Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities

CPI Initial Training, March 2, Halverson Center, - Training Only, No Credit
Course #180521- Click the link to register

REWARDS, March 6, Red Oak Office - Workshop Only, No Credit
Course #180317 - Click the link to register

Suicide Risk Assessment Training, March 13, Halverson Center - Training Only, No Credit
Course #180546 - Click the link to register

Paraeducator Recertification Boot Camp
March 21 & March 28, Halverson Center
April 18& April 25, Creston Office
May 2 & May 16, Red Oak Office
Course #189357 - Click the link to register

National Work-based Learning Conference Coming to Iowa

The Iowa Work-based Learning Conference is joining forces with ACTE to host a National Work-based Learning Conference. The conference will take place in Ankeny, Iowa at DMACC's FFA Enrichment Center.

Participants may choose between a one-day National Work-Based Learning Conference (April 22) OR a two-day National Work-Based Learning Conference & Iowa Work-Based Learning Conference (April 22 & 23)

All are welcome to register for the one-day or two-day conference. Learn More Here

Save the Date for Our 3rd Annual Learning Supports Symposium

Northwest AEA Summer Learning Conference

Northwest AEA invites you to join their summer learning conference June 24-25 at Briar Cliff University. Speakers include Jonathan Mooney and Alex Kajitani. See Flyer for More Information

Build With Bags Grant

Build With Bags is a grant that aims to help decrease the use of plastic bags by getting schools or parks outdoor furniture like benches, tables, and playground equipment that are made from recycled plastic bags. Applications are due March 30th.  Learn More Here

CAM High School Teacher Receives STEM Award

Shelly Miller from CAM High School was honored as our STEM region’s teacher of the year at a ceremony with Governor Kim Reynolds during STEM Day at the capitol this week. Congratulations, Shelly!

Mystery Science Subscription Renewed

Green Hills AEA is excited to announce that we will be renewing our subscription for Mystery Science for another 3 years (July 2020 through June 2023). Mystery Science is an online curriculum for K-5 grades. It can also be appropriate for middle school. The curriculum is hands-on and NGSS-aligned and supports the Common Core.

If you aren't familiar with the product, visit their website at www.mysteryscience.com

Earth Day Digital Poster Contest

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Green Hills AEA's Green Team is proud to sponsor a digital poster contest for elementary, middle, and high school students within its service area.

Requirements:
-Posters should be 24x36 inches (portrait or landscape)
-Posters must be digital, no physical posters will be accepted. If you aren't sure what program to use, we suggest www.canva.com
-Posters must be school appropriate

One winner will be chosen from each category: elementary, middle school, and high school.

The winners will each receive a printed adhesive poster for display at their school provided by Green Hills AEA. The winning artwork will be featured on the Green Hills AEA website homepage for the month of April. It will also be featured during the Green Team's presentation to all Green Hills AEA staff in August.

PLEASE NOTE: Only PDF and image files will be accepted. Any submitted files that are unable to be opened will be disqualified.

To submit your poster, please fill out this Google Form
Please feel free to share this opportunity with your students via this flyer.

Save the Date for the Iowa Learning Academy 2020

Please save the date for the first annual Iowa Learning Academy (ILA) on June 9-12, 2020 at the Iowa Events Center. Formerly the Special Education Symposium and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) June Institute, the ILA is designed to align statewide efforts to better support Iowa’s area education agencies (AEAs), school districts, and partnering agencies and organizations in the provision of leadership, instructional services, and other supports to promote the success of all learners.

Seven content strands will be offered across the four-day event, including College and Career Readiness, Early Childhood, Family and Community Engagement, Leadership, Literacy, Mathematics, and Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health (SEBH). More details are available here.

 Registration and More Information

Registration for the event is anticipated to open in March 2020. For more information on the event, please see the attached Save the Date flyer, or visit https://ila2020.eventbrite.com.

Assistive Technology Workshops: Low Tech Tools

Join us for an upcoming Assistive Technology Workshop this spring!

