- New FAQ: Vermont State Plan Career and College Readiness Outcomes Indicator
- Optimizing Your Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to Achieve Better Outcomes for All Students
- PreK and Kindergarten Conference
- Purposeful Lesson Planning for Language Learners Workshop
- IDEA Policy Regarding "Visual Impairment Including Blindness" Clarification
- What If Wednesday
- Courtesy Postings
New FAQ: Vermont State Plan Career and College Readiness Outcomes Indicator
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Curriculum Leaders, School Counselors
The AOE released an FAQ describing the Career and College Readiness Outcomes indicator coming out of the Vermont State Plan. The State Plan was written in response to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and outlines Vermont’s new federal accountability requirements for schools and LEAs. Read the College and Career Readiness Indicator: CCR Outcomes FAQ on the AOE website.
Contact: Jess DeCarolis, Division Director, at jess.decarolis@vermont.gov or Patrick Halladay, Education Project Manager at patrick.halladay@vermont.gov
Optimizing Your Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to Achieve Better Outcomes for All Students
Audience: SU/SD Leadership Teams or School Teams
You already have a MTSS in place, so whether you are looking for a jump-start or to innovative ideas, join in this BEST/MTSS Summer Institute 2018 strand to learn about and apply strategies and tools to achieve the best outcomes for all students. Register for the BEST/MTSS Summer Institute. Tracy Watterson from the AOE will be presenting with Agency of Education's MTSS Team and Special Education Team members throughout the week of June 25, 2018.
Contact: Tracy Watterson, MTSS Program Manager, at tracy.watterson@vermont.gov
PreK and Kindergarten Conference
Audience: Administrators, PreK and Kindergarten Teachers
Save the date for this year’s Kindergarten Conference – "Tapping the Joy of Learning for Each and Every Child...The Sweetness of Success "– scheduled for Friday, April 6, 2018 at the Hilton in Burlington, Vermont. Conference organizers are joining with the Pyramid Model Consortium, an internationally recognized professional learning center, to collaboratively develop a conference focused on equity that will celebrate work happening in Vermont as well as provide opportunities to learn from national experts. We are also pleased to announce that Rosemarie Allen, an educational leader for over thirty years, will be our keynote speaker. Her life's work has centered on ensuring children have access to high-quality early childhood programs that are developmentally and culturally appropriate. Learn more about the PreK and Kindergarten Conference workshop sessions. Register online for the PreK and Kindergarten Conference.
Contacts: Pat Fitzsimmons at (802) 479-1425 or pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov or Kate Rogers at (802) 479-1454 or kate.rogers@vermont.gov
Purposeful Lesson Planning for Language Learners Workshop
This two-day learning opportunity will enhance participants' lesson planning processes. Specifically, participants will focus on creating contexts for meaningful language use within settings that integrate content and academic language learning. Throughout this process, participants will explore elements of the WIDA Standards Framework in depth as they design instruction that promotes students' content learning and language development. Register for the Purposeful Lesson Planning for Language Learners workshop.
Contact: Jim McCobb at (802) 479-1273
IDEA Policy Regarding "Visual Impairment Including Blindness" Clarification
Audience: Special Education Administrators, Special Educators, Superintendents, Principals
On November 12, 2014, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issued a response to an inquiry for policy clarification addressing whether a State educational agency (SEA) and/or local educational agency (LEA) is permitted to establish procedures that further define the disability category, “visual impairment including blindness,” under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This memo is in response to a recent policy clarification. Read the OSEP letter.
Contact: Stephanie Bissonette at sbissonette@vabvi.org or Chris Kane at christopher.kane@vermont.gov
What If Wednesday
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
This week's What-If Wednesday for March 7, 2018 will test and evaluate the policies and procedures your school has in place to conduct a school “lockdown”. Please share this easy to use school safety training opportunity with all appropriate faculty, staff and school crisis planning team members.
Contact: Rob Evans, School Safety Liaison Officer, at 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.
Governor's Institute of Vermont
Do you have a talented student passionate about art? The Governor's Institute of Vermont's (GIV) Arts Institute gives students access to professional mentors, a network of artistic peers from around Vermont, and great facilities in which to learn new skills. Students will focus on art and encourage each other to go deeper, learn more, and create work. Students learn how to express ideas and create work in their chosen disciplines, with opportunities to learn from even more disciplines. This is just the beginning - students will bring these ideas home and carry them into their future educational goals and professional careers.
Contact: Susie Moakley at Susie@giv.org
Rosie’s Girls STEM Leadership Camp and Mentoring Program
Rosie’s Girls STEM Leadership (residential) Camp is for girls grades 9 and 10 in the fall of 2018. The camp will be July 8-12, 2018 at Vermont Technical College’s Randolph Center Campus. Girls have a chance to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering, math - plus some arts) and skilled trades to help them become strong, powerful and more confident, and to learn about potential career pathways. The program is modeled after Rosie’s Girls Day Camps by Vermont Works for Women. The camp is very affordable and scholarships are available. Many pay as little as $50 for the entire week. Register for Rosie's Girls STEM Leadership Camp.
