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
For your information...
Over the course of this school year, Iowa's statewide AEA system will partner with the Hanover Research company to conduct a research study to determine how much our stakeholders know about AEA services. The study will ask not only how much people know about our services, but how much they rely on them and how helpful they perceive those services to be. This is being done as a follow-up to the efficiency study conducted last year and also as a response to the Iowa Legislature's serious consideration of reducing the number of AEAs during the 2018 session.
Chapter 273 of the Iowa Code states that AEAs were created to provide effective, efficient and economical educational services to Iowa's children and students. AEA leadership has always referred to these as the "three E's." We feel like last year's study identified many of the efficiencies our agencies create for school districts, and we plan to continue to point those out to our stakeholders at every opportunity.
The desire of Iowa's AEAs this year is to research and better understand where our system stands on what I believe is the most import of the three "E's": equity. We continually find optimal ways to provide new and innovative services across our state. The problem we experience in our self-advocacy, though, is that our stakeholders and legislators can have a tendency to view variance as a weakness. Our AEAs tirelessly promote our many successes to stakeholders every year, but we frequently hear responses such as, "It's great that people in that region or that AEA receive such a great service, but I hear it's not available here."
Unfortunately, we live in a time when many want to typify the health of any public system by its perceived weaknesses and not its strengths. The goal of this year's study is not to rank or evaluate the nine agencies, it's to identify how much various stakeholders across the state know about our services and how likely they are to rely on them. This will hopefully help us better clarify our core services and allow us to build the new partnerships necessary to make sure that every stakeholder, no matter where they live, has equitable access to our services.
I believe we're going to learn that our nine agencies are surprisingly consistent in providing what stakeholders have grown to consider core services. That's the good news. We're going to be able to show that regardless of zip code, quality core service is being provided to stakeholders by every AEA. I also hope we learn how various AEAs are excelling in specific service areas and how other AEAs are providing unique value-added services that perhaps aren't universally available. If we can achieve this higher level of awareness as an AEA system, we can begin the important work of enhancing both efficiency and equity for all our stakeholders. We'll continue to share more information about the study with you as it develops.
For your action....
How can you as an AEA staff member help prepare for this study? First, I would ask you to become even more familiar with the services our agency provides so you can be an ambassador for your colleagues and Iowa's AEAs. We are complex organizations, and most of us are involved in highly specialized work. Even so, we need to know enough about the work being done outside our areas of expertise to help stakeholders make connections to other service areas already available. We don't all need to be experts about every service area, but we do need to be informed. (If you are new to the Agency (or even not-so-new), I would direct you to our agency website to review our service areas or to YouTube to view some of our videos.)
Second, let's remember to resist the urge to complain about or criticize our colleagues and customers. We are here to serve and support, not judge and criticize. People have heard me talk about this before, but it continues to be vitally important that we stay positive when talking about our colleagues and customers. The next time we're tempted to point out someone's shortcomings, let's step back and see if we can substitute curiosity for judgment. Judgment leads to division. Curiosity leads to collegiality, empathy and
solution. When we encounter a new challenge, our first inclination should be to reach out and collaborate, not complain about the problem. All of us feel honored when a colleague reaches out for help or advice--it can be energizing for both parties. Complaining, on the other hand, is an energy drain and has the opposite effect on a relationship.
And lastly, continue to work hard to do your very best. I couldn't be prouder of the quality of work I see on a daily basis. Keep it up! You are doing important work, and you are appreciated. Thank you for what you do and for making central Iowa a better place for children.
- Jon
We look forward to a great day of connecting, celebrating and learning from one another, as this is our one opportunity during the year to come together as an entire Heartland AEA staff!
Location
Holiday Inn Des Moines - Airport
6111 Fleur Drive
Des Moines, IA
Time
9 – 3 p.m.
We will again have a morning session, lunch, a Benefits & Wellness Fair and afternoon presentations from agency staff.
9 – 9:30 a.m. - Registration
9:30 – 11:45 a.m. - General Session
11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. - Benefits & Wellness Fair, Lunch
1 – 3 p.m. - Staff Presentations
Details
General Session
In the morning general session, we’ll be inspired by Shelly Vroegh, the 2017 Iowa Teacher of the Year, and we'll hear from agency leaders with a year in review and a look ahead as we enter a new school year. We’ll also have a chance to celebrate successes and honor our years of service award recipients.
Food & Beverage
Only coffee and tea will be served in the morning, so please plan to eat breakfast before you arrive. Lunch will consist of a turkey sandwich on a croissant, apple slices, mini carrots and a cookie. If you have special dietary needs, complete this form to let us know. Water stations will be available throughout the day if you’d like to bring a water bottle, and an afternoon snack will be served as well.
