Volume 16, Issue 23

June 8, 2022

Agency of Education, State of Vermont and Federal Updates
Courtesy Posts

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.

Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators

Audience: Vermont Teachers, Administrators, Education Preparation Programs, Public stakeholders
The Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators (VSBPE) will have four open seats beginning in August 2022. The four seats open are one for a practicing teacher, one for a practicing administrator, one for a representative of an education preparation program at a public institute of higher education and one at-large member from the public. If you are interested in learning more or in serving, please contact us. The VSBPE is a thirteen-member, teacher-majority, policy-making board appointed by the Governor. The Board’s purpose is to maintain educator quality through the oversight of the rules governing training, licensing and professional standards of teachers and administrators.
Contact: Patrick Halladay at patrick.halladay@vermont.gov

Making Connections with VTmtss Act 173 Needs Assessment Series

Audience: SU/SD Leadership Teams
The Making Connections with VTmtss Act 173 Needs Assessment series consists of documents in a common format for evaluating current practice in a district and its schools. The series includes one document for each Systems Lever of Act 173 – Educational Support Teams, Local Comprehensive Assessment Systems, Coordinated Curriculum and Needs-based Professional Development. These tools have been revised as needs assessments, ideally to be used in conjunction with the VTmtss Systems Screener, the VTmtss Framework, the VTmtss Driver Diagram and continuous improvement goal-setting. Facilitation support by the Agency of Education’s VTmtss Team is available upon request using the VTmtss Team Technical Assistance Request Form.
Contact: Tracy Watterson, VTmtss Program Manager, tracy.watterson@vermont.gov

Grant Program Announcement: Interdisciplinary Team (I-Team) Program

Audience: Individuals or Agencies Qualified to Provide Services Outlined in the I-Team Grant Announcement
The Vermont Agency of Education is seeking proposals from qualified individuals or agencies to improve local educational team’s capacities to implement research-based interventions and current best practices in the field of education. The grantee will provide services to individual students aged 3-22 and their educational teams, provide professional development training and consultation to educators and professionals in the field and work in collaboration with other statewide consultants as appropriate. The I-Team Grant document provides the information about this grant program
Contact: Chris Case at aoe.sssdivisionleadsteam@vermont.gov

District-level Educational Support Team Oversight

Audience: SU/SD Leadership Teams
District-level Educational Support Team (EST) Oversight is guidance that describes the core responsibilities and recommended practices for district-level EST oversight. The AOE has identified several critical responsibilities that we recommend that SU/SD assume as a part of their support of school-level EST work. The AOE will be referring to the local education agency team conducting this work as the “District EST Oversight Team.” For more information or support in using this guidance please contact Tom Faris, VTmtss Coordinator.
Contact: Tom Faris at thomas.faris@vermont.gov

Regional Career and Technical Education Centers School Calendars 2022-2023 School Year

Audience: All
State statute requires that superintendents of schools and headmasters of public schools not managed by school boards in an area meet annually, and, by majority vote, establish a uniform calendar within that area for the following school year. The summary of the 2022-2023 Regional School Career Technical Education Centers Calendars is submitted to the Agency of Education and organized by technical center regions.
Contact: Maureen Gaidys at AOE.EDInfo@vermont.gov

Grant Program Announcement: Blind and Visually Impaired

Audience: Individuals or Agencies Qualified to Provide Services Outlined in the Bland and Visually Impaired Grant Announcement
The Vermont Agency of Education is seeking proposals from qualified individuals or agencies to improve local educational team’s capacities to implement research-based interventions and current best practices in the field of education. The grantee will provide services to individual students aged 3-22 and their educational teams, provide professional development training and consultation to educators and professionals in the field, and work in collaboration with other statewide consultants as appropriate. The Blind and Visually Impaired Grant Program Announcement document provides the information about this grant program.
Contact: Chris Case at aoe.sssdivisionleadsteam@vermont.gov

Vermont PBS: Summer of Possibilities

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont PBS continue our partnership to meet the anywhere, anytime, educational, social and emotional needs of Vermont students. Visit the Vermont PBS Kids and Education page to find online and printable resources connected to Montshire Museum’s Leonardo da Vinci Machines in Motion Exhibit, Seven Days’ Good Citizen Challenge and more. 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.

