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Volume 14, Issue 1

Weekly Field Memo
January 8, 2020

2020 Educator License Renewal Season is Open

Audience: Licensed Educators
Licensing renewal season is upon us. If your license is up for renewal this year, you should have received a memo outlining the steps needed to renew it. Please note that the on-line licensing system has experienced some technical problems due to heavy traffic. We are working with our developers to address the issues. We appreciate your patience. If you are experiencing problems accessing your account, we suggest returning later in the week or early next week. If you are unsure of how to proceed or whether your license is up for renewal, please contact the AOE Office of Educator Licensure. Renewing educators working in a Vermont school associated with a Local/Regional Standards Board should be in contact with their respective board.
Contact: Amy Scalabrini at AOE.licensinginfo@vermont.gov

What-if Wednesday: School Emergency Preparedness

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
The What-if Wednesday for Jan. 8, 2020, is designed for Superintendents, Principals and School Crisis Planning Team Members to facilitate a conversation about school emergency preparedness. Please complete the exercise and share with your faculty and staff as appropriate.
Contact: Robert Evans at revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448

VTmtss January Office Hour

Audience: Superintendents, Principals
Looking for something to do this afternoon? Register for today's VTmtss Office Hour at 3 p.m. The webinar will include an interview with AOE colleagues from the Proficiency-Based Learning and Personalized Learning Teams to speak about how to continuously improve Local Comprehensive Assessment Systems (LCAS) within the lens of VTmtss.
Contact: Julia Scheier at julia.scheier@vermont.gov or (802) 828-5041

Local Comprehensive Assessment System Convening III

Audience: Leadership Teams
The Local Comprehensive Assessment System Convenings are designed to strengthen the knowledge, skills and practices of educational leaders so they can support the construction of effective assessment systems. The third in this series will focus on student-designed assessments and their relationship to the personalized learning planning process. Leadership teams are encouraged to attend. This convening will take place in Brattleboro on Feb. 12, 2020, and Montpelier on Feb. 5, 2020. Please see the registration for additional information.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at (802) 828-5896 or pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov

Updated Joint Guidance on Privacy and Student Education and Health Records

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Special Educators, School Nurses
"The U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released updated joint guidance today addressing the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to records maintained on students… The revised guidance includes additional frequently asked questions and answers addressing when a student’s health information can be shared without the written consent of the parent or eligible student under FERPA, or without written authorization under the HIPAA Privacy Rule."
Contact: Sharonlee Trefry at sharonlee.trefry@vermont.gov or (802) 863.7348

Registration Closes Jan. 15, 2020: Mathematics and MTSS EdCamp Series January Training

Audience: Principals, Teachers, Special Educators, Special Education Administrators, Curriculum Directors
This EdCamp focuses on the integration of social, emotional, and academic development and inclusive pedagogy and practices for all mathematics. How do schools create the highest quality mathematics instruction that is differentiated and responsive to the needs of diverse learners? North: Jan. 22, 2020, Eastside Restaurant, Newport, VT. South: Jan. 24, 2020, Fletcher House, 463 Main Street, Chester, VT. Register for Mathematics and MTSS EdCamp.
Contact: Betty Roy at betty.roy@vermont.gov

Accessibility Update to Adverse Effect Presentation

The Vermont AOE special education team is currently reviewing resources we have issued over the years and updating them to meet accessibility standards. The Adverse Effect Presentation is now updated and posted. There have been no changes to its content or to the Agency's recommendations regarding Adverse Effect.
Contact: Special Education Technical Assistance at AOE.SpecialEd@vermont.gov

PreK-2 STEM and Engineering Workshop

Audience: PreK-2 Teachers, Early Education Program Directors, PreK-12 Science Leaders
The Next Generation Science Standards specifically call for students to engage in the practices of science and engineering that will address major challenges that confront our society today and get them ready to engage in and aspire to solve societal and environmental challenges they’ll face in the future. This workshop is geared towards engaging Early Education and Lower Primary Educators into engineering design challenges, the importance of engineering in early elementary classrooms, pulling apart the NGSS engineering standards, considering ways to incorporate engineering into lessons, and learning about tools and resources that will help build a students capacity in both science and engineering. Join the Vermont Science Teachers Association (VSTA) on Jan. 25, 2020, at The Bridge School in Middlebury, VT for this one day workshop. To register, please visit the VSTA’s website.
Contact: Margaret Carrera-Bly at Margaret.carrera-bly@vermont.gov

