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
As you are aware, there is an expanding global outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The disease the virus causes has been named COVID-19. While most COVID-19 cases are associated with travel to or from China, person-to-person spread is now being reported in other places, including Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. For the general public, who are unlikely to be exposed to the virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is low; however, the potential of the public health threat is high.
Please be advised that Heartland AEA is staying abreast of the situation with information from our partners at the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Department of Public Health. Should action be needed, we will respond rapidly and inform you of any changes needed to your daily routine. In the meantime, our custodial staff will be taking extra measures to clean and disinfect surfaces in our agency offices, especially during days when we have additional guests in our larger offices.
At this time, it is important to understand that the risk of influenza is much higher than the risk of COVID-19 in Iowa right now. The prevention measures for influenza and COVID-19 are the same.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper arm/elbow.
- Clean your hands frequently with soap and water.
- Contain germs by staying home when ill.
- See your health care provider if you have concerns.
Please refer to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website for the most current information and tips for prevention. Also, as a gentle reminder, section 11:12 of the Staff Handbook provides guidance on communicable diseases.
The Agency is looking forward to another year of employee engagement through staff presentations at our All-Staff Meeting!
Save Aug. 18, 2020, on your calendar for a “most of the day” meeting that will again feature an afternoon of presentations from YOU! Like last year, there will be continued opportunities for staff to showcase their work and accomplishments. Our call for presenters will allow you and your colleagues the option of choosing to present an afternoon session or a morning informational table or both.
- Morning informational tables: If departments or workgroups would like to showcase their work via a table display, that option will be available from 8 to 9 a.m. before the meeting begins.
- Afternoon presentations: 30 minutes in length and can be presented in any format you prefer. Topics can be personal or professional.
How to Submit a Proposal
If you or a team of your co-workers are interested in presenting, complete this presentation proposal by APRIL 1 (that’s no joke!). After all proposals have been submitted, you will be notified if your presentation or table display has been accepted.
When planning your presentation, think about how it reflects, educates, touches on or celebrates in the areas of Connections / Connecting and/or Well-being. Keynote speaker Lyndsey Fennelly will kick off the day with this focus and we’d like the staff presentations to follow her lead. Consider these learning focus areas:
- Connections with staff, student and educators
- Well-being services and supports to students, educators and self
- Celebrating YOU: sharing your successes, what you’re proud of, both professional or personal
- Core Values: Caring - Proactive - Collaborative
- 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
- Wellness: Heartland AEA’s Five Elements of Wellness: Career, Community, Financial, Social, Physical
This approach to learning during our All-Staff meeting gives us a unique opportunity to feel the pulse of the Agency in just a few hours, to connect, learn and celebrate together. These presentations showcase your expertise, your passion and your innovation. So don’t be shy—show your work! Submit your presentation application by April 1, 2020!
If you have any questions, contact the Communications Department.
The Agency’s Communications and Creative Services Departments have been busy collaborating to refresh the look of the Agency’s identity package, namely:
- Letterhead – each office and Shelter Care location
- Envelopes – each office and Shelter Care location
- Business cards – each office and Shelter Care location
- Generic and thank you cards – there is a generic logo card and now a specific thank you card
- Two-pocket folders – one for the entire agency
- Google Slide templates – four new templates are available in the Slides template gallery
- Google Doc letterhead and interoffice memo templates – Letterhead templates for each agency office and Shelter Care location and a generic interoffice memo template are available in the Docs template gallery
- Email signature template – updated social media icons have been added. Copy and paste the template into your own email and adjust the information as needed.
Be on the lookout for a fresh face to the printed items in the near future! Supplies with the current designs can be used up -- there’s no need to recycle any of those items.
Ordering
Administrative assistants take care of ordering letterhead and envelopes for their offices but business cards, thank you and generic logo cards and folders can be ordered from Creative Services Online at any time.
If you have any questions about any of the items in the package, contact the Communications Department. If you have any questions about ordering, contact the Creative Services Department.
We've been notified that some staff members are getting an error when trying to replace their email signature.
Signature Template
If you are getting an error message, try the following:
- When copying the signature in the Google Doc template, highlight from the bottom to the top.
- In Gmail in Settings where you will paste the new signature, completely delete the existing signature (Command + A will select all) before pasting the new one.
The preferred font is Arial, however, some staff members are seeing the font in Times New Roman. To change the font, after you have pasted your new email signature into Gmail, highlight the text and from the font dropdown in the toolbar choose "Sans Serif."
The March 2020 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is available. This issue marks a final reflection from outgoing Director Ryan Wise.
The Employee Online tab of our Employee Dashboard is debuting a new look beginning today. The module has the same helpful functions you’re used to, as well as a few new additions, with an easier-to-navigate interface.
From this module, you can easily do the following:
Personal Information
- Update your address, phone number and emergency contact information
- Review your agency date of hire, licenses/certifications and education
- Review a historical listing of your positions and pay rates while employed at the Agency
Payroll Information
- Change your tax withholdings
- Review and print your paycheck stub
- Beginning with the March 13 payday, pay stub presentation and descriptions will change
- Review your annual tax statements
- Locate forms for retirement program enrollment
- As previously communicated the “What-If” calculator is no longer available

Benefits
- View your current benefits
- View Benefit Forms
- Annual Enrollment Open April 1-30
Also note that there is a new “Save” button at the top right of the screen when you are saving changes to updates you’ve made.

If you have any questions, contact Nia Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources.
Please share with your districts!
The Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Program, developed by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), is a one-day training that provides an opportunity for educators to obtain initial certification in CPI's Nonviolent Crisis Intervention program. Participants will receive an introduction to crisis prevention focusing on nonphysical strategies, including nonverbal, paraverbal and verbal techniques that can be used to assist in de-escalating behavior. Educators will receive instruction, role-playing, practice and feedback in using personal safety techniques, such as blocking, moving and releasing, to avoid or minimize injury when interacting with an individual who is escalated.
INITIAL CPI Training - for Educators in our Service Area
April 6, 2020
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center
Registration (course #180648)
Intended Audience: District staff in the Heartland AEA service area who work with individuals 3-21 years who engage in problem behaviors that have the potential to result in injury to self or others.
Heartland AEA staff: Look for upcoming professional learning opportunities through the Agency in the area of crisis prevention.
