Friday, October 25, 2013
Superintendents: November 2013 HAA Agenda
Click here to download the agenda for the November 5 HAA meeting. Meeting topics include a session with SAI Legal Counsel Matt Carver about school safety and related legal issues and breakouts dealing with district-wide technology and negotiations.
October 2013 AEA PD Online & AEA K-12 Online Updates
The October 2013 AEA PD Online and AEA K-12 Online updates are now available. For real time updates, follow AEA PD Online on Twitter @aeapdonline or download our app at http://myapp.is/aeapdonline.
AEA PD Online
• Find out how Moodle 2.5's Drag and Drop Feature makes adding images and files easier
• Now Available: AEA PD Online Training System Level One Investigator Training
• Upcoming Courses: November 1-December 15, 2013
• External Partner Webinars and Events
AEA K-12 Online
• Connected Educator Month: Network to Learn, to Collaborate, and to Innovate
• A View from the Field: Angie Emerick
AEA PD Online
• Find out how Moodle 2.5's Drag and Drop Feature makes adding images and files easier
• Now Available: AEA PD Online Training System Level One Investigator Training
• Upcoming Courses: November 1-December 15, 2013
• External Partner Webinars and Events
AEA K-12 Online
• Connected Educator Month: Network to Learn, to Collaborate, and to Innovate
• A View from the Field: Angie Emerick
Iowa ASCD to Host 4th/5th Grade Teacher Conference
Are you looking for opportunities for your fourth- and fifth-grade teachers to see quality implementation of the Iowa Core? Are you wanting to impact the learning of your teachers and their students? Register your teachers now so they can learn from practitioners - other fourth- and fifth-grade teachers - and go home with ideas, tools, strategies, information, and networking opportunities. (And be sure to watch the tweets from @IowaASCD - lots of tips for fourth- and fifth-grade teachers of reading!)
Iowa Teachers will provide learning opportunities around these 3 strands:
Iowa Teachers will provide learning opportunities around these 3 strands:
- Teaching for Understanding – Curriculum Strand: What do all students need to learn, know and be able to do? How do we in our building/grade level connect our teaching with the students’ learning expectations identified around “the core”?
- Assessment for Learning – Assessment Strand: How do we know that students have learned? How do we use assessments to assess and diagnose our students’ progress in learning? How do we adjust our instruction based on the results of the formative assessments to implement the Iowa Core?
- Teaching for Learner Differences – Instruction Strand: How do we plan and deliver instruction so that we meet the needs of all learners in our classroom? How do we respond if students struggle or don’t learn and how do we respond when students have already learned?
- Date: December 4, 2013; Registration is from 7:45-8:30. Starting at 8:30 .
- Location: Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona, IA (just east of Des Moines)
- Fee: $100 for members of Iowa ASCD or ISEA; $150 for non-members
- Register on line with a credit card at https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1317768
- Mail a check/purchase order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith, Room 123, Drake University School of Education, 3206 University, Des Moines, IA 50311
- Email with attached purchased order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith at bridget.arrasmith@drake.edu.
- FAX purchase order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith at 515.271.2233.
ESL Family Literacy/Parent Involvement Mini-Grant Opportunity
Districts with ESL students are eligible to write for additional money to support sustained activities that promote family literacy and/or parent involvement of their ESL students and families. Please consider submitting a proposal. Click here to view the guidelines. If you have any questions, contact ESL/Diversity Consultants Stephaney Jones-Vo (sjones-vo@heartlandaea.org) or Pat Latham (platham@heartlandaea.org).
2013-14 Staff & Schools Directory Now Available
Click here to download the 2013-14 Staff & Schools Directory. Updates to our PeopleBox database and the conversion of staff to new email addresses delayed the completion of the directory, but it is finally complete!
Schmidt Named 2014 Teacher of the Year
Jane Schmidt, a longtime teacher
known for her leadership, her ability to connect with students, and her
commitment to improvement, is the 2014 Iowa Teacher of the Year.
“Great teachers make a world of difference for their students, for their colleagues and for their communities,” Branstad said. “The Lt. Governor and I congratulate Jane Schmidt, who is a true role model for both students and teachers.”
Schmidt, a 33-year teaching veteran from Delmar, is an eighth-grade literacy and language arts teacher at Maquoketa Middle School in the Maquoketa Community School District.
Schmidt’s leadership extends well beyond the classroom. She serves as a teacher mentor at her school and, in a new role this fall, she coaches educators, refines curriculum and gauges the effects of teaching practices across the school district. Schmidt also will help her school district craft a teacher leadership and compensation plan, an opportunity made available by the education reform law adopted by Iowa legislators this year.
