Volume 15, Issue 41

October 20, 2021

Agency of Education and State of Vermont Updates
Courtesy Posts

Agency of Education and State of Vermont Updates

This section of the Weekly Field Memo contains posts from the Agency of Education and other State of Vermont agencies that are not specifically related to the COVID-19 response.

Special Education Advisory Panel Seeks New Members

Audience: All
The Special Education Advisory Panel is required in each state under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This panel is currently in need of several roles to be filled including teachers, a representative of a state agency involved in financing or delivery of related services, a representative of an independent school, a representative from juvenile or adult corrections, as well as two individuals living with a disability. For more information, please visit the State Special Education Advisory Panel website.
Contact: Katie Ballard at Katie.Ballardvt@gmail.com or 802-324-7931

Condom Availability Programs: Recommendations for Supervisory Unions/Districts and Schools

Audience: School Nurses, Health Educators, School Counselors, Principals and Superintendents
The Condom Availability Programs: Recommendations for Supervisory Unions/Districts and Schools is now available to support the implementation of Condom Availability Programs in secondary schools. The purpose of this document is to provide helpful information for Supervisory Unions/Supervisory Districts (SUs/SDs) and schools regarding 16 V.S.A. § 132, which requires that all secondary schools in Vermont provide condoms to all students. The Agency of Education, in collaboration with the Vermont Department of Health and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE), has collected background information, identified steps for SUs/SDs and schools to implement condom availability in their schools and created a template for schools to use when developing condom availability procedures.
Contact: Susan Yesalonia at susan.yesalonia@vermont.gov or (802) 828-6553

Nominations for Presidential Scholars

Audience: Students, Principals, Guidance Counselors, Academic, Arts and CTE Teachers and CTE Center Directors
The Vermont Presidential Scholars Program recognizes students for academic success, artistic and technical excellence, community service, and leadership. Scholars are chosen in three different categories: General (for high school seniors), the Arts (for grades 10-12) and Career Technical Education (for high school seniors currently enrolled in a state-approved CTE program). Outstanding students are selected based on nominations from teachers and administrators. Students in all categories may also nominate themselves, and those selected in the General and CTE categories will be invited to apply to the U.S. Presidential Scholars program. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 12, 2021. Only nominations submitted via electronic applications will be accepted. You can find all necessary forms and additional information on our awards and recognitions web page.
Contact: Ryan Parkman at ryan.parkman@vermont.gov

Lead in Drinking Water Testing for School-Based Licensed Child Care Providers

Audience: School-based Preschool, PreK, Afterschool, and Child Care Programs
Act 66 of 2019 requires child care programs that are licensed by the State of Vermont to test their drinking and cooking water for lead by Dec. 31, 2021. To help ensure the law’s requirements are met, the Health Department has created a survey for school-based licensed programs to complete. Responses will be reviewed individually and the program will be contacted if necessary. The survey should be completed no later than Nov. 5, 2021.
Contact: Jenna Voigt, Vermont Department of Health, jenna.voigt@vermont.gov

Civic Education Opportunity

Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, CTE Directors, Middle/High School Principals, Middle/High School Teachers
The AOE is offering a short-duration competitive grant opportunity to provide Supervisory Unions/Districts (SU/SDs) the opportunity to complement and/or amplify their existing regular high school and/or middle school curriculum by providing students an innovative course of instruction on the history and principles of U.S. constitutional democracy, and/or an understanding of the public policy-making process, through the Center for Civic Education’s We the People (grades 9-12) and/or Project Citizen (grades 5-8) programs. This grant opportunity will award up to ten proposals of $1,000 - $5,000 each. The grant application submission window is from Oct. 20, 2021, through Nov. 17, 2021.
Contact: Martha Deiss at martha.deiss@vermont.gov

Vermont PBS: Website Refresh for October and Resources to Celebrate Fall

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education has updated our Vermont PBS webpage to include more resources for educators, organized by grade band and subject area. We will be updating this webpage monthly, so check back often to find new featured resources related to monthly themes. Also, visit the Vermont PBS Kids and Education page to find more online and printable resources. To share resources and network with colleagues, join the Vermont PBS Educational Resources group on Edmodo. Activate your Edmodo account and join the VTED Learns community by filling out this form.
Contacts: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov or Heather Duhamel at hduhamel@vermontpbs.org

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.

Registration Is Still Open: Vermont Fest 2021 EdTech and Library Conference

Vita-Learn and the Vermont School Library Association still have space left for their annual conference. The event focuses on the effective uses of technology to support learning and instruction, school operations and library management. Nov. 4-5, 2021, at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel. Information and registration details on the Vita-Learn website.
Contact: Jeff Mao at jeff@vita-learn.org or (207) 798-2460

Universal Afterschool and Summer Summit

On Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., join leaders and program providers from across the state to celebrate our successes from this summer; share challenges and solutions related to quality, funding and staffing; and learn more about Vermont's unprecedented opportunity to make universal afterschool a reality for youth across our state. The virtual summit will kick off with an interactive workshop and learning session, including updates from Vermont Afterschool about statewide developments to achieve an equitable and inclusive universal afterschool system in Vermont. We'll conclude with an exciting media event with invited guests Governor Phil Scott, Senator Bernie Sanders and youth leaders. Visit the event registration web page to register.
Contact: Nicole Miller at nicole@vermontafterschool.org or (802) 448-3464

All Learners Network: Math Menu

The All Learners Network: Math Menu is a 3-credit graduate course that explores an All Learners Main Lesson / Menu model for differentiation, reframing Tier I and II math instruction in order to meet the ongoing range of instructional needs. Learn how to manage a ‘menu’ approach to your teaching and restructure your math block to allow for higher levels of inclusion and access. Classes will be held on Nov. 3, 10 and 17, 2021, Dec. 15, 2021, and Jan. 12, 2022 from 3-6 p.m.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com

All Learners Network: Specialized Instruction Workshops

These 3-hour workshops provide participants with an overview of techniques for supporting struggling learners with specialized math instruction. This is geared for special educators and math interventionists, however all educators are welcome. This is supported by the VT AOE and is free for participants. Specialized Instruction Part 1a will be on Nov. 8, 2021 from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. on Zoom and Specialized Instruction Part 1b will be on Nov. 15, 2021 from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. on Zoom.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com

Free Webinar – VSAC Shows You How: Complete the FAFSA

Oct. 1, 2021, was the start of the 2022-2023 financial aid application filing season. VSAC Outreach counselor Carrie Harlow will walk students and families through filing the FAFSA, question-by-question. Join VSAC for the free webinar, simulcast to VSAC's Facebook page, on Oct. 26, 2021, from 6-7 p.m.
Contact: Stephen Mease at mease@vsac.org

Professional Development: Wilson Reading System ® Introductory Course

Registration is open for Wilson Reading System ® Introductory Course, that begins Dec. 7, 2021, a professional development workshop by the Stern Center for Language and Learning. Participants learn about reading research, dyslexia, appropriate student identification and placement, program implementation, progress monitoring, scheduling and creating a successful learning environment. Visit the workshop page to register.
Contact: SJ Larkspur at slarkspur@sterncenter.org