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

Jan. 1 Brings New Rules About In-State Lodging and Meeting/Conference Sites

Per Iowa Code Section 80.45a, beginning Jan. 1, 2022, for any public money to be used at an Iowa lodging provider, the provider must certify with the Iowa Department of Public Safety that all of its employees have received approved human trafficking training. 

Hotels for Lodging 

A current list of certified hotels is posted at the Iowa Office to Combat Human Trafficking website. If you are making a hotel reservation and your hotel is not listed, call the hotel to determine if it plans to have staff certified before your date of stay. If you are unable to stay at an approved hotel, contact Mary Heaberlin or Brian Whalen in the Business Office. 

Hotels for Meeting Space 

The new law also prohibits the use of public money to: Procure space or services for a conference, meeting or banquet located in a lodging site, or host a conference, meeting or banquet at a site where lodging is available. If you cannot locate a meeting space from an approved hotel, contact Brandie Gean in the Conference Center.

Reminder: When You'll Get Paid in 2022

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 in your planning, a list of 2022 pay dates and corresponding due dates is available. Payroll dates are also available on the Intranet > Business Office. 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, 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. 

Pay Dates & Due Dates 

The first column lists pay dates and the second column lists due dates:

 

1/14      1/6 

1/31      1/20 

2/15      2/04 

2/28      2/21 

3/15      3/4 

3/31      3/21 

4/15      4/06 

4/29      4/21 

5/13      5/5 

5/31      5/19 

6/15      6/6 

6/30      6/21 

7/15      7/7 

7/29      7/21 

8/15      8/4 

8/31      8/19 

9/15      9/7 

9/30      9/21 

10/14    10/6 

10/31    10/20 

11/15     11/4 

11/30     11/21 

12/15     12/6 

12/29     12/21

Iowa Department of Education Releases New School Performance Results

Last week the Iowa Department of Education released new results and features in an online school accountability reporting system called the Iowa School Performance Profiles. The Iowa School Performance Profiles website shows: 

• Updated scores and ratings for all public schools based on how they performed on a set of accountability measures in the 2020-21 school year. 
• Postsecondary readiness indicators for public high schools based on student participation and scores on college entrance exams, participation in postsecondary or advanced coursework and percentage of students who are focused on career and technical education within one of six service areas defined in Iowa Code 256.11(5)h. 
• The ability to search and compare school building, school district and state-level performance data. 
• Additional data that are required by law but do not count toward accountability scores. 

Of particular note is that while the performance scores and rankings have been updated for all public schools, no new schools have been identified for additional support and improvement. The U.S. Department of Education waived this requirement for the 2020-21 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools previously designated for additional support will continue with their current designations. 

“This is an important tool for families, educators and other stakeholders to understand how their schools are performing and to help determine next steps for moving forward,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo. “The Iowa School Performance Profiles can assist communities in data-driven decision-making, but it doesn’t tell the whole story about our schools. It’s important to understand the challenges brought on by the pandemic, and to take that into account when looking at the 2021 performance scores.” 

The latest scores reflect results of the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), which all 327 public school districts administered last spring. A remote online testing option was made available in 2021 for students who were enrolled and unable to test at school. Since remote assessments were not proctored, the results are not included in the average school achievement scores. About 3.4 percent of all tested students took the ISASP remotely. 

Between 2019 (the last time that the ISASP was administered) and 2021, the number of schools in the Exceptional category decreased by six and the number of schools in the High Performing category decreased by 26. Conversely, the number of schools in the Needs Improvement and Priority categories (the lowest two categories), increased by seven and 21 schools, respectively. When comparing performance scores from 2019 to 2021, it is important to take into account the disruptions the COVID-19 pandemic had on schools during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. 

The Iowa School Performance Profiles, launched in 2018, meets state and federal requirements to publish report cards reflecting the performance of all public schools. For more information, visit iaschoolperformance.gov.

Google Learning for the New Year; Don’t Forget to Watch the Session Recordings!

