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
Aug. 31, 2018 is the last date the Business Office will accept and process any claims for expenses occurring on or before June 30, 2018. Please note: do not submit expense claims with dates crossing the new fiscal year. Use a separate expense claim if you still have reimbursable expenses that occurred prior to July 1, 2018.
If you have questions, contact Mary Heaberlin, Accounts Payable Specialist, at or ext. 14818 or Brian Whalen, Business Manager, at or ext. 14005.
The 2018-19 Composite Calendar and the 2018-19 Van Route Schedule are now available. They are archived on the Intranet > Communications > Annual Publications.
2018-19 Composite Calendar
2018-19 Van Route Schedule
The Composite Calendar is a spreadsheet that provides the dates or all our districts and schools’ start dates, end dates, parent-teacher conference dates, early out dates, etc. The Van Route Schedule provides a list of all the places our delivery vans stop, including the numbers that correspond with each location.
Reminder on how to address van mail:
From: Your Name
To: Building Name
Recipient's Name
Route #
The Agency’s Administrator Connection began publishing for the 2018-19 school year on Aug. 3. The Administrator Connection newsletter is in a blog format just like the staff Connection and is published every Friday from August to June. It informs our school administrators (superintendents, principals, curriculum directors, etc.) of news and information important to them and is the primary communications tool the Agency uses to communicate directly with school administrators. Send any information you’d like to communicate to school administrators to the Communications Department.
FYI: This information was shared with districts last week.
The Iowa Department of Education is sharing this ESSA support information with districts. It was shared last spring but it is a good reminder as the school year starts. The first set of trainings will occur very soon so districts will want to make the necessary arrangements with staff.
ESSA School Improvement Timeline - Outlines dates, resources and support opportunities for the upcoming year
Fall/Winter 2018-19 DA Support Training - Contains the dates, times, locations and registration links for upcoming ESSA/DA Trainings.
FASTBridge Webinars for the math and behavior assessment suites are being offered August - October. The content of the webinars is the same as the spring. The video links to the spring webinars are linked in this information. Staff members who want more in-depth knowledge of the assessments, can participate in the webinars or watch the vides as needed.
Here is the list of Heartland AEA area districts and non-public schools that have signed for 2018-19.
FYI: This information was shared with districts last week.
Nine EdCamp-style workshops will be held throughout the 2018-19 school year to provide additional learning, collaboration and conversation for those interested in Standards-Based Learning (SBL) including Grading and Reporting. The workshops coincide with specific strands of the Standards-Based Learning Framework developed by Heartland AEA. Educators can attend whatever sessions are of interest to them -- they do not need to attend all nine. More information is available in this flyer.
Registration information is available at this page of the Heartland AEA website.
 |
| Tom Schimmer |
FYI: This information was shared with districts last week.
Presenter Tom Schimmer will lead learning on big picture ideas in the study of standards-based learning, including grading and reporting. He will share ideas about what our grading “True North” should be, growth versus fixed mindset, and the belief that all kids can learn through criterion-referenced learning and standards-based mindset. As part of big picture learning, Tom will provide an overview of the five myths of standards-based grading.
Sept. 27, 2018
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Adventureland Park, Palace Theater
Registration
Save the Date For These Additional Heartland AEA-hosted Standards-Based Learning Opportunities!
Jan Chappuis
Nov. 29, 2018
Tammy Heflebower
Feb. 28, 2019
Myron Dueck
June 11, 2019
The agenda for the Aug. 14, 2018 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting is now available.
Linked in this article are the Special Education Statewide Procedures Manual (July 1, 2018 with July 23, 2018 corrections) and Release Notes (July 1, 2018 with July 23, 2018 corrections).
These are posted on the Iowa IDEA website as well as on the Heartland AEA website under Special Education Services > Guidance Documents. They are currently posted on the front page of the IDEA website, in addition to their permanent location under the IEP drop down menu > Statewide Special Education Procedures > Manual.
If you have any questions regarding the content, contact your regional director.
The Internal Technology Department has enabled the new and improved Gmail interface for you to begin using. Google has updated several of the email features you already use and added new tools and apps to help you work more efficiently. You can take the new interface for a spin now by following the instructions below. If you wait, know that the Gmail interface will be automatically enabled for Heartland AEA staff on Sept. 18, 2018.
To enable the new Gmail interface:
1. Sign into your Heartland AEA Gmail account.
2. Select the “Gear” icon to display your settings.
3. Select the “Try the new Area Education Agency 11 Mail” option.
This short slide presentation shows you some of the features that are new to Gmail with this latest update.
If you have any questions, contact:
Marquis Jones, Technology Support Specialist
Tim Weets, Network Specialist
