Agency of Education and State of Vermont Updates
This section of the Weekly Field Memo contains posts from the Agency of Education and other State of Vermont agencies that are not specifically related to the COVID-19 response.
Weekly Field Memo Submission Guidelines Update
Audience: All
The Agency of Education has updated the Weekly Field Memo Submission Guidelines for courtesy posts. Some updates include AP style formatting notes, an update to repeat post submissions and updates to our accessibility requirements. Please review this document for more information.
Contact: Mary Peterson at mary.peterson@vermont.gov
School Year 2021-2022 Child Count Collection
Audience: Special Education Administrators, Special Education Data Personnel
The School Year 2021-2022 Child Count Data Collection is now open. Submitted data must be accurate as of Dec. 1, 2021, and you may submit your SU/SD's data from Dec. 1, 2021, until the end of the day on Dec. 15, 2021. SU/SD personnel in charge of special education data reporting can find collection materials and updated 2021-2022 Child Count Reporting Instructions by logging into the secure AOE file transfer website. If you have questions or are having difficulty accessing collection materials, please contact the AOE Child Count team.
Contact: Cassidy Canzani at cassidy.canzani@vermont.gov
Computer Science Education Week Dec. 6-12, 2021
Audience: STEM Educators, Computer Science Teachers, Curriculum Directors, School Librarians, Principals, Educators
Computer Science Education Week is an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science (CS), advocate for equity in computer science education and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers and partners to the field. During CSEdWeek, educators and students are encouraged to participate in Hour of Code where educators are urged to hold a one-hour coding activity to introduce students to computer science. For more information about CSEdWeek events and Hour of Code activities, go to the AOE Education Technology webpage.
Contact: Lisa Helme at lisa.helme@vermont.gov
December Rule Changes Work
Audience: Principals, Superintendents, Curriculum Coordinators, Everyone, Special Ed Administrators, Educators
Please join us for the December Office Hours event supporting the upcoming Special Education Rule changes. It will focus on the rules changes related to the addition of Functional Skills as a basic skill area. To learn more and access the released content, please visit our Rule Changes webpage and join in the virtual meeting on Dec. 13, 2021, from 9-11:30 a.m.
Contact: Chris Kane at christopher.kane@vermont.gov
Vermont PBS: November Resources to Celebrate Winter and National Native American Heritage Month
Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education has updated our Vermont PBS webpage for November. This month, celebrate National Native American Heritage Month with resources about Abenaki history and culture. Other topics of interest include Poetry Out Loud, jazz, the human genome and more. We will be updating this webpage monthly, so check back often to find new featured resources related to monthly themes and organized by grade band and subject area. Also, visit the Vermont PBS Kids and Education page to find more online and printable resources. To share resources and network with colleagues, join the Vermont PBS Educational Resources group on Edmodo. Activate your Edmodo account and join the VTED Learns community by filling out this form.
Contacts: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov or Heather Duhamel at hduhamel@vermontpbs.org
Courtesy Posts
The views, opinions and resources shared in this section of the WFM are solely those of the original contributors. The Agency of Education does not endorse the views expressed by these contributors and reserves the right to refuse submissions. Questions related to any of these resources should be directed to the organizations, people and opportunities as shared. Please refer to the Weekly Field Memo submission guidelines for additional information.
Middle Grade Conference: Equitable Learning for young Adolescents
The 2022 Middle Grades Conference will be fully online Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. The conference showcases middle grades practitioners, teacher educators and researchers who are focusing on equitable learning for young adolescents. The featured keynote will be “Unconditional Positive Regard: A Powerful Equity Stance” by Alex Shevrin Venet, author of Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education. This year’s conference is free and has been shortened to acknowledge that educators are working overtime while still in a pandemic. Please visit the conference page to register. A detailed conference program will be available in Dec. 2021.
Contact: James Nagle at jnagle2@smcvt.edu
All Learners Network Middle School Liquid Lounge With Fran Huntoon
Help, my middle schoolers are floundering with fractions! In the Middle School Liquid Lounge, we will talk about and share strategies for helping middle school students enter the world of fractions, with facilitator Fran Huntoon. Snacks and beverages will be provided for this event—21+. The course will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 29, 2021, at the ALN Learning Center in Burlington, VT.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com
All Learners Network Annual Conference - Final Day!
The All Learners Network Conference, sponsored by the Agency of Education, is back for 2021! Erin Oliver will be the keynote speaker and a selection of sessions to follow. The conference will be held virtually from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2021.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com
Umatter for Youth and Young Adults
Umatter® for Youth and Young Adults (YYA) is a youth leadership and engagement initiative that includes interactive training, design and implementation of a Community Action Project (CAP) in their school community, and presentation of CAP at an event with their peers. Core content and skills development includes: changing mindset, assessing personal strengths, building resiliency, strategies to cope with stress, self-care, recognizing signs of distress in self and others, how to reach out for help, and how to help a friend. Groups of eight youth ages 12-22 with two adult facilitators are encouraged to register for next year's program beginning Jan. 19, 2022, with a virtual kickoff event.
Contact Catherine Diduk at info@healthandlearning.org
Heidi Mesmer and "The Five (Research-Based!) Parts of a Phonics Lesson"
The pandemic of 2020/2021, emergency virtual instruction and the complexities of distanced, masked phonics instruction have produced the need for instruction that optimizes learning and “cuts the fluff.” Based on her recent book, Alphabetics for Emerging Learners, Heidi Mesmer will teach participants the Five (Research-Based!) Parts of a Phonics Lesson. The session, offered by the Partnerships for Literacy and Learning, will focus on specific techniques to accelerate decoding and letter instruction. This 1.5 hour virtual session on Dec. 8, 2021, will be beneficial to teachers of reading in grades K-3. Registration and more details at our event page.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521