Heartland has for many years maintained a database of area schools’ staff information. This system is an important part of our services to our districts. It provides the primary method for contacting school staff, including mail or van labels for packages, sending emails to set up meetings or notifying your staff of upcoming events, trainings, accreditation visits, or studies for the DE and many other purposes. As you can imagine, maintaining this system has been a huge task. We have struggled with keeping it accurate and up-to-date. There has been a lag between changes in the schools and the information being sent to us to update the information in our database.
So, we have created PeopleBox. Its web interface allows secure access for directly updating your staff records in our database. We’ve made it quick, easy and painless to use, while providing sufficient detail to help us keep your staff informed. The week of January 19th we will be sending an email to each building secretary, asking them to log into PeopleBox to verify or update the information we have on file for their building.
Our goal is to have all of school staff on file, not just teachers and administrators but also counselors, bus drivers, cooks, nurses, other secretaries, special education associates and any other staff members. Most staff should be on file already, and we are just requesting that you ask your secretarial staff to respond to our request in a timely manner.
The week of February 16th we will be sending an email to each District Superintendent’s secretary with a request that they identify staff who have special assignments or perform special functions such as At Risk Coordinator or Iowa Core District Contact. Heartland will not spam your staff with unnecessary emails, or send more than one of the same email to the same staff person as may have inadvertently been done in the past.
PeopleBox, provides a smart interface so that Heartland staff can contact your staff only in appropriate ways and only when necessary. We hope to have our building staff records up to date by February 16, 2009 and the district special assignment information entered by March 6, 2009. We hope you can help us meet this goal by urging your secretarial staff to help. Staff changes and special assignments can be updated any time as they occur going forward.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Suicide Prevention Presentations
Click on the following links to view notes on suicide prevention that were presented by Tom Downs, superintendent of Southeast Polk CSD, at the January 6 Heartland Administrators Association meeting. The first two files are Word documents and the third is a PowerPoint presentation.
Summary of Suicide Prevention Plan
Breaking a Suicide Culture
Suicide and Prevention: What We Know...
Summary of Suicide Prevention Plan
Breaking a Suicide Culture
Suicide and Prevention: What We Know...
Mandt Training at Heartland
Heartland continues to provide Mandt Training to district personnel within Heartland. The Mandt trainers present gradual and graded alternatives for managing challenging behaviors, using a combination of non-physical and physical techniques. The main goal is to learn how to effectively manage two people, yourself and the other person whom you deal with every day. Aggression can be dealt with more effectively by learning to manage yourself first and by using a system of gradual alternatives.
Recommendation for Who Should Be Trained
The most beneficial way to implement Mandt is through a systemic team approach, training a small team of staff (minimum of five) who are available to assist when needed. Recommended team membership consists of the building administrator, nurse, counselor, interventionist, special and general education teachers and program associates (any staff with flexibility to respond to student need). Although student specific associates are not recommended members of the team, they may be appropriate participants due to their in-depth involvement with some students across an entire school day. More specifically, student specific associates should be trained in individual student specific positive behavior support plans. Training all building staff in Mandt would not be recommended.
Types of Training
Mandt System for Managing People: initial two-day training (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
Recertification Training: designed for individuals currently certified in Mandt
• Annual recertification is required.
• A one-day recertification class (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) must be attended prior to the expiration date on the Certificate of Completion.
• If certification expires, the two-day training must be attended.
Training Delivery Options
In Heartland’s effort to build partnerships with our districts, there are various methods available to obtain the initial two-day or the one-day recertification Mandt System Training.
Within District Training:
This option may be used when there is a group of 20 staff who need training. The request for training should be directed to the Partnership Director within your region. As a result of the request, the district may be asked to host a training and open registration to other schools within the region.
Regional Training:
The Partnership Director may organize a regional training for groups of 15-20 participants. School districts may be requested to host a training and open registration to other schools within the region.
