- Updated Personalized Learning Website Resources
- Ready for Kindergarten! Survey
- Licensing Office Closed Friday
- VT Personalized Learning Plan Platform Fair Registration Closed
- Revised Transcript Review Process
- Governor's Statewide School Safety Training Conference
- Social Studies Standards Update
- What If Wednesday
- Hiring a School Nurse?
- Courtesy Postings
Updated Personalized Learning Website Resources
Audience: All
We have recently updated our web pages related to Personalized Learning. Please take this opportunity to review information about Act 77 and personalization. Find resources related to developing a personalized learning plan process. And check out real examples of schools developing and implementing a variety of personalized learning programs, made possible, in part, through our Flexible Pathways Initiative grants.
Contact: Jess DeCarolis, Division Director, Personalization & Flexible Pathways, at jess.decarolis@vermont.gov or (802) 595-9740; or Sigrid Olson, Personalized Learning Coordinator, at sigrid.olson@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1156.
Ready for Kindergarten! Survey
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Director of Student Supports, Kindergarten Teachers
The 2017-2018 Ready for Kindergarten! Survey will begin on September 27, 2017, and end on November 10, 2017. Fill out the Ready for Kindergarten! Survey online. All kindergarten teachers are required to complete the R4K!S for each student in their classroom. Principals, please forward this submission and link to R4K!S to your kindergarten teacher/s. Upon completion and submission of the R4K!S for each student, principals and/or teachers are now able to request R4K!S data submitted for each student. Also, new this year for K teachers and administrators—check out the series of online R4K!S informational training modules located on the Early Childhood Education Assessment web page.
Contact: Kate Rogers, Early Education Program Manager, at (802) 479-1454 or kate.rogers@vermont.gov
Licensing Office Closed Friday
Audience: Vermont Educators
The Licensing Office will be closed on Friday, September 29, 2017 for staff training. We will resume our normal hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 2, 2017.
Contact: Licensing Office at aoe.licensinginfo@vermont.gov
VT Personalized Learning Plan Platform Fair Registration Closed
Audience: Curriculum Coordinators, Technology Coordinators, PLP Coaches, Others Involved in PLP Programs
Registration for the October 3, 2017 Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) Platform Fair is full and is now closed.
Contact: Peter Drescher, Education Technology Coordinator, at (802) 479-1169 or peter.drescher@vermont.gov
Revised Transcript Review Process
Audience: Vermont Educators
Since April of 2017 the revised Transcript Review process for adding an endorsement is up and running. We have updated the process to support educators while providing for more efficient processing. Please note that this is no longer a three-year process. A Transcript Review flow chart has been developed to provide you with information regarding the process. Worksheets to document coursework towards an endorsement are available on the AOE website. Please review the Transcript Review step-by-step directions before applying – Initial License and Adding an Endorsement. We truly appreciate your patience as we implement this new process.
Contact: Licensing Office at aoe.licensinginfo@vermont.gov
Governor's Statewide School Safety Training Conference
Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Counselors, School Mental Health Providers, School Crisis Planning Team Members, Law Enforcement, School Resource Officers, Those Interested in School Safety
Education Secretary Holcombe and Public Safety Commissioner Anderson are pleased to announce the Governor’s Statewide School Safety Training Conference to be held on November 30, 2017 at the Sheraton, Burlington, VT. The all-day conference is designed to inform participants of the best and promising practices in school emergency preparedness. Schools are strongly encouraged to attend this conference with their local emergency management officials and emergency first responders to build or enhance their school crisis planning capacity. This conference will provide educational tracks that will include but are not limited to: managing the media and crisis communication, how to conduct an effective school safety exercise, the impacts of trauma after a critical incident, tactical emergency medicine and much more. An updated posting will be announced in the AOE’s Weekly Field Memo when registration becomes available.
Contact: Lucille Chicoine at lucille.chicoine@vermont.gov
Social Studies Standards Update
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Curriculum Directors, Social Studies Teachers
Last week, the State Board of Education voted to adopt the College, Career & Civic Life C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards to replace the History and Social Sciences Grade Expectations. This K-12 Framework is national in scope and allows for relevant content and instructional practices to be selected and developed by supervisory unions/districts. The C3 shares the focus on inquiry with the Grade Expectations, but adds an important dimension of applying knowledge and skills through informed action. Links to valuable resources can be found on the Agency of Education’s Global Citizenship page. Elementary, middle and high school teachers have volunteered to write sample proficiencies and proficiency-based graduation requirements aligned with the C3 standards.
