Volume 16, Issue 18

May 4, 2022

Agency of Education, State of Vermont and Federal Updates
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.

Vermont PBS: May Resources to Celebrate Storytelling and Poetry

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education has updated our Vermont PBS webpage for May 2022. Celebrate the art of storytelling and the power of poetry with resources from PBS Learning Media as well as local connections such as Clemmons Family Farm Storytelling Room. Other topics of interest include social emotional learning, music, STEAM and the Summer of Possibilities. 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 Network form.
Contacts: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov or Heather Duhamel at hduhamel@vermontpbs.org

May Issue of Literary Learning: Newsletter for English Language Arts in Vermont

Audience: English Teachers, Literacy Coaches
The May issue of the bi-monthly newsletter, Literary Learning, is now available to read on the Agency of Education’s English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy webpage. This issue contains an article about supporting adolescent literacy and the second installment in a series about literacy instruction. Also included are resources to support educators in improving literacy outcomes for adolescents as well as information about upcoming professional learning opportunities. Be sure to subscribe to the Agency’s ELA listserv in order to stay informed about ELA and literacy in Vermont.
Contact: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov

Public Comment Period for Act 173 Series 1300 Technical Manuals

Audience: Business Managers, Superintendents, Special Education Administrators
The Vermont Agency of Education Special Education Finance Team seeks public comments on the draft Technical Manual for Use and Accounting of IDEA Part B Entitlement Grants and Technical Manual for Documenting Maintenance of Effort as explained in Series 1300. The period for public comment is from Wednesday, May 4, 2022, through Tuesday, June 6, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. The Public Comment Form can be found on the Technical Manual Public Comment Submission.
Contact: Jennifer Perry at jennifer.perry@vermont.gov

Mental Health Awareness Month Newsletter - Issue 1

Audience: All
In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, the Vermont Department of Mental Health is recognizing this occurrence with a series of weekly newsletters. This week’s Mental Health Awareness Month Newsletter discusses supporting child and youth mental health, social media and youth mental health, along with a variety of other topics.
Contact: Alexander Raeburn at Alexander.Raeburn@vermont.gov or (802) 904-3043

Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Discussion

Audience: Food Service Directors and Business Managers
During the May 18, 2022, Child Nutrition Programs Weekly Call with the Field from 2-3 p.m., the Vermont Agency of Agriculture will seek input from School Food Authorities (SFAs) on the Local Food for School Cooperative Agreement. Vermont intends to apply for $333,763 in funding for SFAs to purchase locally-produced foods and is seeking stakeholder input on the best way to utilize the funds. SFAs interested in learning more or sharing their perspective should plan to join the call. No registration is required. Call-in information: join Microsoft Teams Meeting or call +1 802-828-7667, Conference ID: 694 637 361#
Contact: Conor Floyd at conor.floyd@vermont.gov

State School Nutrition Programs and Equipment Grant- Due June 1, 2022

Audience: Food Service Directors and Business Managers
The State School Nutrition Program Equipment Grant is a 50% matching grant available to all School Food Authorities (SFAs) of up to $7,000 for an SFA-wide piece of equipment (e.g., point-of-sale (POS) system, application software) or up to $3,500 for a piece of equipment for a school site. All types of equipment are eligible except for small items that cost less than $200. Schools that have a high free and reduced percentage and SFAs that have not been awarded this grant in the past three years will receive a higher score. Schools that are starting a new lunch or breakfast program, or are applying to purchase POS systems or application process software (that do not already have this technology in place), will also receive higher scores. Apply in the Grants Management System. Applications open May 1, 2022. Applications due June 1, 2022.
Contact: Conor Floyd at conor.floyd@vermont.gov

2021-2022 Vermont Multi-Tiered System of Supports (VTmtss) Survey Closes May 31, 2022

Audience: Superintendents and Principals 
Principals, please complete the online VTmtss survey before the May 31, 2022, deadline. The link to the survey was sent to superintendents and principals on May 3, 2022. Past VTmtss Survey Summary Reports are available on the VTmtss webpage. 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.
Contact: Caitlin Chisholm at caitlin.chisholm@vermont.gov