Mar 5th at the GHAEA Creston Office (registration deadline Feb 20th)
OR
April 28th at the GHAEA Avoca Office (registration deadline Apr 14th)

9 - 11:30 - Low tech supports for inclusive education

• Built-in Accessibility Features - Chromebook, iPad, Mac, Windows
• Free & low cost apps/extensions
• Writing tools - grips, special papers
• Visual aids - magnifiers, writing guides, overlays
• Math - stamps, coin-u-lator, math grids
• Reading - reading guides, highlighting tape, erasable highlighters
• Organization - folders, timers

12:30 -3:00 - Make & Take: Low Tech Solutions for Daily Living

• Recreation and Fun
• Meal Time
• Personal Care
• School

Who should attend? Anyone working with students

All sessions will be available face-to-face and zoom (a zoom link will be emailed to you following registration)
Zoom attendees for the Make & Take will need to collect needed supplies. A list will be emailed to you.

Lunch is on your own

Registration Link

GHAEA Sealed Bid Copier Auction

Green Hills AEA is holding a sealed bid auction for a Konica model 1200 copier. The offering is placed on our website and will close on February 21st at 4:30p.m.. The copier is located at our Halverson Center for Education, 24997 Hwy 92, in Council Bluffs and can be viewed by scheduling an appointment with Jamie Reid at 712-366-0503.

The minimum bid is $5,000. The copier will be awarded to the highest bidder, provided the price is offered and accepted. Bids will be submitted electronically via a Google Form. In the event identical bids are received, the winning bid will be the first bid that was submitted.  We will contact the awarded bidder on February 24th.  Successful bidders must pay and remove all item(s) awarded within 5 days after the auction has closed.

Iowa Teacher of the Year Nominations

Is the next Iowa Teacher of the Year at your school? Nominate them today!

Thousands of talented Iowa educators lead and inspire their students, but only one is chosen annually as the state’s ambassador to education. The deadline to nominate the 2021 Iowa Teacher of the Year is April 1.

The award is an opportunity to recognize an exceptional Iowa teacher who is helping redefine education. Nominations will be accepted from anyone, including students, parents, school administrators, colleagues, college faculty members, and associations (self-nominations, and nominations from family members are not accepted).

Nomination forms can be found at Iowa Teacher of the Year 2021.

The Iowa Teacher of the Year serves as an ambassador to education and as a liaison to primary and secondary schools, higher education, and organizations across the state.

George Anderson of Cedar Rapids was named the 2020 Iowa Teacher of the Year last month.

Iowa’s AEAs Seek Nominations for Annual Awards Recognition

Do you know someone who has made outstanding contributions to education and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs)? Please take a few minutes to nominate this person for recognition!

Iowa’s AEAs bestow three awards annually to outstanding candidates for their contributions to education and the work of Iowa’s AEAs. To submit a nomination, complete this application by Feb. 14, 2020. Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination.

Awards will be presented during the annual Iowa’s AEAs Boards of Directors’ Conference and the ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. on March 26, 2020 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston.

The three awards and criteria can be found below. Each nomination should include examples of why your nominee should receive the award.

1. Friend of the AEA Award
Acknowledges contributions by policymakers, citizens, board members, school district partners, businesses and organizations who have been great partners and demonstrate strong support for furthering the mission of Iowa’s AEAs. Open to all policymakers, citizens, board members, school district partners, businesses and organizations.

2. E. Robert Stephens AwardDr. E. Robert Stephens, better known as “Dr. Bob” and the father of Iowa’s AEAs, acknowledges contributions in the area of innovation and support to local districts, AEAs, the Department of Education and other partners/organizations. There should be evidence of outstanding contributions to the well-being of the educational community including:

• Benefits of this individual’s leadership;
• Creative leadership in inspiring and motivating others to achieve and contribute;
• Strong commitment to the profession by active participation in professional activities; and
• Evidence that the individual is respected by his/her colleagues and the community.

