Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Enhance Collaboration with iboss Classroom Management

Enhance how teachers collaborate with their distance learning students through iboss’s classroom management tool!

Whether your students are in the classroom or in a remote setting, iboss Classroom Management allows you to visually monitor student activity in real time, from any location.

With iboss, teachers can ensure students are focused and engaged - resulting in increased productivity. Students benefit from fast, secure and uninterrupted connections to achieve efficient and effective learning. 

iboss Classroom Management Key Features:
  • View the screens of all students in Google classroom from a single dashboard
  • Remotely close browser tabs to keep students focused on their work
  • Send an optional message that appears on the student’s screen when a tab is closed
  • Add multiple teachers to monitor a classroom or assign a single teacher to monitor multiple classrooms
  • Natively integrates with Google Classroom

To learn more:
Contact our team today at sales@iboss.com for a free demo!


Monday, February 22, 2021

Stay Safe and Healthy in School with Quill.com!

As schools continue to make plans for a safe return to in-person learning, consider Quill.com’s ability to provide health and safety solutions for students, faculty and staff.

Quill.com is highly capable in providing creative solutions for school districts while leveraging the AEA Purchasing/AEPA contract. Also, their on staff Quote Specialists can provide great value when it comes to sourcing specific products at competitive pricing. 

If you are looking for:

  • PPE Items
  • Temperature Kiosks
  • Sneeze Guards
  • Free-standing Portable Room Dividers
  • Commercial Air Purifiers
  • Sanitizers & Wipes
  • Personal Storage Solutions
  • Touch-less Hand Sanitizer Dispensers
  • Quote specialist team - works with Quill.com's variety of suppliers on sourcing and pricing of all large volume needs

Check out this flyer dedicated to in-school safety solutions from Quill.com!

Friday, February 19, 2021

February Deals from Husqvarna!



Get ready for spring and save! Check out the February promotions from Husqvarna and AEA Purchasing. 



Equipment included:
  • Zero-turn mowers
  • String trimmers
  • Backpack leaf blowers
  • Pressure washers
  • Wet/Dry vacs

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Pitsco’s 2021 Big Book Catalog Now Available!

Cheers to a new year – and to 50 years of leading education! Why not begin this year of celebration with a brand-new Pitsco Big Book catalog! 

Pitsco's 2021 Big Book offers products for any age or grade. From preschool to high school and individual kits to classroom sets, we’ve got you covered!

What’s NEW:

We’ve recently partnered with TTS to provide Pre-K to 5th grade STEM and Coding products that will spark student’s creativity through play and hands-on learning.
 
After 50 years in education, we have seen STEM learning any place, in any space! STEM Packs can help you get there. Use promo code STEMPACK30 to take $30 off your choice of Explorer, Creator, or Innovator Packs.
 
Searching for ways to connect student’s learning to the community? Then check out the brand-new STEM PBL Units for grades 6-9! STEM PBL Units not only enable students to learn within and across disciplines, but the units allow students to innovate and apply what they learn to solve a relevant problem or explore a new situation.  After presenting their results to an authentic audience you can be sure that real-world problem solving has made an impact!
 
TETRIX PRIME has launched a limited-edition robot set- say hello to Echo! This uniquely crafted robotics set was created for any type of learning environment- classroom, blended, homeschool, remote – you can now take robotics learning anywhere you go. With over 36 days of activities and challenges, this set encourages students to put their knowledge to the test by re-engineering and reprogramming the Echo bot- and it also includes an alternative build for extended learning!

Adding STEM, coding, and robotics products to any learning environment has never been easier. Get started today and receive the AEA Purchasing/AEPA exclusive discount of 2% off your purchase along with free shipping! *Remember to enter promo code AEPA22 during checkout!

If you haven’t received the 2021 Big Book in the mail, please request a copy here or browse our digital version immediately. 

From all of us at Pitsco Education, we wish you the best of luck in 2021!



Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Plan Ahead to Celebrate FOOD this March!

Hang in there, folks. March is quickly approaching and we can see the light at the end of the winter tunnel!  For us "foodies," March brings lots of fun celebrations, including National Nutrition Month® and National School Breakfast Week.  

Below are a few resources to help you celebrate!

National Nutrition Month® is sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This year's theme is "Personalize Your Plate," which reminds us all that everyone has different nutritional needs and goals.  Visit The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) website at https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/national-nutrition-month for more information, marketing tools, and a celebration toolkit.  There are even ideas on how schools can get involved!  

National School Breakfast Week (March 8-12) will be here before we know it. Remember your mom/dad telling you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Well, they may have been right! Research shows that children who start their day with a healthy breakfast do better in school. This year's theme, "Score Big with School Breakfast," emphasizes just that. The School Nutrition Association website has everything you need to help plan your celebration -- from activity sheets to marketing resources. Head on over to their website (https://schoolnutrition.org/meetings/events/nsbw/2021/) for access. 