First, we want to thank everyone who has taken time out of their busy schedules to join us for a Technology Lunch & Learn session. We have enjoyed working with you!. We have now held 10 sessions and demonstrated skills in Google Drive and Docs, Google Calendar, Google Groups and Google Contacts. If you missed any sessions, don't worry! You can find all of the recorded sessions, along with lists of practice tasks to accompany each session, on our Technology Professional Learning site. 

We also wanted to let you know that our Lunch and Learn sessions will resume on Jan. 6, 2022. In January we will be learning all about Google Sheets. You can find the skills covered each week in the task list document. Please join us if you would like to improve your skills in Sheets.

This Week’s Mission Monday: Learn About a Different Culture This Week

Mission Monday is the creation of Mark Johnson and Sam Stecher. As teachers, coaches and leaders, they desired a way to consistently create connections and a sense of community in their school buildings. 

Heartland AEA and our Development Team for Safe, Supportive, Welcoming Environments want to bring this idea to our settings. Use the “Mission Accomplished” form to indicate when you have accomplished a mission, and you’ll be put in a monthly drawing for cool prizes! 

Mission for Week of Dec. 20: Learn About a Different Culture This Week

Mission Accomplished Form  

Summarized Version of Ruling on HF 847 and Children with Disabilities Available

On Dec. 8, Certified staff received an email regarding a recent Ruling from the Iowa Department of Education on State Complaints Concerning House File 847 and Children with Disabilities. In addition to the slides and the Ahlers & Cooney Client Alert included in the email, Iowa’s AEAs have created an abbreviated version of the ruling as a resource to use when working with teams to understand the ruling.

Coming This Spring: New Course Offerings for Students on Alternate Assessment

The Agency has new course offerings focusing on literacy for teachers of students on alternate assessment. 

Emergent Literacy Strategies for Students on Alternate Assessment 

Course #182335 

April 4, 12 & 22, 2022 

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

Johnston REC 

Conventional Literacy Strategies for Students on Alternate Assessment 

Course #182326 

April 4 & 26 and May 19, 2022 

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

Johnston REC 

Includes the book by Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver

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

When Will You Get Paid in 2022?

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 in your planning, a list of 2022 pay dates and corresponding due dates is available. Payroll dates are also available on the Intranet > Business Office. 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, 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. 

Pay Dates & Due Dates 

The first column lists pay dates and the second column lists due dates:

 

1/14      1/6 

1/31      1/20 

2/15      2/04 

2/28      2/21 

3/15      3/4 

3/31      3/21 

4/15      4/06 

4/29      4/21 

5/13      5/5 

5/31      5/19 

6/15      6/6 

6/30      6/21 

7/15      7/7 

7/29      7/21 

8/15      8/4 

8/31      8/19 

9/15      9/7 

9/30      9/21 

10/14    10/6 

10/31    10/20 

11/15     11/4 

11/30     11/21 

12/15     12/6 

12/29     12/21

Reminder: Here’s How You’ll Find Out About Inclement Weather Office Closings & Course Cancellations; Ensure Your Phone Number is Current in Employee Online

 As we approach winter, we want to remind you of how our agency communicates about inclement weather office closings and course cancellations (in addition to any other type of emergency situation).



 

Inclement Weather 
 

Heartland AEA offices will typically remain open unless all schools in a region are closed and travel is not recommended—which we know does happen. In preparation for the possibility of office closings and professional learning course cancellations, read below for the process the Agency uses to communicate about closings, cancellations and delays.



 

• First, read the Agency’s Inclement Weather Policy, which can be found in the Staff Handbook in Section 11:16. If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Nia Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources.



 
• Second, remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook in Section 3:4. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available. 

 
• Third, make sure your phone information is up-to-date in Employee Online, so you will be notified of office closings. If you are a new staff member or have a new phone number, you will receive a message from the short code 67587 asking if you’d like to opt-in to receive messages from SchoolMessenger. Reply “Yes” to receive those messages. 
 

Communicating Office Closures 



 

The Agency uses the following methods to notify staff members of office closures due to inclement weather or another emergency. 
 

• Text and email: We will send text and email messages through a notification system to only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. 
• Website: We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website. 
• Social Media: We will post closing information on the Agency's Facebook and Twitter accounts. 

