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
In an effort to support the well-being of districts, educators, students and families, Heartland AEA is pleased to bring you, "Wellness Weekly," a weekly series dedicated to all things wellness and well-being.
Check out the Wellness Weekly site for well-being resources, tips and fun!
This week features:
- Mental Health Resources: My 5 Parenting Rules for Letting Go and Getting Through the Coronavirus Crisis
- Remote Working Resources: LifeWorks newsletter
- Funnies: Bust a Move!
- Apps & Other Stuff: Talking to Your Child About COVID-19
Orders are due May 22, 2020
Complete ordering information (including order forms) for AEA Purchasing's Summer 2020 Paper Buy are now available online. Go to: "Paper Buy-AEA Purchasing".
To avoid unanticipated delivery delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, early ordering is strongly recommended.
NOTE: Printed order forms will NOT be delivered. Access to the order forms can be found online on our website using the direct link above.
Bid Features Include:
- Wide variety of paper weights, colors and sizes
- Additional discounts for orders of 840+ cartons of white
- Letter and catalog envelopes
April 22 via Zoom
Heartland AEA is excited to bring back Jessica Minahan to lead a unique professional learning opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Heartland AEA staff*, LEA and community partners are invited to participate in this 2-hour REPEAT webinar meeting with Minahan from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. on April 22, 2020.
This is a repeat of Minahan's webinar on April 10. If you attended on April 10, know that there will not be any new information presented on April 22. Please allow others to attend who may have missed Minahan's earlier webinar.
Session Description: With up to one in three children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults require a new approach as well as a practical and easy-to-implement toolkit of strategies that work. In the time of COVID19, and the subsequent societal changes, anxiety has become ever present in students of all ages.
Through the use of case studies, humorous stories and examples of everyday challenging situations, participants will learn easy-to-implement preventive tools, strategies and interventions for reducing anxiety, increasing self regulation, accurate thinking and self-monitoring in students. Virtual classroom and traditional classroom examples will be shared.
Registration
Register at this link: https://bit.ly/2USYwde
Course #189671
Participants will receive Zoom meeting connection information via the email address used during registration.
Professional Development Workshop intended for:
K-12 Classroom Teachers, Special Educators, Paraprofessionals, Guidance Counselors, Department Heads, Team Leaders, Curriculum Coordinators, Administrators
About the Presenter
Jessica Minahan, MEd, BCBA, is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst, special educator, as well as a consultant to schools internationally. Jessica has over 17 years of experience supporting students who exhibit challenging behavior in urban public-school systems. She is the co-author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students (Harvard Education Press, 2012), and author of The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors (Harvard Education Press, 2014).
*Heartland AEA staff who participated in a full day of learning with Jessica during the 2018-19 school year are welcome to participate in this 2-hour session, however should know the session will likely have similar content and areas of focus.
Questions: Contact Jadie Boens, Director of Special Programs or Martha Condon, Director of Professional Learning with Heartland AEA.
Digital Learning Activities From Heartland AEA
Heartland AEA staff have created and will facilitate digital learning activities for educators, paraprofessional and administrators. Check back as additional offerings may be added. Most offerings will be hosted by staff via live or recorded Zoom. If school districts or partners have specific requests, reach out to the Heartland AEA Regional Director who supports your work.
Webinar and Digital Learning from State and National Organizations
Heartland AEA staff have pulled together a wide array of free learning opportunities hosted by a variety of national and state-level organizations, including AEA Learning Online. These free webinars and digital learning resources can be filtered by session title, area of focus or targeted audience.
Digital Content for Teaching and Learning
For those of you looking for digital content to integrate into your teaching and learning, check out the listing of short webinars and videos for the online databases (BookFLIX, MackinVIA, Gale, Teen Health & Wellness, TeachingBooks, PebbleGo, Britannica, netTrekker, Defined Learning, Tales2Go, Mystery Science). If you would like an introduction to AEA Scout and how it may be used with secondary students (single sign-on, one search and interface, persistent links to individual resources), contact sschrader@heartlandaea.org.
As school districts are deciding if they will offer voluntary or required continuous learning options for students, you might be getting some questions related to online delivery for those options. The instructional technology team at Heartland AEA will continue to support schools on this journey. Please read their newsletter and learn about the large array of support and resources they are offering schools. Share this with your colleagues as they reach out to you.
Their newsletter references the Online Learning in Emergency Situations module created by AEA Learning Online. The outcomes of this 2-hour module are to:
- Understand the context of emergency learning, and how it intersects with online learning
- Analyze the key components of successfully implementing emergency learning, at grade-appropriate levels
- Identify the key components of online learning
- Connect to additional resources to go in-depth on those key components more
AEA Learning Online also publishes a Learning System Administrator Newsletter. They have been posting new information and resources several times a week. If you are interested, this would be another learning source for you in this area.
The Health Well Foundation is providing up to $250 assistance to families for delivered food, medication, diagnostics, transportation and telehealth as a result of COVID-19 risk or incidence. The COVID-19 Ancillary Fund is available to those with incomes under 500% of the federal poverty level. Applications are done by calling (800) 675-8416. Share with anyone who may need this resource.
To qualify for assistance through the COVID-19 Ancillary Fund, the following eligibility requirements must be met:
- You or a member of your household have a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 OR
- You or a member of your household are part of a high-risk group that should be especially mindful of contact with COVID-19 (including, but not limited to, immunocompromised patients, the elderly, infants) OR
- You reside in a geographic area within the United States or one of its territories where COVID-19 is prevalent OR
- You or a member of your household had a physician or health care provider, or any other official recommend self-quarantine regarding exposure to COVID-19 AND
- Your income falls within 500% of the Federal Poverty Level