Engaging your Students in the Crosscutting Concepts

Audience: K-12 Teachers, Curriculum Directors, Principals, Science Leaders
The Vermont Science Teachers Association (VSTA) will be offering a two-day workshop series by Peter McLaren, Executive Director of Next Gen Education, LLC, on Jan. 16, 2020, and April 16, 2020, at Middlebury College. The series will be focusing on teacher implementation of the crosscutting concepts and the instructional shifts required as a result of the Next Generation Science Standards. This workshop series will be participant-centered, where attendees will engage in a number of activities designed to elevate their understanding of, and how to implement, crosscutting concepts within their instructional environment. To register or for more information, please visit the VSTA’s website
Contact: Margaret Carrera-Bly at Margaret.carrera-bly@vermont.gov

SY21 Announced Tuition

Audience: Business Managers
The Announced Tuition Data Collection is now available. Please submit by Jan. 15, 2020.
Contact: Nicole Gray at nicole.gray@vermont.gov or (802) 828-0178

Free Training from the Vermont Consortium for Adoption and Guardianship – Creating an Adoption Sensitive School

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Guidance Counselors, School Nurses, Educators
This two-hour training helps increase children’s ability to access learning when due to early trauma and/or normative adoption/guardianship developmental issues they experience challenges in school. Staff who have participated in the past report that the training was valuable, helped them better understand the needs of students who were adopted, and provided information they could put into practice. To schedule a training for your school please contact Catherine Harris. For more information and resources check out the Consortium website.
Contact: Catherine Harris at vtadoption@vermont.gov or (802) 241-0901

Enrollment Open: Governor's Institutes of Vermont Winter Weekends

Audience: Teachers, Guidance Counselors, Principals, Superintendents
Applications for the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont Winter Weekends are closing soon. The deadline for your students to apply is Jan. 10, 2020. Students at Winter Weekend will explore their interests and passions in a collegiate setting, all while having fun and meeting new and like-minded peers. With ten exciting topics that span the Arts & Humanities and STEM fields, there is something for every passionately curious young Vermonter at GIV. A sliding-scale tuition model that goes as low as $10 makes Winter Weekends the perfect and affordable precursor to the life-changing summer Governor’s Institutes. Please visit the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont website for more information and to begin the application process.
Contact: Barry Steyling at outreach@giv.org or (802) 865-4448

Special Education General Supervision and Monitoring System Public Comment

Audience: All, Special Education Administrators
Stakeholder input is being sought for the revised special education general supervision and monitoring system to be fully implemented beginning July 1, 2020. All comments are collected using a standard response form. Response forms should be sent to AOE.SpecialEd@vermont.gov. In addition to posting for public comment on the AOE website, the agency held multiple stakeholder meetings from September - December 2019. Notices for these meetings were published in the Agency’s weekly field memo. The Agency of Education is inviting public comment from December 16, 2019 until February 1, 2020.
Contact: Tonya Rutkowski at AOE.SpecialEd@vermont.gov or leave a message at (802) 828-1256

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. Please refer to the Weekly Field Memo submission guidelines for additional information. 

UVM Master's Degree in Special Education Virtual Open House

Are you interested in earning a Master's Degree in Special Education focused on supporting the needs of children with disabilities and their families? UVM's nationally accredited degree program offers licensure (K through age 21) and non-licensure pathways that meet the needs of experienced and aspiring professionals. Courses are offered in the evenings to accommodate your schedule. We are offering a Virtual open House on Jan 14, 3:30-4:15 p.m. where you can learn more via Zoom with Dr. Colby Kervick and Dr. Justin Garwood. They will be available online to talk about the program pathways and answer questions about the application process. Find information and the Zoom link online.
Contact: Colby.Kervick@uvm.edu

Professional Development: Social-Emotional Learning Workshops

Join the Stern Center in person or via live webinar for a workshop series on Social-Emotional Learning. Each one-day workshop is designed for parents, teachers and administrators interested in supporting children's engagement, communication, symbolic language, and social-emotional regulation. Module 1 lays the foundation for social competence and language learning. Module 2 delves more deeply into social communication and social-emotional learning aligned with the CASEL framework. Discounts are available for participants who take more than one workshop or who bring a friend.
Contact: SJ Larkspur at slarkspur@sterncenter.org