Communicating Professional Learning Class Cancellations 



If a professional learning class or activity is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website and social media.  





If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist.

Iowa Department of Education Releases Annual Report on Iowa’s Schools

Last week the Iowa Department of Education released the latest edition of its annual report containing state-level data and information on Iowa’s schools. The 2021 Annual Condition of Education report includes data on preschool-through-12th grade student populations and demographics, academic achievement, postsecondary enrollment and completion, special education, teacher and school administrator characteristics and salaries and school financial information. 

Additionally, an online companion to the Condition of Education report allows education stakeholders to dig deeper into interactive enrollment and staffing data at the state and school-district levels. A new version of the site will launch next month that will allow users to easily export their district-level and state data. 

“Data and information are vital for driving school improvement, especially following a school year of unforeseen challenges brought on by a global pandemic,” said Ann Lebo, director of the Iowa Department of Education. “Providing and interpreting data is needed to continue moving forward as our education landscape evolves, but data doesn’t tell the whole story. It is important for Iowans to connect with their schools to learn more about programs and initiatives underway that are helping students succeed in the classroom and beyond.” 

The Condition of Education report includes the most recent data through the 2020-21 school year, unless otherwise noted. Highlights from this year’s report include: 

• 484,159: For the first time since the 2011-12 school year, public school K-12 enrollment dropped from 490,094 in 2019-20 to 484,159 in 2020-21. 
• 26.1%: Minority students made up 26.1 percent of the student population in Iowa school districts, up from 25.7 percent the previous year. 
• 41.8%: The percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, down slightly from 42.4 percent the year before. 
• 38,022: The number of full-time teachers in public schools in 2020-21, up from 37,567 the year before. There was a 13.1 percent increase in the number of full-time public school teachers from the 2000-01 school year (33,610) to 2020-21 (38,022). 
• $58,771: The average regular teacher salary, up from $58,110 in 2019-20. 
• 6.3%: The percent of students whose native language is not English (English learners), down from 6.5 the year before. 
• 48.8%: The percent of students from Iowa’s class of 2021 who took higher-level mathematics, including calculus, statistics and trigonometry. This is up slightly from 48.6 percent the year before. 
• 51.7%: The percent of school districts with students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses, down from 54.3 percent in the prior year. 
• $10,794: The state’s total per-pupil expense in the 2019-20 school year, up from $10,738 the year before. 

The 2021 Annual Condition of Education and past editions dating back to 1998 are available on the Education Statistics page of the Iowa Department of Education website.

In-Person Option Now Available for January Future Ready Network Meeting

The Jan. 6, 2022, Future Ready Network meeting will be held both via Zoom and in-person at Heartland AEA. The focus of the networking for January will be on the District Plan for Career Guidance (district plan) and the Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP). Some participants asked to have the meeting in person so there could be work time with coaching. Please complete this form so organizers are sure to have enough space. If you have any questions, contact Sue Schirmer. 

Jan. 6, 2021 

8:30-11:30 a.m. 

Johnston REC, Rooms 152 A/B

Update Your Browser Bookmark for the Agency’s Library Catalog

The Agency has switched to a new server for our online library catalog, which means it has a new URL. If you have bookmarked the link to the library catalog, you’ll want to update it to https://librarycatalog.heartlandaea.org.

You’ve Got the Time Over Winter Break — We’ve Got the Books!

The Heartland AEA library has a super collection of PK-12 books. The library staff will be glad to select titles and send on the van to your regional office or school. We'd like to have them returned by Jan. 10. 

Start here by filling out this form to let us know what you need. We'll ask the age(s) or grade(s) and the number of books you'd like. 

Are there special interests? 

• crazy about trucks & construction 
• interested in the NFL and players 
• serious about all things sciencey 
• love a good mystery 
• curious about history 
• give me more by my favorite author 
• need to start a new book series 
• just want to relax and laugh with some good stories 

Have a genre or category in mind? 

• picture books 
• beginning reader books 
• chapter books 
• fiction or nonfiction 
• biographies 
• graphic novels

December 2021 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda Available

The agenda for the Dec. 2021 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting is available.

