Youth Mental Health First Aid Course Coming June 13

District school staff within the Heartland AEA service who work primarily with youth age 12-18 are invited to attend this course. Through the Youth Mental Health First Aid curriculum, participants will learn about the prevalence of various mental health disorders impacting youth, and how to recognize the warning signs or mental health problems that my impact a youth’s mental health and resiliency. Participants will become certified Youth Mental Health First Aiders. 

Youth Mental Health First Aid
Date: June 13, 2017
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston

Register at this link

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

Be Inspired at the 13th Annual Our Kids Summer Institute

Registration is open for the 13th Annual Our Kids Summer Institute for educators and administrators of English Learners, June 13-14, 2017 at Waukee High School in Waukee. Network with other educational professionals, discover new strategies for working with English language learners in Iowa and meet national and local experts to enrich practices for increasing EL achievement.

Featured speakers include:

Trudy Arriaga, Ed.D. - Administrator leader and advocate for ELs, first female superintendent of Ventura Unified School District where she began as a bilingual paraeducator

Fern Westernoff, Ph.D. - Speech language pathologist who earned her doctorate in ELL and merged two areas of expertise to inform her work in Toronto, the world’s largest K-12 EL population

Amy Hewett-Olatunde, Ed.D. - Minnesota’s 2015 Teacher of the Year

Major Sean Quinlan - Retired Major United States Marine Corp, ROTC Instructor at Des Moines’ North High School and former football coach featured with his team on ESPN during the 2017 Super Bowl and,

And, our amazing students!

Sessions will focus on:

• Serving English Learners with Disabilities
• Newcomer Considerations
• Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices
• ELs and Literacy Support
• Enhancing EL Instruction through Home Language Connections
• High Yield Strategies for ELs
• Successful District Programs
• First-person student voices

Registration
Registration is $150 and includes lunch, snacks, Go To Strategies, OELA Newcomer Toolkit and OELA English Learner Toolkit. Seating is limited to the first 500 registrants on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring a team! We hope to see you there!

Register by June 4 at this link

Note for Teachers and Administrators in the Heartland AEA area: Title III will refund the cost of registration ($150), plus an honorarium of $200 (totaling $350) to off-contract individuals for full attendance and participation. Claim forms will be available at the event.

Note for Districts implementing Corrective Action Plans (CAP) for English Learners: These districts are required to send a team in accordance with the Technical Assistance Requirement under Title III. Contact your AEA Title III Consultant for additional information and financial support.