We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for participating in Instructional Decision Making (IDM) training and/or implementing IDM practices in your school. We are pleased to announce that we are returning the 2010-11 implementation data that was collected last spring in 75 buildings. Data will be returned via van mail the week of September 6. The package will include a cover letter and a CD with the following files:- A link to an Eduvision video that provides an overview of how to navigate the files and interpret results (http://bit.ly/pZoDvM)
- A README file to assist schools with interpreting the results
- Implementation results: Building- and agency-level
- Special education eligibility results: Building- and agency-level
- PESA indicators and evidence criteria
We continue to strive to make the data collection process timely and more efficient. We appreciate your willingness to partner with us in our efforts to better support your schools. We welcome any feedback you have regarding this process. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to helping all children succeed.If you have any questions about the IDM implementation results, please contact Alecia Rahn-Blakeslee at arahn@aea11.k12.ia.us or your Regional Director.
On September 13, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. EDT, as part of National Preparedness Month, the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) will be hosting a webinar along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on “ Available Resources to Prepare Schools for Emergencies.” Participants will learn about getting schools prepared for hazards of any kind. If you are a school administrator, principal, teacher or concerned parent, you won’t want to miss this important discussion. Just a few examples of questions to be answered during this session include: - How was Joplin successful in preparing for and recovering from a disaster? How can other schools learn from their experience?
- Where can schools find additional funding and resources in today’s budget climate? How does the Department of Homeland Security grant process work? For further information go to: http://www.dhs.gov/xopnbiz/grants/
- What free preparedness trainings are available for schools and school administrators, both online and in person?
- What other preparedness resources are available at little or no cost to schools?
For more information about National Preparedness Month, please visit: http://community.fema.gov/connect.ti/READYNPM For information on other preparedness webinars taking place during the month of September and beyond, please visit the Citizen Corps Webinar site: http://www.citizencorps.gov/news/npm2011webinars.shtm
Join us September 30, 2011 at the West Des Moines Learning Resource Center for a workshop with nationally acclaimed ELL expert and author Dr. Kate Kinsella. Dr. Kinsella will address the research based features of planned, explicit instruction and structured classroom interaction necessary for all students to develop a confident command of academic discourse, appropriate spoken and written classroom language with special emphasis on English Language Learners. She will include classroom video examples, hands‐on demonstrations, a detailed training handout, including a relevant research synthesis, instructional strategy guidelines, reproducible templates, and practical walk-though tools to facilitate school-wide implementation. Register for this workshop through the Heartland Professional Development Catalog using activity number ES006469571201.
The state of Iowa has accepted an invitation to participate in the U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP), sponsored by the William Randolph Heart Foundation. The program is designed to give young Americans a working knowledge of American political life. Each year two Iowa students have the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, D.C. The William Randolph Heart Foundation pays all expenses. In addition, the two Iowa high school representatives each receive a $5,000 scholarship.
Selection of the two Iowa high school representatives is based on the outstanding ability and demonstrated leadership qualities of elected junior and senior high school student officers for the 2011-12 school year.
Each high school may nominate up to three students (in previous years, schools were only allowed to nominate one student). Student application materials and the brochure are available on the Iowa Department of Education website http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=939&Itemid=1225
Completed applications should be submitted to Kim Thuente at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA 50131 by 4:00 p.m. October 3, 2011. Nominees will take a qualifying examination on October 19 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 18 at the Johnston AEA Regional Education Center regarding the U.S. Constitution and government. The award recipients will be announced in December. Contact Kim Thuente (kthuente@aea11.k12.ia.us) or Cheryl Mullenbach (Cheryl.Mullenbach@iowa.gov) for more information.
Each school has a new username/password for the online databases such as Learn 360, iClipart for Schools, Gale, netTrekker, EBSCO, Atomic Learning, Soundzabound, etc. The license agreement allows schools to share the username/password and log-in information with parents. Please don't post username/passwords on a website, wiki or blog nor include them in any printed materials that may be sent to the general public. Ask your teacher librarian for the new username/password or call the Heartland library. Parents can be directed to the Homework Help section found here for links to the databases or go to our home page, click the Parents tab and scroll down to Homework Help.