Winter Break Van Route Schedule Available

In celebration of Winter Break, Heartland AEA offices will be closed to the public Dec. 23, 2021 - Jan. 2, 2021. 

Van delivery schedule will be as follows: 

• Regular van delivery: through Dec. 23, 2021 
• No van delivery: Dec. 24 -Jan. 2 
• Regular van delivery resumes: Jan. 3, 2022

This Week’s Mission Monday: Leave Every Space Cleaner Than You Found It

Mission Monday is the creation of Mark Johnson and Sam Stecher. As teachers, coaches and leaders, they desired a way to consistently create connections and a sense of community in their school buildings. 

Heartland AEA and our Development Team for Safe, Supportive, Welcoming Environments want to bring this idea to our settings. Use the “Mission Accomplished” form to indicate when you have accomplished a mission, and you’ll be put in a monthly drawing for cool prizes! 

Mission for Week of Dec. 13: Leave Every Space Cleaner Than You Found It

Mission Accomplished Form  

FYI: New 3D Core Vocabulary Symbols Available Through Creative Services

For students with significant cognitive disabilities and communication needs, core vocabulary is an important part of learning. For students with visual impairments, Project Core has created a set of 3D symbols. You can read more about those on the Project Core website. 

Heartland AEA’s Creative Services now has six symbols available for purchase: 

• GO
• LIKE
• NOT
• LOOK
• FINISHED
• HELP
• MORE 

To order, go to Creative Services Online. Enter 3d in the search box. Teachers can pay with a school PO or p-card or their credit card.

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

Federally-Funded Staff: First Semester A-87 Certification Email Coming Dec. 8

Semi-annually, Heartland AEA must comply with the federal grant rules identified in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87 pertaining to documentation needed for federal expenditures. For employees who are funded 100% with federal funding, there are Circular A-87 audit requirements we need to meet in order to document appropriate expenditures. If you are in the fully-funded group, on Dec. 8, 2021, you will receive an email from heartlandworkflow with the subject A87 Certification Notice - Action Required with a link to the certification page. The process is very simple and is the same as in previous years. 

If you are new to this process or need a refresher, here is a 3-minute video that explains the background for Circular A-87 and the steps Heartland AEA takes to meet the A-87 requirements. As the video will explain, employees who are fully funded from one grant will need to certify every six months that they are performing duties allowed under the federal grant. 

If you have any questions, contact Brian Whalen, Business Manager. The Business Office appreciates your prompt completion of the certifications and your assistance in helping us comply with this reporting requirement.

Here’s How You’ll Find Out About Inclement Weather Office Closings & Course Cancellations; Ensure Your Phone Number is Current in Employee Online

As we approach winter, we want to remind you of how our agency communicates about inclement weather office closings and course cancellations (in addition to any other type of emergency situation).



 

Inclement Weather 
 

Heartland AEA offices will typically remain open unless all schools in a region are closed and travel is not recommended—which we know does happen. In preparation for the possibility of office closings and professional learning course cancellations, read below for the process the Agency uses to communicate about closings, cancellations and delays.



 

• First, read the Agency’s Inclement Weather Policy, which can be found in the Staff Handbook in Section 11:16. If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Nia Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources.



 
• Second, remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook in Section 3:4. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available. 

 
• Third, make sure your phone information is up-to-date in Employee Online, so you will be notified of office closings. If you are a new staff member or have a new phone number, you will receive a message from the short code 67587 asking if you’d like to opt-in to receive messages from SchoolMessenger. Reply “Yes” to receive those messages. 
 

Communicating Office Closures 



 

The Agency uses the following methods to notify staff members of office closures due to inclement weather or another emergency. 
 

• Text and email: We will send text and email messages through a notification system to only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. 
• Website: We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website. 
• Social Media: We will post closing information on the Agency's Facebook and Twitter accounts. 

Communicating Professional Learning Class Cancellations 



If a professional learning class or activity is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website and social media.  





If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist.

Safety First! Do You Have a Rolling Cart for Carrying Your Materials?

