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An Official Vermont Government Website

Volume 13, Issue 23

Weekly Field Memo
June 5, 2019

Lead in School Drinking Water Testing Program and School Tap Survey

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Independent School Headmasters
This legislative session, the Vermont General Assembly passed a law requiring testing for and remediation of lead in drinking water in all school and childcare centers in Vermont. Testing will be conducted by region according to a schedule developed by the Vermont Department of Health. The first step for SD/SUs and Independent Schools will be to complete an inventory of the taps for each school in the district and complete the online tap inventory survey by Friday, June 28, 2019, at 4 p.m. Consult the memo on Vermont's Statewide Lead in School Drinking Water Testing Program and School Tap Survey for more information.
Contact: Ted Fisher at ted.fisher@vermont.gov

School Safety Electronic Needs Assessment Due Friday

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Independent School Headmasters
Last month, superintendents, principals and independent school heads received the Vermont School Safety Initiative Electronic Needs Assessment. Data collected in this survey will identify schools that will benefit from training and support in developing and exercising emergency operations plans (EOPs), and will help customize delivery of training to the needs of Vermont schools. If you have already completed a survey for your school, thank you for participating. If no one from your school has completed the survey, please complete by Friday, June 7, 2019, at 4:30 p.m.
Contact: Dee Barbic at DBarbic@margolishealy.com

Required for New School Nurse Hires

Audience: Superintendents, Principals
“Each school shall engage the services of a person licensed as a School Nurse or Associate School Nurse, (Education Quality Standards (2014, pg. 11)”. Competencies for School Nurse (3-65) or Associate School Nurse (3-65A) are here: Competencies for VT Educators (pg. 171-177). Newly hired Registered Nurses (RN) must complete the online New School Nurse Orientation in order to practice in Vermont Schools. To avoid licensure delays, the free Orientation should occur prior to beginning their Agency of Education application for a Transcript review. Resources for Vermont School Health Services include those found in the Standards of Practice: School Health Services Manual and recommended job descriptions for Licensed School Nurse and Associate School Nurse (pg. 10). For questions and a link to the New School Nurse Orientation contact Sharonlee Trefry, State School Nurse Consultant.
Contact: Sharonlee Trefry at sharonlee.trefry@vermont.gov

Financial Literacy Program for Vermont Elementary Schools

Audience: Elementary School Principals, Librarians, K-6 grade teachers
For the past nine years, the State Treasurer’s Office has offered the Reading is an Investment program to elementary schools. The program emphasizes the importance of reading and teaching young children about money and basic financial information. Each fall, participating elementary schools receive two or three new hardback books. Lesson plans and activities are included with the books to teach money concepts. In order to receive the free library books and personal reading materials for students, a school must sign up for the program through the State Treasurer’s Office. We are now assembling the new books and materials for the upcoming school term. Your school is invited to participate in the program. To sign up, email the following information to Dylan Giambatista: school name; number of students in grades K-6; school contact name, job title, phone and email; and school mailing address. The deadline to register is June 15, 2019.
Contact: Dylan Giambatista at dylan.giambatista@vermont.gov or (802) 828-3706

Regional Education CTE Centers School Calendars 2019-2020 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 the 2019-2020 Regional School CTE Centers Calendars, are as submitted to the Agency and organized by technical center regions.
Contact: Allison Keating at allison.keating@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1855

State Placed Students Data Collection for the 2018-2019 School Year

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Special Education Coordinators, Business Managers
Every public school must report the number of state placed students they educated in the 2018-2019 school year by July 12, 2019. The count of state placed students data report for the 2018-2019 school year will be used in finalizing the average daily membership census report this fall. For more information, see the Count of State Placed Students Data Collection memo. The State Placed Students Count form is also available online.
Contact: Cathy Scott at cathy.scott@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1249

Rules Revision Public Comment Period

Audience: Educators, Administrators, Higher Education Faculty
The Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators (VSBPE) is undertaking revisions to the rules that govern the training, licensing and professional standards of teachers and administrators, Series 5100: Rules Governing the Licensing of Educators and the Preparation of Educational Professionals. the VSBPE is proposing changes to the following endorsements: 5440-00 Elementary Education; 5440-31 Health Education; 5440-65A Associate School Nurse; 5440-90 Superintendent; 5440-91 Principal; 5440-86 Director of Special Education; 5440-93 Director of Curriculum; 5440-20 Assistant Director of Adult Education; 5440-92 Career Technical Center Education Director; 5440-84 Educational Speech Language Pathologist; 5440-66 School Psychologist; and also changes that provide clarification to current Rules regarding definition of terms and updating the Code of Professional Ethics. Those who want to make a public comment to the proposed changes may do so online from June 7 to June 14, 2019, or in person on June 7, 2019, at the Vermont Agency of Education: 219 North Main Street, Suite 402, Barre, VT 05673 in room 312 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Contact: Amy Scalabrini at amy.scalabrini@vermont.gov or by (802) 479-1052

