- Critical Dates for Schools Calendar
- Publicly Funded PreKindergarten Qualification Extension and Renewal Process
- 2018 Mason’s CARE Training
- Vermont Proficiency-Based Learning EdCamp Series
- What If Wednesday
- Allison Zmuda Webinar Series
- Courtesy Postings
Critical Dates for Schools Calendar
Audience: School and SU/SD Administrators
In response to requests from the field, the AOE has compiled a Critical Dates for Schools spreadsheet. This excel table captures requirements that the AOE must collect from the field annually, major reports that the AOE makes available annually, and critical alerts that impact local-level annual planning. The Critical Dates Memo, explaining its intended application, is available on the AOE’s website. As this resource is currently being introduced to the field for the first time, we are also soliciting feedback on its relevancy and efficacy. This feedback will be used as we revise this table to reflect 2018 - 2019 dates, with an anticipated release window of summer 2018.
Contact: Chris Case, Education Project Manager, at chris.case@vermont.gov
Publicly Funded PreKindergarten Qualification Extension and Renewal Process
Audience: Universal PreK Public and Private Program Administrators/Coordinators, Principals, Superintendents
The new Ready to Apply checklist assists PreKindergarten (PreK) programs to identify and gather necessary information in preparation to complete and submit your PreK qualification renewal or new application. Please read the PreK Renewal Application memo thoroughly to determine your program’s due date. Failure to complete and submit PreK qualification application by the due date will result in a lapse of approved qualification status as a publicly funded PreK program. All forms can be found on Universal PreKindergarten webpage.
Contact: (802) 479-1469 or aoe.upk@vermont.gov
2018 Mason’s CARE Training
Audience: Members of School-Based Education Support Teams or Targeted Teams Attending as a Team
Mason’s Comprehensive Assessment Recovery Effort (CARE) training opportunity for school members of education support teams sponsored by the Vermont Freemasons, Vermont Agency of Education, and Vermont Department of Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs. This training is designed to provide strategies for the improved and efficient functioning of a school’s Educational Support Team or Targeted Team. The two-day workshop builds educators skills in identifying at-risk students and providing appropriate guidance. There is no cost to participants. There are two regional training opportunities. Participants only have to attend one two-day training. The North training will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 19 - 20, 2018 at Green Mountain Technical Center in Hyde Park. The South training will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 22 - 23, 2018 at the NewsBank Conference Center in Chester. Register for 2018 Mason's CARE Training. Learn more about the Comprehensive Assessment Recovery Effort Training Opportunity.
Contact: Sabine Baldwin at sabine.baldwin@vermont.gov
Vermont Proficiency-Based Learning EdCamp Series
Audience: All
Three EdCamps will be offered this spring across the state. The Agency of Education Proficiency-Based Learning EdCamps will be held March 1, 2018 at Lyndon Institute and the week of April 23, 2018 in southern Vermont. EdCamp will be holding their annual EdCamp at the Centerpoint School in Winooski on Saturday, April 14, 2018. To learn more and register for April 14, 2018 visit the EdCamp Vermont website and see the courtesy posting below. Learn more and register for Vermont Proficiency-Based Learning EdCamp.
Contact: Members of the Proficiency-Based Learning Team greg.young@vermont.gov, margaret.carrera-bly@vermont.gov, or emily.titterton@vermont.gov
What If Wednesday
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
The What-If Wednesday - January 31, 2018 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 Officer, at (802) 839-0448 or revans@margolishealy.com
Allison Zmuda Webinar Series
Audience: All
VT Professional Learning Network is welcoming author and education expert, Allison Zmuda in May as part of our Digging Deep Expert Series. As a lead up to her in-person sessions, Allison will hold virtual conversations with Vermont educators to answer your questions about personalized learning on February 16, March 9, and April 13, 2018. Participation in the Allison Zmuda Expert Series, though encouraged, is not a prerequisite for participating in the virtual sessions with Allison. Register for the Allison Zmuda Webinar Series. If you would like to ask Allison a question that she will answer during her webinars, submit questions using the Ask An Expert: Questions for Allison Zmuda (electronic form).
Contact: Michael Brownstein at vtclg@ccebos.org
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.
2018 Champlain College Young Writers' Conference
High school students are cordially invited to attend a weekend of writing workshops, craft sessions, and open mike at the Champlain College Young Writers' Conference, May 25-27, 2018. Now in our 18th year, our doors are open to emerging writers who wish to share their passion for story, drama, and song with their writerly brothers and sisters—and with celebrated New England authors. We offer three days of readings, improv, Moth storytelling, poetry slams, literary jazz/blues fusion, and extended friendship on the hillside campus of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. The 2018 Keynote Speaker is GennaRose Nethercott. Applications are due February 23, 2018. Apply online for the 2018 Champlain College Young Writers' Conference.