“I love schools, and I’ve never been tired of teaching,” Schmidt said. “It’s always been my passion, and it’s always given me purpose. I think that’s all we ask of a career – that, and a commitment to continuous improvement.”
Schmidt works with her students to nurture not only a love for reading and writing, but also a deep understanding of the importance of literacy. She recently shared with her students a study on college dropouts that showed a link to an inability to keep up with the reading.
Schmidt’s classes also emphasize communicating effectively, both in small groups and one on one. “In this era of texting, that face-to-face communication doesn’t always take place and it’s important,” she said.
“We hear from employers that kids don’t know how to communicate, how to talk, so it’s something we have to focus on.”
Schmidt says she was inspired to become a teacher as a teenager, when she volunteered at a summer camp for children with special needs during high school and then volunteered at a laboratory school as a freshman at Illinois State University. Her teaching roots began in special education. Through that experience, she developed a love for literacy instruction and went back to school to earn endorsements in reading and language arts.
Schmidt’s spirit of self-improvement never waned. She earned National Board Certification in 2004, after witnessing a dramatic impact the credential had on one of her own children’s teachers. In May, Schmidt earned a second master’s degree. She also has learned how to use video and other technology to incorporate digital storytelling into her classes.
“This ‘digital immigrant’ feels strongly that our instruction must include technology if we are to relate to the ‘digital natives’ in our classrooms and prepare them for the 21st century,” Schmidt wrote in her Iowa Teacher of the Year application.
Schmidt started her teaching career at a special education cooperative in Valparaiso, Ind. She taught special education in the Davenport Community School District for seven years before coming to Maquoketa in 1989. She also has been a special education consultant at Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency in Davenport. Schmidt has taught language arts and reading at Maquoketa Middle School since 1997.
Finalists for the Iowa Teacher of the Year award are:
“Great teachers make a world of difference for their students, for their colleagues and for their communities,” Branstad said. “The Lt. Governor and I congratulate Jane Schmidt, who is a true role model for both students and teachers.”
Schmidt, a 33-year teaching veteran from Delmar, is an eighth-grade literacy and language arts teacher at Maquoketa Middle School in the Maquoketa Community School District.
Schmidt’s leadership extends well beyond the classroom. She serves as a teacher mentor at her school and, in a new role this fall, she coaches educators, refines curriculum and gauges the effects of teaching practices across the school district. Schmidt also will help her school district craft a teacher leadership and compensation plan, an opportunity made available by the education reform law adopted by Iowa legislators this year.
“I love schools, and I’ve never been tired of teaching,” Schmidt said. “It’s always been my passion, and it’s always given me purpose. I think that’s all we ask of a career – that, and a commitment to continuous improvement.”
Schmidt works with her students to nurture not only a love for reading and writing, but also a deep understanding of the importance of literacy. She recently shared with her students a study on college dropouts that showed a link to an inability to keep up with the reading.
Schmidt’s classes also emphasize communicating effectively, both in small groups and one on one. “In this era of texting, that face-to-face communication doesn’t always take place and it’s important,” she said.
“We hear from employers that kids don’t know how to communicate, how to talk, so it’s something we have to focus on.”
Schmidt says she was inspired to become a teacher as a teenager, when she volunteered at a summer camp for children with special needs during high school and then volunteered at a laboratory school as a freshman at Illinois State University. Her teaching roots began in special education. Through that experience, she developed a love for literacy instruction and went back to school to earn endorsements in reading and language arts.
Schmidt’s spirit of self-improvement never waned. She earned National Board Certification in 2004, after witnessing a dramatic impact the credential had on one of her own children’s teachers. In May, Schmidt earned a second master’s degree. She also has learned how to use video and other technology to incorporate digital storytelling into her classes.
“This ‘digital immigrant’ feels strongly that our instruction must include technology if we are to relate to the ‘digital natives’ in our classrooms and prepare them for the 21st century,” Schmidt wrote in her Iowa Teacher of the Year application.
Schmidt started her teaching career at a special education cooperative in Valparaiso, Ind. She taught special education in the Davenport Community School District for seven years before coming to Maquoketa in 1989. She also has been a special education consultant at Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency in Davenport. Schmidt has taught language arts and reading at Maquoketa Middle School since 1997.
