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Volume 13, Issue 4

January 23, 2019

Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavior Support Planning Training

Audience: A team selected by their School Leadership Team to develop the capacity to conduct FBA/BSPs, including those with expertise working with students with challenging behavior (counselors, behavior specialists etc.)
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) is a process for identifying the events that reliably predict and maintain problem behavior. A Behavior Support Plan (BSP) then takes the observations made in an FBA and turns them into a concrete plan of action for managing a student's behavior. This two-day training on February 1, 2019, and February 8, 2019, at the Langevin House, VTC in Rutland will focus on practical approaches to developing effective FBAs and BSPs. Register for Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavior Support Planning Training.
Contact: Sherry Schoenberg at sherry.schoenberg@uvm.edu or (802) 656-9656

Vermont Stories: The Road to Implementation of Proficiency-Based Learning

Audience: K-12 Educators
Vermont educators are working hard to implement educational systems that are personalized and proficiency-based. In an effort to help educators learn from and support one another, links to blog posts are now available on the Proficiency-Based Learning web page. Watch for additional resources in the near future.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at (802) 479-1425 or pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov

Save the Date: 2019 Kindergarten Conference

Audience: Administrators, PreK and Kindergarten Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education, the UVM Early Childhood Birth-Grade 3 Program, and the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC) invite you to participate in the 27th Annual Kindergarten Conference. This year’s focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will help early educators understand how to integrate these goals into their everyday work with young children. The conference will take place on Thursday, March 28, 2019, at the Hilton in Burlington. Watch the Weekly Field Memo for additional information and a link to the online registration in February.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at (802) 479-1425 or pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov


Courtesy Posts

2019 Champlain College Young Writers' Conference

High school students are cordially invited to attend a weekend of writing workshops, craft sessions, and open mic at the Champlain College Young Writers' Conference, May 24-26, 2019. Now in our 19th year, our doors are open to emerging writers who wish to share their passion for story, drama and song with their writerly brothers and sisters—and with celebrated New England authors. We offer three days of readings, improv, Moth storytelling, poetry slams, literary jazz/blues fusion and extended friendship on the hillside campus of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. The 2019 Keynote Speaker is Moira Smiley. Applications are due March 8, 2019. Apply online for the 2019 Champlain College Young Writers' Conference.
Contact: Lesley Wright at (802) 865-8456 or ccyw@champlain.edu

Harvard Professional Education: Women in Education Leadership

Educational leadership requires skill, passion and perseverance, and these already-complex roles often present an additional set of challenges for women leaders. Women in Education Leadership convenes senior leaders interested in strengthening their leadership skills to advance education initiatives. Through workshops, lectures and case discussions, you will learn to think more strategically and employ advanced leadership skills, with a special focus on effective negotiation and communication techniques. You will come away having made lasting connections with other women leaders who are equally committed to leading for change in education. March 3-5, on campus. Learn more and apply here.
Contact: Deborah Jewell-Shermen at ppe@gse.harvard.edu.

Professional Learning to Establish Greater Equity in Schools in the areas of: Gender, Race and Poverty

VT-HEC is continuing its work to provide the knowledge and skills needed to establish greater equity in our classrooms and schools. This spring, join us for one or all of a three-part workshop series for participants who want to grow their understanding of equity as it relates to poverty, racism and gender. The series kicks off on March 19 at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier, with Confronting Gender-Based Inequity in Classrooms and Schools. Because of the important nature of this work, we are offering this event at a significantly reduced rate for all participants, $35 per workshop, lunch included.
Contact: Julie Medose at julie.medose@vthec.org or (802) 498-3350

VT ASCD Mini-Grants Available

VT ASCD is pleased to announce $500 mini-grants available to Vermont educators. Apply now through March at www.vtascd.org.
Contact: Greg Marino at gmarino@cvsdvt.org or (802) 871-6102

Supporting Flexible Pathways: Online and Blended Learning Conference April 4 and 5

The 2019 Online and Blended Learning in New England is devoted to supporting teachers and those who help support students to be successful as engaged learners. This two-day conference is presented as a two-part event with a focus on teaching practice the first day, with a second day devoted to supporting learners through a multi-tiered system of supports, best-practices and systems-level process. Both days are open to educators, school administrators, school counselors, parents and students.
Contact: Jeff Renard at jrenard@vtvlc.org or (802) 885-8331

UVM Summer Academy

Designed for motivated high school students who have completed 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, the University of Vermont’s Summer Academy is an outstanding, academically challenging 4-week program (2 weeks on-campus, 2 weeks online) that provides students with the opportunity to earn credits, explore a specific area of career interest, experience college life and showcase their talent and ambition to college recruiters.
Contact: Katie Albee at learn@uvm.edu or (802) 656-2085

Vermont Jump$tart Financial Literacy Champion Award Nominations

Annually the Vermont Jump$tart Coalition recognizes an individual(s) or group(s) leadership and outstanding achievements in the effort to advance the financial literacy of Vermont youth. The award is in the amount of $1,000.00. This amount will be split in the event of multiple winners. The deadline for submission is February 4, 2019.
Contact: Nancy Zorn at nancyfzorn@gmail.com or (802) 622-0376

Free Teen Science Cafe for Grades 7-12

Students in grades 7-12 are invited to come to the next VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Cafe on Saturday, February 2, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the University of Vermont. This month's topic is "How Energy Storage Works & Why It Matters" presented by the UVM Alternative Energy Racing Organization. Participants will rotate through multiple hands-on activities including building a battery, making an electromagnet, making wireless electricity and more. The program is free with pizza and drinks provided; registration is required no later than January 30.
Contact: Lauren Traister at lauren.traister@uvm.edu or (802) 888-4972 x 402


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.