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
If you haven't done so already, we encourage you to give your feedback and comments about this year's All-Staff Meeting via our survey. The deadline has been extended until Oct. 28. Your responses really do help us plan for future meetings.
2019 All-Staff Meeting Survey
How have your comments helped us improve the meeting experience? Here are just a few of the ways:
- Changed location to accommodate increasing staff numbers
- Expanded the meeting from half-day to a full day to increase learning and networking opportunities
- Added afternoon presentations, with both professional and personal content. Expanded the length and format of the afternoon presentations
- Incorporated motivational keynote speakers, such as Antonio Mouzon and Iowa’s Teacher of the Year, Shelly Vroegh
- Changed the boxed lunch offering
- Added more wellness screenings and moved flu shots away from food
- Invited agency staff to showcase services via informational tables in the morning
Watch for the summary of survey results in an upcoming Connection! Thank you for your feedback!
An essential component of school emergency response is the reunification of students with their parents or primary caregiver after an emergency has taken place. A well organized and timely reunification process is critical to reducing emergency-based trauma in children and is often the only mental health crisis intervention needed following an emergency. The sooner children are reunited with caregivers, the less likely they are to exhibit traumatic stress.
As schools across Iowa begin to develop and exercise reunification plans, they are quickly discovering that most lack the resources to effectively and efficiently complete the associated tasks. This is especially true in instances involving significant trauma such as active shooter events. In this type of emergency, research indicates that children are best left under the supervision of their teacher, who they trust and seek for safety. This leaves very limited school and district staff available for carrying out the reunification plan. This also requires school personnel directly impacted by the emergency to carry out complex reunification tasks that they may not be able to emotionally manage.
In partnership with Jasper County Emergency Management, Heartland AEA is in a unique position to assist schools in Jasper County (Baxter, Colfax-Mingo, Lynnville-Sully, Newton and PCM) by establishing a response team to reunify children with caregivers in an emergency. Should an emergency requiring reunification of children occur, specially-trained Heartland AEA staff would deploy to the identified reunification site and assure the school that families are quickly and accurately reunified.
The Heartland AEA Reunification Response Team would assure three important aspects of response:
- Reunification is done as quickly as possible, limiting the amount of time children and caregivers spend in the process;
- Children are reunited with the appropriate caregiver by confirming identity and matching children with their legal guardian; and
- Children and families are connected to critical services that may be needed in the days, weeks and months following a traumatic event, such as a school shooting.
A variety of individual skills sets are needed to fill the roles and responsibilities associated with the reunification team:
- Logistics staff is needed to see that the necessary equipment, signage and supplies are delivered and set up at a reunification site should the team be requested for deployment.
- Administrative staff must carry out accurate record collection and verification of identification to assure students are safely reunified with the proper caregiver.
- Mental health services and support staff is needed to assure that both children and adults receive assistance in a supportive and empathetic environment.
- Security staff is needed to assist law enforcement by identifying potential areas of concern and assuring the safety of everyone seeking reunification services.
Are You Interested in Serving on a Reunification Response Team?
At this time, a regional reunification response plan is being piloted in Jasper County. If you have the desire to assist children and families in an emergency, complete this Google form by Nov. 11, 2019, to indicate your interest in serving on a reunification response team. It is recommended that reunification response team members be able to respond to the Jasper County area within 45 minutes should the team need to be activated. Once volunteers are identified, we will be scheduling Reunification exercise(s) to train and practice the Reunification Response process.
If you have questions or need additional information on how you might be of assistance, contact Jadie Boens, Special Programs Director, at ext. 14512.
Pearson released the timeline for rolling out ISASP supports and results. This will be listed in the Bulletin Section of the ISASP Portal in the next few days. The Bulletin contains the following information:
- When performance level descriptors, cut scores and sample reports will be available
- Guidelines for accessing ISASP data (webinar)
- Interpretive manual and webinar for educators
- Interpretive information for families
- Overview of local support materials
- When ISASP results will be released to districts
- When the embargo is lifted and districts can publicly share results
Please note they will do a staggered release of information and tools and once schools get the results there will be an embargo on releasing the results for one week.
Have you decided that it's time to start participating in the Heartland AEA Wellness Program? Well, look no further – we’ve got more info for you!
Not sure about what you have to do to complete the 2019-20 Wellness Program? Then check out the Wellness page on the Intranet for the details!
Registered for the new Interactive Health portal but need some help navigating the site? Have general questions about what the Wellness Program is all about?
Then check out one of the following Zoom sessions with Juliette Houseman for the answers to your questions!
These short sessions will help you with your questions about the Wellness Program and the new Interactive Health portal! Can’t make it? No worries, the sessions will be recorded and posted on the Wellness page on the Intranet.
Oct. 22, 2019
4 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
Oct. 24, 2019
Noon
Join Zoom Meeting
Oct. 25, 2019
9:30 a.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
Hy-Vee dieticians will be at each agency office at least once between November 2019 and April 2020! See the instructions linked below for how to sign up for a time slot on the Hy-Vee website.
Don't Forget Your Form!
Don’t forget, you’ll need to print off your Interactive Health Physician Verification Form from your Interactive Health portal account to take with you to your screening. (You will now need the Physician Verification Form completed by the Hy-Vee dietician or your PCP for the biometric screening portion of the Wellness Program. They need to complete it and sign it and then you will mail it in to Interactive Health using the instructions on your individualized form.) You can find the form in your Interactive Health portal at the end of your health assessment. You can also contact Interactive Health to request your form.
DATES
Johnston
Nov. 20, 2019 Dec. 12, 2019
Jan. 14, 2020 Feb. 13, 2020
March 6, 2020 April 2, 2020
Newton
Dec. 5, 2019
Ames
Dec. 12, 2019
Carroll
Dec. 12, 2019
Indianola
Jan. 14, 2020
Adel
Feb. 13, 2020
Scheduling Instructions
Reminder About Biometric Screenings
You can still go to your primary care physician (PCP) for your annual physical or visit your local Hy-Vee dietician to have your biometric screening done as well. You’ll just need to take the Interactive Health Physician form with you.
Already had your physical or biometric screening but didn’t use the form? No worries! Get your form from your Interactive Health portal or contact Interactive Health to receive a form. Then take it to wherever you had your screening completed, have the provider complete and sign the form and then mail it to Interactive Health. Once they receive your form, the information will be manually uploaded into your portal, usually within 2 days of receiving it.
Reminder, there is still an 8-hour fasting prior to any biometric screening.
The deadline for the Interactive Health Physician Verification Form to be mailed to Interactive Health is April 15, 2020.
If you have any questions about biometric screenings, contact Carol McDaniel, Human Resources Assistant.
An updated 2019-20 van route schedule is available. It is archived on the Agency website under Van Delivery/Distribution and on the Intranet under Communications.
In Agency-Directed Learning sessions and in the first Central Support meeting of the year, staff were asked to complete the following two surveys pertaining to technology use at work and at home and around the Agency’s technology competencies.
If you haven't yet done so, please complete both surveys by Oct. 31.
21st Century Educational Service Agency Survey
Heartland AEA Tech Competencies Survey - October 2019