Open to AEA staff who serve in an administrative role and AEA board members.

3. Innovative Creator
Celebrates amazingly innovative and creative thinking and actions to get results for students, educators, Iowa’s AEAs, school districts and other partners. Open to all AEA staff, board members, educators, policymakers, students...we are all creators!

For more information, contact Connie Johnson, Iowa’s AEAs Communications Director, at (712) 335-6044 or cjohnson@plaea.org.

STEM BEST Webinar Series

Join us for the STEM BEST Webinar Series this spring! Each webinar is 3:30PM:

1. "Work-based Learning and STEM BEST: What is it and why do I need it?" - Feb. 12

• Overview of STEM BEST and work-based learning connection.
• Introduction to Osage and their district wide participation in work-based learning at all levels.
• Why they saw a need for WBL and what they have gotten from it.

2. “Tips to building partnerships with local business and industry.” - Feb. 24 

• Each will discuss how to Identify the partners in your area.
• What are the first steps in developing your partnership.
• Getting the right people at the table talking about their needs.
• Plan for meeting the needs of your community.

3. “Grant writing 101” - March 5

• Tips and tricks to effective grant writing.
• How to develop a budget.

4. “Cost-Share: What is it and how do I plan for it?” - March 10

• What is and what is NOT cost share.
• Share specific examples of how to meet cost-share requirements. 
• How to track and account for cost-share.

5. “How to navigate the Online Database for Application submission.” - March 31

• Cover deadlines associated with submitting application.
• Walk through step by step submission of completing an online database application.

Please click https://uni.zoom.us/j/849600201 or join from a phone line and dial: 1-646-558-8656 and press#

See flyer for details 

Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading & Spelling (LETRS)

Teachers, Not Programs, Teach Children to Read

LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading & Spelling) recently earned the International Dyslexia Association’s Accreditation (valid for five years)! Programs accredited by IDA’s program review and accreditation initiative are aligned with IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading (KPS). Alignment with the KPS provides programs with a comprehensive standards-based reading preparation framework to guide the development of their curriculum.

LETRS®, developed by renowned literacy experts Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Carol Tolman, is a flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–12 educators and provides teachers with the skills they need to master the fundamentals of reading instruction, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and language.

LETRS® empowers teachers to understand the:
WHAT - Priority skills focused on phonology, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension must be taught during reading and spelling lessons to obtain the best results for all students.
WHY - Effective reading instruction is complex with several related key components, based on current scientific research.
HOW - Explains spoken and written English language structures to students and how to implement instructional routines, activities, and approaches to differentiate instruction to meet literacy needs for all students.

For more information about the program or to schedule a training, contact one of the GHAEA Literacy Consultants listed below:

Classic LETRS (face-to-face training):
Lesley Ehlers, lehlers@ghaea.org (Modules 1-3)
Lynn Hockenberry, lhockenberry@ghaea.org (Modules 1-9)

Newly certified in the LETRS Units 1-4 (blended training):
Karen Hesse, khesse@ghaea.org
Sally Johnston, sjohnston@ghaea.org
Lynn Killpack, lkillpack@ghaea.org

Iowa Department of Education Releases New School Performance Results

The Iowa Department of Education today released new results and features in an online school accountability reporting system called the Iowa School Performance Profiles. 

The website shows:

• Updated scores and ratings for all public schools based on how they performed on a set of accountability measures in the 2018-19 school year
• Schools that have been identified for additional support and improvement based on their performance
• Additional data that are required by law but do not count toward accountability scores

