Wellness Weekly, a Shareable Resource for Districts

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:

• 5 Natural Ways to Boost Your Mental Health During Stressful Times
• 8 Steps to Combat Video Conference Fatigue
• Apps & Other Stuff: How to Tame Stress and Eliminate Reactivity in Less Than 8 Weeks
• Funnies: Returning to Work After Quarantine

COVID Recovery IOWA Offers Free Counseling to Any Iowan Affected by COVID-19

The State of Iowa has received nearly $1 million in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to offer free, virtual counseling to any Iowan who has been affected, in any way, by the COVID-19 public health emergency. COVID Recovery Iowa is available via video, chat or phone to Iowans of all ages and also provides groups online to find support and learn new strategies to cope with the effects of the pandemic in a variety of creative ways.

The program also offers a number of activities, including yoga, cooking classes, parent resources and more. Virtual support groups are available for parents and for pre-teens. Parents, your group will meet via Zoom on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. The pre-teen support group will meet via Zoom on Mondays at 4:30 and Thursdays at 1. Find out more by emailing Chelsea.Siefken@pathwaysb.org.

Iowans can access services through the following options:

• Call (800) 447-1985 to connect with a counselor specializing in rural issues and agriculture 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Call the Iowa Warm Line at (844) 775-9276 to connect with a peer counselor or request to get in touch with a COVID Recovery Iowa counselor
• Visit www.COVIDrecoveryiowa.org and complete a contact form and a counselor will get back to you

Facebook Twitter Instagram: COVID Recovery Iowa

DE Guidance: District Responsibilities to English Learners During COVID-19, Reopening Districts and School Activities July 1

District Responsibilities to English Learners During COVID-19

The Iowa Department of Education is releasing two new documents related to state and district responsibilities to English learners (ELs) during the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as a parent notice template. The details of each of the documents are described below.

Providing Services to English Learners (ELs) During the COVID-19 Outbreak Fact Sheet - Builds on the U.S. Department of Education’s May 18, 2020 fact sheet regarding the roles of states and districts in providing services to ELs during COVID-19-related school closures.

Home Language Survey Follow-Up Interview for Provisional Identification of ELs - Provides a protocol for provisionally identifying students as ELs during the COVID-19-related school closures.

2019-20 EL Program Provisional Identification and Placement Parental Notification Template - Provides a customizable template for districts to use when notifying parents and/or legal guardians about provisional placement decisions and related instructional services and supports.

Reopening Districts and School Activities July 1

New reopening guidance has been created in partnership between the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Department of Public Health as a resource for administrators to safely open districts and nonpublic schools and resume all school activities starting July 1. The guidance outlines health and safety requirements, illness reporting procedures and school district closure authority if the Governor proclaims a public health disaster. In addition, new Return-to-Learn supports are available on the Return-to-Learn Google site. You can find new items under special education, data, health and safety, and preschool.


The DE will continue to keep you informed of any new updates. All current guidance is included on the COVID-19 Guidance and Information page on their website with translated versions of documents available on the Translated COVID-19 Guidance and Information Documents page. In addition, recordings of the previous Zoom sessions can be found on their YouTube channel or on their COVID-19 Webinar Recordings for PK-12 School Administrators in Iowa webpage (along with PowerPoint slides as applicable).