This Week’s Mission Monday: Hold the Door for Others 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 Jan. 3: Hold the Door for Others This Week

Mission Accomplished Form  

December Mission Winners
We had 146 entries in December! Congratulations to these winners:

Heather Davis (Occupational Therapist/JO)
Katie Walton Webster (School Psychologist/IN)

Tracy Weber (Teacher of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing/AM)

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  

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  

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  

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)

Mental Health Response and Referral Course to be Offered Again in January

Mental health issues in our schools are on the rise. Especially concerning are the many situations that happen in a virtual setting with our students. How do we, as helping professionals respond? This workshop is designed specifically for those helping professionals to create and implement systemic responses to those many and varied situations regarding mental health and suicide. Participants will leave with a binder of best practice ideas and resources. 

Target Audience: school counselors, school nurses, school social workers and school psychologists 

Mental Health Response and Referral 2.0 

Jan. 28, 2022 

8:30 am.-4:00 p.m. 

Instructors: Sue Schirmer, Aimee Schuppe and Stacey Warren 

Registration

This Week’s Mission Monday: Take Three Minutes Daily to Practice Mindful Breathing

 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. 22: Self-regulation is key. Take 3 minutes daily to practice mindful breathing

Mission Accomplished Form

This Week’s Mission Monday: Google Something You're Curious About and Learn Something New!

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. 1: Curiosity is good for Wellness. What is something you're curious about lately? "Google" it and learn something about it

Mission Accomplished Form

Will You Consider Joining a Listening Circle to Talk About Achieving a Functional Work-Life Balance?

Registration for the next round of Listening Circles has been a little bleak. Will you consider signing up for a session? 

Our Heartland AEA SEBMH group has designed and scheduled another round of Listening Circles. In this round, we will revisit our topic from Round 2 and consider how to create and maintain a functional work-life balance. We will be drawing upon the ideas in this article from Edutopia. We encourage you to read the article prior to participating; however, it is not required. 

As a reminder, the goal of Listening Circles is to create a brave space for staff to be heard, free of judgment, and with no fear of consequences for speaking their truth. It is believed that this practice will be helpful for building and maintaining a healthy community in which ALL staff feels connected and respected. 

How to Participate 

Listening Circles have been scheduled at various times throughout the day to accommodate as many schedules as possible. Registration for each circle will be capped at eight participants to allow for meaningful sharing from all participants. If you are interested in participating as a group, feel free to have your group members sign up for the same time or contact your SEBMH regional lead to see about setting up a separate time for your group to engage in a circle. Listening Circles with fewer than 3 participants will be canceled and those participants will be encouraged to register for another circle time. Registration for all sections will be open soon! 

Sessions 

Nov. 9 (T) 9:30-11:00 a.m. -- Stacey Warren & Aimee Schuppe 

Nov. 9 (T) 12:30-2:00 p.m. -- Rebecca Carver & Lauren Vanderhorst 

Nov. 10 (W) 12:00-1:30 p.m. -- Brianna Sayre Geiser & Andrea Matheson 

Nov. 11 (Th) 1:00-2:30 p.m. -- Jean Boger & Rebecca Carver 

Registration 

Course #: 190735 HL - Heartland AEA Listening Circles

This Week’s Mission Monday: Have a Conversation with a Co-worker About a Favorite Book, Show, Movie or Podcast

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. 1: Have a Conversation with a Co-worker About a Favorite Book, Show, Movie or Podcast

Mission Accomplished Form

This Week’s Mission Monday: Schedule Some Time to Organize Your Desk, Desktop or Google Drive; October Winners Listed!

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. 1: 

Schedule Some Time to Organize Your Desk, Desktop or Google Drive 

Mission Accomplished Form

October Winners!

In October, there were 76 Mission Monday entries! Names were put into the "Wheel of Names" to randomly pick three winners.

Congratulations to:

Faye Allen (Physical Therapist/JO)

Sherise Ahlers (Administrative Assistant to Special Education Leadership/JO)

Sonia Nulle (Regional Administrative Assistant/CA)

This Week’s Mission Monday: Say “Please” and “Thank You” 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. They made it their mission to take the “random” out of Random Acts of Kindness. Each Monday, they provided their students and staff with a “mission” designed to increase positivity, build connections, deepen relationships and contribute to a supportive culture and climate. 

