Volume 16, Issue 2

January 11, 2022

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.

Vermont School Safety Center: What if Wednesday

Audience: Superintendents, Principals and School Crisis Planning Team Members
The What if Wednesday – Edition I 2022 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 L. Evans, VT School Safety Liaison Officer, at revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448

Vermont School Safety Center: 12 Table Top Exercise Safety Templates

Audience: Superintendents, Principals and School Crisis Planning Team Members
In an effort to enhance your school's emergency preparedness initiatives, the Vermont School Safety Center has posted 12 Table Top Exercise templates on the Vermont School Safety Center’s website for your future use. These templates are easy to use, cover a variety of emergency situations and can help school leaders identify crisis response strengths or opportunities to enhance existing crisis response plans and practices.
Contact: Robert L. Evans, VT School Safety Liaison Officer, at revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448

Summary of Performance Training

Audience: Special Education Directors, High School Special Educators and Work-based Learning Staff
The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) will host a virtual webinar on an overview of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act required Summary of Performance (SOP) on Feb. 1, 2022, from 3-4:30 p.m. The SOP is a document that every student who is on an IEP shall be issued prior to graduation. The AOE now includes the Summary of Performance in its monitoring process. This webinar will also go over best practices, the rationale behind the SOP and key components needed to pass the monitoring process successfully.
Contact: John Spinney at John.Spinney@vermont.gov

Training Resources Available by Jan. 17, 2022

Audience: District Test Administrators and School Test Coordinators
Training of school coordinators (SC) and test administrators (TA) must take place before testing begins in your Supervisory Union or school. Please see the SC training log and TA training log for a list of topics that should be covered during trainings. A template to be used for trainings (optional) will be made available on the VTCAP Portal by Jan. 17, 2022. Training can take place any time before testing starts. District Test Administrators should ensure their training of SCs allows ample time for SCs to train TAs. Please note: Anyone administering an assessment of ELA, Math or Science must complete the TA Certification on the VTCAP Portal in addition to attending training facilitated by the SC.
Contact: Amanda Gorham at amanda.gorham@vermont.gov

Vermont PBS: January Resources to Welcome the New Year

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education has updated our Vermont PBS webpage for January 2022. This month, strengthen students’ media literacy skills with activities and resources to help students think critically, communicate effectively and engage as active citizens. Other topics of interest include finding common ground through guided discussion, free learning games and podcasts, understanding race and racism and examining identity. 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 this form.
Contacts: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov or Heather Duhamel at hduhamel@vermontpbs.org

Public Comment Period: Vermont School Counseling Framework

Audience: Superintendents, Principals/CTE Directors, School Counselors, School-Based Clinicians, Work-Based Learning Coordinators, Flexible Pathways Coordinators, Special Education Administrators, General Public
The Agency of Education (AOE) and the Vermont School Counselor Association (VTSCA) are requesting public comments on the proposed “Vermont School Counseling Framework.” The framework was developed by VTSCA. Comments will be used to inform modifications to the framework which will then be considered for adoption by the AOE. Commenters are directed to this form to submit comments. The comment period is open from Dec. 15, 2021, to Jan. 15, 2022.
Contact: Jay Ramsey at jay.ramsey@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.

HOPE: A Virtual Workshop Series and Graduate Course (Optional) with Joelle van Lent and Gillian Boudreau

The Vermont Higher Education Collaborative (VT-HEC) is offering a virtual workshop series and graduate course focusing on Hope in 2022, beginning on Jan. 21, 2022. The ongoing pandemic has presented us with a unique adversity and events from the past 2 years have brought increased awareness to longstanding cultural and school-specific inequities. Hope, positivity and connection are becoming harder to access, as stamina begins to run low. The presenters will highlight strategies that support capacity to thrive within adversity, emphasizing how to foster well-being and how to respond in healthful and discerning ways to both expected and unexpected challenges. Using their decades of experience working within the field of trauma, Gillian and Joelle will examine the importance of building communities that promote the resilience of every member, especially those most vulnerable.
Contact: Julie Medose at info@vthec.org or (802) 498-3350

Learning Differences: Survey of Special Education

This course is for educators and administrators seeking an introduction to brain functioning, brain differences, and the role of special educators and learning specialists in developing programming for students with learning differences. This 3-credit course is offered through Castleton University's Center for Schools is taught by Windsor Central Supervisory Union Superintendent, Sherry Sousa, and Director of Instructional Support Services, Gina Rocque, to explore the development of special education programs, from evaluation to instruction, that represent the specific strengths and needs of a student’s cognitive profile, adhere to federal and state statutes and show the empathy needed to support this population. Visit the course page for registration.
Contact: Emily Meloon at emeloon@wcsu.net

Save the Dates - Discover Engineering

The Vermont 4-H Program and the University of Vermont (UVM) College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences have teamed up to host a variety of programs for grades 3-12 in the month of February 2022 to promote the field of engineering. Our goal is to expose youth to engineering, build skills and help youth understand different pathways they can take to pursue a future as an engineer. Check out all of the different free learning opportunities happening during the month – all leading up to National Engineering Week, Feb. 20-26, 2022. Activities include: Create Your Own Invention Contest, Rube Goldberg Challenge, 4-H World Changers: Learn to Code, VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Cafes, 4-H@Home Engineering Activities and the hallmark event, Discover Engineering on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at the UVM Davis Center and other campus locations. Information and registration will be posted soon for all programs.
Contact: Lauren Traister at lauren.traister@uvm.edu

