Friday, November 8, 2019

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
growth gap graduation gateways

Shannon Suldo Returns to Iowa! Gain Understanding in Promoting Students’ Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health

Shannon Suldo, Ph.D., will 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.

Dr. Suldo is Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on youth happiness, and she has completed numerous studies to understand factors that explain differences in students’ levels of happiness.

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

Educator Feedback Needed for Mental Health Website

Iowa's AEAs are developing a website to support mental health in Iowa children ages 0-21, to be launched on July 1, 2020. This site is designed to be a one-stop shop for students, educators, caregivers, families and community partners to find mental health resources to assist all communities in the state of Iowa. We need feedback from educators. We are looking for the needs of Iowans that can best be addressed through an online website. Please share this with your colleagues and take a moment to complete the Iowa AEAs Mental Health website survey by Nov. 19.

Print Your ISASP Student Reports at Heartland AEA for $0.11/page

Heartland AEA will print single page, 2-sided, color ISASP Student Reports for $0.11 a page. Districts should follow their normal protocol for submitting print requests in Creative Services Online.

The person submitting the file should leave "Save To My Files" unchecked when they submit the print request. This protects students' personally identifiable information.

Library & Digital Newsletter

The Library & Digital Resources newsletter is now available. Make sure to follow the newsletter and share it with your colleagues!

In this issue…

  • Websites with lesson plans
  • PBS Learning Media and lesson plans
  • Licensing and images
  • New ebooks and digital audiobooks
  • Vaping resources
  • Copyright and book covers
  • Importance of notes (and AEA Scout)
  • School library grants
  • Order (instructional) posters online
  • Secondary Science DVDs

Tom Schimmer Continues Professional Learning in Standards-Based Learning Framework - Belief System and Implementation Considerations

This is a great opportunity to work through a game plan to shift beliefs around grading at your school!

Get your teams registered for additional learning opportunities in Standards-Based Learning with Tom Schimmer. Skinner returns to Heartland AEA in December to take participants into a deep dive into SBL Belief System and Implementation Considerations. 

Strand of SBL Framework: Belief System and Implementation Considerations
Dec. 3, 2019
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
FFA Enrichment Center, DMACC Ankeny Campus, 1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy., Ankeny

Registration link: http://bit.ly/33XkM8S (Course #181895)

Bring Teams to Universal Constructs Training, Create Future-Ready Learners

If critical thinking, creativity, flexibility and adaptability, collaboration, complex communication and productivity and accountability are some of the knowledge, skills and dispositions you desire for your students, then you would benefit from a way to design Universal Constructs into curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Using Universal Constructs to Design for Future-Ready Success
Dec. 5, 2019 and Jan. 13, 2020
8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Heartland AEA, Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA

  • Introduction to Universal Constructs and learning progressions
  • Connect the Universal Constructs to current district and state initiatives
  • Determine the instructional strategies that will be used to elicit student understanding of the Constructs
  • Modify lessons and/or assessments to incorporate the Universal Constructs
Register at this link: http://bit.ly/2W9k4CT (Course #181827)

Share This Networking and Support Opportunity with Your Parents and Caregivers of Students with Special Needs

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!

  • Nov. 21, 2019
  • 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.

Tech Integrationist and Google for Education Certified Trainer Eric Curts to Lead Webinar on Collaborative Learning Environment for All


This class is designed to help educators find ways to integrate collaboration into their classrooms. It includes a webinar, hosted in Zoom, with nationally-known blogger Eric Curts whose blog, Ctrl Alt Achieve, as well as blog posts and podcasts from other educational leaders, will be the focus of the course. This is the third course in Heartland AEA’s webinar series, designed to assist teachers in developing innovative methods of using technology to foster the 4C’s (Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication). This course is a hybrid course; all activities are offered online asynchronously with optional face-to-face opportunities. If you would enjoy working in a collaborative network of teaching and discover ways of using technology purposefully, this is the class for you!

Begins online Dec. 19
Register at this link: http://bit.ly/34savSh

Nov. 2019 BoEE Quarterly Newsletter

The Nov. 2019 BoEE Quarterly Newsletter is now available. In this issue:

  • Renewal tips
  • Preservice Substitute Authorization
  • December graduates
  • Hints for school administrators
  • Holidays
  • New location
  • Ethics – Social Media
  • Recent cases

Nov. 2019 School Leader Update

The Nov. 2019 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is now available.