Contact: Zoe McDonald at zmacdonald@vtc.vsc.edu
Celebrating Student Voices: Facing History's 2018 Student Essay Contest
This year's contest will award over $25,000 in scholarships and prizes to students and teachers. Presented by Facing History in partnership with WGBH, sponsored by Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation's Holocaust Remembrance Project and The Allstate Foundation, and with support from Citizen Film and WTTW, the contest will highlight themes in the upcoming PBS documentary film, "American Creed." The contest closes March 28, 2018. Read the essay prompt and submit your essay online.
Vermont State School Nurse's Association Spring Conference
The Vermont State School Nurses' Association invites you to participate in the Spring Conference entitled "Quality Improves Action." As we continue to move through the Framework for 21st Century Nursing Practice, this conference will focus on Quality Improvement and Care Coordination in the school setting. Our Keynote speaker is Dr. Erin Maughan, the National Association of School Nurses Director of Research. In addition to her keynote address, she will participate in a panel discussion on the creation of Individualized Healthcare Plans (IHP). Join us at the Franklin Conference Center in Rutland, VT on March 23, 2018.
VCSEA Administrator of the Year and Golden Apple Award Nominations
Each year, the Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators (VCSEA) recognizes and celebrates the achievements of a Vermont Special Education Administrator through the presentation of the Gail Lynk Administrator of the Year Award. This award is presented by VCSEA to a Special Education Administrator who demonstrates the pursuit of excellence in the field of Special Education. The VCSEA Golden Apple award is presented each year to an individual or team for professionalism and advocacy for students with disabilities. While the Golden Apple is an educational award, this award is not restricted to educators. Nominations for both awards are now open through March 23, 2018. View the nomination forms and learn more about the VCSEA awards.
Contact: Lori Tourville at VCSEA at (802)595-5799 or ltourville@vcsea.org
VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Cafe
VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Cafe will be hosting its second teen science cafe on Saturday, March 31, 2018 from 5-7 p.m. at the University of Vermont. Teen science cafes are a free, fun way for youth to explore science with local scientists through informal discussions and hands-on activities. These cafes are planned and run by teens for teens. This event is open to all youth in grades 7-12.
Contact: Lauren Traister, 4-H Teen & Leadership Program Coordinator, at (802)888-4972 x 402 or lauren.traister@uvm.edu
Fun Professional Development Week
The Confratute is a conference and week of professional development courses July 8-13, 2018 in Connecticut, where participants will focus on research-based practical strategies for engagement and enrichment learning for all students, as well as meeting the needs of gifted and talented students. In-depth training will be offered in the School-wide Enrichment Model; Differentiating Instruction and Curriculum; Literacy and Reading; Math Enrichment; Innovative Technology Applications; Instructional and Cluster Grouping; Underachievement; and much more. Register for Confratute 2018. Free resources are available online.
Contact: JoAnn M. Easton, Program Administrator, at (860) 486-4826 or confratute@uconn.edu
Snowy Owl Tutoring Hosts Special Online Event: CNN Contributor, Michael Zeldin
On March 9, 2018 from 10-11 a.m., join us for an online discussion on the Russia probe/ Mueller Investigation. The panel will consist of Michael Zeldin, CNN Contributor, and former special assistant to Robert Mueller, legal analyst Mark Zaid, as well as a reporter TBD from the Washington Post. The format for this online panel discussion will include an introduction, followed by a moderated debate by WCAX’s Eva McKend, and concluding with a Q and A with the audience. Learn more on the Snowy Owl Tutoring website, or call (802)299-9642 for additional information.
Contact: Thomas D. Loudon, M.A, Founder, at CustomerService@SnowyOwlTutoring.com
Foundational Literacy Skills: T-I-M-E for Teachers™
This multi-day graduate level course will provide a conceptual understanding of how children learn to read and the elements of effective reading and spelling instruction. This course draws on current research, developmental models, and practical teaching strategies and activities to help teachers understand students’ evolving insights into the workings of our alphabetic system. Learn more and register for Foundational Literacy Skills: T-I-M-E for Teachers™.
Contact: Caitlin Niland, Intake Coordinator for Professional Learning, at (802)878-2332 ext 320 or cniland@sterncenter.org
Collaboration: Family, Community and NEAR Science With Laura Porter
Vermont Foster/Adoptive Family Association invites you to join us and become part of the social movement in Vermont that is strengthening the well-being of youth, family and community. Laura Porter will guide us through a new bundle of research to understand our own important roles in the lives of the youth we know. This day will provide an overview of “NEAR” Science: Neuroscience, Epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experience and Resilience. With this information in mind, join in discussions with members of Building Flourishing Communities and Promise Communities to determine what we can do to build resilience that supports youth and families in Vermont. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 13, 2018 at the Hilton in Burlington. Register for Collaboration: Family, Community and NEAR Science.
Contact: My-Lanh Graves at (802)279-5953 or mylanh.graves@gmail.com
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