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.
Governor’s School Safety Conference
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Member
Save the date! The Vermont School Safety Center is pleased to announce that the date has been set for the next Governor’s School Safety Conference that will be held Nov. 2, 2022, at the Double Tree Hotel in South Burlington. The conference will be free of charge with Dr. Marisa Randazzo being featured as the keynote speaker. Registration will soon be open for all school safety stakeholders.
Contact: Robert L. Evans, Vermont School Safety Liaison Officer, at revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448
Rule 4509 Recommended Physical Restraint Training Programs
Audience: Rule 4500 Coordinators, UPK programs, Superintendents, Principals
This updated Rule 4509 Recommended Physical Restraint Programs list reflects programs that submitted evidence that their training aligns with the requirements of Rule 4509 in Rule 4500: Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Schools. If an LEA is using a physical restraint training provider not on this list, or if a physical restraint trainer would like to be considered for inclusion on this list, they should submit the Rule 4500 Recommended Physical Restraint Training Program Request for Inclusion. For questions, ideas and feedback contact Tracy Watterson at Tracy.Watterson@vermont.gov. For questions regarding the developmental appropriateness of restraint and seclusion for 3, 4, and 5-year-old children in Universal Prekindergarten programs, contact the AOE Early Learning Team at aoe.upk@vermont.gov.
Contact: Tracy Watterson at Tracy.Watterson@vermont.gov
Vermont Public: Summer of Possibilities
Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Public (formerly Vermont PBS and VPR) continue our partnership to meet the anywhere, anytime, educational, social and emotional needs of Vermont students. Visit the Vermont Public Kids and Education page to find online and printable resources connected to the ECHO Leahy Center’s Science and Stories, Montshire Museum’s Leonardo da Vinci Machines in Motion Exhibit, Seven Days’ Good Citizen Challenge and more.
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.
Nominate a Humanities Educator for the Swenson Award
The $1,000 Victor R. Swenson Humanities Educator Award recognizes a Vermont educator in grades 6 through 12 who exemplifies excellence in the teaching of the humanities. Vermont Humanities is asking nominators to describe how teachers have excelled in working under the difficult circumstances presented by the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and structural racism. Learn more about the award and nominations on the Swenson Humanities Educator Award webpage. Nominations are due by August 1, 2022.
Contact: Ryan Newswanger, Vermont Humanities, info@vermonthumanities.org
Quality Child Sexual Abuse Curriculum Developed by Prevent Child Abuse Vermont
The Healthy Relationships Project is an effective school-based curriculum that includes student lessons, caregiver events and newsletters, and faculty and staff training. This curriculum fulfills the Act 1 mandate for child sexual abuse prevention education. The Healthy Relationships Project has decades of evidence of effectiveness in Vermont. The CDC recently funded a longitudinal study of the Healthy Relationships Project because it was one among a few evidence-based curricula in the U.S. The program has been used in 85% of Vermont schools in the past two decades and was used in nearly 50% of Vermont schools during the 2021–22 school year! Purchase the Healthy Relationships Project training and curricula
Contact: Marcie Hambrick at mhambrick@pcavt.org
Accepting Applications for Learning Lab Vermont
The Tarrant Institute is now accepting applications for this year’s Learning Lab, a community of educators who help each other implement and sustain a dimension of their practice throughout the school year. To learn more, check out this Learning Lab FAQ, or reach out to the designers and co-instructors, Susan Hennessey and Bill Rich.
Contact: Bill Rich at redhouselearning@gmail.com
School Nurse Professional Development: Working Together Conference
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 specialty 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. Visit the Working Together Conference webpage for information and registration.
Contact: Rebecca McCray, MSN, MA, RN, NCSN, at rmccray@vssna.org
Holocaust Education Resources Available to Schools
The Vermont Holocaust Memorial (VTHM) offers projects, exhibits, workshops and speakers with personal knowledge of how horrific events such as the Holocaust can impact lives to help students enhance their understanding of prejudice, bigotry and hatred. We share our family stories of Holocaust survival and loss to promote compassion, respect and understanding. As violence, hatred and antisemitism are on the rise, VTHM provides a human face to the past, encourages students to consider universal and contemporary themes and promotes deep personal reflection and connection. You can visit the Vermont Holocaust Memorial webpage to schedule a visit to your school.
Contact: Debora Steinerman at info@holocaustmemorial-vt.org
Professional Learning: Instructional Coaches Cohort
Registration is open for the Instructional Coaching Academy Cohorts 4 and 5. This very popular, year-long academy will be offered two ways this year: in-person cohort with Ellen Dorsey and virtual only with Alysia Backman, allowing for statewide access to this critical support for coaches. The course will take place on Sep. 29 and Nov. 10, 2022, and Jan. 11, March 15, and May 4, 2023. This course is designed to meet the learning needs of coaches with varying levels of experience and participants will engage in coaching cycles both as a coach and as a 'coachee'. Jim Knight's books Better Conversations and The Impact Cycle are included and optional three graduate credits.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642
Mercury-Containing Fluorescent Lightbulbs Banned From Sale For Vermont Schools Starting Jan. 2024
Facility Managers – Starting Jan. 2024, you will no longer be able to purchase mercury-containing four foot (4’) general purpose fluorescent replacement bulbs as they will be banned from being sold in Vermont. In addition, starting Feb. 2023, screw-based compact fluorescent lightbulbs also can no longer be sold into the state. If you have questions on the sales ban please refer to the Environmental Fact Sheet provided by the Department of Environmental Conservation. If you have fluorescent lighting products in your home or business, Efficiency Vermont is currently offering a variety of rebates on LEDs to replace them. To learn more about Efficiency Vermont’s lighting offers, visit the Efficiency Vermont Rebate page. For commercial lighting, visit the Efficency Vermont Discounts on Commercial Lighting page for a more detailed list of how Efficiency Vermont can support your lighting projects.
Contact: Colin Santee at csantee@veic.org