Agency of Education, State of Vermont and Federal Updates
This section of the Weekly Field Memo contains posts from the Agency of Education, other State of Vermont agencies, federal agencies or Vermont's congressional delegation.
Summer Recess Park Pass Program for Vermont Educators
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
In partnership with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the Agency of Education will be providing up to 10,900 Vermont State Park passes to Vermont educators through the new Summer Recess Park Pass program. This program is part of a larger Agency of Education Educator Wellness Initiative, which supports comprehensive staff wellness programs for Vermont schools recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Details on the passes are available from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation Educator Park Passes Infosheet. Educators wishing to participate in the program should fill out this Summer Recess Park Pass webform.
Contact: Kate Horton at katherine.horton@vermont.gov
State-Placed Students Data Collection for the 2021-2022 School Year
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Special Education Coordinators, Business Managers
Every public school must report the number of state-placed students they educated in the 2021-2022 school year by July 1, 2022. The count of state-placed students data report for the 2021-2022 school year will be used in finalizing the average daily membership census report this fall. For more information, see the Memo: Count of State Placed Students Data Collection. The Count of State Placed Students Form is also available.
Contact: Cathy Scott at cathy.scott@vermont.gov
Vermont PBS: May Resources to Celebrate Storytelling and Poetry
Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education has updated our Vermont PBS webpage for May 2022. Celebrate the art of storytelling and the power of poetry with resources from PBS Learning Media as well as local connections such as Clemmons Family Farm Storytelling Room. Other topics of interest include social emotional learning, music, STEAM and the Summer of Possibilities. We will continue to update 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 the VTED Learns Network 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.
Implementing and Integrating Social Emotional Learning Seamlessly: Collaborative Teacher Practices - Castleton University Center for Schools Online Graduate Course
Registration is now open for Implementing and Integrating Social Emotional Learning Seamlessly: Collaborative Teacher Practices, which will run June 11 – July 18, 2022, with instructor Ryanne Spaulding. This Castleton University Center for Schools online graduate course will explore how educators can be prepared to support students in the current classroom climate. The course will focus on the importance and value of restorative, trauma-informed and mindfulness practices. Educators will develop practical strategies to use in the classroom and will also build an action plan for their own self-care.
Contact: Tara Lidstone at cfs@castleton.edu or (802) 345-0092
Governor Phil Hoff Vermont Honor Scholarship Nominations
The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) Scholarships Program is currently seeking nominations for The Governor Phil Hoff Vermont Honor Scholarship. Schools that have not submitted students for nomination can find the scholarship description and nomination form on the VSAC-assisted Scholarships tab of VSAC’s Financial Aid Professionals page.
Contact: Serena Peck at scholarships@vsac.org or (888) 253-4819
Vermont Family Network Free Workshop: “Self-Advocacy in Transition Planning”
The Vermont Family Network Free Workshop: “Self-Advocacy in Transition Planning” will take place on May 26, 2022, from 10-11 a.m. In this workshop, you will learn about the importance of youth with disabilities developing self-advocacy skills as they transition into adulthood. What is the parent’s role in helping to foster their young person’s growth in independence and self-determination? How should youth integrate their disability into their identity? How can agencies and organizations help youth make a successful transition into achieving post-secondary goals in the areas of education, employment and independent living? Presenters are Tara Howe, HireAbility Vermont Transition Program Manager; Betsy Choquette, HireAbility Vermont Programs Manager; Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie, Vermont Center for Independent Living Coordinator; Martha Frank, Vermont Family Network Family Support Consultant-Education. Register on the Self-Advocacy in Transition Planning registration webpage.
Rachel Boyers at rachel.boyers@vtfn.org
Youth Environmental Summit - Youth Presenters & Leaders
Youth Environmental Summit (YES) is an annual event for students in grades 6-12 who want to learn about environmental issues and find ways to take action. Save the Date: YES will take place on October 28, 2022! We are currently seeking workshop presenters on a variety of topics and ideas, and we strongly encourage youth to submit proposals. We are also looking for students who will be entering grades 9-12 in Fall 2022 to step up to serve as YES Teen Leaders. Workshop proposals and teen leader applications are due by June 1, 2022. Learn more on the 4-H Announcements page.
Contact: Lauren Traister at Lauren.Traister@uvm.edu or 802-888-4972 x 402
Specialized Instruction & Intervention in Math
Specialized Instruction & Intervention in Math is a two-credit course that will take place on Aug 10-12, 2022 with three follow-up dates in the fall, from 9 a.m.- 2:30 p.m., in-person at the All Learners Network Learning Center in Burlington. Using the lens of the All Learners Network High Leverage Concepts, this course will explore specialized instruction and interventions in math focused on supporting struggling learners in the K-5 grade classrooms.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com
Registrations Still Open: Annual Dynamic Landscapes Conference
There are still spots open for Vita-Learn's Annual Dynamic Landscapes Conference at Champlain College on May 23-24, 2022. Innovation and education technology remains the focus with extra attention paid to digital citizenship and robotics. More information including online registration may be found on the Dynamic Landscapes 2022 website.
Questions: Jeff Mao at jeff@vita-learn.org or (207) 798-2460
Next Generation Science Exemplar Teacher Professional Development Course
Interested in shifting your instruction from a place where students are just “learning about” to one where they are “figuring out” the how and why? Join the Vermont Institute of Natural Science for the Becoming a Next Generation Science Teacher professional development course. Participants will explore how to use phenomena (things that happen in the world) to drive instruction, motivate learning and help learners drive where to go next. Course schedule: Monday, August 8 - Friday, August 12, 2022; 9 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. Learn more and register for the Becoming a Next Generation Science Teacher professional development course. Relicensing or graduate credits are available.
Contact: Hannah Gelroth at hgelroth@vinsweb.org or (802) 359-5000
Joy Write: Time, Choice, and Response for Developing Writers
Partnerships for Literacy and Learning (PLL) is excited to present a new, graduate course, Joy Write: Time, Choice, and Response for Developing Writers, a three-credit course through Saint Michael’s College on July 6 - August 16, 2022. This asynchronous, online course taught by Ellen Thompson Ed.D., is for teachers of students in grades K-8. While taking this course, we will read and reflect upon Joy Write: Cultivating High-Impact, Low-Stakes Writing, written by Ralph Fletcher, while examining your own practices and the practices of other influential teachers of literacy. We will examine the set-up for a writers’ workshop as well as what is needed to teach and support student writers to become better writers as evidenced by classroom-based and/or state assessments. Registration and more details can be found on the PLL Professional Learning Courses website.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521
Destination Imagination Workshops
Vermont Destination Imagination offers creative workshops for kids and teens in all locations around the state this summer and fall. We incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) and teamwork into our activities, whether it’s an afterschool workshop or part of an all-day event in your community. Destination Imagination has workshops for educators, with certificates for professional development, at the online ”IGNITE” Conference. IGNITE Destination Imagination will be held on June 20-24, 2022. Just choose what you like and pay what you can.
Contact: Jane Youngbaer at vtdicreativity@gmail.com or (802) 272-2766
Social Learning Programs for Children and Teens in Vermont
This summer, the Stern Center for Language and Learning is offering Camp Compass for ages 6–12 and the Team-Building Summer Institute for ages 13–18. Each program includes small group sessions and activities that promote social learning. Through direct teaching, coaching and practice, our experts help students learn foundational social skills. The coach-to-student ratio is generally 1:4 and students are grouped according to age and social communication profile. For more information visit the Stern Center Social Learning & Communication Summer Programs webpage.
Contact: Jessica Stoehr at social@sterncenter.org