- Supporting Personalization and Proficiency-Based Learning
- Act 166 Language Changes to STARS Plans
- Puberty and Adolescent Development Online Workshop
- AOE Seeks Qualified Individuals for Short Duration Activities
- Best Practices for Home Visits
- Courtesy Postings
Supporting Personalization and Proficiency-Based Learning
Audience: Administrators, School Counselors, Work-Based Learning Coordinators, Teacher Leaders, Technology Coordinators, Technology Integrationists, Librarians, Dual Enrollment Voucher Coordinators
Please save the dates for the following networking opportunities in 2017 from the Agency of Education around proficiency-based learning and personalized learning. Details and registration to follow shortly.
- Dual Enrollment Voucher System Training: September 27 (Lake Morey), 28 (Capitol Plaza), and 29 (Franklin Center at the Howe)
- Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) Platform Faire: October 3 (Lake Morey)
- Work Based Learning Statewide Kickoff: October 4 (Lake Morey)
- Proficiency and Personalization Networking Series - Sharing Solutions to Common Challenges Part 1: October 13 (Rutland)
- League of Innovative Schools Regional Meeting: October 19 (Providence, Rhode Island)
- Proficiency and Personalization Networking Series - Sharing Solutions to Common Challenges Part 2: November 17 (Lake Morey)
Contacts: Toni Marra (Dual Enrollment) at toni.marra@vermont.gov; Peter Drescher (PLP Platform) at peter.drescher@vermont.gov; Veronica Newton (Work-Based Learning) at veronica.newtong@vermont.gov; Sigrid Olson or Pat Fitzsimmons (Personalized Learning/Proficiency-Based Learning) at sigrid.olson@vermont.gov or pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov
Act 166 Language Changes to STARS Plans
Audience: Elementary Principals, Superintendents, Special Education Directors, Pre-K Coordinators, Childcare Providers, Head Start, Administrators
Three STAR prekindergarten programs who wish to be prequalified must complete a STARS plan to move from Three STARS to Four STARS with two points in each arena. Programs now have three years (instead of two) to complete these plans. Four STAR programs who do not have two points in each arena and who wish to be prequalified now must complete a Four STAR plan to achieve 2 points in each arena. Learn more and complete the Plan to Achieve 4 STARS form.
Contact: Tierney O’Meara at (802) 479-1142 or tierney.omeara@vermont.gov
Puberty and Adolescent Development Online Workshop
Audience: Physical Education Teachers, School Counselors, School Nurses, Others Providing Puberty Education
The Vermont Agency of Education is providing workshop enrollments to educators who are tasked with providing puberty education to elementary school students in Vermont. We are seeking educators who do NOT have a health endorsement. Workshop cost of $150 will be covered by AOE. Workshop participants are expected to provide puberty education at least one time during the 2017-2018 school year. Please register for the Puberty and Adolescent Development Online Workshop by September 1, 2017.
Contact: Tom Aloisi at (802) 479-1869 or thomas.aloisi@vermont.gov
AOE Seeks Qualified Individuals for Short Duration Activities
Audience: All
The Agency of Education is seeking qualified individuals for short duration activities to be held throughout the year. The activities will consist of peer and transcript review panels, ROPA teams, student assessment scoring, site monitoring teams, Committee of Practitioners, conference presentations, and ad hoc committees, groups and panels. Note: If you previously completed the survey for fiscal year 2018, please do not resubmit at this time. Learn more about short-term, small scale contracts with the AOE and submit your request to become prequalified.
Contact: Shelley Matz at (802) 479-1754 or shelley.matz@vermont.gov
Best Practices for Home Visits
Audience: Principals, Superintendent’s and School Crisis Planning Teams
Charlotte McCorkel, Project Director of Integration at the Howard Center, in collaboration with the Vermont School Safety Center is this 30-minute video to provide safety and security guidance to the education community who might be involved in conducting home visits.
Contact: Robert L. Evans, School Safety Liaison Officer, at (802) 839-0448 or revans@margolishealy.com
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.