Did you know that carrying too many materials is a common way Heartland AEA staff trip and fall while on the job? Be like the guy in the second photo and get yourself a rolling cart to haul your materials from place to place. Any staff member can get one!

DON’T try to carry all your materials in your hands.

DO contact your administrative assistant or Colleen Miller in Operations to get a rolling cart!

Winter 2021 School Leader Update Available

The Dec. 2021 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is now available.

Gym Discount, Anyone? Check Out Blue365 Through Wellmark

The Blue365® program through Wellmark takes you beyond your health care coverage by offering easy access to trusted health and wellness resources 365 days a year. As a member, you can take advantage of discounts and savings on health care resources, healthy living programs, recreation and travel. A link to the Blue 365 website is always available on the Intranet > Wellness > Discounts. 

Now through the end of December, you can join Blue365’s Fitness Your Way program without paying the $29 enrollment fee. 

• $29 enrollment fee waived through Dec. 31 only. 
• Only $29 per month, plus local tax. 
• Experience live classes including boot camp, yoga, dance, strength training, cardio-interval workouts and more! 
• Visit any of the participating fitness locations—anytime, anywhere — as often as you like.
• Locations include select Anytime Fitness®, Curves® and Snap Fitness®. A limited number of Gold’s Gyms and YMCAs in certain areas are also participating. Use the Fitness Your Way gym locator to locate gyms near you.

Last Call for Early Notification Incentive!

Last year, Heartland AEA filled 60+ vacancies in all employee groups. It has been to the Agency’s advantage to enter the recruitment cycle as early as possible.

For 2021-22, the Heartland AEA Board of Directors has approved an Early Notification Incentive for staff who notify Heartland AEA of their intent to resign or retire after the fulfillment of their current contract or employment term (for Classified staff) by Dec. 10, 2021. Details are listed below.



 

Early Notification Incentive Process & Requirements 

• This year all staff, including Certified, Classified and Management staff, may take advantage of the early notification incentive. 
• Certified Union and Management staff who do not plan to return to Heartland AEA for the 2022-23 school year must submit early notification letters of resignation that are effective at the end of the 2021-22 work year. 
• Certified Union and Management staff must fulfill their contractual obligations to be eligible. 
• Classified staff must serve the full number of days as identified in their employment notifications or through June 30, 2022, if no days are specified, in order to be eligible. All early notification letters must be received in the Human Resources Department by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2021. 
• Heartland AEA’s Board of Directors acts on early notification letters no later than its regular meeting on Dec. 14, 2021. 
 

Early Notification Incentive 

A $1,500 early notification incentive will be paid on June 30, 2022, to employees fulfilling these requirements. 

If you have any questions about the early notification incentive, contact Nia Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources.

Coming This Week: Access to FastBridge Learning and Panorama Student Success System

Great news! The programming work on the Iowa Education Portal has been completed, and you will have access to student-level data for the buildings you work in early this week. The Iowa Department of Education has a new process for submitting AEA Specialist User role requests. This new process will replace the manual entry of roles with an automatic batch file upload that will provision the roles to the users. This will result in a much quicker turnaround time in the request and setup process. All nine AEAs submitted the names of staff and the buildings they serve to the DE at the end of last week. If all goes as planned, staff in all AEAs should have access to both data systems this week. At this point, there is nothing else you need to do. 

Once you have access, you may find there are some errors or schools you need access to that are not listed for you. No worries! All you need to do is fill out the following FastBridge and Panorama Student Success Access Request, and we will get those buildings submitted for you. Now that the process is automated, there should be very little delay. 

If you have any questions, contact Wendy Robinson, Director of Instructional Services.

Reminder: Leave a Message for Terri Graeve, Our December Retiree

Terri Graeve (Executive Assistant/JO), who has spent 23 years with Heartland AEA, will be retiring at the end of December. In lieu of a retirement reception, please record a short video message for Terri to wish her well on her retirement! 

(Click on the link below and sign in with your Google account to access the Flipgrid site.) 