Heartland AEA and our Development Team for Safe, Supportive, Welcoming Environments wants to bring this idea to our settings. We will be building upon the Pick 3 For Me card that we had at our All-Staff Meeting by including a weekly mission each Monday in The Connection. Then 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 Oct. 25: Be sure to say “please” and “thank you” this week 

Mission Accomplished Form

Reminder: Join Us for the Next Round of Listening Circles: Achieving a Functional Work-Life Balance

Our Heartland AEA SEBMH group has designed and scheduled another round of Listening Circles. In this round, we will revisit our topic from Round 2 and consider how to create and maintain a functional work-life balance. We will be drawing upon the ideas in this article from Edutopia. We encourage you to read the article prior to participating; however, it is not required. 

As a reminder, the goal of Listening Circles is to create a brave space for staff to be heard, free of judgment, and with no fear of consequences for speaking their truth. It is believed that this practice will be helpful for building and maintaining a healthy community in which ALL staff feels connected and respected. 

Here is what some of our colleagues have said about participating in the Listening Circles: 

• "The listening circle is a place where you can feel connected to others in our Heartland AEA family and share in a reflective, thoughtful, caring way. It was a meaningful experience." 
• "I thought I might be walking into group therapy and wasn't too eager to do that! But Listening Circles aren't like that. They are led by our incredibly bright and caring staff in a structured way so we can hear from our colleagues, learn from each other, gain understanding and build connections. It's time well spent!" 
• "This was a very non-threatening process. We always had the option to pass and that was totally okay." 

We encourage you to participate in an upcoming Listening Circle with your fellow Heartland AEA colleagues! 

How to Participate 

Listening Circles have been scheduled over the next three weeks at various times throughout the day to accommodate as many schedules as possible. Registration for each circle will be capped at eight participants to allow for meaningful sharing from all participants. If you are interested in participating as a group, feel free to have your group members sign up for the same time or contact your SEBMH regional lead to see about setting up a separate time for your group to engage in a circle. Listening Circles with fewer than 3 participants will be canceled and those participants will be encouraged to register for another circle time. Registration for all sections will be open soon! 

Facilitators 

The first and second facilitators for each of the sessions (as they stand today) are listed below. 

Oct. 25 (M) 12:30-1:00 p.m. -- Lauren Vanderhorst & Rebecca Carver 

Oct. 25 (M) 2:00-3:30 p.m. -- Andrea Matheson & Jen Funk 

Oct. 26 (T) 1:00-2:30 p.m. -- Stacey Warren & Rebecca Carver 

Oct. 28 (Th) 1:30-3:00 p.m. --  Aimee Schuppe & Brianna Sayre Geiser 

Oct. 29 (F) 8:30-10:00 a.m. -- Rebecca Carver & Aimee Schuppe 

Nov. 1 (M) 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. -- Jadie Boens & Rebecca Carver 

Nov. 4 (Th) 2:00-3:30 p.m. -- Jean Boger & Andrea Matheson 

Nov. 5 (F) 1:30-3:00 p.m. -- Brenda Gerdes & Jean Boger 

Nov. 8 (M) 2:00-3:30 p.m. -- Lauren Vanderhorst & Aimee Schuppe 

Nov. 9 (T) 9:30-11:00 a.m. -- Stacey Warren & Aimee Schuppe 

Nov. 9 (T) 12:30-2:00 p.m. -- Rebecca Carver & Lauren Vanderhorst 

Nov. 10 (W) 12:00-1:30 p.m. -- Brianna Sayre Geiser & Andrea Matheson 

Nov. 11 (Th) 1:00-2:30 p.m. -- Jean Boger & Rebecca Carver

Registration

Registration for all sections will be open soon! 

Course #: 190735 HL - Heartland AEA Listening Circles 

Mission Monday: Let’s Increase Positivity, Build Connection and Deepen Relationships!

