- State Board of Education Additional October Meeting
- School Safety: What if Wednesday
- Governor's Statewide School Safety Conference
- Community Representative Seat Open on the VSBPE
- 2018-2019 Regional School Calendars
- Continuous Improvement Fall Workshops
- VTPBIS Leadership Forum
- Proficiency-based Learning 101
- VT PLN Professional Learning on PLPS
- October is Farm to School Month
- Courtesy Posts
State Board of Education Additional October Meeting
Audience: All
The State Board of Education will meet for a scheduled additional meeting in October in the Gymnasium of the Bethel Campus of the White River Valley School at 273 Pleasant Street, on October 2, 2018 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The board will consider, among other business, the testimony it has heard from school boards, administrators and the public, and the next steps in drafting the Final Statewide Plan under Act 46, Section 10. The meeting agenda has been posted on the State Board’s Website.
Contact: Krista Huling, SBE Chairperson at krista.huling@vermont.gov
School Safety: What if Wednesday
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
This week's What if Wednesday for September 26, 2018, is designed to initiate a conversation about school safety. 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
Governor’s Statewide School Safety Training Conference
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
The Governor’s Statewide School Safety Training Conference will be held November 13, 2018, at the Double Tree Hotel in Burlington. This all-day conference is designed to inform participants of the best and promising practices in school safety and 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. The keynote speaker will be FBI Assistant Director Kerry L. Sleeper. This conference will provide educational tracks, including, but not limited to: Developing a School Resource Officer Program, lessons learned from Fair Haven, teen suicide and much more. The registration fee has been reduced to $50. Register for the Governor’s School Safety Conference.
Contact: Barbie Pignone at barbie.pignone@vermont.gov
Community Representative Seat Open on the VSBPE
Audience: All
The Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators (VSBPE) has an open seat for a community/public member. The VSBPE is a 13-member, teacher majority, policy-making board appointed by the Governor. The Board’s purpose is to oversee the training, licensing and professional standards of teachers and administrators. Its overarching goal is promotion of educator quality. Board members receive an honorarium for their service and mileage reimbursement for the meetings. Meetings are held at the Agency of Education in Barre, VT. The 2018-19 VSBPE Meeting Schedule is availiable of the agency's website. Applications are submitted through the Governor's Board & Commissions webpage.
Contact: Debi Price, Educator Quality Division Director, at debora.price@vermont.gov
Regional Calendars for the 2018-2019 School Year
Audience: All
State statute requires that superintendents of schools and headmasters of public schools not managed by school boards in an area meet annually, and by majority vote, establish a uniform calendar within that area for the following school year. The summary of school calendars, as submitted to the Agency and organized by technical center regions, please download the 2018-2019 Regional School CTE Centers Calendar.
Contact: Allison Keating at allison.keating@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1855
Continuous Improvement Plan Fall Workshops
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Curriculum Coordinators
The Education Quality Assurance (EQA) team will be holding three half-day Continuous Improvement Plan Fall Workshops. The workshops will review the work that goes into Phase 1 and focus on Phase 2 of the Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP). Schools and LEAs are encouraged to bring members of the CIP team, a laptop or device, as well as a copy of their most recent CIP. Space is limited so please Register early.
Questions: EQA team at aoe.educationqualityteam@vermont.gov
VTPBIS Leadership Forum: Intro Sessions for Exploring Schools
The Annual VTPBIS Leadership Forum will be held on October 11, 2018, at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel, Killington, VT. For those interested in exploring PBIS implementation, there are two workshop sessions that will describe the key features of PBIS, along with providing direction around readiness activities. Participants are encouraged to attend as a team (including an administrator), but individuals are welcome as well.
Contact: Sherry Schoenberg at sherry.schoenberg@uvm.edu or (802) 656-9656
Proficiency-based Learning 101: A Vermont Primer
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Curriculum Directors, Educators
This Powerpoint-based video primer gives an overview of proficiency-based learning in a personalized system. The primer addresses equity, standards and proficiencies, curriculum, instruction and assessment, reporting, structure, organization and scheduling, as well as an acronym glossary and an FAQ. Visit the Proficiency-based Learning webpage to view the hyperlinked resources mentioned in the video. This powerpoint has several accessibility issues, an alternate format version of the presentation is available.
Contact: Martha Deiss at martha.deiss@vermont.gov
VT PLN Professional Learning Series on Personalized Learning Plans
Audience: Instructional Coaches, Teacher-Leaders, Principals, Curriculum Coordinators, CTE and Adult Education Instructors
The Vermont Professional Learning Network (VT PLN) is offering a blended learning series focused on student Personalized Learning Plans (PLP). The series is open to any Vermont educator who is interested in integrating Personalized Learning Plans into their daily practice, whether that be in the classroom, on the playground, or in the office. The series is free, but there is limited space. Meetings will be both in person and virtual: for more information, and register today.