Terri Graeve

This Week’s Mission Monday: Write a “My Why” Letter to Yourself

Mission Monday is the creation of Mark Johnson and Sam Stecher. As teachers, coaches and leaders, they desired a way to consistently create connections and a sense of community in their school buildings. 

Heartland AEA and our Development Team for Safe, Supportive, Welcoming Environments want to bring this idea to our settings. Use the “Mission Accomplished” form to indicate when you have accomplished a mission, and you’ll be put in a monthly drawing for cool prizes! 

Mission for Week of Dec. 6: Write a “My Why” letter to yourself. Reflect on your “why” for doing the work you do. Consider sharing it with a trusted colleague or friend.

Mission Accomplished Form  

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

Early Notification Incentive Deadline Coming Soon on Dec. 10

Last year, Heartland AEA filled 60+ vacancies in all employee groups. It has been to the Agency’s advantage to enter the recruitment cycle as early as possible. 




 

For 2021-22, the Heartland AEA Board of Directors has approved an Early Notification Incentive for staff who notify Heartland AEA of their intent to resign or retire after the fulfillment of their current contract or employment term (for Classified staff) by Dec. 10, 2021. Details are listed below.



 

Early Notification Incentive Process & Requirements 

• This year all staff, including Certified, Classified and Management staff, may take advantage of the early notification incentive. 
• Certified Union and Management staff who do not plan to return to Heartland AEA for the 2022-23 school year must submit early notification letters of resignation that are effective at the end of the 2021-22 work year. 
• Certified Union and Management staff must fulfill their contractual obligations to be eligible. 
• Classified staff must serve the full number of days as identified in their employment notifications or through June 30, 2022, if no days are specified, in order to be eligible. All early notification letters must be received in the Human Resources Department by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2021. 
• Heartland AEA’s Board of Directors acts on early notification letters no later than its regular meeting on Dec. 14, 2021. 
 

Early Notification Incentive 

A $1,500 early notification incentive will be paid on June 30, 2022, to employees fulfilling these requirements. 

If you have any questions about the early notification incentive, contact Nia Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources.

Internal Job Postings to Now Be Sent to Staff Three Days a Week

In an effort to be more efficient with our internal reassignment and transfer process, the Human Resources Department will now send out open position announcements on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Previously, announcements were only sent on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Staff will still have three business days to apply for a transfer once it’s posted, and the deadline for each position will continue to be listed on the posting. From a staff perspective, nothing will change with the exception that you can expect to receive an email on Monday regarding job openings as well. 

If you have any questions, contact the Human Resources Department.

Mark Your Calendar for Dec. 2 If You’re Interested in Learning About Medicare

Rachel Lee with Midwest Insurance Professionals and Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, will be available in the Johnston Regional Education Center lobby on the date and time below with information about Medicare. 

Rachel will have general Medicare and Medicare Supplemental Part B information available, and both Rachel and Juliette will be available to answer any questions you may have. 

Rachel will also be presenting a Medicare program at Heartland AEA in either March or April (TBD) 2022. 

Dec. 2, 2021 

9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Leave a Message for Terri Graeve, Our December Retiree

Terri Graeve (Executive Assistant/JO), who has spent 23 years with Heartland AEA, will be retiring at the end of December. In lieu of a retirement reception, please record a short video message for Terri to wish her well on her retirement! 

(Click on the link below and sign in with your Google account to access the Flipgrid site.) 

Terri Graeve

This Week’s Mission Monday: Take Time to Compliment Your Colleagues

Mission Monday is the creation of Mark Johnson and Sam Stecher. As teachers, coaches and leaders, they desired a way to consistently create connections and a sense of community in their school buildings. 

Heartland AEA and our Development Team for Safe, Supportive, Welcoming Environments want to bring this idea to our settings. Use the “Mission Accomplished” form to indicate when you have accomplished a mission, and you’ll be put in a monthly drawing for cool prizes! 

Mission for Week of Nov. 29: Take time to compliment your colleagues 

Mission Accomplished Form  

November Winners! 

In November, there were 181 Mission Monday entries! Names were put into the "Wheel of Names" to randomly pick three winners. 

