- Agency of Education, State of Vermont and Federal Updates
- 2022 Mastery Transcript Consortium Update
- School Nurse Requirements Prior to Employment and Licensing
- 2021-2022 Vermont Multi-Tiered System of Supports (VTmtss) Survey Opens April 29, 2022
- Vermont Multi-tiered System of Supports Professional Learning Providers (2022)
- Vermont PBS: April Resources to Celebrate the Earth
- Courtesy Posts
Agency of Education, State of Vermont and Federal Updates
This section of the Weekly Field Memo contains posts from the Agency of Education, other State of Vermont agencies, federal agencies or Vermont's congressional delegation.
2022 Mastery Transcript Consortium Update
Audience: Administrators, Guidance Counselors, High School Teachers
The Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC) is part of a broad landscape: an ecosystem of leaders, change agents and mission-aligned organizations transforming education and equipping all learners with the skills, competencies and credentials they need for a rapidly changing world. The Mastery Transcript has already been accepted by 200+ colleges as an alternative to the traditional transcript. The 2022 Mastery Transcript Consortium Town Hall recording provides updated information about MTC’s goals, proficiency-based transcript and the Mastery Learning Record.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at Pat.Fitzsimmons@vermont.gov
School Nurse Requirements Prior to Employment and Licensing
Audience: Superintendents, Principals
Registered Nurses (RNs) must complete the online New School Nurse Orientation to practice in Vermont schools. To avoid licensure delays, RNs must complete the required orientation before beginning their Agency of Education application for transcript review. The online orientation may take up to 12 hours for some applicants. Resources for Vermont School Health Services include the Standards of Practice: School Health Services Manual and sample job descriptions for Licensed School Nurse and Associate School Nurse (p. 10). Please refer new school nurses to Kaitlyn Kodzis, State School Nurse Consultant, for the New School Nurse Orientation.
Contact: Kaitlyn Kodzis at kaitlyn.kodzis@vermont.gov
2021-2022 Vermont Multi-Tiered System of Supports (VTmtss) Survey Opens April 29, 2022
Audience: Superintendents, Principals
Available: April 29, 2022; Deadline: May 31, 2022; As required by Act 117 – VSA Title 16, Section 2904, each superintendent shall annually provide to the Vermont Secretary of Education the status of the tiered system of supports in each school in the supervisory union or school district. Given that this survey collects data at the schools level, the superintendents often delegate the completion of the survey to school principals. Questions related to the content of this year’s survey may be sent to Caitlin Chisholm.
Contact: Caitlin Chisholm at caitlin.chisholm@vermont.gov
Vermont Multi-tiered System of Supports Professional Learning Providers (2022)
Audience: Administrators
This Vermont Multi-tiered System of Supports (VTmtss) Professional Learning Providers (2022) contains vendors who provide multi-tiered system of supports professional development in alignment with the VTmtss Framework. These suggested criteria and questions were used to identify the providers on our list. SU/SD/schools may want to use them when selecting additional professional learning providers to support expanding and improving the systemic infrastructure provided by the VTmtss Framework.
Contact: Nancy Hellen at nancy.hellen@vermont.gov
Vermont PBS: April Resources to Celebrate the Earth
Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education has updated our Vermont PBS webpage for April 2022. Celebrate Earth Day and being outside with resources from PBS Learning Media and VPR. Other topics of interest include supporting conversations about Ukraine, upcycled art and helping kids become “citizen scientists.” We will continue to update this webpage monthly, so check back often to find new featured resources related to monthly themes and organized by grade band and subject area. 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 the VTEd Learns 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.
Castleton University Center for Schools: Summer 2022 Graduate Course Registration is Open
The Castleton Center for Schools is offering a wide variety of courses for practicing educators this summer. Courses will be in-person, online and in a blended model, with start dates in May, June, July and August. To view the full list of offerings and course descriptions, and to reserve your space visit Castleton's Continuing Education and Graduate Courses webpage.
Contact: Tara Lidstone at tara.lidstone@castleton.edu or (802) 345-0092
All Learners Network Summer Workshops
The Launch/Number Sense Routines will take place on July 1, 2022, from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., in person, at the All Learners Network Learning Center in Burlington. This workshop was created in response to a large number of requests from participants about practices that support the early part of the lesson. This includes Number Talks, various math circle and number sense activities, and the use of programs for the development of strong number sense.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com
Vermont Destination Imagination Wants to Visit You
Vermont Destination Imagination is reaching out to every Vermont community to invite you to participate in Destination Imagination (D.I.). Vermont D.I. can offer morning and/or afternoon STEAM workshops (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), or creative activities at community events. Please contact us to schedule for the summer or fall. We also invite you to join the Destination Imagination Challenge Experience for the 2022-23 season. This comprehensive program of creativity and teamwork begins in the fall with flexible start dates and continues until early spring. Children and teens ages 5-18 collaborate on creative challenges, which are presented in competitions and showcases at an annual tournament. All the ideas come from the team members with adults as facilitators. Adults are needed as team managers and tournament volunteers. Destination Imagination is a rewarding experience for adults as well as kids. We are 100% non-profit. Please join us!