Afternoon Staff Presentations
Our afternoon will again be spent learning from one another during staff presentations. This year any kind of presentation is acceptable – whatever fits within a 20-minute timeframe. There are time slots for you to see up to four 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. 28. 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 cold hard cash!
Benefits & Wellness Fair (Including Flu Shots)
The Benefits & Wellness Fair will be held from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Many of our past vendors will again be on hand, including our flu shot nurses! The Fair will be held in the foyer outside of the Iowa Hall, where our general session will be held. A map of the hotel will be available for you at the meeting. If you're interested in getting a flu shot, fill out this consent form and bring it with you to the Fair so you're ready to go! Flu shots will be given in the area behind the registration table during the Benefits Fair.
Benefits & Wellness Fair Participants
Wear Agency Colors
Wear your agency colors – purple or green – and proudly display your Heartland AEA pride! You are welcome to wear typical casual Friday attire and any agency-branded t-shirts you have.
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.
Parking
The Holiday Inn has 400 spots on site, however, there is free street parking to the north, south and east, as well as paid parking on the north and south sides of the hotel. We encourage you to carpool to the meeting if possible. Grab some coffee and a donut, take some selfies and put yourself in a good mood for our annual gathering! More information about parking is below.
Click images to enlarge.
Central Iowa LIVES UNITED year-round, but United Way is extra special during the fall, when organizations like ours across the community run campaigns to raise money for the fight—the fight for the health, education and financial stability of all central Iowans.
Heartland AEA and United Way are so grateful to you for the courage and compassion you’ve shown in the past toward this fight. You are truly an impact-maker for so many central Iowans in need! As a donor or volunteer, or as someone who wants to learn more about United Way’s work, you are joining the effort to ensure that everyone in Central Iowa gets a chance at a quality life.
So, as you read a few examples below of how United Way has assisted those in need, consider filling out a pledge card at our All-Staff Meeting on Sept. 28.
Refugee, Graduate, Future Nurse
Tara still talks about her graduation day with excitement three months later. As everyone filed out of the auditorium and her family waited to take photos outside, Tara stayed, holding onto the moment. “I just couldn’t believe it,” she says.
Five months earlier, Tara felt stuck. At night, she worked as a nursing assistant at an assisted living facility but couldn’t earn enough to save for a car or cover all her family’s expenses. During the day, she juggled catching up on sleep with taking her dad and brother to doctors’ appointments. She wanted a better-paying job, but every job opening she saw required a high school diploma to apply.
Read more…
The Power of High School Girls
The middle school girls clustered up on the starting line in their matching purple T-shirts. They had been practicing for weeks, running around and around the block. When the 5K began, the girls took off, but this was no normal race.
No one surged ahead, and when someone fell behind, or a girl stopped to tie her shoe, the whole group waited for them to catch up. They shouted encouragement at each other and pushed one another to keep going. No one intended to win. The goal was to finish together, as a group.
Read more…
As you all know, the past several years our country has seen an increase in school and workplace violence. As our agency learns more from the experts who have studied these events, our Emergency Response & Safety Team has made several recommendations that have been enacted across the Agency to help keep us safe in the case of an emergency.
As Heartland AEA continues to make improvements in our agency’s safety and security, we are now asking that all staff complete the ALICE online training once a year. By the end of the 2018 calendar year, all Heartland AEA staff members should 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.
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 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 enhance your chance of survival.
Again, you are expected to complete the ALICE online training by the end of the 2018 calendar year.
To access the training:
- Visit the AEA Learning Online Moodle site.
- Click on AEA Sign in with AEA Login and enter your email and password you use to log into the AEA Learning System (Mandatory Reporter, Bloodborne Pathogens, etc.).
- Once in the site, enter kp79hf in the Course Code field and click the Enroll button.
- On the ALICE Certification Training page, click Enter.
- If you need assistance with accessing the site, contact:
If you have any questions about the training 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 2018-19 school year. The Educator Connection is intended to keep educators in the Heartland AEA service area 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:
- Welcome to the New School Year!
- New Video Highlights AEA Services for New Teachers (and Veteran Teachers, Too!)
- What Do Stickers, Life-Size Wall Graphics and Frosted Window Adhesives Have in Common?
- Meet Our ESL/Diversity Consultants!
- Join Us for Standards-Based Learning “Framework Fridays”
- Don’t Delay! Get Registered Today for This Standards-Based Learning Opportunity with Jan Chappuis
- Sign Up to Receive Awesome Books!
- What’s the Latest in EdTech, Augmented Reality and Emerging Tech?
- Educators: Jump-Start the School Year with One of Our Professional Learning Courses!
- Share These Networking & Support Events with Parents and Caregivers of Students with Special Needs
- Don’t Miss the Family & Educator Partnership Resource Fair in October
- What Are You Waiting For? Check Out This Year’s Technology Integration & Collaboration Sessions!