Contact: Lesley Wright at (802)865-8456 or ccyw@champlain.edu
Vermont Council on Reading Spring Conference
The Vermont Council on Reading Spring Conference will be held Friday, May 11, 2018 at the Stoweflake Inn and Conference Center in Stowe, VT, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The conference will feature literacy specialist, author and consultant, Lester Laminack. In the morning Lester’s keynote will address When Books Become Best Friends: One Book/Many Visits and Read Aloud as Instructional Investment: Layering Vocabulary and Concepts for Subject Specific Study. In the afternoon Lester’s keynote will address writing, Writers ARE Readers: Use Reading Structures and Strategies to Nurture More Powerful Writers. Register for the Vermont Council on Reading Spring Conference.
Flynn Center Teacher Workshop
"Scott Kettner & Carnival Caravan Workshop: Fresh Approaches to Teaching Folk Music" is one of the after-school teacher workshops held at the Flynn on Thursday, March 15, 2018 from 4-6 p.m. Conducted by master drummer/percussionist Scott Kettner, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn the rhythms of New Orleans' and Brazil's music traditions as participants engage with the Brazilian folk music of Maracatu de Baque Virado and its relationship to the New Orleans second line and Mardi Gras Indian rhythms. Cost is $25 per participant, and professional development credit is available. Register for this Flynn Center Teacher Workshop.
Contact: Lauren Genta, School Programs Coordinator, at lgenta@flynncenter.org
Digital Storytelling and Place-based Learning
The Champlain Basin Education Initiative partners are hosting a workshop in collaboration with the Vermont Folklife Center (VFC) on February 8, 2018 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the St. Albans Museum. Mary Rizos, Director of Education at the VFC, is the main facilitator of the day and she will share the ideas behind Collaborative Ethnography, as well as a variety of protocols and pedagogy of doing actual interviews. Teachers will leave with a well-packed toolkit of strategies and ideas for collecting the many diverse stories that are found in our communities. The $20 registration fee includes lunch.
Contact: Stephanie Larkin at slarkin@lcbp.org
Democracy at Risk: Holocaust and Human Behavior
In partnership with Facing History and Ourselves, The Vermont Holocaust Memorial has created this workshop to provide educators with the tools to teach the many moral questions confronting students today. Studying the Holocaust through Facing History’s unique approach allows students to examine history and the dismantling of democracy by using ethical reasoning, critical thinking, empathy, and civic engagement – all of which are essential for sustaining democracy. This workshop will take place on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Stowe. Learn more and register for Democracy at Risk: Holocast and Human Behavior.
Contact: Marcie Scudder at marcie@marciescudder.com
2018 VT Entrepreneurship Day
Vermont Entrepreneurship Day for secondary students will be held February 8, 2018 in Montpelier from 7 a.m. - 9:15 a.m at the Statehouse, then move to the Capitol Plaza Hotel from 9:15 a.m. to noon. The event is free to all. The theme “VT Entrepreneurship...it’s amazing for all ages” will feature the Governor’s remarks and Proclamation, a panel of six Vermont entrepreneurs, a student activity, a demo by the Rutland Robo-Rattlers-national Lego robotics winners, visual media award presentations and more.
Contact: Laurel Butler at lbutler@vtsbdc.org or Susan Ladd at vtctso@gmail.com
Dartmouth College Summer 2018 Opportunity for High School Students
The Health Careers Institute at Dartmouth is offered during July and August for high school students who have expressed an interest in working in health care or want to know more about clinical and non-clinical health careers. Students entering grades 10, 11, and 12 who want to learn about careers and important issues and topics in health care today, are encouraged to apply. Learn more and apply for the Health Careers Institute. The deadline to apply is March 5, 2018.
EdCamp VT: Teacher-Driven Professional Development
EdCamp is a free professional development unconference. The model is used around the world to bring together educators to talk about what matters in school today. Learn more about the EdCamp story. Participants create the day's schedule together in the morning, shaping the content and outcomes as a group. Anyone can present or facilitate a conversation. Sessions are driven by participant interest, passion, and curiosity, with a focus on peer-to-peer sharing. EdCamp VT will have free breakfast, lunch and coffee, and offer certificates for PD hours. To learn more and register for April 14, 2018 visit the EdCamp Vermont website.
Contact: EdCamp services at edcamp@centerpointservices.org