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
Winter is almost upon us, so please read below for your annual communication about inclement weather office closings and course cancellations. Heartland AEA offices will typically remain open unless all schools in a region are closed and travel is not recommended—which we know does happen. In preparation for the possibility of office closings and professional learning course cancellations, read below for the process the Agency uses to communicate about closings, cancellations and delays.
First, read the Agency’s Inclement Weather Policy, which can be found in the Staff Handbook and posted separately on the Intranet > Human Resources > For All Staff/Frequently Used Items. If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Manager.
Second, remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available.
Third, make sure your phone information is up-do-date in Employee Online, so you will be notified of office closings. For the SchoolMessenger system referenced below, we will be updating information the week of Nov. 27. If you are a new staff member or have a new phone number, you will receive a message from the short code 67587 asking if you’d like to opt-in to receive messages from SchoolMessenger. Reply “Yes” to receive those messages. We will also send out a test message in the coming days.
Communicating Office Closures
The Agency uses a variety of methods to notify staff members of office closures due to inclement weather.
- SchoolMessenger: SchoolMessenger is an online notification system with the capability of sending voice, email and SMS (text) messages. We will send SMS and email messages through SchoolMessenger to only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. For example, if the Newton and Indianola offices are closed, we will only notify the staff members who are assigned to those offices. Staff in other offices won’t receive an SMS or email message.
- Website: We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website.
- Social Media: We will post closing information on the Agency’s Facebook & Twitter accounts.
Communicating Professional Development Class Cancellations
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If a professional development class is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website and social media.
If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at or ext. 14474.
During the past three years, Heartland AEA has filled up to 175 vacancies in the Certified Union and Management staff employee groups. It has been to the Agency’s advantage to enter the recruitment cycle as early as possible.
For 2017-18, the Heartland AEA Board of Directors has again approved an Early Notification Incentive for staff who have signed a contract and who notify Heartland AEA of their intent to not renew their contract for the 2018-19 school year by Dec. 8, 2017. The details are listed below.
Early Notification Incentive Process & Requirements
- Certified Union and Management staff who do not plan to return to Heartland AEA for the 2018-19 school year submit early notification letters of resignation that are effective at the end of the 2017-18 work year.
- Early notification letters must be received in the Human Resources Department by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2017.
- Heartland AEA’s Board of Directors takes action on early notification letters no later than the regular meeting on Dec. 12, 2017.
- Departing staff must fulfill their individual employment contract obligations for the 2017-18 work year.
Early Notification Incentive
- A $1,500 early notification incentive will be paid on June 30, 2018 to employees fulfilling these requirements.
If you have any questions about the early notification incentive, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Manager, at ext. 14534.
As was communicated in previous Connection articles, agency staff have been asked to complete an online training to become familiar with the components of the ALICE program.
Reminder:
By the end of the 2017 calendar year, all Heartland AEA staff members are asked to take the hour-long online training to become familiar with the ALICE program and the techniques it teaches in response to an armed intruder event. Even if you completed the in-person training, you are asked to complete the online training, as there are a few items of new learning not included in the live training.
ALICE Overview
ALICE stands for:
- Alert: Get the word out! “Armed Intruder in building” instead of “Code Red,” or “Bring the purple folder to the office.” Use clear, concise language to convey the type and location of the event.
- Lockdown: Good starting point. We will continue to lockdown in secure areas.
- Inform: Communication keeps the intruder off balance and allows for good decision-making.
- Counter: Apply skills to distract, confuse and gain control.
- Evacuate: Reduce the number of potential targets for the intruder and reduce chances of victims resulting from friendly fire when help arrives.
In short, using the ALICE method, we will give you more tools to use in the event of an armed intruder/active shooter. We want to provide you with the knowledge that if faced with a life or death situation there are methods that can be applied to greatly enhance your chance of survival.
To access the training:
- Visit the AEA Learning Online Moodle site.
- Login with your AEA Learning System email and password by clicking on the AEA logo if you’ve never been to the site before.
- Once in the site, find the banner named "Individual AEAs and Partners" and look for the Heartland AEA logo. Click on the logo, and you'll be taken to a page where the ALICE logo is shown.
- Click on the ALICE logo to be taken to a screen where you can then click the "Enroll me" button to be enrolled in the training.
- If you need any assistance with accessing the site, contact Shelley Christensen, Registrar/Licensure Assistant, at ext. 14668.
If you have any questions about the course material or the ALICE program in general, contact Dustin Gean, Operations Manager, Emergency Response & Safety Team Lead and Certified ALICE Trainer.
Last week the Communications Department sent out the first issue of the Educator Connection newsletter for the 2017-18 school year. The Educator Connection is intended to keep our educators better connected to our agency and to the many programs and services we offer to educators, students and families. The newsletter is emailed to educators and automatically archived on our agency website. Agency and district staff can also subscribe to the newsletter via the webpage.
