Click here to download the September Heartland Administrators Association meeting agenda. The meeting will be held from 9:00-11:50 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6 (the day after Labor Day) at the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive) in Room 13A and B. It is open to all superintendents in the Heartland service area. No registration is necessary.
Book Provided as a Resource for Learning
All participants will be provided with a copy of: Skillful Leader II: Confronting Conditions that Undermine Learning, by Alexander D. Platt, Caroline E. Tripp, Robert G Fraser, James R. Warnock, and Rachel E. Curtis
The book will be used to frame our study of the conditions that need to be in place to accelerate student learning…and what to do about those conditions that undermine it. Some of the topics discussed will include:
- Collaborative learning and leadership structures
- Community engagement
- Supportive learning environments
- Use of data
- Effective educators (Improving hiring, induction and evaluation to support learning, principal development, impacts of contracts and collective bargaining on improving learning conditions)
- Supporting effective instructional and assessment practices to deliver a high quality curriculum
In addition to the Skillful Leader II, the facilitators will introduce supplemental readings from the current work of some of the leading researchers and authors in the field of educational leadership. Multiple copies of each of these books will be available for checkout by participants at before and after each session.
Schools and districts scheduled for a site visit during the 2011-2012 school year, as well as those volunteering to be a member of a site visit team, are strongly encouraged to attend one face-to-face training session. The time scheduled within Heartland AEA is September 6, 2011 from 1:00-3:30 p.m. at the Heartland Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston).
Materials needed for the school improvement part of the training are available on the Department of Education website at http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1558&Itemid=2342
You may also find helpful, the series of video clips that were developed for the 2010-11 site visits. You can access these video clips at
http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2038
Many schools are heading down the path of preparing students for the 21st century through the use of technology. If you are interested in sending teachers or attending an exceptional technology in education conference, check out ITEC. ITEC (Iowa Technology in Education Connection) will be on October 16-18 and hosted in Des Moines, IA at the Polk County Convention Center.
October 17 & 18 will include one-hour conference breakouts, but on October 16 there will be a lineup of hands-on workshops. The featured workshop offerings this year are mentioned in the digital flyer attached in the Administrator Connection. Also, if you are interested in registering more than 10 individuals, there are group discounts available. Contact Jeff Sypersma at jsypersma@nwaea.org for group rates.
Please forward the below information to your school counselors. Register for workshops and classes through the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog.
Preparing your School Counseling and At-Risk Program for a DE Site Visit
Date: September 14, 2011
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive) in Room 13B
Activity Number: CN05292111201
Come join Sue Schirmer (Heartland AEA) and Susan Walkup (DE) for a review of what to prepare and organize for your DE Site Visit.
Refining Your School Counseling Program
Date: October 18 and December 1, 2011
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center in Room Room 13A
Activity Number: CN005392111201
K-12 School Counseling programs in the state of Iowa are required to be articulated and sequential. They are also required to be comprehensive in scope, preventive in design, developmental in nature, driven by data and integral to the school district's curricula and instructional program. This two-day course is designed to assist teams of school counselors and administrators to analyze their current programming, determine gaps and create plans to fill those gaps.
Secondary Counselor Advisor/Advisee Work Day
Date: October 20, 2011
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center in Rooms 3, 4 and ICN
Activity Number: CN005892111201
Struggling with your advisor/advisee curriculum, planning, resources and ideas? Load up what you have and come to this one-day workshop prepared to share and learn!
Counselor Academy III: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Date: October 27 and December 7, 2011
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center in Room Room 13A
Activity Number: CN004392111201
Counselor Academy III has been changed a bit this year. This two-day experience is a professional development opportunity for counselors to review, write and problem-solve curriculum; work on instructional strategies and design formative assessments for the K-12 school counseling program. Participants have the option of earning one license renewal credit or graduate credit upon successful completion of the program.
Using Data to Drive Your School Counseling Program (statewide on-line course)
Time: November 28, 2011-February 13, 2012
Activity Number: 22004799991201
This two-credit on-line learning opportunity is open to all counselors in the state. The goal is to recognize how to use data to support the work of the school counseling program. Participants will walk through the process of evaluating data, uncovering the “root cause,” selecting and administering interventions, then reviewing the results.
I Have a Plan Workshops
We are in the planning stages for IHAPI, Financial Literacy and PAWS in Jobland (Elementary career) Workshops. Watch for registration information in the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog.
As always, make sure your school counselors are on our list serve! Contact Sue Schirmer at sschirmer@aea11.k12.ia.us for more information.
Heartland AEA is again offering gifted and talented learning opportunities and support for administrators, curriculum staff and teachers. In addition to what was communicated in a previous Administrator Connection, the following are two other opportunities being offered this fall.
New GT Teacher Orientation
If your district has teachers of gifted who are new to this job responsibility, Heartland will be hosting New GT Teacher Orientation on September 12 from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at the Johnston Regional Education Center. For a complete description and to register for this session, go to the through the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog and enter Activity Number GT007192111201 in the correct field
Best Practices in Gifted Education: Site Visit Preparation
If your district will be receiving a Department of Education Site Visit this year and would like some guidance regarding gifted and talented programming as you prepare for that visit, Best Practices in Gifted Education: Site Visit Preparation might be just what you're looking for. This session will be held September 30 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. For a complete description and to register for this session, go to the through the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog and enter Activity Number GT00769211101 in the correct field.
If you have questions about either session, please contact Mary Schmidt at mschmidt@aea11.k12.ia.us or (515) 270-0405 ext 14375.
Think of a counseling colleague… someone with whom you work, someone from whom you find support, someone whose counseling program supports the ASCA standards, someone who does the extra to support his/her students, someone who makes a true difference and is a credit to the school counseling profession. Doesn’t this individual deserve statewide recognition by his/her peers?
Then take a few minutes and nominate a fellow counselor by submitting an application for an Iowa School Counselor of the Year Award. Your nominee must be a current member of ISCA as of October 1, 2011. Here are the steps:
- Write a letter of recommendation and include the award category (elementary; middle school/junior high; high school or multilevel.)
- Attach a vita for the nominee.
- Write a statement describing the program, activity and/or contribution demonstrating the individual ‘s worthiness to receive this award.
The application procedure is also detailed under Awards and Grants at the ISCA website, www.iowaschoolcounselors.org. Questions about the application process can be directed to Sue Farran at sfarran@prairiepride.org or (319) 848-5510.
Applications can be faxed Attn: Sue Farran at (319) 848-5515 or mailed to the following:
Sue Farran
Prairie Point Middle School and 9th Grade Academy
401 76th Ave. SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
The deadline for application submission is October 11, 2011.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not infer sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
Even though the topic of Creativity is usually thought to be the domain of art teachers, the Art Educators of Iowa (AEI) believe that it is important for ALL classroom teachers. AEI is pleased to announce its fall conference on October 7-9 in Downtown Des Moines. The conference will be held at a variety of locations, including the Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel, the East Village and Grand View University. For more information about the AEI Fall Conference, the conference schedule and registration information, go to the AEI website at http://www.artedia.org/. Please share this information with interested staff, especially K-12 visual art teachers, GT teachers and/or curriculum directors.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not infer sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
