Early Childhood Principals Network Agenda

Click here for the agenda for the January 30th Principals' Early Childhood Network meeting. Please also take note that the location will be at the AEA Woodside Office 6900 NE 14th St. Suite 26, Ankeny.

Session Four of Iowa Core Curriculum Leadership Training

Session four of the Leadership Training for the Iowa Core Curriculum will begin the last week of January. Registered participants will receive an e-mail with session details as the date approaches. If a participant needs to attend a session held at a different location or date, they are asked to contact Linda Hoobin, Heartland Teaching and Learning Consultant for the Iowa Core Curriculum, at lhoobin@aea11.k12.ia.us to verify location, time and date.

Finding the Right Professional Development is Easier Than Ever

The Professional Development for Iowa School Leaders Web site at http://iowaschoolleadership.org now features two new ways to locate what leaders need. In addition to the original alphabetical listing, the site now offers a listing of opportunities by intended audience and a listing by the school leader standard addressed by each offering. All three search methods are available in a tabbed menu in the right sidebar of each page.

In addition, Iowa school leaders may continue to subscribe to the mailing list to stay abreast of the latest professional development posted on the site. Sign-up is available on virtually any page on the site, below the menus in the right column.

The Professional Development for Iowa School Leaders Web site offers a one-stop resource to locate professional development available from some of Iowa’s foremost providers.

Nine Iowa organizations are charter members of the project and are posting professional development opportunities that they sponsor. The partners are Area Education Agencies (AEA), Iowa Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (IASCD), Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) Iowa Association of School Business Officials (IASBO), Iowa Council of Administrators of Special Education (ICASE), Iowa Department of Education (DE), Iowa Leadership Academy (ILA), Iowa Superintendents Finance and Leadership Consortium (ISFLC) and School Administrators of Iowa (SAI). Other groups may be added in the future.

Cognitive Coaching Training

Cognitive Coaching is a process for supporting individuals working together to improve their skills in a variety of situations. Cognitive Coaching (Level 1) is a 4-day experience during which participants will build their communication and problem-solving skills through the process of becoming intentional about how we mediate for someone else's effectiveness. Practice using the planning and reflecting conversation maps will be included. Research, modeling and practice will support learning how to integrate skills of trust, rapport, pausing, paraphrasing and mediational questions in conversations.

Cognitive Coaching training is being offered this spring at the West Des Moines Learning Center on February 23 & 24 and March 23 & 24, 2009. Register through the Heartland Professional Development Web site by clicking here.

Learn How to Have Fierce Conversations

A Fierce Conversations course will be offered on March 12-13, 2009, in Conference Rooms 3 & 4 in the Heartland Johnston office. This workshop is based on the book Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott and will provide participants with opportunities to practice the structured conversations from her book. Register through the Heartland Professional Development Web site by clicking here.

High School Student Opportunity: American Civil Liberties Union's Mannheimer Essay Contest

Are your students passionate about Civil Liberties…Have they stood up for rights like free speech, LGBT issues, privacy, racial justice, religious freedom or women’s rights as an example of civil liberties principles in the high school or community? They might consider entering the Robert Mannheimer Civil Liberties Essay Contest.

The Robert Mannheimer Civil Liberties Essay Contest recipient will receive a $500 award, a one-year membership to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), their essay published in the summer newsletter and an invitation along with his/her family to receive their award and read their essay at the Annual ACLU of Iowa Dinner in Iowa City on Saturday, May 2, 2009.

To qualify for the award, students must:

• Be a freshman, sophomore, or junior high school student in Iowa
• Type a 500-word, double-spaced essay describing which Constitutional Amendment means the most to them.
• Have an interest in civil liberties.

Applications and essays are due (post marked) April 1, 2009 to:
Essay Contest
ACLU of Iowa
505 Fifth Avenue, Suite 901
Des Moines, IA 50309
www.aclu-ia.org

For questions or additional information, contact Holly Robertson at 515-243-3988 ext. 15 or holly.robertson@aclu-ia.org.

Please feel free to also send the following attachments to your teachers and students.

Information Letter
Application Form