Remember, if your schools plans on celebrating, we want to see! Take pictures and share them on SNA's Facebook page using the #NSBW21 hashtag. Please also send them to barb@aeapurchasing.org for us to share! We love to see all the fun you provide for your students.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Create a Safe Learning Environment with GBC!

GBC is committed to helping create a safe and productive learning environment.

Enrich lesson plans with laminated materials that can be wiped clean after each use. Laminate materials for an entire class of 30 or less with the touch of a button using the GBC Foton 30 Automatic Laminator. Create laminated classroom banners, posters and name markers with the GBC Ultima 65 EZLoad Laminator. Both laminators are available via AEA Purchasing's statewide technology buy, in addition to film options and more. 

GBC is working to provide schools, teachers and students with solutions to keep learning safe. The Center of Disease Control recommends the use of portable HEPA filtration systems to help enhance air cleaning in schools. GBC now offers TruSens Air Purifiers. Boost protection from airborne viruses, allergens and flu with TruSens. TruSens SensorPod™ technology detects air quality, DuPont™ HEPA filtration capture indoor airborne pollutants and UV-C light kills germs and bacteria trapped in the filter. 

Moving beyond air purifiers, GBC now offers Quartet Sanitization Stations that hold hand sanitizer, masks and gloves. GBC also carries masks and social distancing aids to help create a clean learning environment. 

In addition to contract pricing on select line-items, Iowa schools can save 40% off catalog prices utilizing the AEA Purchasing contract! For additional information reach out to your specialist below. 

Equipment Specialist
(662) 480-3437
Supply Specialist
(662) 480-3243


Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Enterprise Content Management from Konica Minolta

Often Konica Minolta, an AEA Purchasing and AEPA Vendor partner, is only thought of as a copier/printer supplier.  Most don’t know they provide a wide range of services including IT services, Telepresence, Virtual Receptionist Active Panels and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) -- a powerful tool for managing information, meeting compliance regulations and improving educational results in K-12 school districts.

In K-12 schools and districts across the country, educators and administrators are challenged by a large and growing volume of documents—files and paper-based information that must be managed, accessed, shared and retained. ECM is a streamlined, secure solution for managing information throughout your district. 

  • Documents everywhere can lead to efficiency nowhere. 
  • Lengthy retention periods demand filing cabinets that take up valuable space. 
  • Staff time to file, retrieve, copy and distribute paper documents is better spent on educational activities. Stringent compliance and certification mandates require regular monitoring to ensure that student files, testing forms, staff reports and related materials are in place and up-to-date. 
  • Video, audio and image data is increasingly important, but may not be accommodated by existing storage systems. 
  • Declining administration budgets are motivating districts to find ways to work smarter, not just harder.
Konica Minolta’s top-ranked Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions, an AEA Purchasing contract product, offer practical, proven benefits to improve the flow of educational information, speed retrieval, control access and maintain the enhanced security that K-12 districts demand. 

  • Manage Content to Improve Efficiency:
    • Streamline educational and administrative workflow by moving content more quickly and efficiently
    • Speed filing, access and retrieval of student transcripts, faculty hiring documents, personnel information, payroll and maintenance records
    • Manage testing and grading, course materials, lesson plans and departmental records
    • Provide mobile access to educational information for educators and administrators district-wide
  • Improve Compliance, Enhance Security:
    • Strengthen and simplify compliance procedures for HIPAA and FERPA privacy regulations
    • Protect student confidentiality by storing records in a secure online repository
    • Improve compliance by replacing paperwork with electronic files and controlling access and retrieval
  • Control Costs to Stretch District Budgets:
    • Reduce administrative costs associated with handling student records, distributing course materials and managing personnel information
    • Save space by minimizing or eliminating filing and storage of paper documents
    • Convert hard-copy documents to cost-effective electronic forms that are easy to update
For more information on the ways an ECM solution and the AEA Purchasing contract from Konica Minolta can best serve your school or district, contact:

Konica Minolta
Jason Bradshaw, Government Account Manager
402-250-7545

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Vendor Profile: School Nurse Supply

School Nurse Supply is one of AEA Purchasing's awarded vendors serving all your school health needs. From the basic first aid supplies to larger furniture and equipment, School Nurse Supply is here to help Iowa schools keep their students, faculty and staff healthy all year long!

Contract benefits include:

  • Market basket/hot list pricing
  • 8% discount off entire catalog (*Some exclusions apply)
  • Free shipping on orders over $75

For more information on how to keep your school's first-aid kits and medicine cabinets stocked...and SAVE money while doing so, visit School Nurse Supply's profile page on our website or contact:

School Nurse Supply
Bid Reference: BID #AEA HEALTH 2018
Jeff Giesel
800-485-2737
jgiesel@schoolnursesupply.com
www.schoolnursesupplyinc.com

Happy saving!