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
On the behalf of the Board and administration at Heartland AEA, I want to wish all of you a peaceful and joyous holiday season. Please enjoy this special time with family and friends and make sure you really do get away from work. Heartland AEA is a special place because so many of you invest yourselves in your work so wholeheartedly. I am thankful for that level of dedication because it makes such a difference to so many. However, holiday breaks are for you! So, please get away from your work completely and without guilt. Rest, relax and enjoy. You deserve it. Thank you again for the impact you’ve made throughout 2019 for the children, families and educators of Central Iowa. Rest up, and we will see you in 2020! - Jon
Staff members frequently inquire when timesheets, addendum pay, direct deposit forms and other changes need to be submitted to the Payroll Department in order to be processed for a particular pay date. To assist you in your planning, a list of 2020 pay dates and corresponding due dates is available. This document is archived on the Intranet > Business Office > Payroll Forms & Information > 2020 Payroll Dates. Payroll needs to receive all information by the end of the day on the due date to ensure payments and/or changes are made on the corresponding pay date. Any information received in Payroll after the due date may be processed during the next payroll cycle. For those staff members being paid from a timesheet or receiving addendum pay, please keep in mind these items are to be completed, approved/signed by a supervisor and submitted to Payroll within four working days after the end of the pay period. Any items received after the due date may be processed on the next payroll. If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at ext. 14908.
Important Dates Registration: Dec. 30, 2019 – Jan. 13, 2020 Challenge Begins: Jan. 6, 2020 Challenge Ends: Feb. 2, 2020 LAST DAY TO RECORD ACTIVITY: Feb. 2, 2020 Description: Become a FITspiration as you work toward your weight loss goals! With great nutrition and exercise resources to assist you throughout the challenge, your FITspirational weight loss journey is about to begin! Start working toward your Personal Health Goal today. Challenge Goal: Aim to lose at least one pound of weight each week for four weeks (at least 4 pounds) to complete the challenge.
See more in the informational flyer!
Still have some questions about how to complete the new Wellness Program through Interactive Health? Having trouble keeping track of the points you need to complete the program? Take a look at the document below to get a little help in tracking and completing the program. How to Complete the Entire Wellness Program Britini Jones – New Wellness Contact
Britini Jones
Carol McDaniel will be transitioning to the Accounting Specialist position in the Business Office after the 1st of the year, so Britini Jones, who has been a Professional Learning Assistant for AEA Learning Online, has been hired as the new Human Resources Assistant. Welcome Britini to her new position and please reach out to her with your Wellness questions.
Back for December…The Heartland AEA online store where staff can redeem their Wellness incentive for agency logo apparel is open for ALL employees today through Dec. 31, 2019! Employees who have earned their $40 coupon towards logo apparel will receive a separate email with specific ordering information once Interactive Health has notified us. But new this year—all employees can purchase any items in the store (and shipping) at their own cost during the two-week period when the online store is open monthly through June 2020. (Use Speedee delivery or pick up your purchase at P&M Apparel in Polk City or use UPS for out-of-state shipping.) Keep your eye on The Connection for the link and monthly online store order dates! P&M Apparel Heartland AEA Online Store If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist.
Good news – 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. You’ll just need to take the Interactive Health Physician form with you. 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. On your Interactive Health portal home page, find “Schedule Your Health Evaluation-Schedule Now.”
Answer/Complete the information and select “Choose Location.” Select a Health Evaluation Location and select “Next.”
Follow the final steps to get your form, print it and take it 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. If you have any questions about biometric screenings, contact Britini Jones, Human Resources Assistant.
Here's the next installment in the Instructional Technology Consultants' podcast series... We thought we’d start this installment out with a bit of podcast trivia to test your knowledge. (Answers to each question can be found at the bottom of the article.)
How many active podcasts are there currently?
Which smartphone is used most often to listen to podcasts - iPhone or Android?
Podcast listeners subscribe to an average of ___ shows.
What percentage of podcast listeners speed up the playback?
Podcast listeners are _____% more likely to earn $250,000+ annually.
As promised, here are more podcast recommendations from Heartland AEA staff. If you are new to the world of podcasts, check out the November 11th Connection; we can help you get started.
Jennifer Proctor
Jennifer Proctor(Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/AD) -- Go Fact Yourself This podcast brings together “the smartest celebrities they know and makes them look dumb...and then smart again! Recorded before a live audience in downtown Los Angeles, this game show features comedians, actors and musicians answering arcane questions on topics they claim to be experts in.”
Amy Grote
Amy Grote(Intake Coordinator/NE)
and Terri Parker(Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant/JO) -- Revisionist Historywith Malcolm Gladwell “Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.”
Terri Parker
Susan Klein
Susan Klein(School Psychologist/AD) -- Happier with Gretchen Rubin “Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of the Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast.”
Kerri Schwemm
Kerri Schwemm(Speech-Language Pathologist/JO) -- ASHA Voices “American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: A show about how we communicate and how that communication changes our lives.” Thanks again to those who have shared their recommendations. Feel free to add your podcast favorites to our list, and stay tuned to see if your recommendation makes it into an upcoming edition of the Connection. Answers:
700,000 shows for a total of 29 million episodes. iTunes alone has over 500,000 in over 100 different languages.
