Free Gift with Purchase from Sportime!

In partnership with Sportime, a School Specialty brand, AEA Purchasing is offering a free gift with purchase opportunity!

Now through July 31, use promo code 081PEFREE19 at checkout to receive a free gift with your qualifying order. Complete details can be found here

Happy shopping....happy saving!

Summer Pricing on Paper

Have you checked out our summer paper buy? If you haven't, than NOW is the time! Orders are due on May 24th.

Complete ordering information and order form downloads are available online.

Bid Features Include:

• Wide variety of paper weights, colors and sizes
• Additional discounts for orders of 840 cartons of white or greater
• Letter and catalog envelopes

Clients Eligible for Participation:

• K-12 Schools, Public and Private
• Colleges and Universities
• Public Libraries
• City, County, State Government
• Nonprofit educational organizations

Attend our Technology "Mini" Conference!

Interested in meeting our Technology contract partners? Join us on the date and location of your choosing to meet our Technology partners and learn more about how our contracts can best serve you!

Click here for complete details or email laurie@aeapurchasing.org.

Enhancing Inquiry in the Classroom Using Makerspace Products

“An inquiry-based curriculum can increase student achievement and narrow the gap between high and low-achieving students” (Towns & Sweetland, 2008).

Incorporating maker activities into your inquiry-based lessons is an easy addition that will enhance student curiosity.

In Mackin's blog, Enhancing Inquiry in the Classroom Using Makerspace Products, author Ashley Gamlin explores how to use Boxels, Makey Makey, Legos, and other Maker products in your content areas.

Something NEW and EXCITING is coming in July!

AEA Purchasing is excited to announce the upcoming launch of a new and improved process to take advantage of our contracts and competitively bid pricing!

Enter in AEA Purchasing Marketplace!
Coming soon - July 2019

Ordering doesn't need to be difficult! That's why AEA Purchasing Marketplace was created. It's an online ordering, single sign-on purchase and quoting platform built with you, the end-user, in mind.

AEA Purchasing Marketplace offers:

• Free-to-use online marketplace
• Quick access to multiple vendors
• No need for multiple usernames and passwords
• All pricing is contract discounted pricing
• Compare products and pricing at a quick glance
• Flexible payment options
• Pay via purchase order (PO), credit card or P-card

Contact us today for more information and details!

Check Out our Buyer's Guide!

Looking for a handy reference card that outlines all the amazing opportunities to save from AEA Purchasing? 

Look no further than our Buyer's Guide! 

Our annual Buyer's Guide outlines all of our purchasing programs and provides short detail as to what types of contracts we have within each program. 

Download your copy here and pin it to your desktop! You'll want to hang on to this!

Athletics & PE Program: 101

Our Athletics & PE contracts cover everything your school needs to keep your PE classes and athletic teams performing at their best.

From ​kickballs and ​basketball hoops to ​sports medicine and ​gym lockers, we've got the items you need at a savings you can appreciate.

Click on a vendor name below to learn more.

Athletics Equipment
H&B Specialized Products
Schutt Sports
Partac Peat
Sportime (A School Specialty company)

Bleachers and Seating
SAAFE

Gym/PE Lockers
H&B Specialized Products
IPI

Scoreboards
Daktronics

Sports Medicine
School Health
School Nurse Supply
Sportime (A School Specialty company)

And more to come in the upcoming weeks! Got questions? Email Joni!

Mark Your Calendar! (April 2019)

Come visit with AEA Purchasing technology staff on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019 at the Iowa 1:1 conference!

Come See Us at IASBO!

Come see AEA Purchasing staff live and in color!

If you find yourself attending the 2019 IASBO conference tomorrow, be sure to stop by the AEA Purchasing vendor booth for fun, games, snacks and prizes!

Buildings & Grounds Program: 101

Our Buildings & Grounds contracts cover everything your school needs to keep your campuses looking and running in tip top shape! 

Click on a vendor name below to learn more.

Building Security

SSI Guardian (School Specialty)

Custodial Supplies

IPI

Busch Systems

Hillyard

State Industrial Products

Facility Management

DudeSolutions

Lighting, Roofing & MRO

Adventure Lighting

Facility Solutions Group

Voss Lighting

WTI/Tremco

Best Plumbing Specialties

School Furnishings

Biofit

IPI

National Business Furniture

Childcraft (School Specialty)

Classroom Select (School Specialty)

Sico

Signs & Digital Message Centers

Daktronics

IPI

Building a Diverse Book Collection

Today's post comes to you from Mackin's New School Services Project Manager, Katy Tessman.

Building a Diverse Book Collection: Providing Windows, Mirrors, Sliding Glass Doors, and Beyond

Building a diverse collection of fiction, nonfiction, novels in verse, graphic novels, and biographies can be an overwhelming task. The books need to appeal to a wide variety of students that turn over every few years. Knowing how to spend your budget can be quite daunting.

Having diverse literature available helps to create a culture of understanding each other and provides powerful tools for teaching students about social justice. The need for diverse books extends beyond the school library; English and civics classrooms need access to a variety of texts to go beyond the single story and celebrate cultural diversity.

So how do we build a diverse collection? We learn about and implement the following guidelines: 

1. Find Windows, Mirrors, Sliding Glass Doors, and Beyond.

2. Avoid the Single Story

3. #OwnVoices

4. Explore the Human Experience

Click here to learn more about the 4 essential guidelines for building a rich, diverse school and classroom libraries for your students.

Partners You Need to Know (March 2019)

Blick Art Materials offers all supplies needed for your visual arts program including paints, brushes, craft and printmaking items, ceramic and sculpture supplies, furniture and much more!

Busch Systems offers a large, comprehensive variety of recycling and waste containers that can be used as they are, or ordered personalized, and customized. All of their products are proudly manufactured in North America with recycled content, and are 100% recyclable.

Hillyard is a leading manufacturer and distributor of cleaning and hygiene solutions. Helping people deliver clean, safe, healthy facilities is our purpose, passion and focus.

PITSCO Inc. From classroom and district level programs to individual activities, whether you’re looking for robotics, coding, dragsters, drafting supplies, STEM, or online testing, Pitsco Education has got you covered.

Mark Your Calendars! (March 2019)

AEA Purchasing's Food program will be hosting a series of "Come and See"open houses featuring new food menu items. Email Barb for complete details!

Thurs, 3/7:     DMACC Newton Campus

Tues, 3/12:     Crossroad Pavilion Event Center, Sheldon

Thurs, 3/14:   Hawkeye Community College-Tama Hall, Waterloo

Come visit our booth at the IASBO conference on March 27th!

Securly Webinar on March 29th. Securly keeps your students safe wherever they are connected. Email Laurie to register and for more details.