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. They made it their mission to take the “random” out of Random Acts of Kindness. Each Monday, they provided their students and staff with a “mission” designed to increase positivity, build connections, deepen relationships and contribute to a supportive culture and climate. 

Heartland AEA and our Development Team for Safe, Supportive, Welcoming Environments want to bring this idea to our settings. We will be building upon the Pick 3 For Me card that we had at our All-Staff Meeting by including a weekly mission each Monday in The Connection. Then 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 Oct. 18: Have lunch with a colleague this week 

Mission Accomplished Form

Join Us for the Next Round of Listening Circles: Achieving a Functional Work-Life Balance

Our Heartland AEA SEBMH group has designed and scheduled another round of Listening Circles. In this round, we will revisit our topic from Round 2 and consider how to create and maintain a functional work-life balance. We will be drawing upon the ideas in this article from Edutopia. We encourage you to read the article prior to participating; however, it is not required. 

As a reminder, the goal of Listening Circles is to create a brave space for staff to be heard, free of judgment, and with no fear of consequences for speaking their truth. It is believed that this practice will be helpful for building and maintaining a healthy community in which ALL staff feels connected and respected. 

Here is what some of our colleagues have said about participating in the Listening Circles: 

• "The listening circle is a place where you can feel connected to others in our Heartland AEA family and share in a reflective, thoughtful, caring way. It was a meaningful experience." 
• "I thought I might be walking into group therapy and wasn't too eager to do that! But Listening Circles aren't like that. They are led by our incredibly bright and caring staff in a structured way so we can hear from our colleagues, learn from each other, gain understanding and build connections. It's time well spent!" 
• "This was a very non-threatening process. We always had the option to pass and that was totally okay." 

We encourage you to participate in an upcoming Listening Circle with your fellow Heartland AEA colleagues! 

How to Participate 

Listening Circles have been scheduled over the next three weeks at various times throughout the day to accommodate as many schedules as possible. Registration for each circle will be capped at eight participants to allow for meaningful sharing from all participants. If you are interested in participating as a group, feel free to have your group members sign up for the same time or contact your SEBMH regional lead to see about setting up a separate time for your group to engage in a circle. Listening Circles with fewer than 3 participants will be canceled and those participants will be encouraged to register for another circle time. Registration for all sections will be open soon! 

Facilitators 

The first and second facilitators for each of the sessions (as they stand today) are listed below. 

Oct. 25 (M) 12:30-1:00 p.m. -- Lauren Vanderhorst & Rebecca Carver 

Oct. 25 (M) 2:00-3:30 p.m. -- Andrea Matheson & Jen Funk 

Oct. 26 (T) 1:00-2:30 p.m. -- Stacey Warren & Rebecca Carver 

Oct. 28 (Th) 1:30-3:00 p.m. --  Aimee Schuppe & Brianna Sayre Geiser 

Oct. 29 (F) 8:30-10:00 a.m. -- Rebecca Carver & Aimee Schuppe 

Nov. 1 (M) 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. -- Jadie Boens & Rebecca Carver 

Nov. 4 (Th) 2:00-3:30 p.m. -- Jean Boger & Andrea Matheson 

Nov. 5 (F) 1:30-3:00 p.m. -- Brenda Gerdes & Jean Boger 

Nov. 8 (M) 2:00-3:30 p.m. -- Lauren Vanderhorst & Aimee Schuppe 

Nov. 9 (T) 9:30-11:00 a.m. -- Stacey Warren & Aimee Schuppe 

Nov. 9 (T) 12:30-2:00 p.m. -- Rebecca Carver & Lauren Vanderhorst 

Nov. 10 (W) 12:00-1:30 p.m. -- Brianna Sayre Geiser & Andrea Matheson 

Nov. 11 (Th) 1:00-2:30 p.m. -- Jean Boger & Rebecca Carver

Registration

Registration for all sections will be open soon! 

Course #: 190735 HL - Heartland AEA Listening Circles 

Youth Mental Health First Aid Being Offered Again on Oct. 28 in a Blended Format

Participants will become certified Youth Mental Health First Aiders. Through the Youth Mental Health First Aid curriculum, participants will learn about the prevalence of various mental health disorders impacting youth and how to recognize the warning signs of mental health problems that may impact a youth’s mental health and resiliency. 