Contact: Martha Deiss at Martha.deiss@vermont.gov
What If Wednesday
Audience: Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
The “What if Wednesday” school safety initiative is designed to stimulate a conversation about school emergency preparedness. Participants should read the summary of the “fictional” school safety incident and then answer the multiple choice question with the appropriate response action to be taken for the specific emergency. All responses are anonymous but please click "submit" when finished.
Contact: Rob Evans, School Safety Liaison, at revans@margolishealy.com
Hiring a School Nurse?
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Human Resource Directors
Please let all new School Nurse hires know that they are required to take the New School Nurse Orientation online program, before applying for their AOE endorsement as a Licensed School Nurse – 65 or Associate School Nurse – 65a (See Licensing Rules 5100, pg. 136). For more information about the orientation, please contact the State School Nurse Consultant at the Vermont Department of Health.
Contact: Sharonlee Trefry, Vermont Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health Division, at (802) 863-7348 or sharonlee.trefry@vermont.gov
Courtesy Postings
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.
VTPBIS Leadership Forum
Is your school interested in exploring PBIS? If so, consider sending a small team to attend the upcoming VTPBIS Leadership Forum on October 10, 2017, at the Killington Grand Hotel. Included will be a morning session entitled - Introduction to PBIS Within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports. There will also be an afternoon session on how to get started with PBIS. Intended audience: Ideally, these workshops will be of benefit to school teams (including administrators) from schools who are not yet implementing PBIS but are interested in learning more. Other individuals who want to learn about PBIS are also welcome.
Contact: Sherry Schoenberg at sherry.schoenberg@uvm.edu
File Your FAFSA Starting October 1, 2017
File early to make smart education choices that fit the pocketbook. Vermont Student Assistance Corp. (VSAC) will offer free workshops at over 60 local high schools beginning in early October through mid-December to help families fill out financial aid forms. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is your pathway to funding for the education and career training you need after high school. VSAC also is hosting FAFSA Fridays for students and families. Call our special FAFSA helpline at (888) 943-7301, make an appointment to see one of our counselors in Winooski, or walk in any Friday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Learn more and what to bring to FAFSA Fridays.
Contact: Sabina Haskell at (802) 542-2240 or haskell@vsac.org
VITA-Learn Annual Vermont Fest
Come to Vermont Fest - Mapping the Future and celebrate VITA-Learn's 25th anniversary November 2-3, 2017. The fest will include sessions on personalized learning, social media, digital portfolios, badging, cybersecurity, student data privacy and more. Too many choices? Save 50 percent ($75) on the third person you bring. Learn more and register for VITA-Learn Annual Vermont Fest.
Contact: Paul Irish at pirish05482@gmail.com or (802) 316-0368
Primary Number and Operation Assessment and the Common Core
Primary Number and Operation Assessment (PNOA) and the Common Core trainings will be hosted at three locations and dates. Richmond: September 27, 2017 at the Richmond Congregational Church; St. Johnsbury: September 27, 2017 at the Comfort Inn; Springfield: September 29, 2017 at the Holiday Inn Express. All conferences begin at 8 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. Register for PNOA and the Common Core. Fee: $175 includes all materials.
Contact: Loree Silvis at lsilvis@cornerstonemathematics.com
K-12 Benchmarks for Informative Writing
The Vermont Writing Collaborative is delighted to announce the arrival of new K-12 benchmarks for informative writing. All of these pieces come from classroom curriculum and are rooted in the Writing for Understanding, common sense recognition that students need a solid understanding of both content and structure/craft if they are going to be able to write proficiently. On the first day, November 6, 2017, we will work closely with those benchmarks, both at individual grade levels and system-wide. On the second day, November 7, 2017, educators are invited to actively use these benchmarks to analyze student work for instructional needs, and to score it – so, bring a set of your own student work! Both sessions will take place at Lake Morey Resort from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $200 for the first day or $350 for both days. Special room rates are available Lake Morey. Register for K-12 Benchmarks for Informative Writing.
Contact: Joey Hawkins at joeylornell@gmail.com
Complex Trauma in Our Schools
This three-credit graduate course is offered so that teachers and health and guidance personnel have a sufficient level of professional development to enable them to competently teach or provide other services required in the school for children and families impacted by trauma. The course begins with a virtual meeting on October 8, 2017, and includes four face-to-face trainings in October, November, December and January. This course carries three graduate credits through Union Institute and Unversity. Cost is $1600. Register for Complex Trauma in our Schools.
