It is time to register for the Iowa Culture and Language Conference. This year's conference will be held November 11-13, 2013 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. For more information about the conference and to register go to:
http://www.nwaea.k12.ia.us/en/programs_and_services/iowa_culture__language_conference/
Heartland Title III funds will support attendance by reimbursing your district for registration and substitute pay for the pre-conference and/or conference. Your district will also be reimbursed a total of $100 as a travel stipend.
Participants should register following your district's policy. After the conference, your district will submit one claim form for registration, sub pay and the travel stipend. Title III will reimburse directly to the district, not individuals. The claim forms will be made available in the Administrator Connection at the conclusion of the conference.
We encourage teams of classroom teachers, administrators and ESL teachers to attend.
Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) have selected Tom Lane to be its legislative liaison. Lane is the 2012-13 Superintendent of the Year selected by peers through the School Administrators of Iowa. He recently retired after 10 years as superintendent at Carlisle Community School District, where he also served as elementary principal.
Lane began his education career as a social studies teacher and has also been a counselor, coach and secondary principal. A graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in counselor education, Lane earned his administrative certification, specialist’s degree and doctorate in education leadership from Drake University.
“I’ve always valued the work of Iowa’s Area Education Agencies and had a passion for kids with special needs,” Lane said. “I am focused on building advocates for the AEAs at the grassroots level.”
Education is definitely a family business. His wife, Kathy, retired after a career as a first grade teacher. Son, Mark, is an elementary principal in Urbandale and son, Kelly, is an elementary PE teacher in Colorado Springs, CO. Daughter, Darcy, is legal counsel for the Board of Educational Examiners.
“I live 15 minutes from the Capitol, and I’ve always believed that talking and working with legislators was part of my responsibility to my colleagues,” Lane said. “As I considered other opportunities for work, I ultimately chose this work because it’s a great match for my passion and beliefs. I can’t imagine any better way to continue being involved in education.”
Dr. Norman Borlaug arguably did more to alleviate world hunger than anyone in history. To help celebrate his legacy, Iowa’s leaders have proclaimed October 16 as Dr. Norman Borlaug – World Food Prize Day. The World Food Prize Foundation has organized a series of events throughout the state for a week-long celebration and has coordinated with the AEAs to distribute a poster to promote awareness of Dr. Borlaug and global food security issues. A poster, accompanied by a letter from Gov. Branstad, will be delivered to each school via van delivery in the next two weeks.
On September 18, the Iowa Department of Education launched a public opinion survey of Iowans regarding the Next Generation Science Standards. The survey is part of a broader state effort to seek input on the new science standards, which represent a multi-state effort to develop a common set of learning expectations for students in kindergarten through high school.
The standards are internationally benchmarked and identify science and engineering practices and content with a focus on preparing K-12 students to go to college or to enter the workforce. To read the Next Generation Science Standards, visit http://www.nextgenscience.org/.
The survey will be open through Friday, October 11. To participate, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JBQM56P.
For more information about the Next Generation Science Standards Task Force, visit http://www.educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2951&Itemid=5238.
The last fall course for Assessing Academic Rigor will begin September 19 and run through November 12. This course is required for school administrators and other educational leaders responsible for evaluating educators who are renewing their licenses. Details for the course are below.
Dates: Sept. 19, Oct. 10, 22 & Nov. 12, 2013
Time: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Location: Johnston REC
Activity Number: AD013992111402
Heartland AEA will be hosting Google workshops designed for teachers and administrators from area school districts who have Google Apps for Education. Learners will explore using Google Apps for Education to communicate, collaborate and collect data. Teachers and administrators will have a choice in various sessions during each time period.
1st session choice: Gmail, Google Calendar
2nd session choice: Google Sites, Google Word Processing/Presentation
3rd session choice: Spreadsheet and Forms, Google+
4th session choice: Google Hangout, Using Scripts and Apps
If you are interested in attending, go to the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog and enter the activity number for the session you wish to attend.
Ames Office
November 4 from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Activity Number: TE100392111402
Adel Office
November 5 from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Activity Number: TE100392111401
Indianola, The Studio
November 15 from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Activity Number: TE100392111403
Click here to download the September 2013 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education. In this issue, look for a greeting from the DE’s new director, Dr. Brad Buck; details about grant money for school districts to establish competency-based education pilot projects and a couple of fun opportunities for students. In this month’s column, Policy Liaison Mike Cormack discusses new leadership and “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Attorney Nicole Proesch gives helpful advice about common student residency issues.
The Coon Rapids-Bayard school district will be hosting the West Central Technology Institute on Wednesday, October 30. Registration is open to area school administrators, educators, technology coaches and adult learners. Visit the Institute's site at https://www.smore.com/cy4t-west-central-iowa-tech-institute for more information.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
Click here for an invitation to the annual Iowa Council for the Social Studies conference (ICSS). This year's event will be held October 7-8 at the Prairie Meadows Conference Center, Altoona. Be sure to also check out the new ICSS website at http://www.iowasocialstudies.org/.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
Click here for flyer for the Iowa ASCD Fall Institute which will take place on October 8 and will feature Dr. Nell Duke, Professor University of Michigan.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
The Iowa Children's Museum is proud to present the second annual Robert E. Yager Active Learning Award. The award acknowledges outstanding educators who facilitate active learning in the classroom. If you would like to nominate educators in your area, go to http://www.theicm.org/get-involved/active-learning-award for more information. Please pass this information along this information to friends, colleagues and your local school districts.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