School Nurse Professional Development: Working Together Conference

The American Heart Association is hosting a two-day youth tobacco summit on June 7, 2022, at 3 p.m. and June 8 at 4 p.m. Young advocates from across the eastern states will be coming together virtually to talk about how they can take action to end tobacco use among youth. The Vermont State School Nurse Association and University of Vermont Medical Center Nurse Educators are resurrecting the Working Together Conference, a professional development day filled with special presentations designed specifically for school nursing practice. The conference will be held August 24, 2022, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Burlington, VT. Please support your school nurse in both professional development time and financially to attend this educational event that will advance best practice care for Vermont's students. Registration is open until August 19, 2022, on the Working Together Conference webpage.
Contact: Rebecca McCray, MSN, MA, RN, NCSN, Vermont State School Nurses Association President, rmccray@vssna.org

All Learners Network Summer Workshops and Courses

The All Learners Network Coaches Academy 1 is a three-credit course that will take place on July 5-8, 2022, from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. There will also be two follow-up dates in the fall, in-person at the All Learners Network Learning Center in Burlington. This course is designed for mathematics coaches, math teacher leaders and instructional leaders. This course is based on current research which explores ideas for making systemic change in effective math teaching practices.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com

Beyond Educator Self-Care: Holding Space for Collective Wellness - Summer Workshop Series

Over the past two years of pandemic schooling, a polarized political environment and an educator shortage, educators have been stretched thin. While leaders and systems show much compassion and attempt to care for their workforce, overwhelming grief and burnout remain. In this three-day, in-person workshop series, participants will hone skills, strategies and routines that strengthen their well-being and, as a result, the well-being of everyone in their learning community. It is time reconnect with the reason educators chose this profession and bring joy back to the classrooms, as well as develop commitments and boundaries that are in line with our values. The series consists of three workshops where participants can choose to attend all sessions, or take some individually. The first session is on June 28, 2022, in Waitsfield, Vermont.
Contact: Julie Medose at info@vthec.org or 802-498-3350

Vermont Lake Monsters Outstanding Student Program

The Lake Monsters are once again looking for Outstanding Students to recognize for academic or athletic achievements at a Lake Monsters game this season. The program is set up to recognize, honor and encourage the youth of Vermont through criteria that are totally up to you - it could be for perfect attendance, a spectacular display of determination, stellar academics or a great play on the field or court. Students that are selected are presented with a free ticket to a Lake Monsters game on either July 13, 2022, or July 27, and the exciting opportunity to be recognized on the field before the game! For more information please visit the Lake Monsters Outstanding Students webpage. The deadline to submit student nominations is June 13, 2022.
Contact: Nick DiLello at nick@vermontlakemonsters.com or (802) 655-4200

Professional Learning: Social Learning Strategies to Help Students and Schools Heal and Thrive

In the Stern Center for Language and Learning Trauma-Informed Social Learning course, you’ll learn how trauma and early adversity can impact learning, behavior and how to help students through effective social, emotional learning. The course, which is eligible for graduate credit from Castleton University, will help you define, identify and understand the developmental experiences of children and teens that can negatively impact their typical social development. You’ll learn the latest research about trauma and the brain, different models and frameworks for social, emotional learning instruction and assessment practices for social learning and behavior. Visit the Trauma-Informed Social Learning course webpage to register. Grant funding is available through the Application for Grant Funding form.
Contact: Peter McDonald at pmcdonald@sterncenter.org

The Current Evolution of Spanish Children’s Literature

The Current Evolution of Spanish Children’s Literature is a Castleton Center for Schools online graduate course with Dr. Ana Alfaro-Alexander that begins June 14, 2022. This opportunity has been designed specifically for practicing Spanish teachers. In this course, all students will have the opportunity to perfect their ability to read, speak and write in academic contexts. They will expand their knowledge of the evolution of Spanish and Latin American children’s literature and will also gain a better understanding of the themes and their interconnections. Dr. Alfaro-Alexander has her Ph.D. in Spanish American Literature and was a faculty member at Castleton University for close to 20 years.
Contact: Tara Lidstone at cfs@castleton.edu or (802) 345-0092

Young Adult Literature: Bringing Relevant Texts Into Our Classrooms

Partnerships for Literacy and Learning (PLL) is excited to present this new three-credit course through Saint Michael’s College on June 23-August 11, 2022. This course, taught by Sarah Miller, M.Ed., is for teachers of students in grades 7-10. Participants will read and analyze a wide range of relevant texts for young adult readers. There will be books in verse, graphic novels, prose and text. Some may include discussions of race, sexuality, gender and addiction. More details can be found on the PLL Professional Learning website.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521