Overview of Substance Misuse Prevention in Schools

Audience: Any school staff who support substance misuse prevention
On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at 10 a.m., Beth Keister, the Vermont Tobacco and Substance Use Prevention Coordinator, will provide an overview of the facets of substance misuse prevention in the school setting along with Sarah Roy from the Department of Health’s Division of Alcohol Drug Abuse Programs. We’ll go over where to find resources such as curricula, what kinds of existing funding can be leveraged for this purpose, community people and organizations that can support school-based prevention, and more. This is ideal for those who don’t currently have a prevention program and/or funding for one and need basic information as to how to get started. For meeting details, please email Beth Keister at beth.keister@vermont.gov. To join the meeting, use this Microsoft Teams link.
Contact: Beth Keister at beth.keister@vermont.gov

Celebrate Asthma Month of May and Nominate Your School For All Its Hard Work

Audience: all
The Asthma Friendly School Program recognizes Vermont primary and secondary schools that have implemented asthma-friendly school practices and policies. Any student, parent, friend of the school or staff person (up to the superintendent) can nominate a school, and it’s okay if any one school receives multiple nominations. Being recognized as an asthma-friendly school shows people across Vermont that your school makes asthma-friendly policies a priority. The registration deadline is May 31, 2022.
Contact: Karen Casper at karen.casper@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. Please refer to the Weekly Field Memo submission guidelines for additional information.

Professional Learning: Trauma-Informed Social Learning Course

Registration is open for the Trauma-Informed Social Learning course that begins June 27, 2022. This course focuses on defining, identifying and understanding children’s developmental experiences – such as early adversity or autism – that negatively impact typical social development. The objective is to help teachers and leaders develop a trauma and autism-informed practice for teaching social emotional learning in schools. Participants will integrate emerging findings from psychology and brain research showing the impacts of autism and trauma on learning and behavior. Visit the Trauma-Informed Social Learning course page to register. Grant funding is available. Visit the Application for Grant Funding for more information.
Contact: SJ Larkspur at slarkspur@sterncenter.org

Providing Effective Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Students, Schools and Businesses

The Providing Effective Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Students, Schools and Businesses course is a Vermont Higher Education Collaborative summer course that is ideal for those who are new to work-based learning (WBL), looking for more WBL tools and resources, or pursuing the WBL endorsement and is appropriate for anyone responsible for student learning outside the school walls. This course will provide an overview of labor and safety laws and practices, sales and marketing, career development strategies and effective systems for organizing, monitoring and evaluating student learning opportunities with businesses and community partners. The instructor is Rich Tulikangas, Career Advancement Director for HireAbility Vermont. The course will be held from June 25-July 30, 2022, with four 3-hour, in-person meetings, and the remainder online.
Contact: Kim McKellar at kim.mckellar@vthec.org

Middle Grades Institute 2022: Equity-Oriented Middle Grades Education

For the past three decades, the Middle Grades Institute has provided high-quality professional development to educators who work with young adolescents. This year's institute will be held from June 27 - July 1, 2022. As always, participants may attend in teams or individually, and will have access to interactive workshops, thought-provoking presentations and facilitated planning time. The focus of this summer's institute is equity-oriented middle grades education. In the interest of safety and flexibility, this summer we are using a new format: participants can select either entirely remote access or regionally in-person locations (currently NVU-Lyndon, South Royalton/White River). Please register using the Middle Grades Institute 2022 Registration Form as a team or individually.
Contact: James Nagle at jnagle2@smcvt.edu

May 29 is National 529 Day - Find Out About VT529 Savings for College or Training

National 529 Day highlights the advantages of 529 plans in helping families prepare for the costs of education after high school. VT529, Vermont’s official 529 plan, is the only savings plan that offers both a Vermont tax credit and tax-free savings. Choose from four easy ways to get started with your education savings on the Save for College & Training with VT529 webpage and learn more about all the benefits and flexibility of the VT529 plan.
Contact: Rich Westman at info@vsac.org

Middle Grades Literature Graduate Course: Bringing Relevant Texts Into Our Classrooms

Reading is a social act, and in the Bringing Relevant Texts Into Our Classrooms course, we will have the opportunity to engage with middle grade text in a social, as well as an analytical manner. We will read and analyze current, relevant texts for middle grade readers along with the soon-to-be-released, The Joy of Reading from Miller and Lesene. There will be an emphasis on practical applications of book clubs, discussion protocols and familiarity with current literature. This asynchronous course occurs from June 22 - Aug. 3, 2022, and successful participants will earn three graduate credits from Saint Michael’s College. Sarah Miller, M.Ed., one of the Partnerships for Literacy and Learning (PLL) literacy consultants will be offering this course for an intended audience of teachers of students in grades five through eight. Registration and more details can be found on the PLL Professional Learning Courses website.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521