Articles:
Heartland AEA Holiday Office Closings & Van Delivery Schedule
Collaboration Spotlight: Enhancing Student Literacy Outcomes in Twin Cedars
Our Library is Growing with Culturally and Linguistically Relevant Books
Take Note of Title III Training Opportunities for Those Who Serve ELs
Video: Dive Into the Digital Breakout EDU Experience in Your Classroom
Where Are the PebbleGo Lesson Plans?
Iowa History Content Ready Just in Time to Support New Social Studies Standards
Thanksgiving Audiobooks, Videos, SIRS Documents and Ebooks, Oh My!
Educators: Check Out Our Buffet of Scrumptious Professional Learning Courses!
Help Students Get on the Right Track to Life After High School With Our Resource Guide
Homecoming Queen Kasey Nelson is “One of the Gang” at Audubon High School
Why Teach Computer Coding and Programming to K-5 Students?
Aileen Sullivan, a veteran chemistry teacher who equips her students with skills that transcend the classroom, is the 2018 Iowa Teacher of the Year, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced last Wednesday at Ames High School.
Sullivan, 43, has taught at Ames High School since 1996. She is known for challenging her students, her colleagues and herself to grow and improve.
"Aileen stands out as a true leader in having her students achieve deeper-level learning," Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise said. "In Aileen's class, students become chemists and collaborate to apply their learning to real-world situations."
Sullivan said putting students in charge of their own learning leads to deeper-thinking skills – and keeps them engaged.
“I strive to create an environment in my classroom where students are constantly given a chance to think and make connections within their learning,” Sullivan wrote in her Teacher of the Year application. “I give them ways to take control of what they learn so they will become more confident in what they know and more confident in tackling things about which they are unsure.”
Sullivan said she initially modeled teaching the way it had been taught to her.
“The way I learned was that the teacher was in front, and it was a very static thing,” she said. “Years ago, I was standing at the board doing traditional teaching when I realized I knew exactly where I was going with the lesson, but the students did not. I discovered that having students regurgitate work doesn’t work. I eventually learned to create meaningful work for the students, not just work.”
A good teacher, she said, is flexible, has a vision of where things are going, and reacts to how things are going.
“Because of the Iowa academic standards, we had to reorganize, and it’s been very exciting,” she said. “Being reflective is key: ‘What went well, what do I need to shorten up?’ You need to be constantly reviewing, revising lessons, anticipating what’s going to happen, but still be able to react and adjust to what happened.”
Finalists for the Iowa Department of Education’s 2018 Teacher of the Year are:
- Heather Anderson, a second-grade teacher at Grant Ragan Elementary School in the Waukee Community School District
- Chelsea Bissen, a business teacher at Carroll High School in the Carroll Community School District
- Jeremiah Cooper, a technology education and architecture/engineering teacher at Waukee APEX in the Waukee Community School District
- Susan Jordan, a second-grade teacher at Morningside Elementary School in the Sioux City Community School District
- Keith Kersten, a life science teacher at Logan-Magnolia Junior-Senior High School
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. Honorees serve as ambassadors to education and act as liaisons to schools, higher education, and organizations across the state.
Yes! Check out this document from 121 Benefits for more information on the types of expenses that are reimbursable under the Dependent Care flex program, including preschool costs. If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at ext. 14315.
You are doing GREAT in the Move It! Challenge. We are happy to see so many of you participating and moving! Numbers from Wellmark say:
- 340 staff registered for the challenge
- 59 teams were formed
- As of last week, 876,255 minutes of activity have been tracked. (That’s equivalent to about 14,600 hours, which is about 609 days of activity so far!)
As you read in HeartBeat, the Holiday Streakers are at it again! Holiday Streakers is a group of individuals who commit to running or walking 1 mile or engaging in 15 minutes of intentional exercise each and every day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Every. Single. Day. In addition to the fitness benefits of Streaking, entry fees are donated to families in need of financial support. This year Holiday Streakers is excited to be supporting four families, including Joey Condon, son of Martha Condon, Director of Professional Learning.
And remember, being a Holiday Streaker can be used as part of our agency Wellness Program and a portion of the entry fee is reimbursable up to $20. Register today by going to the Holiday Streakers website.
Register for the Stress Less Lunch & Learn on Dec. 6. Enjoy lunch while Dr. Tyler Molstre provides information on how to stress less in your life. Stress causes an onset of various signs and symptoms and can lead to serious health issues. The Wellness Champions can help you understand how to identify and find solutions to deal with the stressors in your lives!
Stress Less Lunch & Learn
Dec. 6, 2017
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Johnston REC, Room 107A
Register
Zoom Link
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, all Heartland AEA offices will be closed Nov. 23 and 24. Our van delivery schedule will be as follows, so please plan accordingly:
- Regular van delivery: Nov. 20-21
- No van delivery: Nov. 22-24
- Regular delivery resumes: Nov. 27
The agenda for the Nov. 14, 2017 meeting of the Heartland AEA Board of Directors is now available.
