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

Heartland AEA COVID-19 Dashboard for the Week Ending Feb. 19, 2021

We will provide you with COVID-19 case and quarantine data each Monday in The Connection. The numbers will fluctuate on a weekly basis, and our report will show what is current as of the previous Friday. If you have any questions, contact Nia Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources.    

Thank you for your continued cooperation and flexibility as we work together to support children, students, families, educators and each other throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.    

Heartland AEA COVID-19 Dashboard

Reminder: Back in 2021! Online Wellness Apparel Store Open for All Staff; Still Time to Use Your Wellness Incentive for Apparel

 The Heartland AEA online store where staff can redeem their Wellness incentive for agency logo apparel is open for ALL staff today through Feb. 28, 2021! Staff who have earned their $40 coupon towards logo apparel will receive a separate email with specific ordering information once Navigate Wellbeing Solutions has notified us.   




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 2021. Important reminder: if you are not ordering apparel with your Wellness credit, you’ll need to pay for shipping using Spee-Dee Delivery or UPS.  
 

Still Time to Use Your Wellness Incentive  
 

If you missed your assigned month to use your coupon code for logo apparel for your Wellness incentive, and/or you haven’t yet ordered, please visit the online store and place you order this month using your previously emailed coupon code.  
   

P&M Apparel Heartland AEA Online Store      





If you have any questions, contact Britini Jones, Human Resources Assistant.

Reminder: Share with District Partners: Chapter 103 Resources Created by Iowa’s AEAs

In response to district needs surrounding Iowa Code Chapter 103, Iowa’s Area Education Agencies have developed Frequently Asked Questions along with supporting forms/templates. These resources are intended for district use and should be shared as needed. The templates below will force you to make a copy, and districts can format them with their district’s branding.  

• Guardian Debriefing Letter Template
 
• Incident Debriefing Meeting Template
 
• Use of Physical Restraint and/or Seclusion Documentation Form
 
• All Users
 
• PDF Version (Fillable PDF, but does not track data like the below options)
 
• Google Users
 
• Instructions (Download and link to autofilled Parent Report)
 
• Microsoft Users 
 
• Instructions (Download and make form your own)
   

If you have any questions about these materials, contact your regional director and/or Kristi Upah, Chief Student Services Officer.

Potential Income Tax Relief from the August 2020 Derecho

Victims of the Aug. 10, 2020 derecho may qualify for some income tax relief. Special rules for “Qualified Disaster Losses” apply to these Iowa counties: Benton, Boone, Cedar, Clinton, Jasper, Linn, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story and Tama.   

If you had unreimbursed expenses from the derecho, including expenses subject to your homeowners’ insurance deductible, consider discussing this issue with your income tax preparer as you complete your 2020 income tax returns (federal and Iowa).   

Other resources: 

• IRS announces tax relief for Iowa derecho victims
 
• Topic No. 515 Casualty, Disaster, and Theft Losses
 
• 2020 Expanded Instructions
  

Heartland AEA Business office staff cannot provide tax advice, but they wanted you to be aware of this matter.

Reminder: All Staff Invited to Explore More About Equity in New Lunch & Learn Sessions

All staff is invited to participate in a series of "Educators Exploring Equity" Lunch & Learn opportunities this spring. Repeated sessions will be offered multiple times each month, with a focus on conversation, exploration and reflection among Heartland AEA staff members. You may participate in the full series (one session/month) or in any session of interest. Each session will be held via Zoom.

Purpose: Conversation, exploration and reflection among Heartland AEA educators regarding equity.   

Growing Pains 

A collaboration of three lifelong friends, they recount their very different experiences growing up in very similar situations. Nia, Lily and Nina express their unique and similar struggles, using their voice in this story-based speaking performance. Facing discrimination and disrespect, these three united to make a louder voice and encourage their peers to start making a change.

Feb. 22, 2021  12:00-12:30 p.m. 

Feb. 23, 2021  12:00-12:30 p.m. 

