Student Poetry and Art Opportunity

Every year, River of Words® (ROW) conducts an international environmental poetry and art competition in affiliation with The Library of Congress Center for the Book for youth ages 5 to 19 in grades K-12. This free contest is designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live and to express what they discover through poetry and art.

Iowa entries not chosen as finalists or grand prize winners in the international contest are returned to IOWATER, where they are judged in a statewide IOWA River of Words® Environmental Poetry and Art competition. The IOWATER Volunteer Water Monitoring Program of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources coordinates the IOWA River of Words® Environmental Poetry and Art competition.

Over 350 students from Iowa entered the 2008 contest either through their schools, community art centers, local libraries or on their own. Because of the large number of quality Iowa entries, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art generously offered to host a juried River of Words® IOWA Environmental Poetry and Art Exhibit. Fifty-one works of poetry and art were selected to be included in the exhibit, held August 30 through September 21, 2008.

If your students would be interested in entering the contest for 2009, entries must be sent to:

River of Words, PO Box 4000-J
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
Phone: 510-548-POEM (7636)
Fax: 510-548-2095

ROW returns Iowa's entries to IOWATER in April for state competition and Iowa’s state winners are chosen in May.

For more information and entry forms click here or contact Pat Lohmann, IOWA River of Words Coordinator, at (319) 335-1593 or Pat.Lohmann@dnr.iowa.gov.

The deadline for entries is February 15, 2009.

Educator Opportunity -- Online Entrepreneurship Curriculum

Up to 100 Iowa secondary educators (Grades 9-12) are invited to pilot the YouthBizCentral online entrepreneurship curriculum, which was developed through support from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust of Muscatine, IA.

Secondary educators participating in the pilot MUST be willing to implement the 8-unit curriculum and provide feedback regarding the curriculum. Each participating educator will receive a $250 stipend upon completion of the pilot project.

Curriculum features:
• Online/Easily Accessible
• 8 Fully Customizable Core Units
• Lesson Plans
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Activities & Web Resources
• Entrepreneurial Profiles
• Student Business Planning Template
• Equips Youth with the Skills to Succeed in Business and Entrepreneurship!

Apply Online at http://www.jacobsoninstitute.org/youthbiz_app.cfm

Teachers will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis.

ASCD Podcast -- The Whole Child

Click here to view ASCD's latest podcast series, The Whole Child. The podcast features educators and policymakers from around the globe who share their insights about sound education policies and practices that ensure that all children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged.

Iowa Culture and Language Conference

Heartland AEA would like to invite you and your staff to attend the Iowa Culture and Language Conference on February 10 and 11, 2009. The ICLC planning committee is excited and proud to bring to Iowa many renowned experts in the ESL field as conference presenters. Click here for information explaining the reimbursement process for participation, registration and substitute pay.

First Heartland-sponsored Immigration Forum

Heartland Area Education Agency is pleased to invite you to an Immigration Forum and Reception on February 11, 2009, at the Polk County Convention Complex from 2:00-5:00 p.m. The Immigration Forum, held on the final day of the Iowa Culture and Language Conference, will include a panel of national and local experts who will share facts about refugees and immigrants in Iowa and implications for educators. This rare opportunity to meet representatives knowledgeable on laws and issues related to immigration offers an excellent networking and learning experience for educators and partners in education.

To register, please go to www.nwaea.k2.ia.us/en/upcoming_events/ and complete the online registration. We look forward to meeting you at the first Heartland-sponsored Immigration Forum, with reception afterward. Consider bringing a team from your area and complete a registration for each participant.

For more information contact:
Stephaney Jones-Vo, (515) 270-0405 ext. 14680
Gilmara Mitchell, (515) 270-0405 ext. 14679

Title IIA and V Information Workshops

The Title IIA and V Information Workshops via the ICN have been scheduled for the following dates and times:

* Tuesday, November 18, 2008 from 8-9 a.m.
* Tuesday, November 18, 2008 from 12-1 p.m.

The topics will be Budget Application and Expenditure Claim for Reimbursement (new process and format). The content for each of the four sessions offered will be the same so districts will only need to attend one of the dates and times. Register at http://www.iptv.org/iowa_database/event to participate in these sessions.