GHAEA Voice

Did you know that as a GHAEA employee, you have access to the agency's school personnel e-mail database? It is housed under Agency Lists in the For GHAEA Staff section of the GHAEA website.      As information is updated in Medianet, it is also updated in this database. The site allows GHAEA staff, teachers and administrators to designate the grades and content they teach and other areas of interest.       What does this mean for you? It is another way that you can notify specific groups about upcoming trainings, meetings or workshops  by selecting targeted grade levels, school districts, content and other areas of interest.       Staff  can send an e-mail directly from the system or can download the information to an Excel spreadsheet. "Whenever a change is made or a person is added, the system is updated," said Julia Hood , supervisor, media support services. "To make sure that you have the most current information, ...

GHAEA's MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support and Response to Intervention) Conference is coming up next week --  April 5 , 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cass County Community Center in Atlantic, with video feed sites in Creston and Red Oak. Dr. Kimberly St. Martin with Michigan’s Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative will be the presenter. She provides leadership in the development of MiBLSi’s district model for implementing an integrated academic and behavior Multi-Tiered System of Support. Registration is $25 for GHAEA staff and educators in our service area; $50 for those outside GHAEA. If you have questions about the conference, contact Jenny Barnett, Terri Bush or Patrick Rabbitt . Register here . 

Do you want to learn more about how to use apps with students who have special needs? How about working with Google Hangouts or becoming more proficient with Google mobile apps? Now you can personalize your PD and learn more about these and other topics with Atomic Learning .      All AEA employees have access to training videos from Atomic Learning. You can watch a short video for a specific skill or watch an entire set of videos. After you complete a series, you will be emailed a certificate of completion to add to your portfolio and share with your supervisor as proof of your technology goal. One of the best things about Atomic Learning is that you are able to learn anytime, anywhere and at your own pace.      Log in with your AEA email address (username) and the password "learning" (you can change this after logging in the first time). If you haven't used this site before, you are invited to watch a three-minute overview of Atomic Learning .  ...

Last week, t he Iowa Legislature approved a 2.25 percent increase in state spending for Iowa school districts. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is expected to sign the two education spending bills --  Senate Files  174  and  175  — passed by the House and Senate. Read more here. 

Konnor Sudmann, daughter of Derrick and Nancy Sudmann (instructional materials assistant, Halverson), has been named to the second team, Council Bluffs Nonpareil's All-Area Girls Basketball Team. Konnor is a freshman at Treynor High School. She is the Cardinals' second-leading scorer, netting 11.9 points per game; 26 points in 55-49 win at IKM-Manning on Jan. 8 and 20-point three-steal night in season-ending loss to eventual 2-A state champ Unity Christian. 

Charlie and Connie Richardson  (consultant, school improvement, Red Oak) are thrilled to announce the birth of their first grandchild! "Our grandson, Silas Richardson, was born March 15," said Connie. "Soon we will be traveling to Los Angeles to visit Silas and his parents, Matt and Lisa. As first-time grandparents, we're open to any and all tips!"

In the latest  Voice from the Field ,   Jane Schmidt, director of professional growth and student learning at Maquoketa Community School District, looks at math and the studio framework.