Quality and affordable student planners are available for your school through Heartland AEA’s Creative Services Department. Planners have a plastic front and back cover, coil binding and contain intro pages, planner pages, note pages and numerous reference and resource pages from which to choose. The planners include a full-year calendar to accommodate extended year schedules.
Visit our website to choose your preferred cover design, planner pages and reference pages from our set styles for planners. Optional pages, such as hall passes, can be added for an additional fee. Place your orders by May 1, 2016 so they will be ready for the beginning of the school year.
For more information, contact the Heartland AEA Creative Services Department at (800) 255-0405 ext. 14368 or creativeservices@heartlandaea.org.
About 16 districts have started the online Request for Transportation Approval process for the 2016-17 year. You may check your district status here. Review the instructions and timelines including the updated video tutorials to complete the process. Districts are asked to begin the process this month and to complete step III by April 30.
Chapter 285.9(3) of the Iowa Code requires the Area Education Agency Board of Directors to approve all bus routes outside the boundaries of the school district operating the buses. This has been interpreted to mean regular routes and regular special education routes, not bussing for field trips or activity trips. The Code requires you to request permission from neighboring district(s) before any bus routes cross district boundaries.
For more information, contact Jenny Ugolini at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14441.
K-12 social studies teachers are invited to attend the 2016 Best Practices in Social Studies Institute, June 20-21 at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. The Institute is entirely FREE to attend and license renewal credit will be available.
Time will be devoted during the event to discuss the process for writing the draft of new social studies standards. Elementary teachers will also have the opportunity to attend the statewide elementary social studies professional development. In addition, sessions are planned for history content, a Supreme Court update, psychology, technology and much more.
View the at-a-glance schedule here.
Register here by May 10.
For more information, contact Stefanie Rosenberg Wager with the Iowa Department of Education at (515) 725-7842.
Do you have a student that loves technology? Someone who likes to talk about new products, security and encryption, driverless cars and reliable broadband in schools?
The Iowa Communications Network (ICN) has a wonderful opportunity for your technology savvy student!
The ICN is looking for 10th-12th grade students with powerful voices to share their perspectives on technology and broadband. Applications are now being accepted by April 11 for the Statewide Youth Broadband Advisory Council (SYBAC) for the 2016-2017 school year.
The SYBAC will be made up of 11 young leaders from across Iowa who will identify effective strategies to improve broadband connectivity and community environments, which could assist in advocacy efforts for rural Internet connectivity.
To apply for the Council, students can visit the SYBAC website or contact Lori Larsen at lori.larsen@iowa.gov.
Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise announced he is seeking input from Iowans on alternative ways to provide support to students in high-need schools under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which will replace the No Child Left Behind Act.
The Department is holding four public forums statewide to gather feedback. Iowans also can submit written feedback by sending an email to essa@iowa.gov.
Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.
Our Goals
- Increase learning growth for students
- Decrease the gap in achievement
- Increase annual graduation rates
- Increase gateways to post-secondary success
Heartland AEA’s Newton Regional Office is moving! As of right now, the Newton office will begin moving March 18 and will re-open in its new home at the Newton DMACC campus on March 28.
The new address of the Newton Regional Office will be:
600 N. 2nd Avenue W.
Suite 259
Newton, IA 50208
Heartland AEA is beginning year two of the online Request for Transportation Approval process.
Chapter 285.9(3) of the Iowa Code requires the Area Education Agency Board of Directors to approve all bus routes outside the boundaries of the school district operating the buses. This has been interpreted to mean regular routes and regular special education routes, not bussing for field trips or activity trips. The Code requires you to request permission from neighboring district(s) before any bus routes cross district boundaries.
Last year the process was completed for the first time using an online submission process. Please review the instructions and timelines to complete the process for 2016-17, including the updated video tutorials.
Districts are asked to begin the process this month and to complete step III by April 30.
For more information, contact Jenny Ugolini at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14441.
The 1st Annual Iowa Summit featuring Google for Education will take place May 1, 2016 at Saydel High School in Des Moines. This two-day, high-intensity event with Google employees and world-class educational technology leaders focuses on deploying, integrating and using Google Apps for Education (and other Google tools) to promote student learning in K-12 and higher education. Come a day early for specialized pre-summit workshops!
Date: May 1, 2016
Location: Saydel High School, 5601 NE 7th St, Des Moines, IA
For more information and to register, visit ia.gafesummit.com. Group rates are available!
For every employer competing in the global economy, attracting and retaining top-notch talent is the most critical challenge they face. So how does Iowa create a workforce that’s prepared to take on the world? How do we assure that more students and workers have the career opportunities they deserve? The Governor’s 2016 Future Ready Iowa Summit presents ways to build on the work underway to close the skills gap.
In addition to superintendents Dan Cox, Paul Gausman and Dave Wilkerson discussing work-based learning, a number of students are serving on panels, and there is a student video contest.
Date: April 19, 2016
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Location: Hy-Vee Hall, Hall C, 730 Third Street, Des Moines, IA 50309
Register by April 11
For more information on the Summit, visit Future Ready Iowa.
Each year, administrators on the School Administrators of Iowa (SAI) Representative Council choose two nominees for the position of vice president from application forms submitted. The two nominees are voted on by SAI members in April. The vice president is elected by a majority vote of active SAI members, serves a four-year commitment as a member of the SAI Executive Committee, and then moves through the chairs. One of this year's nominees is Art Sathoff, superintendent at Indianola Community Schools, who submitted this letter and summary of experience.