Contact: Jane Youngbaer at vtdicreativity@gmail.com or (802) 272-2766
Vermont Council on Reading: Celebrate Vermont Literacy Free Virtual Event
Vermont Council on Reading invites all educators to a free, virtual event: Celebrate Vermont Literacy, on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Join us for a sneak preview of our Spring 2023 conference with Ralph Fletcher. Celebrate our Vermont mini-grant and award winners. There will be door prizes including Ralph Fletcher Books, a free Spring 2023 conference and much more. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants ahead of the event after completing the Celebrate Vermont Literacy registration form.
Contact: Carol Millett at cmillett52@gmail.com
802 Ed Newsletter
Join 1,000+ readers of the 802 Ed Newsletter, a biweekly roundup of what's going on in Vermont's education policy and practice. Visit the 802 Ed Newsletter webpage to view previous issues and sign up.
Contact: Steven Berbeco at steven@802ed.com
Forest and Garden: Plant Literacy for the Nature Based Classroom
Join other PreK-9 grade educators in this week-long nature immersion plant literacy course offered by The Tea Project, this July 18-22, 2022. Explore plant habitats and classroom implementations for best practices in plant literacy, mindfulness and nature immersion. Establish practices for cultivating a relaxed state of mind and coregulation with others to enhance the learning experience. The curriculum is based in mindfulness, sensory awareness, perennial herb gardening for tea, plant ID in the forest, field, marsh and garden, and herbal recipe-making skills. Course enrollment is limited to create a small, dynamic group. Register now on the Forest & Garden: Plant Literacy for the Nature Based Classroom registration form.
Contact: Angie Barger at angie5lunaroot@gmail.com or (802) 595-2512
Trauma-Informed Social Learning Course
Registration is open for the Trauma-Informed Social Learning course offered on June 27-30, 2022. This professional learning opportunity is offered through the Stern Center for Language and Learning. The Trauma-Informed Social Learning course focuses on defining, identifying and understanding children’s developmental experiences – such as early adversity or autism – that negatively impact typical social development. Visit the Trauma-Informed Social Learning course page to register. Grant funding is available. Visit the Grant Funding Application to apply for funding.
Contact: SJ Larkspur at slarkspur@sterncenter.org
Professional Learning: Culturally Responsive Universal Design for Learning Series
Registration is open for Using Universal Design for Learning to Reach All Learners: A Culturally Responsive Design, facilitated by Loui Lord Nelson. This hybrid series incorporates two face-to-face sessions in Sep. 2022 and May 2023 at the Delta Hotel in South Burlington, with four asynchronous sessions from Nov. 2022- Jan. 2023, and a personalized Zoom team meeting with Dr. Nelson during the year. Dr. Nelson's book, Culturally Responsive Design for English Language Learners, is included. This yearlong workshop will guide educators to identify, reflect on and implement instructional and environmental design options that are culturally responsive, ensure those options are truly accessible to all learners and ensure the implementation of those options provide pathways toward the traits of expert learners.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642
Vermont Energy Education Program Updates
The Vermont Energy Education Program invites proposals for grants up to $1,000 for school-based projects that address climate change and improve environmental literacy among students in Vermont. Fill out the Small Grant Program 2021-22 Application by April 19, 2022.
Contact: Maria Smith at maria@veep.org
Empower Youth to Make Real Change, Apply Now
Applications are now open for Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability (CPS), an inspiring partnership program through UP for Learning and Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools. CPS is a year-long program which provides authentic opportunities to empower youth to make real change in their schools and communities. Following the Youth Participatory Action Research model, youth-adult teams will develop and implement community action projects to address the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals – which focus on pathways to building a socially, economically and ecologically just society. Teams will receive monthly coaching sessions with professional facilitators and have the opportunity to connect virtually with a cohort of middle/high school teams throughout Vermont and beyond! Express your interest or apply for the 2022-2023 school year using the Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability Application/Interest Form by May 13, 2022.
Contact: Sarah Popowicz at sarah@upforlearning.org