GHAEA Voice

This year's GHAEA Opening Day on Aug. 29 is so big, it's of Olympic proportion!  Champions for Kids  is the theme for this year's event. As GHAEA staff, we strive every day to be  Champions for Kids by  I nspiring,  M otivating,  A dvocating,  G uiding and   E ducating. The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a meet, greet and reconnect. At 9 a.m., Chief Administrator   Dr. Lane Plugge   will address staff via live streaming to these locations: - East Region - Osceola - South Region - Red Oak - North Region - Avoca - West Region/Halverson - Halverson  Following opening remarks, staff will meet in their locations for more information sharing and social time.  The 2016 Summer Olympics and Rita Pierson's quote served as the inspiration for this year's theme: "Every child deserves a champion. An adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be." 

The GHAEA Math Team now has a blog! " We are going to share math apps/technology and resources for teaching math standards,"  says the team blogger  Tera Schechinger .  The blog will also share tips for teaching the struggling student,"   Check it out here . 

"Iowa’s Area Education Agencies system was designed to help children and families access services no matter where they live in Iowa. But funding cuts and service reductions have prompted many Iowa families that have the means to seek private options." This statement is part an article published in the Des Moines Register on Aug. 10. The article  features accounts from families of special education students, including a  father in West Des Moines who speaks to his family’s experience with special education funding cuts in Iowa and the impact it's having on the education of their son who has dyslexia.       In addition, the Council Bluffs Nonpareil published an article on Aug. 14 which featured comments from GHAEA Chief Administrator Lane Plugge and Brent Siegrist, executive director, Iowa's AEAs. 

We want you to follow GHAEA on social media! The agency's new social media posters are posted in regional office conference rooms. If you would like to have a poster for your personal office space as a reminder to follow GHAEA on social media, you can download here or contact Denise Fricke . 

The Sixth Annual Hands Across the Bridge will be held on Sat., Sept. 17 , at the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, Council Bluffs entrance.  Every September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  sponsors Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance  use issues and celebrate the people who recover. Join them at the bridge to reach their goal of one thousand hands  to send an important  message: Prevention works, treatment is effective  and people do recover! The event will feature a DJ, coffee bar, guest speaker and SWAG bags. For more information, contact Lorelle Mueting , Heartland Family Service. 

AHSTW (Avoca, Hancock, Shelby, Tennant and Walnut) has changed their email address to first name.last name@ahstwschools.org. Note that the hyphen is now omitted between AHSTW (formerly A-H-S-T). 

If you would like to update your information or photo for the 2016-17 issue of  Getting to Know You , now's your chance! Take a look at last year's issue and send any revisions or a new photo to Denise Fricke by Sept. 2. 

Rileigh Spahn, daughter of Karen Spahn (consultant, early childhood, Glenwood), was a featured athlete in July for the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats . Rileigh is a goalkeeper for the NWMSU girls soccer team. "I'm very excited to add to our goakeeper depth for 2016," said coach Tracy Hoza. "The first thing you notice about Rileigh is how athletic she is and her exceptional reaction speed." Rileigh, a graduate of Glenwood High School, is a freshman at NWMSU. 

Due to an overwhelming response last year, Bravo Sports is again offering Iowa AEA staff an opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to Iowa Hawkeyes or Iowa State Cyclones football games. Tickets are available to all AEA employees and is offered at no cost to the statewide AEA system. For more information, click on either the Iowa Hawkeye ticket link: https://bravosportsmarketing. com/product/aea-iowa-tickets/ or the Iowa State ticket link: https://bravosportsmarketing. com/product/aea-iowa-state/

Lisa Fisher  8/23 Cathy Mann  8/29 Nancy Amdor  9/1 Teresa Johnson  9/1 Kathleen Tague  9/1 Amanda Cairney  9/3 Katie Hensley  9/4 Monica Weber  9/4 Michelle Custer  9/8 Diana Dewaele  9/8 Dennis LaMasters  9/8 David VanHorn  9/8 Rachel Eikenberry  9/9 Joan Finck  9/11 Marge Armstrong  9/12 Christine Watkins  9/12 Katherine Collins  9/14 Lori Helgevold  9/15 Stacy Buresch  9/16 Lea Ann Huckins  9/17

Amy Liddell, family and educator coordinator *, will be interviewed on KMA this Friday (Aug. 5) regarding upcoming workshops for educators and parents featuring The Behavior Doctor, Dr Laura Riffel. The parent workshop, Aug. 8, Iowa School for the Deaf, will look at addressing challenging behaviors in children. The educator workshop, "Recharging your Batteries: Classroom Management Strategies" will be held on Aug. 9 and 10, Iowa School for the Deaf.  * Iowa Family and Educator Partnership is the new name of the Parent & Educator Connection.  See related post "Parent & Educator Connection is now Iowa Family & Educator Partnership"

The Parent & Educator Connection (PEC) is in the process of a statewide redesign which brings with it a new name, Iowa Family & Educator Partnership (Iowa FEP). Amy Liddel l will continue to be the parent partner and Michele Harrison, the educator partner. Their titles will be family & educator coordinator. This change began on July 1 and the entire process will take five years to full implementation, says Liddell. " The work of the Iowa Family & Educator Partnership will shift from a primarily individual, reactive system of supports to a proactive system where responsibility for the universal tier is shared among the Iowa FEP, other AEA staff and eventually, LEA staff. Iowa FEP will implement a MTSS model (universal, targeted and intensive) to organize supports and services for families and schools." In order for Iowa students to have successful school experiences and positive outcomes: Partnerships between families and educators need to be

Congratulations to Ella and Jorden Johnson, children of Jerod and Amber Johnson (early childhood specialist, CBRO). Ella won the tractor pull at the Johnson County Fair (Iowa City) in the 7-year-old girls division at 32.5'. Jorden won two awards at the Shelby County Fair (Harlan): Chubbiest Cheeks (12-18 mo.) and Overall Cutest Baby (12-18 mo.) 

This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Randal Olson, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, has created a map of the shortest possible road trip to visit all 47 national parks in the continental United States. Check it out!

Wendy Aanonson  8/3 Debbie Norman  8/5 Kathryn Wells  8/5 Kristen Johnson  8/5 Carol McMahon-Kain  8/6 Cynthia Lefeber  8/6 Tonya Billingsley  8/6 Lori Kinyon  8/8 Michelle Lidgett  8/9 Jennifer Thormodsgaard  8/10 Nicole Owen  8/11 Diane Emsick  8/12 Elena Anson  8/13 Kari Bloom  8/14 Jessie Kern  8/14 Jean Kent  8/18 Amy Liddell  8/20 Leslie McCaslin  8/20 Lisa Fisher  8/23 Cathy Mann  8/29