Register Now for Science on the Green Fall 2019

Audience: Middle Grade Principals and Educators
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources invites you to register for Science on the Green – a free, day-long exploration of science for grade 6-8 students to be held Sept 29, 2019, at the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier. Science on the Green allows students to explore science, the environment and the actions we can all take to protect our planet. The event will provide hands-on opportunities for students to engage in environmental science and learn how science plays a critical role in environmental protection. The workshops will be led by ANR staff and specifically designed to empower young people to be stewards of the environment by taking environmental action in their schools and local communities. All activities can be used as phenomena for the Next Generation Science Standards.
Contact: Rebecca Roy at rebecca.roy@vermont.gov

STEM/STEAM Resource Sharing Day

Audience: K-12 STEM/STEAM Educators, CTE Educators, Curriculum Directors, PLP Coordinators
Register for STEM/STEAM Sharing Day, a free, full-day professional learning opportunity for STEM/STEAM educators on Thursday June 20, 2019, from 8:30 a.m.– 3 p.m. at the Teddy Bear Factory’s Makerspace, in Charlotte, VT. Participants at this STEM/STEAM sharing event will have the opportunity to engage in the development of interdisciplinary performance assessments, learn from and collaborate with other educators, examine best practices around STEM/STEAM education, and outline future work and outcomes of a statewide STEM/STEAM network.
Contact: Greg Young at greg.young@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1448

Personalized Learning, Personalized Learning Plans and Poetry Out Loud Workshop

Audience: Arts and ELA educators, Poetry Out Loud participants, Personalized Learning Coordinators
This workshop is designed to support teachers and students in leveraging the Poetry Out Loud (POL) learning experience to capture students’ interests, set goals, document and reflect on their learning, celebrate achievements and shape the future. The workshop will take place at the Vermont Arts Council in Montpelier from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. on August 15, 2019. Teachers will work with Sigrid Olson from Vermont Agency of Education to create sample Personalized Learning Plans using a POL lens. All teachers are welcome to participate, including those new to Poetry Out Loud and Personalized Learning Plans. Register by emailing Troy Hickman.
Contact: Sigrid Olson at sigrid.olson@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.

Wildlife Course for Educators

Wildlife Management and Outdoor Education Techniques for Educators takes a hands-on, experiential approach to teaching educators about fish and wildlife management and outdoor education techniques. The July 14 – 19, 2019, course at the Buck Lake Green Mountain Conservation Camp is open to formal, non-formal, and pre-service educators of all disciplines and grade levels. Educators interested in integrating environmental topics into their curriculum can learn about Vermont's wildlife and fisheries from professional biologists, foresters and educators through hands-on activities. Three graduate-level credits from Castleton University are available. There is also a non-credit option.
Contact: Ali Thomas at alison.thomas@vermont.gov or (802) 371-9975

The Vermont Superintendents Association Superintendents Leadership Academy

The Academy, a professional development program for education leaders, provides valuable insights into the major responsibilities of the job of the superintendent and supports skill development in those areas. The Academy helps contextualize the work and provides meaningful exposure and support for responsibilities central to the superintendency. The Academy is open to ALL Education Leaders who might consider becoming a superintendent.
Contact: Kristi Tate at ktate@vtvsa.org or (802) 229-5834

Special Topics in Lake Champlain Natural History

July 15-19, 2019: This professional development course is perfect for teachers, curriculum coordinators, personalized learning coordinators/coaches, and interested naturalists. It is a hands-on study through five unique courses on the natural history and ecology of Lake Champlain, its watershed and more. Courses are modular and can be taken individually or as a series. Graduate credit available through Castleton University.
Contact: Elizabeth Lee, elizabethl@lcmm.org or (802) 475-2022 x102

Professional Learning: Equity/Diversity

Registration is open for Courageous Conversation: BEYOND DIVERSITY seminars (Sept 24-25. 2019, or Nov 5-6, 2019) facilitated by PEG's Luis Versalles. This is a powerful, personally transforming two-day seminar that helps teachers and administrators understand the impact of race on our lives, our work and our learning. Courageous Conversation: LEADS (Leadership for Racial Equity) seminars for Admin. Teams facilitated by PEG Experts will address system-wide application of critical race theory, systems thinking, adaptive leadership and culturally relevant practices to transform school culture and climate, empower families and engage communities of color. These begin in March 2020 and end December 2020 (three in each fiscal year). Additional dates are being scheduled for the Hyde Park, VT area for each seminar series.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642

Summer Registration is Open: Castleton Center for Schools Summer Courses

Registration is open for Castleton Center for Schools summer courses. These courses have been designed for K-12 educators by K-12 educators. They cover a wide variety of topics and are offered online, in a blended format and in-person at locations throughout Vermont.
Contact: Tara Lidstone at tara.lidstone@castleton.edu or (802) 345-0092

Flynn Center 2019-20 Student Matinee Series

Registration is open for the 2019-20 Student Matinee Series. The series supports connections to Common Core, next Gen and C3 Standards through study guides, companion workshops and by identifying select standards for each show. Educators are encouraged to order for their class or school before leaving for summer break to secure their seats.
Contact: Kat Redniss at kredniss@flynncenter.org or (802) 652-4548

Subscribe Online

The field memo has time-sensitive and relevant information designed for students, teachers, and staff. The agency encourages principals, headmasters, and superintendents to share the memo with their education community. Additionally, individuals can subscribe or unsubscribe online.

Questions? Email Ted Fisher at ted.fisher@vermont.gov.