Of particular note is that the latest scores reflect results of a new state test that was administered for the first time last spring.
The website also includes some new features, including a measure of postsecondary readiness for high schools, and new data, such as science assessment results and educator effectiveness. This fact sheet summarizes the changes.
“This is an important tool for parents, educators and other stakeholders to understand how their schools are performing,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise. “While the Iowa School Performance Profiles does not tell the full story about schools, the website can enhance conversations in local communities about the work to prepare students for success.”
School performance results show fewer Iowa schools were identified for Targeted Support and Improvement for having one or more student subgroup score fall as low as the lowest 5 percent of schools in the state. This is because many schools that were identified based on 2017-18 performance saw improvement for the identified student subgroup in the 2018-19 school year.
“This is a testament to the great work of our schools as well as the support provided by the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa’s area education agencies,” Wise said.
The overall distribution of schools by rating category also changed little. The High Performing category saw the highest increase (2.5 percentage points), while the share of schools in the bottom three rating categories (Acceptable, Needs Improvement and Priority) climbed by about 2 percentage points.
The Iowa School Performance Profiles, launched in 2018, meets state and federal requirements to publish report cards reflecting the performance of all public schools.

For more information, visit iaschoolperformance.gov.

Annual Reports on Iowa's Schools and Community Colleges Now Available

The Iowa Department of Education released the latest editions of two annual reports with statewide data and information about Iowa’s schools and community colleges: 

• The Condition of Education report includes data on preschool through 12th grade student populations and demographics, student achievement results, teacher and school administrator salaries and characteristics, technology readiness and school financial information.
• The Condition of Iowa’s Community Colleges report includes data on programs and services, student enrollment and demographics, student success and completion, college costs and affordability, instructional staff salaries and characteristics, and financial information. The report also includes success stories that illustrate how community colleges impact Iowans and the economy.

Highlights from each of the reports are from the 2018-19 school year unless otherwise noted.

Green Hills AEA Accepting 2020 Summer Course Proposals

If you would like to teach a 2020 summer course for Green Hills AEA, please fill out the Course Proposal in the statewide online registration system by March 25th -See below for instructions on how to do this:

Go to the AEA Professional Learning Registration System and log in to your account. The login information is the same as what you use to access the AEA Online training system - the same system where you take online trainings such as bloodborne pathogens, mandatory reporter, etc. 

1. After you are logged in, click on the Instructor Center tab, click on the Propose a Course tab, choose the New Instructor Led Course option, and then fill in all the required information. NOTE - If the Instructor Center tab does not appear for you when you are logged in, please contact Michelle Lidgett.
2. Click on the official "Submit Course for Review" button - the system will generate an automatic e-mail to Michelle Catterson, Professional Learning Coordinator, for review/approval.

Once your proposal has been approved, you will receive an e-mail from Michelle Lidgett, mlidgett@ghaea.org. Your course will be released in the system for online registration and included in the online catalog.

Please note: 2020 Summer Course Instructor Pay if an Independent Contract Agreement or Service Provider Agreement is applicable:

AEA Licensure Programs

$750 per credit with a minimum of 10 paying students  Agencies may choose to run courses with fewer than 10 in extenuating circumstances with administrative approval.  Fees would be adjusted for additional students:  $750 for up to 15 students $900 for 16 - 20 students  $1050 for 21 - 25 students  $1200 for 26 - 30 students  $1350 for 31 - 35 students  At 36 students, program administrators will add a second instructor or run two courses.  When instructors co-teach, they split the compensation for the course.  When a course splits into two courses, instructors will be paid according to the number of students in their course.

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail Jenny Barnett, Michelle Catterson, or Michelle Lidgett.

Thank you for considering teaching a summer course for Green Hills AEA!

Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunites

• Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Planning for Practitioners
• February 20, March 12, April 27 at the Halverson Office
• Register Here- Course #160659
• Paraeducator Recertification Boot Camp
• April 18, April 25 at the Creston Office
• Register Here - Course #189357
• Spring and Summer Drake University Offerings
• Green Hills AEA has partnered with the University of Northern Iowa to host several Think Tank and Leadership Camp opportunities near you this fall! Check out this flyer to learn more!
• OpenSciEd Trainings
• Thermal Energy: February 12th, March 23rd in Johnston
• Metabolic Reactions: February 27th, March 30th in Johnston
• Sound Waves: February 19th, March 25th in Johnston