They will learn how to utilize a five-step (ALGEE) plan to support youth and help youth in crisis connect with appropriate evidence-based treatment. In addition to becoming certified, participants will become more familiar with their YMHFA manuals, practice the ALGEE plan using case studies, identify appropriate school interventions/supports and research community resources. Registration includes a digital YMHFA Manual. 

Youth Mental Health First Aid 

Blended Format 

Oct. 28, 2021 

8:00 am - 2:30 p.m. 

Registration

New! Mission Monday: Let’s Increase Positivity, Build Connection and Deepen Relationships by Accomplishing These Missions!

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. They made it their mission to take the “random” out of Random Acts of Kindness. Each Monday, they provided their students and staff with a “mission” designed to increase positivity, build connections, deepen relationships and contribute to a supportive culture and climate. 

Heartland AEA and our Development Team for Safe, Supportive, Welcoming Environments want to bring this idea to our settings. We will be building upon the Pick 3 For Me card that was at our All-Staff Meeting by including a weekly mission each Monday in The Connection. Then 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! Let's work to increase positivity, build connections and deepen relationships, Heartland AEA team!

Your Mission for the Week of Oct. 11

Create a list of 5 great things about your job and post it where you can see it. 

Still Time to Register for Restorative Practices Training

"Restorative practices is an emerging social science that studies how to strengthen relationships between individuals as well as social connections within communities." (IIRP.edu) 

In the Introduction to Restorative Practices & Using Circles Effectively 2-day course, participants will learn fundamental theory and practices for engaging in a restorative way. Topics include setting high expectations while being supportive, providing direct feedback and asking questions that foster accountability and effective methods to resolve common conflicts. Participants will also learn how to facilitate circles, an essential process for creating a positive learning environment and school culture. Circles may be used to build community, engage during instruction, resolve social problems and respond when harm occurs. This course is offered for 1 License Renewal Credit. 

Training Dates & Registration Links 

Oct. 23 & Nov. 6, 2021

Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, Johnston

Registration #202380 HL

Save the Date: Feb. 7-8, 2022

Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, Johnston

Mental Health Response and Referral Course to be Offered Again in October

Mental health issues in our schools are on the rise. Especially concerning are the many situations that happen in a virtual setting with our students. How do we, as helping professionals respond? This workshop is designed specifically for those helping professionals to create and implement systemic responses to those many and varied situations regarding mental health and suicide. Participants will leave with a binder of best practice ideas and resources. 

Target Audience: school counselors, school nurses, school social workers and school psychologists 

Mental Health Response and Referral 2.0

Oct. 21, 2021 

8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. 

Johnston REC 

Instructors: Sue Schirmer, Aimee Schuppe and Stacey Warren 

Registration

Reminder: New Online Workshop Introduces Participants to Relationship and Community Building of Restorative Practices

"All humans are hardwired to connect. Just as we need food, shelter and clothing, human beings also need strong and meaningful relationships to thrive. Restorative practices is an emerging social science that studies how to strengthen relationships between individuals as well as social connections within communities." (IIRP.edu) 

Have you been hearing about restorative practices? Are districts you serve implementing restorative practices in their buildings? Are you interested in learning more? Check out this video from the International Institute for Restorative Practices and join us for this new workshop!  

In this workshop, participants will learn fundamental theory and practices for engaging in a restorative way. Topics include setting high expectations while being supportive, providing direct feedback, asking questions that foster accountability and effective methods to resolve common conflicts. 

This workshop will provide participants with 

• knowledge of the key concepts of restorative practices,
 
• an opportunity for participants to reflect on how restorative practices may impact their professional and personal lives and 
 
• practice applying strategies from the restorative practices continuum. 
 

The workshop will be provided through Zoom over 2 half-day sessions. Additionally, participants will be asked to engage in approximately 2 hours of individual learning (watching videos, reading book excerpts) prior to the start of the section.  

May 12 & 20, 2021 

May 12 -- 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., May 20 -- 12:00-4:00 p.m. 

Open only to Heartland AEA employees 

Registration