to increase
their coverage may also do so at this time. Existing employees may
increase their coverage, but if they choose to increase it over $10,000,
they will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form.
Enrollment will be during April but will be effective on July 1, 2017.
If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at ext. 14315.
It’s
that time of year again—time to sign up to be a mentor for the 2017-18
school year! As a mentor, you share your time and expertise to welcome
and support new employees as they join our Heartland AEA team. Mentoring
is a personally and professionally fulfilling experience that also
helps the Agency retain great employees. Note that this program is for
mentors and mentees who are Certified Union staff members. Mentors
provide 15 hours of one-on-one coaching and support for their mentee,
are provided with mentorship training and in return will receive a
$1,000 (gross) payment and the personal satisfaction of knowing that
you’ve made a difference in the career of your mentee. If you are
currently a mentor and would like to continue your involvement next
year, please remember that you will need to re-apply.
All you have to do is register is fill out the Mentoring Application.
Deadline to apply is April 12, 2017. After receiving applications, more
information will be provided to mentors for next year’s program. The
Mentor Program Guide is available on the Intranet > Human Resources
> Mentoring Program Guide.
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.
Did you know that Google offers templates that are similar to those you’d find in a Microsoft Office document or Apple iWork document? This week’s tech tip features Google Drive templates and how to find them.