Finalists for the Iowa Teacher of the Year award are:
- Aaron Maurer, a gifted education teacher and instructional coach at Bettendorf Middle School in Bettendorf
- Kari Murray, a science teacher at Carlisle High School in Carlisle
- Jon Parrott, an 8th grade social studies teacher at Urbandale Middle School in Urbandale
- Kristi Wickre, a special education teacher at Smouse Opportunity School in Des Moines (Des Moines Public Schools)
- Elaine Wolf, a culinary arts teacher at Central Campus in Des Moines (Des Moines Public Schools)
Friday, October 18, 2013
Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant Planning Meetings
Heartland Area Education Agency has been working with West Wind Education Policy to develop a series of workshops to help districts develop their Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grants. Click here for more detailed information including where to register.
The purpose of this workshop series is to prepare local districts to make informed decisions about teacher leadership and compensation models. The goals are to enable each participating district team to submit a compelling and competitive plan to implement a local teacher leadership and compensation system to the Iowa Department of Education and be well positioned to implement their plans, if funds are awarded.
Teacher Leadership and Compensation System Planning Sessions
Workshop 1: Gather Information
October 30, 2013
Johnston Office, Rooms 13A & B
Workshop 2: Consider Designs
November 13, 2013
Johnston Office, Rooms 13A & B
Workshop 3: Craft Your Plan
December 2, 2013
Johnston Office, Rooms 13A & B
Workshop 4: Organize Your Application
January 13, 2014
Johnston Office, Rooms 13A & B
All workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. The lunch break will be short and food will be provided by Heartland AEA.
Registration will close on Thursday, October 24. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Fangman at kfangman@heartlandaea.org or (515) 201-3744.
The purpose of this workshop series is to prepare local districts to make informed decisions about teacher leadership and compensation models. The goals are to enable each participating district team to submit a compelling and competitive plan to implement a local teacher leadership and compensation system to the Iowa Department of Education and be well positioned to implement their plans, if funds are awarded.
Teacher Leadership and Compensation System Planning Sessions
Workshop 1: Gather Information
October 30, 2013
Johnston Office, Rooms 13A & B
Workshop 2: Consider Designs
November 13, 2013
Johnston Office, Rooms 13A & B
Workshop 3: Craft Your Plan
December 2, 2013
Johnston Office, Rooms 13A & B
Workshop 4: Organize Your Application
January 13, 2014
Johnston Office, Rooms 13A & B
All workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. The lunch break will be short and food will be provided by Heartland AEA.
Registration will close on Thursday, October 24. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Fangman at kfangman@heartlandaea.org or (515) 201-3744.
Network Maintenance Scheduled Oct. 24
On Thursday, October 24, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m., the ICN and Heartland AEA will be installing a new network switch and will transition the PK-12 school traffic to a new 10Gb interface.
During this maintenance window, some of the school Internet services will be restored sooner than the others, but we will try to keep the downtime for each school to a minimum. This upgrade will also affect Heartland AEA web services during the scheduled hours.
We apologize for the inconvenience, but appreciate your patience as we do this necessary upgrade. Please contact Tuan Dao, Network Administrator, at (515) 473-6702 if you have any questions.
During this maintenance window, some of the school Internet services will be restored sooner than the others, but we will try to keep the downtime for each school to a minimum. This upgrade will also affect Heartland AEA web services during the scheduled hours.
We apologize for the inconvenience, but appreciate your patience as we do this necessary upgrade. Please contact Tuan Dao, Network Administrator, at (515) 473-6702 if you have any questions.
IEC partners with Vintage Tech to Offer FREE Electronics Recycling
Click here for a form to list your equipment counts and arrange a recycling pickup. Completed sheets can be submitted to Brendan Wittry bwittry@vintagetechrecyclers.com.
Vintage Tech Recyclers will arrange a pickup at your facility so you don't have to transport your recycled items. This service is FREE unless you are requesting specialized audit or data destruction services.
Accepted items include: computers, wires and cables, scanners, laptops, computer parts, microwaves, CRTs and LCDs, battery back-ups, cell phones, monitors, computer mice, CD/VCR/DVD players, printers, keyboards, stereo equipment, televisions, MP3 players, fax machines, PDAs and video game consoles.
Follow the links below for more information:
Data security
Certifications and Affiliations
Recycle Your Apple Equipment
Upcoming IEC Ordering Dates
Health & First Aid
Now-Dec. 31
Light Bulbs & Ballasts
Oct. 14-Mar.
Copy Paper
Nov. 25-Jan. 10
IASL Books
Jan. 2-Feb. 14
Friday, October 11, 2013
Hold the Date: Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant Planning Meetings
October 30, 2013
November 13, 2013
December 2, 2013
January 13, 2014
Districts will be able to send up to four participants and are encouraged to bring representation from stakeholder groups on their district planning team. Meeting outlines and registration will be released next week. If you have any questions, contact Kevin Fangman at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.
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