Feb. 24, 2021  12:30-1:00 p.m. 

Feb. 25, 2021  12:30-1:00 p.m. 

Zoom link   

Tough Conversations with a Black Man: Emmanual Acho

March 8, 2021    12:30-1:00 p.m. 

March 25, 2021  12:00-12:30 p.m. (CORRECTED TIME)

Zoom link  

Avoiding Racial Equity Detours: Paul Gorski 

April 5, 2021     12:00-12:45 p.m. 

April 27, 2021   12:00-12:45 p.m. 

Zoom link 

Cultural Theory: Brittney Cooper 

Cultural theorist Brittney Cooper examines racism through the lens of time, showing us how historically it has been stolen from people of color, resulting in lost moments of joy and connection, lost years of a healthy quality of life and the delay of progress. 

May 4, 2021     12:00-12:30 p.m. 

May 20, 2021   12:00-12:30 p.m. 

Zoom link 

If you have any questions, contact Martha Condon, Director of Professional Learning.

To Do by March 9: Update Anti-Virus Software on Your Agency Computer

In an ongoing effort to keep our agency software up-to-date, an updated version of Symantec AntiVirus software will be available this week to install on agency computers that need to be updated. Some of you already have this version installed, so you will not see this policy in your Self Service. 

Beginning Feb. 22, 2021 (today), the update for Symantec AntiVirus will be available via Self-Service on all agency computers needing the update. You may install this update at your convenience during a 15-day window. If you have not done the update by March 9, the update will be applied to your computer automatically. It is important that you perform this update to ensure it is not automatically applied at an inopportune time.  

To install this update, you can follow the instructions below or watch this short video. 

• Locate and open the Self Service app. You will find it in the Applications folder, or you may have a shortcut on your Dock.
 
 
• Click the “Utilities” category on the left-hand side of Self Service and locate the Symantec Endpoint Protection Install policy.
 
• Click the Install button and carefully read the description of what you will need to do to properly remove the old version and install the new one. Then click the Install button to start the installation process.
 
 
• When the dialog box appears asking you to remove the old system extension, click the continue button and enter your computer’s login password to proceed with the removal of the old system extension. If you don’t do this step correctly, your installation will not work properly, and you will need to contact the Internal Technology Department for assistance.

• After the old version is removed, the new version will be installed. After the installation completes, the new version will open on your computer screen. Shortly after the new version launches, you will see a dialog box confirming the installation and telling you your computer will restart after clicking the OK button. Click the OK button to restart your computer. That completes the installation.
 

If you have any questions, contact Mike Permann, Technology Support Facilitator. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't my Symantec Endpoint Protection Install policy appear in Self Service? 

You will not see the Symantec Endpoint Protection Install policy in Self Service if you already have the current version. You can verify the version you have by doing the following: Go to the Applications folder located on the Macintosh HD icon and locate the Symantec Solutions folder and open it. Click once on the Symantec Endpoint Protection icon and press the Command and I keys on the keyboard to open the information panel for the application. If the reported version is 14.3.1148.0100, then you already have the current version, and you won’t need to do anything further. 

I don't have the Symantec Endpoint Protection Install policy in Self Service and my reported version isn’t 14.3.1148.0100. What should I do? 

Sometimes your Self Service application doesn’t refresh properly, and you should try the following: Click the “Utilities” category in Self Service and click the Update button on the Update Casper Inventory policy to update your computer’s inventory with Casper. Once that completes, quit out of Self Service and all other applications and restart your computer from the Apple menu. After the computer boots back up, go back into Self Service to see if the policy now appears. If it doesn’t, you should contact Mike Permann for further assistance. 

I accidentally clicked the Stop button instead of the Continue button. What should I do? 

You should contact Mike Permann for further assistance.

Tech Tip of the Week: Hide Incoming Calls During a Video Meeting

You don’t want the chimes of a Zoom Phone call interrupting your Zoom video meeting, right? Watch this week’s Tech Tip to learn how to hide incoming calls when you’re participating in a meeting.