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
The regular meeting of the Heartland Administrators’ Association will be held on Dec. 10 at DMACC in Ankeny beginning at 9 a.m. with the business meeting and partner updates.
Then, Shannon Suldo, Ph.D., will present two workshops; a morning session for superintendents and an afternoon session for any educator. Suldo’s focus will be to guide participants in gaining an understanding of the importance of promoting student’s complete mental health within a Multi-Tiered framework. This learning session will focus on interconnecting school mental health, social emotional learning and positive behavioral supports and interventions in an effort to promote student’s well-being through school wide and class wide prevention efforts.
AGENDA - Dec. 10, 2019
9 - 10 a.m. Regular Heartland Administrators' Association Business Meeting and Partner Updates
10 - 11:30 a.m. Superintendent Session with Shannon Suldo, Ph.D.
11:30 - 12:30 p.m. Lunch on your own
12:30 - 4 p.m. Afternoon Session for All Educators
REGISTRATION
Register at no cost at this link with course #180605. Select a section to attend.
LOCATION
Des Moines Area Community College Student Center, Bldg 5 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd, Ankeny
Nationally Distinguished Principal, Author and TEDx Speaker will present in Ankeny on March 3, 2020
Sometimes you have to hear the things you don’t want to hear in order to move forward, to be better and to get results. Hamish Brewer will take you on a hard-hitting journey that will challenge to rethink your practices, to disrupt the norm and change the game. Find out if you have or are willing to go one more round, if you’re willing to advocate for every single person and child. Find out if you’re willing to take your school or organization to the next level.
Brewer has over 20 years of experience serving as a classroom teacher, administrator, international education director and an educational consultant in the United States and abroad. He is high octane in his approach to children, teachers and his community. He is currently a principal in Prince William County, one of the largest divisions in the country, helping in best practices and advances in the implementation and use of technology.
Be Relentless
March 3, 2020
Des Moines Area Community College, Student Center, 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd. Ankeny, IA
9:00-10:00 a.m. Keynote Message
10:00-10:30 a.m. Q&A
10:30-11:00 a.m. Book Signing with Hamish Brewer**
Register for this event at bit.ly/2VLliHt using Course #180607
This is a no cost event! Bring your administrative team! If you missed him at IASB, see him here!
**Mr. Brewer will be personally autographing his book, Relentless: Changing Lives by Disrupting the Educational Norm. Be sure to purchase the book in advance, bring it with you, meet the author and get your copy signed!
Register now for the 2020 Legislative Education Advocacy Event sponsored by Iowa's Area Education Agencies. This event will bring together school administrators from across Iowa to learn the most up-to-date legislative insight, and meet with legislators face-to-face at the Capitol. Check out the event plans and register at this link: https://www.smore.com/qe4y5.
Tammy Heflebower, Ed.D., will focus primarily on the creation of proficiency scales and their place in the broader, upfront work of deconstructing standards and the understanding and development of aligned assessments. Dr. Heflebower will speak of how proficiency scales fit into the instructional cycle and into the learning partnership between teacher and students. The work of creating proficiency scales is a seismic shift from our past practices of using a 100-point grading scale which converts points given to percentages.
Heflebower brings vast educational experiences in urban, rural and suburban communities throughout The United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain and The Netherlands. She has served as an award-winning classroom teacher, building and district leader, regional professional development director, national and international trainer, and leadership consultant.
Strand of SBL Framework: Learning Targets, Scales & Rubrics
Feb. 27, 2020
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
FFA Enrichment Center, DMACC Ankeny Campus, 1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy., Ankeny, IA
Registration link: http://bit.ly/2pd2GAT
Bring teams!
Explore the dynamics of school culture from a sociological, psychological, anthropological, political, historical and economic lens, using the Transforming School Culture framework. The framework helps educators and simplifies the work of transforming school culture by understanding patterns of behavior that either support or undermine the development of school culture.
Transforming School Culture experts will help you examine the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and habits that comprise your school’s culture, to ensure a productive and functional environment. Work with our experts to develop the ability to properly respond to challenges and adversity.
Transforming School Culture: Understanding and Overcoming Resistance to Necessary Change Featuring Anthony Muhammad, Ph.D.
April 23, 2020
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn
8600 Northpark Drive Johnston, IA
Registration
Register by April 20, 2020 at this link: http://bit.ly/2MEyMyA using course #181933
$50 per person. Lunch included.
Registration is limited to 125. There is no waiting list for this event.
All educators are invited!
The Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Program, developed by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), is a one-day training that provides the opportunity for educators to obtain initial certification in CPI's "Nonviolent Crisis Intervention" program or renewal certification for individuals who are not eligible for the recertification training (e.g., expired certification). Participants will receive an introduction to crisis prevention focusing on non-physical strategies, including non-verbal, para-verbal and verbal techniques that can be used to assist in de-escalating behavior.
Participants will receive instruction, role-playing, practice and feedback in using personal safety techniques, such as blocking, moving and releasing to avoid or minimize injury when interacting with an individual who is escalated. This training also includes instruction, role-playing, practice and feedback in the use of physical restraint strategies, transport techniques and team strategies to maintain safety when an individual engages in escalated behavior that is dangerous to self or others.
Please note:
- The strategies taught in this training are not intended to replace behavior intervention plans (BIP) for individual students, but rather to provide strategies for school staff to use to maintain safety during unusual situations or circumstances not addressed in a BIP.
- To maintain certification, individuals are required to participate in the CPI's "Nonviolent Crisis Intervention" re-certification training at least annually.
- Trainees must be employed by a school district in Heartland AEA’s service area.
Registration:
Initial Training
Registration Link
Use course #180648 and select a section
Intended Audience: District staff who work with individuals 3-21 years who engage in problem behaviors that have the potential to result in injury to self or others.
Refresher Training
Registration Link
Use course #180315 and select a section
Intended Audience: District staff who have been through the CPI: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention 1-day-training within the past year and who need to receive recertification.
For more information or questions, contact the Heartland AEA Regional Director who serves your district or one of the CPI trainers at Heartland AEA:
Region 1: Lauren Vanderhorst, Jenny Henscheid
Region 2: Becky Tigges, Sue Klein
Region 3: Aimee Schuppe, Stacey Warren
Region 5: Todd York
Region 6: Gina Koehler
Region 7: Chris Rial, Amanda Jefferson
Region 8: Brenda Gerdes, Amanda Khader
Parents and caregivers of students with special needs: join us for “Conversation & Coffee,” our monthly morning coffee group! Learn about community resources and upcoming events and network with parents who have similar experiences and challenges.
Mark your calendar for these 2019-20 meeting dates!
- Dec. 19, 2019
- Jan. 16, 2020
- Feb. 20, 2020
- March 12, 2020 (due to Spring Break)
- April 16, 2020
- May 21, 2020
Conversation & Coffee meets the third Thursday of each month from 9:30 - 11 a.m. at the 100th Street Corner Café in Urbandale.
RSVP appreciated but not necessary: Kari Paulsen, Family & Educator Coordinator, Heartland AEA, at kpaulsen@heartlandaea.org or (515) 270-9030 ext. 14493.
This professional learning opportunity is designed to help educators find ways to integrate collaboration into their classrooms. It includes a webinar with nationally-known blogger Eric Curts (Control Alt Achieve), as well as blog posts and podcasts from other educational leaders.
Study begins online Dec. 19 with a webinar with Eric Curts on Jan. 9. Register at this link: http://bit.ly/2OLj3O7 course 181854.
There is no book to accompany this track; we will be using Curts’ blog, Control Alt Achieve.
All work is done via Canvas and can be done on your own time!
Wait! There's More!
Check out ed tech face-to-face workshops, online courses and webinars coming up in the next couple of months in the latest Heartland AEA Instructional Technology Newsletter.
The Dec. 2019/Jan. 2020 BoEE Superintendent Update is now available. In this issue:
- Pre-service Substitute Authorization
- Checklists for Hiring Out of State Applicants
- Pathways to Licensure
- Helpful Hints for School Administrators and HR Directors
- Conditional Licensure
- Hiring December Graduates
- Fall BEDS Staff Report
You may have seen the announcement on the website portal. The deadline has been extended until Dec. 13. Thank you for your patience!
The Iowa Department of Education (DE) has released Iowa’s Social-Emotional Learning Competencies, which are organized around the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) 5 Core Competencies:
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Social awareness
- Relationship skills
- Responsible decision-making
The release of the competencies is a soft launch, meaning the DE is not currently implementing a comprehensive communication plan, or a roll-out plan--they are simply making the competencies available. The DE will continue to garner feedback throughout this year, developing supports for scaling through C4K (Collaborating for Iowa’s Kids).
The real push from a statewide perspective to support implementation will begin during the 2020-21 school year. For additional resources, you may also visit the DE’s School Climate Transformation Grant webpage.
If you have questions or need additional information, contact Jadie Boens, Director of Special Programs, at ext. 14512.
The Dec. 2019 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is now available.
