Hello fellow members of IAACE,

Here we are, the end of February already, with March right around the corner! A lot has happened this past month! COVID vaccinations are being administered, LOTS of snow, frigid temperatures, and awards. Yes! I said awards and recognition are due for several of our fellow IAACE members and programs.

For starters, Konnie McCollum, director of River Valley Resources; IAACE board member; and Student Engagement Committee Chair, has won the COABE Outstanding Adult Administrator of the Year! In the same breath, Konnie’s program, River Valley Resources, is one of two finalists for the Rethink Adult Education Challenge. Way to go, Konnie and team!!

IAACE board member and Advocacy Chair Robert Moore has made the news. Robert spearheaded Indiana Online Only Distance Education, which has been awarded the Leading Light Award by the Chamber of Bloomington. Congratulations Rob!

Sheila Butler, IAACE President-Elect and board member is one of eight educators selected for Educator of the Year by the Chamber of Bloomington.

On behalf of IAACE, I would like to congratulate Konnie, Robert, and Sheila for a job well done and thank-you for your dedication to adult education.

Fun, national calendar days are coming up for the month of March:

March 5 is National Employee Appreciation Day. I think sometimes we forget how important our employees are. Recognition and appreciation are known as one of the key motivational factors in the workplace. Take time to write a simple thank-you note, create a culture of encouragement and be flexible.

March 5 is also National Day of Unplugging. Take time to unplug, unwind, relax and do things other than using today’s technology, electronics, and social media. Go outdoors into the fresh air, read a book or visit with an old friend.

March 14 is National Pi Day. This day is loved by pi enthusiasts and pie lovers alike! A great discussion piece in the classroom would be to look for 3.14 in unexpected places. For example, prices, street numbers, or license plates. Better yet, host a pie-eating contest.

Have a wonderful month!

Laura Smart

2020-21 IAACE President

Success Story from Turning Point Education Center

“Don’t sell yourself short”, is the advice of Logan Keith. Logan is a graduate of Turning Point Education Center. He achieved his High School Equivalency at our Greene County location in 2018. Logan returned to Turning Point at our Sullivan County location in September of 2020 to enroll in our welding certification classes.

Logan stated he had a lot of obstacles to overcome to reach this point in his life. Logan said, “When I was younger my mother and father did not make good decisions. They were on drugs as long as I can remember. “This caused me to have to be the adult and help care for my parents. At one point, we were even homeless. My mother lost her battle to addiction three years ago and my father was in and out of prison. I quit school in 7th grade and said I would do online, but I did not participate. With trying to survive, education was not a priority. I was going down a bad path and was starting to get into trouble and doing some drugs as well. I moved in with my grandmother. Eventually, I started surrounding myself with better people and the right crowd. I met my girlfriend and we ended up finding out she was pregnant, and I realized that I had to get my life on track and get myself together. I wanted to be a good parent and provide the life for my child that I wish I had growing up, so I jumped on board with the welding classes Turning Point offered. I am not going to lie, it has been a rough road, but it has been well worth it. I am proud of everything that I have overcome in my life. I am thankful for Turning Point and the opportunity they have given me to better myself and my family. I feel good about myself and I feel accomplished in making my grandmother and family proud of me. I know my mother is as well. Turning Point has opened many doors for me that would not have been there.”

Logan completed his welding certification classes and obtained his American Welding Certification in flat, horizontal, and vertical positions on January 8, 2021. Logan has obtained employment with Great Dane at a start wage of $18.50 per hour. Logan is a true success and we are thankful to help many other students++++++ just like Logan.

The Virtual Institute will be held on Friday, April 30th. The goal of the April 30th institute is to provide quality professional development. The registration will be $69.00 for IAACE Members, $89.00 for Non-Members, and a special rate for all support staff of $49.00. Registration is open, click here!

We welcome title sponsors, Career North, and Texas Instruments. Texas Instruments has donated 200 perpetual licenses of TI-SmartView Mathprint for the TI-30XSMV calculator. There is a question in registration that will allow you to accept this gift. If you will not use the calculator we encourage you to opt-out to allow it to go to those that utilize it.

We also are super excited about Neil Richmund assisting us to bring you the Virtual Institute on our own getconnectable platform!

Stay tuned to the website for sessions released as well as the Town Hall with DWD’s Jerry and Marilyn. The IAACE Annual Meeting is a part of the day after the keynote.