Catalog course open to all:
Heartland will continue to offer initial and recertification training. The schedule is available on Heartland’s Web site.
Physical Requirements
To be fully certified in Mandt, participants must be able to get up off the floor from a kneeling position.
Training Fees
There is a registration fee of $150 for the initial two day training and $75 for recertification.
Please direct questions about Mandt training to Cheryl Risen at crisen@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Recommendation for Who Should Be Trained
The most beneficial way to implement Mandt is through a systemic team approach, training a small team of staff (minimum of five) who are available to assist when needed. Recommended team membership consists of the building administrator, nurse, counselor, interventionist, special and general education teachers and program associates (any staff with flexibility to respond to student need). Although student specific associates are not recommended members of the team, they may be appropriate participants due to their in-depth involvement with some students across an entire school day. More specifically, student specific associates should be trained in individual student specific positive behavior support plans. Training all building staff in Mandt would not be recommended.
Types of Training
Mandt System for Managing People: initial two-day training (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
Recertification Training: designed for individuals currently certified in Mandt
• Annual recertification is required.
• A one-day recertification class (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) must be attended prior to the expiration date on the Certificate of Completion.
• If certification expires, the two-day training must be attended.
Training Delivery Options
In Heartland’s effort to build partnerships with our districts, there are various methods available to obtain the initial two-day or the one-day recertification Mandt System Training.
Within District Training:
This option may be used when there is a group of 20 staff who need training. The request for training should be directed to the Partnership Director within your region. As a result of the request, the district may be asked to host a training and open registration to other schools within the region.
Regional Training:
The Partnership Director may organize a regional training for groups of 15-20 participants. School districts may be requested to host a training and open registration to other schools within the region.
Catalog course open to all:
Heartland will continue to offer initial and recertification training. The schedule is available on Heartland’s Web site.
Physical Requirements
To be fully certified in Mandt, participants must be able to get up off the floor from a kneeling position.
Training Fees
There is a registration fee of $150 for the initial two day training and $75 for recertification.
Please direct questions about Mandt training to Cheryl Risen at crisen@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Heartland Has Vast Array of Black History Month Resources
February is Black History Month and Heartland would like to remind districts that we have online database resources to help teachers build interesting and rigorous lessons. Of the vast resources, here are some examples of what teachers can use:
- Books on black history, civil rights, autobiographies (current and historical), themes of tolerance or prejudice, character education, cultural studies and more
- Book guides and video interviews from TeachingBooks.net
- Teaching guides for books such as Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes and Barack Obama: Son of Promise from TeachingBooks.net
- Royalty free music clips of African music, African drum, hip-hop, blues, jazz and rap from Soundzabound.com
- Unique teacher-resources and AP resources in ProQuest Learning literature online database that includes literary criticism, historical documents and literary works
- Primary source materials and documents from World Book Encyclopedia and EBSCOhost databases
- Historical timelines.
- Audio recordings of famous African Americans (interviews, speeches, performances, etc.)
- Information and resources for reports and debates to foster critical thinking
- Videos online with DEstreaming
New Heartland Rosen Teen Health & Wellness Online Database
This award-winning database provides students in grades 7-12 with comprehensive curricular support and self-help tools on topics such as diseases, drugs, alcohol, nutrition, fitness, mental health, diversity, family life, work readiness and more. It gives answers to real life questions and issues facing young adults. It’s an excellent resource in guidance, health classes, family living classes and for reports in social studies and language arts. It includes reliable age-appropriate information that can be used for students’ personal learning. Authentic first-person teen narratives and 24-hour Iowa and national hotlines for teens in crisis make this a unique and important resource for students, teachers and parents. Feel free to share this information with your teachers and in parent newsletters.
How to access: Use the online database username and password assigned to your school. Use the federated search at http://comcat-agent.auto-graphics.com or go directly to http://www.teenhealthandwellness.com. A packet of promotional materials has been sent to the teacher-librarian.