Final Call: VT-HEC Spring Autism Spectrum Disorder Courses

Registration is now open for two spring graduate courses for educators, mental health workers and others who are interested in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Both courses are a hybrid of online course work and some Saturday class days. Students will receive three graduate credits from NVU upon successful completion of either course. Behavior Planning for Students with ASD, with Kristin Beswick will provide participants with an overview of Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), various types of data collection, behavior planning and progress monitoring for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Begins on Jan. 25, 2020, in Berlin, VT. Instructional Methods in Applied Behavioral Analysis, with Lianne Lussier will examine research based instructional methods used to teach individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities. Emphasis will be placed upon evidence-based decision making for skill acquisition of socially significant behaviors. Begins on Jan. 25, 2020, in Berlin, VT.
Contact: Julie Medose at julie.medose@vthec.org or (802) 498-3350

Jan 30 Open House for TAP's 8-month Path to Licensure at Champlain College

Champlain College's Teacher Apprenticeship Program supports career changers and those already working in the education field to earn a Level I Vermont teaching license for $12,000. We will hold our next info session on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 6 - 7 p.m. at 175 Lakeside Ave, Burlington. Visit the Teacher Apprenticeship Program website to RSVP and to access the TAP application and FAQ's. A new cohort will begin in August 2020 with seminars, followed by full-time student teaching through the fall 2020 semester.
Contact: Caitlin Hollister at chollister@champlain.edu or (802) 383-6657

VFLA Distinguished Teacher Award

The Vermont Foreign Language Association is now accepting submissions for the VFLA Distinguished Teacher Award. Criteria and a nomination form for this award can be found on the Vermont Foreign Language Association website. Nominations are due by Feb. 1, 2020.
Contact: Ginny Memoe at gmemoe@cvsdvt.org

Professional Learning: Innovative Leadership Dine & Discuss

Registration is open for Thought Partners: Merging Equity and Innovation into Our Schools - Dine & Discuss 4 - 7 p.m. with authors Pam Moran and Ira Socol. Vermont administrators and technology leaders will be able to discuss important takeaways on innovation, learning spaces and student agency with these influential educational leaders and have a wonderful dinner with colleagues. Hampton Event Center, Colchester, VT on Jan. 23, 2020, from 4 to 7 p.m. A great way to kick off their three-part event (registration for that is separate.)
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642

Castleton University Center for Schools: Course Registration is Open!

The Castleton Center for Schools spring semester is now open with hybrid and online courses starting through mid-May. Topics include: engineering, executive function, leadership, project-based learning, Spanish, trauma and more. Review course descriptions and/or register online.
Contact: Tara Lidstone at tara.lidstone@castleton.edu or (802) 345-0092

Earn a Teaching License or Additional Endorsement and Master's Degree in One Year

Saint Michael’s College is now offering a competitively-priced Master of Arts in Teaching program that provides both one- and two-year options. It is designed as a fifth-year initial licensure option for undergraduates as well as a stand-alone licensure and master’s degree program for those seeking a career change. Learning experiences include multiple field placements, diverse opportunities to explore progressive educational practices, a rigorous course sequence and a collaborative cohort model. The MAT offers initial licensure tracks in art, elementary, middle, secondary and special education with the option of pursuing additional endorsements (such as early childhood education). For licensed teachers, the MAT offers additional endorsements in special education and English language learners (ELL). For more information, please see the Saint Michael’s College website, contact Amy Saks Pavese or stop by one of our Graduate Program Open Houses at Waterworks in Winooski on Thursdays: Jan. 9, 16 or 23, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.
Contact: Amy Saks Pavese at asakspavese@smcvt.edu or (802) 654-2826

Upcoming: Jennifer Abrams Event

VCSEA and VPA are bringing Jennifer Abrams to Vermont to present Having Hard Conversations and Swimming in the Deep End on Feb. 3 and 4, 2020. The two-day event will take place at Trader Dukes in South Burlington (currently called Delta by Marriott). More information and registration online – registration deadline is Jan. 24, 2020.
Contact: Traci Sawyers at tsawyers@vcsea.net

Workshop with MOMIX

In addition to the student matinee performances of "Viva," MOMIX will lead an experiential teacher workshop at the Flynn from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. Explode your students' sense of the possible through movement, humor and visuals guided by MOMIX -- a company of amazingly athletic dancer/illusionists founded by Vermont's own Moses Pendleton and known for illusion, beauty, magic, fun and inventiveness. "The work we did with the visiting artists provided many exercises to use with any age. The fact that we put them to use together and truly embodied them was powerful" (Alana Phinney, Independent Teaching Artist). Fee is $20/participant; fee support & PD credit available; register online.
Contact: Lauren Genta at lgenta@flynncenter.org or (802) 652-4508

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.