Opportunities are available to sponsor and support the event, contact director@iaace.com for more information or visit the be a sponsor page.

2021 IAACE Awards

The Award timeline, the nomination process will open on Monday, May 3, and will remain open until Monday, August 9, 2021. The award committee chair is Tom Miller. The committee will be made up of past award winners. You may view a list of past award winners at iaace.com/annual-awards-history/. If you are a past winner please know we will be reaching out to you in the near future to be a part of the committee and share the details of the process.

Last Call to Submit a Proposal/Presentation for Fall Conference

March’s Tech Talk has moved to the second Thursday so that Neil may enjoy his Florida vacation!
Submit your questions early!
Submit a Tech Talk Question Early

Jerry Haffner, Assistant Director of Adult Education for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, and Rob Moore, Director of Adult Education for the Monroe County Community School Corporation, spoke at the Human Resources Professional Interest Section meeting of the Indiana Association for Rehabilitation Facilities (www.inarf.org) on February 11. The title of their presentation was “An Overview of Adult Education.” Jerry spoke about Indiana’s adult education program in general—purposes, locations, supportive services, statistics, Indiana Online Only Distance Education, IETs, career coaching, and employer partners—and how it fits in with the state’s workforce development system. Rob spoke about how Indiana adult education programs provide accommodations for students’ special needs and disabilities in classroom instruction and assessments.

INARF is the principal membership organization in Indiana representing provides of service to people with disabilities. Its members serve over 50,000 Indiana citizens annually and employ over 15,000 workers.

Rob Moore
Join the Advocacy Committee by clicking here.

#Literacy #ILA #ProLiteracy

#COABE

Adult Numeracy Network Annual Event
ANN will present a three-hour professional development session, Experiencing Harmony & Beauty in Mathematical Patterns, that focuses on adult numeracy at the COABE Virtual Preconference on Friday, March 19, 2021. Come and explore the ways that music and art can be used to help students understand number sense, proportional reasoning, and symmetry.
Event Info: https://adultnumeracynetwork.org/coabe

Thursday, March 18th 8:30am – 3:30pm

Meeting of the Minds: A Workshop on Interactive Lesson Planning with Critical Skills Primary

Presenter: Sheila Butler

Bring laptops, your favorite stand-alone lesson ideas for inspiration. Please come with a public @gmail.com or Public google account (school club accounts do not work) to work together and pool our resources and create engaging, standards-based, multi-disciplinary lesson plans to take back and use in our classrooms. This workshop is really geared toward TASC/HiSet/GED teachers. It will be best in person but it could possibly work online if necessary.
https://coabe.org/2021-coabe-national-conference/

COABE Pre-Conference sessions are available for an additional cost. You may find the entire list on the COABE registration page. https://coabe.org/2021-coabe-national-conference/

Congratulations Konnie!
Bravo!

COABE Memberships have been renewed, members should have received an email on Feb. 10th, subject “Your COABE Membership Information.” It included your membership number and all the details of your COABE membership that is part of your IAACE membership at no additional charge. You may update your COABE Communication information within that email or by clicking here.
If you have joined IAACE after Feb 10th, please allow 30 days for your COABE membership card to be received. Memberships must be paid in full to receive your COABE member number.

Miss a Blog?

(L) Digital Literacy- What Skills do We Need? was released on Feb. 27
(R) GoogleMyBusiness With Neil Richmund was released Jan. 20

Thanks for being a member and reading your newsletter. If you have an idea for a future newsletter, a blog, or our social media, join the communications committee. IAACE offers other committees to serve our organization, consider joining another committee to get to know your organization and your peers around the state.

IAACE Membership Dues are $55 a year.

IAACE Member February Birthdays
Elizabeth Parsons 1st
Sheila Popplewell 2nd
Cynthia Warner-Lowe 3rd
Teresa Ellis 4th
Meredith Powell 11th
Maeve Warrick 12th
Jill Latta 11th
Cathy Harrell 14th
Mandu Logsdon 20th
Donna Sharp 24th
Andrew Ryfa 28th
Sindy Harris 29th

March Birthdays
Keri Kornelsen 1st
Roxanne Bauer 6th
Nicole Wilson 8th
Christy McIntyre 13th
Polly Redmond 19th
Corinna Vonderwell 22nd

Happy Birthday to all the missing ones!

Please sign in and provide your birthday to be included in this newsletter and other things to come! The blog that requested birthdays was released on July 15, 2020. New Memberships are asked for birthdays.

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