Winners are: 

Diane Royer (Curriculum Consultant-Math/GC) 

Molly Beatty (Speech-Language Pathologist/JO) 

Corrine Breitsprecker (Shelter Care Teacher/RS)

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

We Know You're Dealing With Stressors...and Here's How We're Responding

Over the past months, I don’t believe I’ve had a single conversation with a school or AEA staff member that didn’t rapidly find its way to the topic of adult well-being and toxic stress in the workplace. A recent Gallup poll showed that workers’ daily stress levels around the world are at an all-time high even before the end of 2020, and we know that the stressors being experienced in our education settings have only been magnified since then. Over 50% of education workers are experiencing unhealthy stress levels during some part of their workday. That means that even if you are not being negatively impacted by stress, you are very likely working alongside colleagues who are. 

Stress vs. Stressors

In trying to understand you and your colleagues' needs, I have found it useful to differentiate between stress and stressors. 

Stress is the body’s physiological response to adverse circumstances. It is an actual chemical reaction in your body, and it can manifest itself in a variety of symptoms from elevated heart rate to sweaty palms to nausea. 

Stressors, on the other hand, are the forces that activate our body’s stress response, and they can be internal or external. We normally think of stress being triggered by external stressors like work demands, kid demands, economic pressures and interpersonal conflict. What we recognize less often are our internal stressors like self-criticism, perfectionism, unrealistic expectations and comparing ourselves to others. These internal stressors are common in professional life, especially in service fields like education. 

When stress cycles are prolonged, educators can begin to feel a lack of accomplishment, a feeling that nothing they are doing really seems to be making a difference. It is an emotional exhaustion that comes from dealing with adverse circumstances for too long and from caring too much for too long. This is the definition of burnout and causes people to quit caring as a form of self-preservation. It’s a desperate condition, but the good news is there are things we can do about it. 

At Heartland AEA, we know that as an employer we have the ability and the responsibility to relieve some of the external stressors that are leading to job-related stress for some of you. We are attempting to do this in several ways. 

Moving Up the Hiring Cycle

One of those ways is by moving up our hiring cycle in order to hire more staff sooner. We recognize that workload is an external stressor currently being experienced by many and that we cannot wait for the traditional hiring season to try to add staff in many areas. We have hired new SLPs in the last week and continue to look for opportunities to hire more staff whenever we can find suitable candidates. 

Implementing Behavioral Therapy Through Our EAP

This month our board of directors approved an expansion of our employee assistance program (EAP). There is a program within our EAP called AbilitiCBT, and it will allow all staff to access free cognitive behavioral therapy from a licensed therapist through a secure online platform, which is available 24/7. (Look for more details in the near future). 

Listening Circles

In addition to attempting to hire more staff and expanding mental health services, we are continuing to offer Listening Circles, where trained facilitators are helping participants to share and process their experiences. 

Continuing to Identify Stressors at Leaders' Meetings

At our monthly agency Leaders’ Meetings, we will continue to work to identify the stressors that are impacting you. I encourage you all to keep the channels of communication open to help us learn how we can continue to learn how to better help and support you. 

The last thing I want to say, especially as we enter the holiday season, is that each of us has an opportunity to be a stress reducer for others. We live and work in a community, and we need to see and be seen. Remember that one of the signs of burnout is the feeling that one is not making a difference. When caring people work hard for others for extended periods of time, they need to be cared for themselves. 

Remind Others of Their Value

Sometimes we can reduce our own stress through exercise, deep breathing, hard laughter or a walk in the sun. Sometimes, though, we just need to be truly seen and appreciated by others. We need a colleague to remind us how special we are and how much we are making a difference. I do believe that to remedy stress, we need to do our best to eliminate stressors, but I also believe there is no substitute for the authentic giving of appreciation to others. When we give honest appreciation to someone, it not only allows that person to be seen and reminded of their value, it allows us to actually reduce our own stress response through giving to someone else. Try it. Take a minute to honestly appreciate someone and see if it doesn’t make you feel better. 

Have a great Thanksgiving break. I appreciate your work. You are making a difference! 

Jon