Contact: Catherine Diduk at catherine@healthandlearning.org
A Model for Managing Anxiety and Improving Self-Regulation
This module will focus on managing anxiety and improving self-regulation using techniques for increasing self-awareness and modifying one’s own behaviors. This six-hour workshop is part of a two-part Social Cognition Learning Module that takes an in-depth look at current specific strategies and activities designed to improve interpersonal communication and self-management skills. These workshops are designed to provide additional concentrated exploration of an individual methodology associated with social and emotional learning. Recommended for classroom teachers, special education teachers, reading specialists, and content area teachers. Held at the Stern Center for Language and Learning in Williston from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m on Thursday, October 5, 2017. Register for A Model for Managing Anxiety and Improving Self-Regulation.
Contact: Caitlin Niland, Intake Coordinator for Professional Learning, at (802) 878-2332 or proflearning@sterncenter.org
Mosaic Student Summit Facilitator's Training
The Mosaic Learning Center is offering a two-day Student Summit Facilitator Certification Training on November 3, 2017 and February 15, 2018 at the Howard Center in Burlington for anyone interested in learning how to coordinate a Student Summit. The Mosaic Student Summit is a planning tool designed to help teams engage in long-range planning for students, focused on amplifying strengths and supporting areas of challenge. The Mosaic Student Summit is founded on the premise that we excel by amplifying strengths not by simply fixing weaknesses. Stories that highlight students’ moments of greatest success and joy in learning, whether academically or socially, offer invaluable insight for creating effective and meaningful instruction. Inevitably the images that arise from these stories are impactful, memorable and help us personally connect to a more focused purpose. By entering the design of students programs through a gateway of strength, we are able to more holistically support areas of challenge. Register for the Mosaic Student Summit Facilitator's Training.
Contact: Michelle Irish at michelle@mosaiclearningcenter.com
Deconstructing Racism: Redesigning Curriculum for Equity and Inclusion
This day-long workshop is for educators interested in ensuring their curriculum represents diverse cultural perspectives and interrupts systematic racism. Using educational materials from their own classrooms, educators will collaborate with our visiting professionals and other educators to revisit lesson content, methods and assessment. Jeh Kulu's Music Director Ismael Bangoura will conclude the day with a West African drum lesson. Time will also be dedicated to exploring approaches to having difficult conversations with students about race and seizing the opportunities that arise suddenly in the classroom. The workshop will be held November 3, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Contois Auditorium in Burlington City Hall. Register for Deconstructing Racism: Redesigning Curriculum for Equity and Inclusion.
Contact: Call and Response Education Network at callandresponsevt@gmail.com
VCTM Annual Conference 2017
The Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM) Annual Conference, Math for Everyone, includes 30, 60, and 90 minute K-12 sessions focusing on equity, access, discourse, PBGRs, pedagogy, leadership, assessment and networking opportunities. Registration is $125 and includes a one-year membership to VCTM. The conference will be held on October 16, 2017 at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, VT. Register for the VCTM Annual Conference. If you register before September 29, 2017, you can save $10.
Contact: kwestby@wsesu.org or jkendrew@materchristischool.net
Primary Number and Operation Assessment: What’s Next?
Primary Number and Operation Assessment (PNOA): What’s Next? will be hosted at two locations and dates. Richmond: October 6, 2017 at the Richmond Congregational Church; Springfield: October 13, 2017 at the Holiday Inn Express. All conferences begin at 8 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. Register for PNOA: What's Next? Fee: $175 includes all materials.
Contact: Loree Silvis at lsilvis@cornerstonemathematics.com
Vermont School Nurse Education Conference
The focus of this conference on October 14, 2017 is honing current practice in the school nurse's office. Register for Vermont School Nurse EducatioN Conference. Save money by registering and paying by October 1, 2017.
Contact: Sophia Hall, VSSNA President, at (802) 626-8141 or president@vssna.org
Music Together Classes for Birth-5
Bring your babies to five-year-olds, and join Alison Mott at the Flynn Center in Burlington in singing, dancing, playing drums, bells, shakers and triangles. Parents/caregivers and children join a community sharing songs, instrument play, rhythm chants, and movement activities in a relaxed, playful, non-performance-oriented setting. Join classes this fall on Monday mornings: Session A from 9:30-10:15 a.m. and Session B from 10:30-11:15 a.m. or look for sessions starting in January and April 2018. Financial aid is available. Learn more and register for Music Together.
Contact: Flynn Center at flynnarts@flynncenter.org