Click here for a link to the May 2014 edition of the Each and Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education. In education, we talk a lot about the education slide during the summer break in which students fall behind from the previous school year. But in this issue, you will learn that Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency is doing something about it. Also find tips for parents to keep their students from falling behind.
Listed just below and just preceding the newsletter, there are a few conferences you may be interested in (one is this Saturday, so if you’re interested, you better get moving!).
Together We Can, Saturday, May 3
There is still time to register for this Saturday’s annual “Together We Can,” a statewide conference aimed at families, persons with disabilities and the professionals who help them. The daylong conference focuses on self-advocacy, and is hosted by ASK Resource Center. The conference will be held at the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. For more information, click here.
Avoid the summer slide: free reading and math programs, summer
This is an opportunity for students during the summer break to retain the knowledge they have built up in the preceding school year. And it’s done from the comfort and convenience of home. Click here for more information.
Parents as Presenters, Sept. 26-27
Parents, you know you have a story to tell. You are invited to apply for “Parents as Presenters – Sept. 26-27.” The workshop teaches and demonstrates the skills you need to effectively share your story with college students majoring in education and community providers. You will be learning and working with other parents who have children with disabilities during the workshop.
Participants are selected through an application process. The deadline for applying is June 2. The applicants selected to attend the workshop receive a stipend to assist with some of the expenses incurred by attending the workshop. There are no registration costs for attending the workshop. To apply, click here.
Some Heartland AEA leaders would like to recommend a book that has influencing some of their thinking – One Word That Will Change Your Life by Dan Britton. Five ebook copies are now available at through Heartland AEA’s Mackin VIA access at www.mackinvia.com. It’s a quick read with only 82 pages. Log in with your school’s online database username/password to access the book. If you do not know the login, ask your school librarian or contact the Heartland AEA Library at info@heartlandaea.org or (800) 255-0405 ext. 15799.
There are three other ebooks that may also be of interest:
• Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath
• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath
For an iPAD
Here’s the one-time step to create a personal account to read any Mackin ebook on your iPad.
Go to www.mackinvia.com on your laptop or iPad
Log in with your school’s username and password
Click the Backpack and choose any of the four options
You’ll see the option to Register. Create your account.
Log out of Mackin VIA.
Go to your iPad. If you have the latest Mackin VIA app the office pushed out in the last few months, you’re all set. If not, you’ll need to download the app from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id558020762?mt=8
Once the app is loaded, start typing your school’s name and select it when it comes up.
Enter your personal username and password you created above.
Taking Notes
Now that you have created a personal account, your iPad (and laptop) will remember any underlines, highlights and annotations you add to the ebooks. Here’s a four-minute overview video.
If you have questions or would like to suggest other ebooks for purchase, please contact Susan Schrader, Director of Resources and Library Services, at sschrader@heartlandaea.org.
We
have fielded many questions on when registration will be open for the
2014 Our Kids Summer Institute. Well, wait no more! Click here to register for this year’s event happening June 24 and 25.
Participants
will have the opportunity to network with other educational
professionals and to discover new strategies for working with English
Language Learners throughout Iowa. It is important to note that if your
school had to write a CAP (Corrective Action Plan) you must attend with a
team from your district. Heartland AEA will provide a $200 stipend for
area school staff members who attend both days. Districts are encouraged
to send teams of classroom teachers, administrators and ESL teachers.
