- USED Website Accessibility Technical Assistance
- 2018 MTSS Survey Closes June 1, 2018
- Applications for Vermont Safety and Security Grant Program
- MTSS Monthly Office Hours
- Courtesy Posts
USED Announces Website Accessibility Technical Assistance Initiative
Audience: Superintendents and Principals, IT Administrators
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is launching a new technical assistance initiative to assist schools, districts, state education agencies, libraries, colleges and universities in making their websites and online programs accessible to individuals with disabilities. Through webinars, OCR will provide information technology professionals with vital information on website accessibility, including tips for making their online programs accessible. OCR will offer the first three webinars on May 29, 2018 June 5, 2018 and June 12, 2018 at 1 p.m. Those interested in participating should send requests to OCRWebAccessTA@ed.gov and include name, preferred webinar date, and contact information. Supervisory Unions/Districts are encouraged to invite vendors to attend these webinars. Additional information about the scheduling and registration for additional webinars, as well as more information about the initiative is available on the Department’s website.
Contact: Ted Fisher at ted.fisher@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1170
2018 Multi-Tiered System of Supports Survey
Audience: Superintendents and Principals
A reminder that the data collection window for the MTSS Survey closes on Friday, June 1, 2018. The data collected from the 2018 MTSS Survey will be used to inform professional learning, guide technical assistance, and respond to legislative requests. As required by Act 117 - VSA Title 16, Section 2904, each superintendent shall annually provide to the Vermont Secretary of Education the status of the tiered system of supports in each school in the supervisory union or school district. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Contact: Emma Louie at (802) 479-1336 or emma.louie@vermont.gov
Applications for Vermont's School Safety and Security Grant Program
Audience: Superintendents, Principals and School Board Members
Vermont’s Department of Public Safety, in collaboration with the Agency of Education and Vermont’s School Safety Center, will send out grant applications for Vermont’s School Safety and Security Grant Program on June 1st, 2018. We encourage all schools to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance their school emergency preparedness initiatives. The information provided to schools on June 1st will contain: request for proposal documents, the grant application and signature page, an equipment list, school safety and security best practices, and the National Fire Protection Association's guidance on "door locking mechanisms." At this time, the grant funding bill (H.923) requires a 25% (hard) match for schools who wish to apply for these grants. Specific details about the match requirements will be included with the application.
Contact: Mark Bosma at mark.bosma@vermont.gov or (800) 347-0488
Multi-tiered System of Supports Office Hours
Audience: Members of SU/SD School Leadership Teams, 2018 BEST Summer Institute MTSS Strand Participants
The Vermont Agency of Education MTSS Team is hosting the first in a series of online monthly office hours. The team will provide technical assistance and a deeper dive into the five components of the MTSS Field Guide. Additionally, these office hours will be used to address questions from the field, foster networking opportunities, collect feedback and develop common language around Vermont's multi-tiered system of support for all students. The MTSS Office Hours will be on the last Thursday of every month from 3 to 4 p.m. The first session is scheduled for July 26, 2018. Participants can join the office hours from their computer, tablet, or smartphone, or dial in at (872) 240-3412, Access Code: 391-037-709.
Contact: Tracy Watterson at (802) 479-1353 or tracy.watterson@vermont.gov
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.
2018 Vermont's Journey Towards Proficiency and Personalization
The second annual Vermont's Journey Towards Proficiency and Personalization Symposium will be held at Castleton University on July 18 and 19, 2018, with a one-day pre-conference on July 17, 2018, facilitated by Dr. Lee Ann Jung.
Contact: Andrew Jones at ajones@millriverschools.org or (802) 775-3264, ext. 289
Nominations Accepted for School Nurse of the Year
The Vermont State School Nurses’ Association is now accepting nominations for School Nurse of the Year. Nominations will be reviewed early this summer and announced prior to the beginning of the 2018/19 school year. Care coordination, community and public health, quality improvement, standards of practice, and relationship building are all part of the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice that guides Vermont school nurses. Please submit nominations, including the name of the school nurse, the submitter's name, and the name and phone number of the school to Sophia Hall, President VSSNA, president@vssna.org by June 11, 2018.
Contact: Sharonlee Trefry, State School Nurse Consultant, Vermont Department of Health, sharonlee.trefry@vermont.gov or (802) 863-7348
Professional Learning Opportunity: Developing Systems to Support All Learners
The Vermont Higher Education Collaborative is hosting Developing Comprehensive, Interdependent Systems to Support All Learners on August 9 and 10, 2018 at Capitol Plaza in Montpelier. This event is intended for teams who are ready to build, implement, or improve their comprehensive Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). In order to build comprehensive academic and social/emotional support systems that support all learners, leaders and other decision-makers must build an understanding of conceptual underpinnings of these systems. Jamie Kinnarney of Williamstown Schools and Michaela Martin of Central Vermont Supervisory Union will be using their school and district as a model to share how they’ve used their understanding to build effective systems in the areas of Culture and Climate; Assessment, Instruction, and Intervention; Effective Collaboration; and Professional Learning. In addition, they will share specific decisions, plans, strategies, and actions they take to bring each of these systems to life. Participants may also choose to attend additional meetings throughout the fall for graduate credits.
Contact: Julie Medose at info@vthec.org or (802) 498-3350
Professional Learning: Providing Work-Based Learning Opportunities
Registration is open for "Work-Based Learning: Providing Safe, Legal and Effective Opportunities for Students, Schools and Businesses." This three-credit Castleton University course is designed to support those pursuing the Work-Based Learning (WBL) Coordinator Endorsement, or those seeking to build their professional WBL practice. In order to develop legal, safe, and effective work-based learning programs and experiences, school personnel must understand labor and safety laws and practices, sales and marketing, career development strategies, effective systems for organizing, monitoring and evaluating student learning opportunities with businesses and community partners. The course provides participants with the knowledge base needed to develop a coherent school work-based learning program. This class will be offered in an independent study format with a combination of in-person and online sessions. The first in-person session will be held at Vermont Tech in Williston on Saturday, June 9, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The June 30, July 14 and July 28, 2018 sessions will also be held at Vermont Tech in Williston from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. To register contact the instructor, Rich Tulikangas.
Contact: Rich Tulikangas at rtulikangas@comcast.net or (802) 734-8170
Professional Learning: C3 Framework for Social Studies
Registration is open for C3 Social Studies: Inquiring Minds Want to Know. This blended in-person and online course from Castleton University provides K-12 educators a thorough overview of the C3 Framework and its Inquiry Arc. Participants will learn the key features of inquiry based social studies lessons: questions, tasks, sources, and presenting arguments. The culminating project for this course will be an inquiry based Social Studies Lesson that participants will design for their classrooms.
Contact: David Wells at principalwells@gmail.com or (802) 661-4049
Professional Learning: Partnerships for Literacy and Learning Summer Institute
Partnerships for Literacy and Learning's summer institute will be held August 1-3, 2018. The institute includes three days of workshops on writing, reading and critical thinking with a keynote from Gravity Goldberg. The institute has something for teachers at every level and administrators too. Group rates are available for teams of five or more.
Contact: Barbara Murphy at bmurphy@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521