The Family & Educator Partnership strives to provide families and the community training to help their students in the classroom. In doing so, Heartland AEA is excited to announce an upcoming learning session by Peg Dawson, Ed.D., a field expert on Executive Skills. This virtual training is designed to help students achieve success in school and in life. No prior registration is required.
Topic: Heartland AEA Parent Session
Date: Sept. 14, 2021 Time: 6:30 p.m. Central Time
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86014358711?pwd=VjQ1TmFWY3lBOUZSQlgvejRlaVpHdz09
Smart but Scattered: Helping Children and Teens Strengthen Executive Skills to Reach Their Full Potential
Executive skills are critical to the acquisition of academic skills, but, more importantly, they are the skills students need to get things done. They are brain-based skills such as task initiation, sustained attention, working memory, planning, organization, and goal-directed persistence that are absolutely critical to school success. Some students seem to acquire them naturally, but many students struggle with them. Dr. Dawson, co-author of the books Smart but Scattered and Smart but Scattered Teens, will describe how these skills develop throughout childhood and suggest strategies parents can use to help children acquire the critical skills they need to be successful students.
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 2018-19 meeting dates!
- Oct. 18, 2018
- Nov. 15, 2018
- Dec. 20, 2018
- Jan. 17, 2019
- Feb. 21, 2019
- March 14, 2019 (due to Spring Break)
- April 18, 2019
- May 16, 2019
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.
Are your students’ families really involved in their education? At this FREE event on June 18, participants will learn the importance of family engagement in the academic lives and success of learners and discover how to create a culture that is conducive to engaging every family in the school and classroom.
Engaging Every Family to Support Student Achievement
June 18, 2018
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Johnston Middle School Auditorium, 6501 NW 62nd Ave., Johnston
For more information, contact Terry Mendell, Heartland AEA Family & Educator Lead Coordinator, at (515) 270-0405 ext. 17135 or tmendell@heartlandaea.org.
Invited Audience: school administrators, teacher leaders, general and special education teachers
Presenter: Steve Constantino, Ed.D.
As a high school principal in 1995, Steve Constantino, Ed.D. became aware of research about the effects of family engagement on student learning and was convinced that this was the missing ingredient in helping all children learn. Using his high school as a laboratory, Dr. Constantino began to read more and more research and more importantly, figure out ways to apply it to his school. Steve’s work has gained national prominence as he’s traveled the United States speaking and working with all types of educators, school board members and businesses to promote sound practices in family engagement that result in increased academic achievement for all students.
A Guide to assist students 14 and older as they prepare for the transition from high school to adult life is available to download from our website. This guide provides information and ideas to assist families and educators with critical transition planning during a student’s high school years.
Who can benefit from this Guide?
- Students age 14 and older who have an IEP or 504 plan
- Families and educators of students age 14 and older who have an IEP or 504 plan
- Heartland AEA staff who provide transition services
- All those interested in transition information
Additional copies of this Guide are available through the Family & Educator Partnership (FEP). To find your FEP Coordinator, visit this page on our website, call Heartland AEA at (515) 270-9030 or (800) 362-2720 or call the Des Moines Public Schools at (515) 242-7556.
The Heartland AEA Family & Educator Partnership Resource Fair, Oct. 8, 2016, is an event for families to enjoy together. The Fair offers students with special needs and their families an opportunity to meet service providers from central Iowa. Adults can also attend presentations on challenging behavior or transitioning students to life after high school.
Heartland AEA Family & Educator Partnership Resource Fair
Date: Oct. 8, 2016
Location: Science Center of Iowa & Blank IMAX Dome Theater, 401 W Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, Des Moines, IA
Time: 9:00 a.m. - Noon
Families attending the fair receive free admission to the Science Center and free parking in the ramp. To enable parents' full participation in breakout sessions, stipends are available to bring along a childcare provider or assistant for your child.
Schedule
8:30 - 9:00 a.m. Registration
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Breakout Sessions:
~ Managing Your Child's Challenging Behavior
~ Life After High School: Transitions to Adult Services
10:00 a.m. - Noon Service Provider Tables Open
*The Science Center opens to the general public at 10:00 a.m. and families are welcome to explore at their leisure.
The former Parent & Educator Connection has a new name but is still focused on the same mission.
Iowa Family & Educator Partnership helps build positive partnerships between parents and educators so children with special needs are successful. FEP coordinators are parents of children or young adults with special needs, so they share a unique perspective with the families they serve. They provide support and information to families individually and through parent workshops and support groups. They also facilitate linkages between families, schools and community agencies.
Contact the FEP coordinator assigned to your school district if you need assistance or information.
The former Parent & Educator Connection has a new name but is still focused on the same mission.
Iowa Family & Educator Partnership helps build positive partnerships between parents and educators so children with special needs are successful. FEP coordinators are parents of children or young adults with special needs, so they share a unique perspective with the families they serve. They provide support and information to families individually and through parent workshops and support groups. They also facilitate linkages between families, schools and community agencies.
Contact the FEP coordinator assigned to your school district if you need assistance or information.