Youth Advisory Council Annual Summit

The Youth Advisory Council Annual Summit will be held virtually on May 19, 2022, from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. This event is organized by the Youth Advocacy Council and youth and young adults with disabilities, ages 14-25, who connect with other students in Vermont to advocate for youth resources and lead while providing community service. The Keynote presentation “Empowering Yourself for Independence: Lessons Learned and Honest Advice from Teagan and Tyler for Youth with Disabilities and Those Who Support Them” will be given by Teagan and Tyler Comeau with Jacqui Kelleher. Hear members' stories around self-advocacy and join the conversation to help effect change on pressing issues identified by the Youth Advocacy Members. Please register on the Youth Advisory Council Annual Summit registration page.
Contact: Hannah Peach at hannah.peach@vermont.gov

Professional Learning: Instructional Coaches

Registration is open for Instructional Coaching Academy Cohorts 4 and 5. This very popular year-long academy (with three optional graduate credits) will be offered two ways this year: in-person cohort with Ellen Dorsey and virtual-only with Alysia Backman. (Sep. 29 and Nov. 10, 2022, and Jan. 11, March 15 and May 4, 2023.) This course is designed to meet the learning needs of coaches with varying levels of experience and participants will engage in coaching cycles both as a coach and as a 'coachee'. Jim Knight's books Better Conversations and The Impact Cycle are included.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642

Special Education Director and Superintendent Gatherings

Join the All Learners Network (ALN) founder, Dr. John Tapper, and ALN Facilitator, Glenn Patterson, on May 13, 2022, in southern Vermont, or May 20, 2022, in northern Vermont, from 3-5 p.m., in-person, to learn about how ESSER funds can be invested in math professional learning that can help schools be more successful with all students. This informal gathering will provide information, conversation, a chance to connect with others in your field, and refreshments and snacks. Free to attend but limited to the first 20 participants.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com

2022 Educators Financial Literacy Academy from Champlain College's Center for Financial Literacy

The 2022 Educators Financial Literacy Academy is a free, online graduate course is being offered this summer to 18 Vermont middle and high school educators from July 11 - Sep. 2, 2022. Teachers who complete the training will have the confidence, skills and curriculum tools to successfully bring financial literacy topics into their middle and high school classrooms. Learn how to implement Jump$tart Financial Literacy Standards into a stand-alone financial literacy class, or into multiple content areas. More than 200 Vermont educators have taken this course. Recognized by the Obama White House, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and US Dept. of Treasury. Funding for this free course is provided by Northfield Savings Bank Foundation.
Contact: John Pelletier at cfl@champlain.edu or (802) 860-274

Vermont Destination Imagination Tournament - Congratulations and Thanks

The Vermont Destination Imagination Tournament on April 30, 2022, was a great success. Congratulations to all the teams who did Destination Imagination this year in their communities and at the tournament and congratulations to all the award winners! Thanks to all the team managers, volunteers, Echo Center and our tournament venue/sponsor, Main St. Landing Performing Arts Center. We’re so grateful for grants from Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont/National Education Association and United Way, along with support from many businesses and individuals. We look forward to including many more teams in Vermont Destination Imagination next season throughout the state. Visit the Destination Imagination Challenge Previews for 2022-23 webpage to see what is coming next.
Contact: Jane Youngbaer at vtdicreativity@gmail.com or (802) 272-2766

Vermont Folklife Center's Summer Institute - Open for Registration

Registration is now open for the Vermont Folklife Center’s (VFC) 2022 Summer Institute: a series of in-person (Brattleboro and St. Albans) and online courses grounded in the methods of cultural documentation, ethical media making and archival research used by VFC staff every day. Workshops offer a specialized skill set and framework for understanding and featuring the complexity of human experience. These skills can be applied to anything from an interview project to a podcast series, photographic exhibit, independent study or even a comic book. The Institute is presented in three modules, which can stand alone but also complement each other. One graduate credit per course from Castleton University is available upon request. For more full course descriptions and to register please visit the VFC Summer Institute webpage.
Contact: Mary Wesley mwesley@vermontfolklifecenter.org