Questions: vtpln@ccebos.org
October is Farm to School Month
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Teachers, Child Nutrition Professionals, Curriculum Coordinators, Other Staff, Early Care Providers
October is Farm to School Month, declared by U.S. Congress in 2010 to celebrate a national movement with big local impacts. Vermont schools serve around 14 million school meals each year, and Farm to School programs are making those meals better than ever. Vermont schools contribute more than $1.4 million each year to the Vermont economy by purchasing local foods, and expansion of school nutrition programs have helped reduce childhood hunger in Vermont by 37% from 2010-2015. Vermont schools with active Farm to School programs report twice the national average in vegetable consumption, declines in absenteeism and school nurse visits, and more opportunities for kids to learn about food and nutrition. During the entire month of October, Vermont schools and early care providers are encouraged to invite farmers, school board members, legislators, and parents to lunch; hold a harvest celebration; visit a farm; or engage in anything else to celebrate farm to school in the cafeteria, classroom, and community. For more information about Farm to School Month events in Vermont, visit the Vermont Farm to School Website.
Contact: Ali Zipparo at (802) 505-1822 or alexandra.zipparo@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.
All Our Kids: Designing for Equity and Opportunity with Caroline Hill and Paul Reville
The Vermont School Boards Association (VSBA) and Vermont Superintendents Association (VSA) are hosting their annual fall conference: All Our Kids: Designing for Equity and Opportunity. The conference is at Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT on October 18 and 19, 2018. The program, focusing on designing and leading for equity in schools and beyond, will feature two prominent keynote speakers in the field -- Caroline Hill of the DC Equity Lab and Paul Reville of Harvard’s Education Redesign Lab, enriching workshops, and student testimonials on activism in their communities. All current and aspiring education leaders are welcome to attend. The cost of the 2-day conference is $175 per person if the registration is received before the close of business October 1, 2018.
Contact: Chelsea Myers at cmyers@vtvsa.org or (802) 225-6709
Professional Development Course: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Registration is open for Autism Spectrum Disorder, a professional development course by the Stern Center focused on assessment, intervention and clinical application of evidence-based practices for children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Students will learn diagnostic and theoretical underpinnings for a variety of developmental impairments across the spectrum, as well as practical applications for supporting social emotional learning and managing interfering behaviors. Registration due by Friday, October 5, 2018.
Contact: SJ White at swhite@sterncenter.org or (802) 878-2332, ext. 320
Vermont Afterschool Conference
Registration is open for the Vermont Afterschool Conference on November 2, 2018, at the Stoweflake Resort. Keynote speaker Milton Chen, senior fellow and executive director, emeritus at The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) and author of Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools, will speak about the ways that out-of-school time programs can foster creativity and innovation in youth. The 2018 conference will offer 24 workshop selections that focus on best practices in out-of-school time programming, positive youth development, leadership, and expanded learning opportunities.
Contact: Cassie Willner at cassiewillner@vermontafterschool.org or (802) 448-3464
Professional Learning: Proficiency in Curriculum-Based Writing
The Vermont Writing Collaborative is hosting a series of three 2-day writing workshops over the 2018-2019 school year. Each of the workshops will explore a set of K-12 benchmarks for curriculum-based writing. The initial workshop will take place on October 15 and 16, 2018 at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee and address informative and explanatory writing. On the first day, participants will work closely with benchmarks, both at individual grade levels and system-wide. On the second day, educators are invited to actively use these benchmarks to analyze student work for instructional needs. Participants can attend for one or both days. The cost is $250 for the first day; $425 for both days. More information and to register can be found on Vermont Writing Collaborative webpage.
Contact: Joey Hawkins at info@vermontwritingcollaborative.org or (802) 765-4040
Professional Learning: Rethinking Challenging Students
Registration is open for Collaborative Problem Solving with Dr. J Stuart Ablon, a paradigm-shifting model to transform school discipline that has been shown to reduce behavioral challenges, teacher stress and detention and suspension while helping our most at-risk students build the skills they need to succeed. The training will take place October 9, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Newsbank Conference Center in Chester. Registration is $150 with breakfast and lunch included. Only 100 registrations slots are available.
Contact: Shelly Parker at sparker@wcsu.net
Panel Discussion: Voices of Muslim Identity
Registration is open for Ping Chong & Company: Voices of Muslim Identity. This after-school teacher workshop will be held at the Flynn Center on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 from 4 to 6 p.m. Join the members of this renowned, innovative company for a moderated panel discussion, including a Q&A, followed by an informal meet and greet. Explore the company's social justice framework, their approach to working with non-actors to tell their own stories, and their impact on the communities to which they have brought this avant-garde approach to theater making and social change. Cost is $20 per participant, and professional development credit is available.
Contact: Lauren Genta at lgenta@flynncenter.org
Professional Learning in Social Studies C-3 Framework
Dr. Kathy Swan, the C-3 National Project Leader is returning to Vermont on October 23 and 24, 2018, to work with K-12 social studies teachers and leaders. She will dig deeper into the C-3 framework and discuss approaches to assessing the products of inquiry, pacing and scaffolding inquiry that lead to student's evidence-based arguments and powerful conclusions. Two books included. C-3 In Action with Dr. Kathy Swan is a 2 day Institute.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642