Road Safety Kids’ Art Contest
Traffic safety is an important skill for all children to learn from a young age, and this contest is a perfect activity for students across the county to participate in during their summer vacation. The Road Safety Kids' Art Contest by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is open to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. This year’s contest will run through September 24, 2017. The Our Roads, Our Safety Partnership along with the Commercial Motor Vehicle Partnership will determine the winners in October. All 12 winners will receive a certificate of recognition and have their artwork included in the 2018 Road Safety Art Contest Calendar, which will be distributed nationwide.
Contact: Alexandra Pogue at (202) 366-8818 or alexandra.pogue@dot.gov
Social Cognition 1
This eleven-day graduate-level course is designed to provide participants with a conceptual understanding of the theoretical frameworks underlying social cognition assessment and intervention for individuals presenting with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related socio-cognitive deficits. This course is an introduction to functional and everyday application of interventions, strategies, and supports for improving social understanding and implementing social cognition groups. K-12 classroom teachers, special education teachers, reading specialists, and content area teachers are encouraged to enroll. Course will be held at the Stern Center for Language and Learning in Williston from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on dates between September 19, 2017 & December 5, 2017. Register for the Social Cognition course.
Contact: Caitlin Niland, Intake Coordinator for Professional Learning, at (802) 878-2332 or proflearning@sterncenter.org
M3: Mindset, Metacognition and Motivation
Are you building a school culture where all students believe in their capacity as learners and are empowered with effective metacognitive strategies? The M3: Mindset, Metacognition and Motivation initiative mobilizes middle and high school students as advisory teachers, leading up to ten sessions to help their peers more effectively partner with teachers and feel ownership of their learning. Adult M3 team members support students in this powerful new role and advocate for a shared “language of learning” throughout their schools.
Contact: (802) 917-4490 or helen@upforlearning.org
Master Composter Course
Audience: Faculty, Staff, Students
The Master Composter program is a six-week course that runs from September 26 - October 31, 2017. It includes seven online modules completed on your own schedule each week. It also uses a combination of lecture videos, discussion forums, weekly activities, and live question and answer sessions with instructors. Composting is practical, convenient, inexpensive and will soon be required by Act 148. Join us this fall and learn to compost from industry experts. Cost is $50 for Vermont residents and $150 for out of state residents. Register for the Master Composter course by September 15, 2017.
Contact: Contact: Lisa Chouinard at master.gardener@uvm.edu
SHAPE Conference
School nurses are invited to apply for free registration to the SHAPE-VT Conference "Building A Healthier Future" at the Killington Grand Hotel, October 19-20, 2017. Ten conference scholarships are available to school nurses interested in improving their teaching practice. Conference scholarships include two days of conference programming as well as a year membership to SHAPE VT. Visit the SHAPE VT website for conference information and the application. School nurses who are key stakeholders in teaching health curriculum or physical activity, or developing their school's Comprehensive Wellness Plan by implementing components of the Whole School Whole Community Whole Child model are especially encouraged to apply.
Contact: Dr. Lisa Pleban, Executive Director, at (802) 468-1254 or lisa.pleban@castleton.edu
Vermont Higher Education Collaborative Fall Catalog and Registration
VT-HEC has just opened our fall registration. This year, we will be highlighting the topics of trauma, anxiety, gender, proficiency based learning, technology in the classroom, and more - along with our established coursework in the areas of Special Ed, Early Childhood, Autism, Health, and Driver Ed. See the full VT-HEC catalog or register for a VT-HEC class.
Contact: Julie Medose at (802) 498-335 or julie.medose@vthec.org
K-12 Curriculum for Promoting Inclusion and Tolerance Within the General Student Body for Students with Disabilities
Audience: Special Education Directors, Curriculum Directors, Teachers
The Vermont Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) has created an online K-12 curriculum promoting inclusion in schools. The goal of the curriculum is to educate all students about this history of the disability rights movement and create awareness in the classroom. The mission the Vermont Statewide Independent Living Council is to enhance the equality with which people with disabilities participate in and contribute to the lives of their communities. The SILC will be giving presentations at schools this fall to demonstrate which curriculum to include could be best used by teachers and guidance counselors.
Contact: Peter Kriff, Executive Director at (802) 233-4908 or vtsilcpeter@gmail.com