Paid Summer Research Opportunities for High School Students at the University of Vermont

Several positions are available for students to perform paid summer research in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Vermont through two national programs. The first is the American Chemical Society Project SEED that serves students from families meeting income requirements, and students should apply at the Project SEED webpage. The second is the Army Educational Outreach Program that offers apprenticeships for students who identify as a member of groups historically minoritized in science, and students should apply at the REAP webpage.
Contact: Rory Waterman at rory.waterman@uvm.edu or (802) 665-0278

A Special Offer from the All learners Network: Free Math Program Review

This math program review is a process where the All Learners Network (ALN) guides a classroom, school or district through a short process to determine the current state of math instruction. ALN then offers a written report with specific high-impact next steps to improve learning for all students. With an understanding of what is happening in the classroom, teachers can deepen their math understanding so that all students can learn. We give you a roadmap and can guide you in reaching your math equity goals. ALN offerings are ESSER funds approved.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com

Registration is open for the Vita-Learn Chief Technology Officer Clinic

In partnership with CoSN, a national non-profit that supports school IT professionals, Vita-Learn is hosting a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Clinic on Feb. 23, 2022, at the Davis Center on the University of Vermont campus. The event is intended for all school IT professionals. This year’s CTO Clinic will focus on Cybersecurity, including how schools secure data (student, teacher, staff and institutional), networks, clients and establish supporting policies. Districts are encouraged to send teams of IT staff. For more information and to register, please visit the Vita-Learn website.
Contact: Jeff Mao at jeff@vita-learn.org or (207) 798-2460

Professional Education: Data-based Curricular Leadership Course

Registration is open for Data-Based Curricular Leadership. Many school leaders share a common frustration: how to transform mountains of data on student achievement into an action plan that will improve instruction and increase student learning. Through this inquiry, you’ll gain the tools to lead a data-based inquiry cycle, working with faculty groups to examine data, make appropriate inferences and link that data to plans for meaningful action. The first session is on Jan. 29, 2022.
Contact: Kristen Downey at kristendowney@uvei.org

Castleton University Center for Schools: Reserve Your Space in a Spring 2022 Course

Many Spring 2022 courses at the Castleton University Center for Schools have already started and the rest are filling fast. View course descriptions and register today.
Contact: Tara Lidstone at tara.lidstone@castleton.edu or (802) 345-0092

Deadline Approaching: Ned Kirsch Innovative Leadership Award

In honor/memory of Ned Kirsch's extraordinary innovative leadership in Vermont, Champlain Valley Educator Development Center (CVEDC) annually awards a Vermont educator who exemplifies the qualities that were part of Ned’s aspirational and forward-looking leadership. Review the award information and nomination form and get yours in by Jan. 31, 2022.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org

A Scholarship Opportunity for Students: National Center for State Courts’ Civics Education Essay Contest

In honor of Law Day 2022, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) is offering third through twelfth grade students a chance to win up to $1,000 for answering the following question: “Which Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has made the biggest difference in people’s lives? Explain how and why.” NCSC’s Civics Education Essay Contest deadline is Feb. 25, 2022.
Contact: Deirdre Roesch at droesch@ncsc.org or (757) 259-1515

Professional Development: "Analyzing Propaganda and Teaching Media Literacy: The Holocaust as a Case Study"

Registration is now open for Vermont Holocaust Memorial’s Educators Workshop, facilitated by Echoes and Reflections, taking place in Burlington on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Teachers will gain tools to facilitate classroom discussions on the role and impact of Nazi propaganda during the Holocaust and support their students to critically analyze media in today’s world. Certificates of completion will be awarded at the end of the workshop. Added this year – a first look at Wiesenthal Center’s “Courage to Remember” traveling exhibit. Enrollment is limited. Registration deadline: Feb. 28, 2022. For more information and to register, visit Vermont Holocaust Memorial - 2022 Workshop.
Contact: Debora Steinerman at info@holocaustmemorial-vt.org

Application Deadline Extended Until Feb. 1, 2022, for the ASK Peer Educator Program

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is recruiting interested high school students who would like to join our ASK Peer Educator program Winter training, scheduled to begin in Winter 2022. This volunteer program is open to Vermont high school-age students. Training will take place virtually, so this opportunity is not limited by location. If you are an adult who works with a young person who might be interested, please pass along this opportunity. Students who are interested should fill out and submit an application online. Applications are requested by Feb. 1, 2022.
Contact: Planned Parenthood of Northern New England at education@ppnne.org or 802-448-9726

Professional Learning: Orton-Gillingham: Focus on Morphology

Registration is open for Orton-Gillingham: Focus on Morphology, beginning on Jan. 21, 2022, a professional development workshop by the Stern Center for Language and Learning. This one-day workshop will teach morphology from basic prefixes and suffixes to Latin grid endings and Greek combining forms. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of free and bound morphemes, Anglo-Saxon, Latin and Greek derivations, and how to explicitly teach morphological awareness while also teaching vocabulary and grammar. Visit the course page to register.
Contact: SJ Larkspur at slarkspur@sterncenter.org

Reading Instruction: A Vital Balancing Act - A Graduate Course from Partnerships for Literacy and Learning

Teachers of grades K-6 literacy, do you wonder what is most important for your students to become successful in literacy? Have you been concerned about how to "fit it all in"? The course: Reading Instruction: A Vital Balancing Act will support you to determine how to teach and reach all of your students during your literacy time. Join us for this fully online, asynchronous, 3-credit course through Saint Michael’s College. Registration and more details are on our events page.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521