Webinar training for teachers, counselors and nurses is scheduled for January. Register by going to the Professional Development Catalog on the Heartland Web site or by clicking here.
How to access: Use the online database username and password assigned to your school. Use the federated search at http://comcat-agent.auto-graphics.com or go directly to http://www.teenhealthandwellness.com. A packet of promotional materials has been sent to the teacher-librarian.
Webinar training for teachers, counselors and nurses is scheduled for January. Register by going to the Professional Development Catalog on the Heartland Web site or by clicking here.
College Bound: More than one letter of acceptance means it's decision time
Click here to read an article that could be a fantastic resource for high school seniors getting ready for college. This appeared in the monthly series, College Bound, which is a service of the University of Northern Iowa and is distributed through the Office of University Marketing and Public Relations.
Public Comments Sought for Upcoming DMACC Accreditation Visit
The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools will be conducting an accreditation evaluation of Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) March 25-27, 2009. The Commission is seeking public comments on DMACC prior to the accreditation visit.
If you would like to make comments about the quality of DMACC or its academic programs, please submit your comments to the following address:
Public Comment on DMACC
The Higher Learning Commission
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602 or
http://www.ncahlc.org
Written, signed comments must be received by Feb. 25, 2009. Comments should include the name, address, and telephone number of the person providing the comments. Comments will not be treated as confidential.
Note: Individuals with a specific dispute or grievance with an institution should request the separate Policy on Complaints document from the Commission office.
DMACC has been accredited by the Commission since 1974. The Commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
If you would like to make comments about the quality of DMACC or its academic programs, please submit your comments to the following address:
Public Comment on DMACC
The Higher Learning Commission
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602 or
http://www.ncahlc.org
Written, signed comments must be received by Feb. 25, 2009. Comments should include the name, address, and telephone number of the person providing the comments. Comments will not be treated as confidential.
Note: Individuals with a specific dispute or grievance with an institution should request the separate Policy on Complaints document from the Commission office.
DMACC has been accredited by the Commission since 1974. The Commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Communicating about Food Allergies at School
Most principals tell us that life-threatening food allergies are on the rise. Let's consider peanuts for starters. According to the Food Allergy Initiative, the number of U.S. children with peanut allergy doubled between 1997 and 2002. Studies in the United Kingdom and Canada also showed a high rate of peanut allergy in school-aged children.
But peanuts aren't the only problem. Kids can have serious allergies to products containing eggs, milk, tree nuts, soy, fish and more. Just this past October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2007, approximately 3 million U.S. children and teenagers under age 18 reported having a food or digestive allergy in the past year, compared to just over 2.3 million in 1997.
Teamwork between principals, teachers, parents and students is vital to keeping these children safe at school. A school policy should be in place. Communication is key to establishing and maintaining this team.
If you need help in developing a food allergy policy, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network created a tool kit for schools. It's posted at www.foodallergy.org. Also, the Food Allergy Initiative web site at www.faiusa.org includes a sample letter about peanut allergies for principals. The site also includes detailed information about other types of food allergies, tips for food service professionals and resources for parents.
(Courtesy of PRincipal Communicator/January 2009, National School Public Relations Association)
But peanuts aren't the only problem. Kids can have serious allergies to products containing eggs, milk, tree nuts, soy, fish and more. Just this past October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2007, approximately 3 million U.S. children and teenagers under age 18 reported having a food or digestive allergy in the past year, compared to just over 2.3 million in 1997.
Teamwork between principals, teachers, parents and students is vital to keeping these children safe at school. A school policy should be in place. Communication is key to establishing and maintaining this team.
If you need help in developing a food allergy policy, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network created a tool kit for schools. It's posted at www.foodallergy.org. Also, the Food Allergy Initiative web site at www.faiusa.org includes a sample letter about peanut allergies for principals. The site also includes detailed information about other types of food allergies, tips for food service professionals and resources for parents.
(Courtesy of PRincipal Communicator/January 2009, National School Public Relations Association)
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