Each September, Americans are encouraged to make sure they are prepared for disasters or emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities. National Preparedness Month was created in response to the attacks of 9/11. Iowans are urged to take the necessary steps to be prepared for all emergencies and disasters - both natural and man-made.
Being prepared means:
- Families and individuals have an emergency supply kit so they can be self-reliant for at least three days in an emergency, and they have a plan for how they will respond and reconnect with other family members after an emergency;
- Employers and business groups need to plan for how they will survive a disaster, back up critical information, develop a plan for assisting employees on site, establish a call tree to account for employees and identify backup sources of power and supplies;
- Schools need to develop, implement and communicate a crisis plan. See the U.S. Department of Education's Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center; and
- EVERYONE needs to stay informed, understand the specific risks in your community and how to prepare for them and know how to get information and alerts from local, state, tribal and territorial emergency management agencies.
Disasters and emergencies of all kinds can strike anywhere at any time. Investing in the preparedness of ourselves, our families, our businesses and our schools can reduce fatalities and economic devastation in our communities, our state and our nation.
On Sept. 11 you received an email from the Financial Fitness Group with the subject line: Heartland AEA Financial Fitness CHALLENGE™. This email was the one we let you know was coming in an earlier Connection article, which you can read below. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to assess your financial situation!
As part of this year’s Wellness Program, we’re pleased to provide a new employee benefit for this year – a free financial fitness program to help you improve your financial well-being. This program is designed to provide a custom-tailored program just for you.
Making changes may seem complicated, but you’ll be surprised how taking a few simple steps will boost your confidence. You can take control of your financial future with this award-winning financial fitness program that includes:
- The Financial Fitness CHECKUP helps you understand where you are now.
- The Financial Fitness ACADEMY includes hundreds of tools and tutorials that will guide you on how to make the most of your money.
Don’t let the worry of financial mumbo-jumbo stop you. The resources were developed to be interesting and understandable! You will feel more empowered and capable of making changes and future financial decisions.
If you have any questions, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources.
With the launch of the Wellness Program this year, it's also a great time to think about benefits! Full-time staff members with benefits are encouraged to take a few minutes to complete the 2018-19 Benefit Survey.
Completion of the survey is also a required baseline item for completing this year’s Wellness Program. The survey will be open from Sept. 1, 2018 through May 31, 2019 and results will be posted after the survey has closed. The Agency’s Insurance Committee uses this information when considering employee benefits, so be sure to complete the survey and let your voice be heard!
Take the Survey
Registration for The Invitational Challenge is open in the Wellmark Wellness Center! This is the first of the six challenges that will be offered during this year’s Wellness Program. The timeline below provides an overview of key dates within the challenge. Credit will show on your Rewards page on Oct. 25th – those that tracked 5 of the 7 days for a minimum of 3 of the 5 weeks during the challenge will show credit at that time.
How It Works
You will be part of a five-person team that competes against a new team each week for five consecutive weeks. The team that walks the most steps each week wins! The challenge begins on Sept. 19.
Team matchups are based on performance for more fair competition. Weekly rounds start each Wednesday. Be sure to enter your steps for each round by the following Tuesday to count towards the previous round. You can sync your fitness device or enter your steps manually.
Click image to enlarge.
Join us for these upcoming wellness lunch and learns!
Medicare 101
Sept. 24, 2018
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Johnston REC, Room 152B
Zoom Access, Will be recorded as well
We will attempt to clear up any confusion about Medicare and answer questions you may have about your options and coverage when you become eligible for Medicare.
Presenters
Joel LeLaCheur, Agent Manager, United Healthcare
Kurt Randel, Independent Insurance Agent
Long-Term Care 101
Sept. 26, 2018
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Johnston REC, Room 152A
Zoom Access, Will be recorded as well
We will educate you on what long-term care is, how it works, what your options are and what might be a good fit for you.
When you think about “extended care” or “long-term care,” what comes to mind? You might think about wasting away in a nursing home, isolated from friends and family, with no hope of improvement in the quality of your life. The grim image tends to be our immediate association with long-term care, which is one reason why we don’t want to think about or prepare for what will happen to us or our families if we become unable to take care of ourselves.
Today’s Reality
Children typically have their own family and career obligations. Adding the role of caregiver to an already hectic day can take a toll—physically, financially and emotionally.
- It’s not unusual for caregivers to ignore their own health, often becoming ill themselves.
- A child may have to take time off or quit a job altogether in order to care for a parent.
- Children may not live close enough to provide day-to-day care.
- Family conflicts can arise when one child assumes a greater share of caregiving duties.
The Solution
A long-term care policy can provide funds to help people get the care they need. And that can free their children from the responsibility of becoming a caregiver.
Presenter
Rhonda Vry-Bills, CLTC, Long-Term Care Strategies
Stay tuned for details about other lunch and learns!
