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
As districts begin to develop their Return-to-Learn plans, Heartland AEA has seen a substantial increase in professional learning requests related to instructional technology support for distance and blended learning. In order to meet the increased demand and provide support in a timely manner, beginning June 1, Heartland AEA’s Instructional Technology Team will centrally coordinate all professional learning requests.
What this looks like for your district
District and school leaders will continue to place instructional technology requests with the instructional technology consultant assigned to their region. The request will be quickly processed by the instructional technology team and they will determine who is available to provide support. It may be that your assigned consultant will be handling the request, or it may be reassigned to another consultant whose calendar and expertise best fits your needs.
Heartland AEA is dedicated to providing high quality professional learning support in a timely manner to our districts. We believe this temporary change in our service delivery model will allow us to better meet your needs during the unprecedented time of COVID-19 and the professional learning demands that come with it.
The ordering window for AEA Purchasing’s Summer '20 paper buy has been extended! Orders are now being accepted by The Paper Corporation through June 12, 2020.
Complete information and order forms are available online. Go to: Paper Buy-AEA Purchasing.
- Wide variety of paper weights, colors and sizes
- Additional discounts for orders of 840+ cartons of white
- Letter and catalog envelopes
Bid features Include:
AEA Purchasing is formed under the Code of Iowa as a 28E entity and is an initiative of Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. The goal of AEA Purchasing is to combine the purchasing power of Iowa school districts to offer aggressive pricing on materials, goods and services. Participation in AEA Purchasing is without cost to Iowa's schools and our other eligible clients in that it is funded by small fees paid by the vendors. Feel free to contact us at: www.aeapurchasing.org
Questions? Contact Laurie at AEA Purchasing today!
Most summers Heartland AEA hosts a book giveaway in our office in Johnston to any and all educators in our service area. Following that tradition but with a twist, this year we are offering books to 10 districts so they can distribute books to students to keep. We have approximately 750 used books and 250 new books so 10 districts will receive about 100 titles. Your staff can preview the titles for appropriateness before giving to the students. If more than 10 districts express an interest, there will be a drawing. Please let us know your interest by June 2 by completing the Heartland AEA Book Giveaway Form.
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 every week for well-being resources, tips and fun and share with colleagues and families!
This week features:
- Inspirational Quotes to Get Us Through the Coronavirus Shutdown
- 6 Essential Foods for Boosting Your Work Focus
- Burst Your Thirst Challenge
- Hilarious Pick-Up Lines Just for a World in COVID-19
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
Did you know that almost 60% of seniors in the Class of 2020 are reconsidering their postsecondary school choice due to COVID-19 closures? That’s over 20,000 Iowa high school seniors. Do you know how many of your students are reconsidering their plans?
While many of you are already connecting with your graduating seniors, AEA PREP is sharing this resource to assist you in organizing and focusing your response to the needs of your seniors as we close out the 2020 school year.
The attached document provides step-by-step strategies to ensure the Class of 2020 successfully pursues their postsecondary plans and includes resources to collect data or use existing data from your seniors to organize follow-up supports. These are Iowa-specific resources, adapted from this National College Attainment Network (NCAN) document.
This work should be done in collaboration with a team of educators consisting of school personnel with additional capacity or existing relationships with students who can share in this work. Additionally, the information collected in this process will help your school complete the post-graduation plans required for state reporting (SRI).
If you have questions about this message or the attachment, please send messages to questions@aeaprep.org.
Polk County Health Services is hosting a webinar series for schools and businesses as we begin to look at returning to school and work. The “Cultivating Resilience: Mental Health Supports in the Workplace/in Schools” will be a short, interactive refresher on cultivating resilience in the classroom and at work! This webinar will cover a return to learn plan that:
- Gives tactical examples to help employees return to work
- Adds extra support as many have experienced fear, trauma, grief or depression due to COVID-19
- Informs about mental health and social emotional learning and the importance of connections
- Helps you find a new normal post-pandemic
To sign up for the webinar follow the links below!
Schools
Workplaces
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 every week for well-being resources, tips and fun and share with colleagues and families!
This week features:
- 25 Daily Affirmations to Improve Your Mindset
- Daily Stretches You Should Practice When Working from Home
- The Positive Psychology Podcast - Bringing the Science of Happiness to Your Earbuds
- Talking Dog Gives Tips on Living Right During the Coronavirus Crisis
Apoyos de Educación Especial Para Escuelas Públicas de Iowa Durante COVID-19
The Spanish version of the Special Education Supports is now available. It has also been added to the top of the Special Education Supports and the individual enrichment opportunities have been added as well. The Spanish version has also been added to the COVID-19 resources on our website.
Last week the Iowa Department of Education announced the release of new resources to support districts and schools as they work on their Return-to-Learn Plans. These resources have been developed jointly by the Department with Iowa’s AEAs and can be found on a new Iowa Return to Learn Support site. Use the headings at the top of the home page to navigate to the area you want to explore.
New Releases:
Required Continuous Learning
- R2L Tech Integration Framework for Online Instruction
Iowa Academic Standards
- Unit Acceleration Planning Activity
- Planning Protocol for Accelerated Learning
Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health (SEBH)
- SEBH R2L toolkit
- SEBH R2L action planning tool (to be used with toolkit)
Health & Safety
- AEA Learning Online Module R2L: Health and Safety - District Leadership Teams
These resources are provided for your convenience and are not required. The Department will continue to provide new resources on the site multiple times each week, so check back frequently.
