Monday, September 27, 2021

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

2021 All-Staff Meeting Follow-Up & Survey


It was so good to see everyone at last Friday's All-Staff Meeting! After a virtual meeting last year, we hope you enjoyed coming together to 
connect, celebrate and learn with one another!  

We hope you enjoyed hearing from Mitch Matthews about dreaming big and giving yourself permission to do so! If you weren't able or forgot to pick up your dream sheet, we'll be getting those out to you in the coming days. 

Meeting Materials 
Please take a few minutes to offer your feedback and comments about this year's All-Staff Meeting via our survey. Your responses will help us plan for future meetings. Please respond by Oct. 8. Thank you! 
 

Pick 3 Prize Winners 
358 staff members participated in the Pick 3 Self-Care activities. Way to go! Five winners were drawn for those who turn in their cards. Prizes will be van mailed to your regional offices. 
  • Terin Limoges 
  • Diane Volkman 
  • Cindy Sturtz 
  • Kelsey Hageman 
  • Julia Bebensee

Online United Way Campaign Kicks Off Tomorrow and Runs Through Oct. 29!

Central Iowa LIVES UNITED year-round, but United Way is extra special during the fall when organizations like ours across the community-run campaigns to raise money for the cause. 


We are counting on you to once again pledge your support to United Way, so they can in turn support communities through Essential Needs, Early Childhood Success, Education Success, Economic Opportunity and Health & Well-Being – the 5 Elements of a Thriving Community! 

Heartland AEA and United Way are so grateful to you for the generosity you’ve shown in the past toward this fight. You are truly an impact-maker for so many central Iowans in need! As a donor or volunteer, or as someone who wants to learn more about United Way’s work, you are joining the effort to ensure that everyone in Central Iowa gets a chance at a quality life. 


 

Campaign Details 
  • Watch your email for a message from United Way of Central Iowa tomorrow, Sept. 28 2021, with a link to donate to United Way online. 
  • Pledges of at least $50 can be designated toward a county United Way or organization of your choosing. 
  • Although the pledge site may indicate that cash or check pledges are options, we are only accepting online pledges for this campaign. 
  • Those who pledge will again be entered into a drawing! 
If you have any questions, contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist or Whitney Wolf, Human Resources Generalist. 

Why We Support United Way -- Programs like Book Buddies! 

100+ Volunteers needed for Book Buddies. Change the life of a student by signing up today! 

Book Buddy is a reading program that pairs volunteers with preschoolers (students ages 4 and 5), with the hopes that their time together fosters a love of learning and builds the literacy skills needed to be successful in school and beyond. 

The volunteer reads aloud with the same student once or twice a week for 30 minutes at one of United Way’s funded childcare centers from mid-October to mid-April. Reading sessions are usually held from 9:30 – 10 a.m. on weekdays. Read about the impact Perry high schooler, Jose, had on his Book Buddy, Chase. 

You can change the trajectory of a child's experience with school. Check out the Book Buddy webpage to learn more about the program and find a list of the childcare centers to see if the opportunity fits your schedule. 

Do You Serve Students With Autism? You Can Provide Feedback on Services and Supports Through Survey

The Iowa Regional Autism Assistance Program Expert Panel and the Iowa Autism Council are inviting parents, family members, individuals and providers to provide feedback on the state’s support and services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 

AEA staff are encouraged to provide feedback through this survey and to forward the survey to parents and families who may be interested in providing this feedback as well. The data will be used to help improve services and supports for individuals with ASD and their families. The survey will close on Oct. 8, 2021.

September Updates from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners Available


Sept. 2021 updates from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners 

Business Plus System Down for Maintenance Wednesday Evening

The Agency's Business Plus system will be down for routine maintenance from approximately 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 29. This means there will be no access to the Employee Dashboard and purchase requisition system during the maintenance window. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Did You or Your Families Miss the Recent Parent Session on Executive Functioning? If So, Here’s the Recording

Heartland AEA’s Family & Educator Partnership recently hosted a virtual parent session on executive functioning, facilitated by Peg Dawson, Ed.D. You may view the session recording here and share it with your colleagues and families.

Reminder: Action Needed: Update Your Computer & iPad Operating Systems

You may have recently heard in the news about a security issue with Apple’s macOS and iOS operating systems. While the Heartland AEA Internal Technology Department has a monthly macOS (operating system) update policy to apply important macOS updates to agency computers, we wanted to alert you to the importance of installing the latest security updates on your Mac and iOS devices. The updates often include a restart of the device and an installation phase that can take up to 30 minutes to complete. 


This monthly macOS update policy becomes active on the 3rd Friday of each month at 8:00 a.m. It automatically installs any macOS updates starting at 9:00 a.m. on the 4th Friday of each month. The policy is automatically disabled on the last day of the month at 11:59 p.m. If any of the updates installed require a restart, you will be notified with a message. A video of the process can be seen here. 

Computer 

Check For and Install OS Updates 
Note: Please be sure to connect your power cord and do a Time Machine backup before installing any updates. 

You can check for and install macOS updates any time by going to the Apple Menu, choosing System Preferences and clicking on Software Update. If there are updates needed, they will be listed there, and you can install them from there. A video of the process can be seen here. Due to the severity of the security issue, we ask that you manually run the update as soon as possible. You will probably see the following updates listed, and you need to install both. 


It’s important not to interrupt the update process by pressing and holding the power button. Once the process begins, you need to let it complete on its own. Sometimes these updates require special firmware updates that will cause the computer to turn off for a minute or more. You should not press the power button when this happens. All updates require the computer to access the Internet, so don’t disable Airport or disconnect from ethernet during the installation. 

iPad 

To update your iPad to the latest version 14.8 of iOS, locate and tap Settings > General > Software Update. It will automatically check to see if there are any updates. You may be presented with iPad OS 14.8 as an option to install. Tap the Download and Install button. Enter in your passcode to confirm. The update will be downloaded and installed on your device. You may need to connect to power if your battery doesn’t have sufficient power. 

If you have any questions or need assistance updating your Mac or iOS devices, contact the Internal Technology Department at itsupport@heartlandaea.org with the subject of "OS Update Request." We would be happy to schedule a Zoom or in-person appointment if you need assistance.