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.
Announcing K-12 Special Education Evaluation Implementation Guide
Audience: Special Education Directors, Special Educators, SU/SD and School-based Administrators, MTSS Coordinators, Assessment Coordinators, Mental Health Care Personnel
The Agency of Education wants to announce that the Special Education Evaluation Implementation Guide is now posted on the Special Education Rule Changes page of our website under August Resources. All administrators and educators are encouraged to check it out.
Contact: Betty Roy at AOE.SpecialEd@vermont.gov
Vermont School Safety Resources for the Upcoming Year
Audience: All
The Vermont School Safety Center is pleased to provide resources to assist school administrators and school districts with school safety planning for the upcoming academic year. The Information on School Safety Training Calendar, Back to School Safety Practices checklist, School Safety Emergency Information Guide for Parents and Guardians, School Safety Anonymous Tipline, School Drill Guidance and Emergency Response Action Guide with Response Protocols can be found on the Vermont School Safety Center website.
Contact: Robert L. Evans, VT School Safety Liaison Officer, revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448
Youth Vaping Prevention and Treatment Request for Proposals
Audience: Superintendents, Principals and School Safety Stakeholders
The Vermont Department of Health’s Division of Substance Use Programs and Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention invite you to respond to the attached Request for Proposals (RFP) for Youth Vaping Prevention and Treatment. Applications are to be submitted through the RFP: Youth Vaping Prevention and Treatment FY23 Enhancement Funding survey. The RFP states that “substance misuse prevention coalitions and community coalitions in addition to schools, community and youth organizations and non-traditional partners that are equipped to target youth vaping are eligible to apply:” SU/SDs could apply in addition to or in collaboration with any of those entities. The application deadline is August 19, 2022.
Contact: AHS.VDHADAPContracts@vermont.gov – other methods of communication are not permitted and shall go unanswered
Special Education Provisional Waiver Webinar
Audience: Superintendents, HR Directors, Special Education Coordinators, Principals
The Vermont Agency of Education and partners from the CEEDAR Center and Vermont special education preparation programs are hosting a webinar to familiarize administrators with the Vermont Standards Board’s waiver for provisional special education licensure. This pathway was created by the Standards Board as an option in addressing the shortage of applicants for special education positions across the state. In addition to outlining the conditions of the waiver, each of the approved routes to licensure in Vermont will be briefly be describing their program design. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. There is no charge, but advanced registration is necessary.
Contact: Patrick Halladay at patrick.halladay@vermont.gov
Agency of Education Open Positions
Audience: All
The Vermont Agency of Education has several open positions that are available to both state employees and external applicants. Open positions are Business Project Manager - contact Maureen Gaidys at maureen.gaidys@vermont.gov, Policy Communications Specialist - contact Kate Connizzo at kate.connizzo@vermont.gov and Education Programs Coordinator II - Career Pathways - contact Ruth Durkee at ruth.durkee@vermont.gov.
Contact: AOE Info at aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov
Vermont Public: Back to School
Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Public (formerly Vermont PBS and VPR) continue our partnership to meet the anywhere, anytime, educational, social and emotional needs of Vermont students. As the summer winds down, visit the Vermont Public Kids and Education page to find online and printable resources to help students and teachers prepare for Back to School.
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.
Menu Differentiation: An All Learners Approach
Menu Differentiation is a three-credit course on Aug. 17-19, 2022, from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., in person at the All Learners Network Learning Center in Burlington, with three follow-up dates in the fall of 2022. This course explores an All Learners Main Lesson/Menu model for differentiation, reframing layers of 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.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com
Summer Pilot Groups for Innovative Health Series
In this time of overwhelming need, educators and families are experiencing significant upheaval, and it's clear that not all teens are all right. Yet, health is power. Every action a person takes can directly impact the rest of their lives. Practice of Life is piloting a sample lesson, Personal Sustainability: Unlocking The "Why" of Self-Care. Lessons are targeted for adolescents (grades 6-12) and quite relevant for staff. The Future You series dives into self-care, stress management and personalized practices for a stronger mind and body, relevant and engaging content that can be utilized in multiple ways (health/physical education, advisory, after-school/out-of-school programs or interdisciplinary). Please watch this video of our program and contact Kate Larson at kate@practiceoflife.com to learn more and join us, now or later. We care about you. The first five schools get their first year free.
Contact: Kate Larson at kate@practiceoflife.com
Professional Development Course: Mindfulness & Sustainability
The Tea Project Course 1: Mindfulness in the Daily Cup of Tea is a graduate level virtual course for PreK-9 grade teachers. This course focus on establishing daily practices of social emotional learning through nature immersion, mindfulness and tea drinking rituals. Students gain focus through these regulatory practices, then dive deep into the Next Generation Science/Common Core standards addressed through botany and plant literacy of the school yard and surrounding area. Place based nature immersion in and out of the classroom. The course begins on Sep. 26, 2022, and meets on Mondays in synchronous Zoom sessions from 6:30p.m.-8:15 p.m. You can register by filling out our registration form and you can find out more about the Tea Project by visiting the Tea Project webpage.
Contact: Angie Barger at luna-root@gmail.com or (802) 595-2512
Accepting Applications for Learning Lab Vermont
The Tarrant Institute is now accepting applications for this year’s Learning Lab, a community of educators who help each other implement and sustain a dimension of their practice throughout the school year. To learn more, check out this Learning Lab FAQ, or reach out to the designers and co-instructors, Susan Hennessey and Bill Rich.
Contact: Bill Rich at redhouselearning@gmail.com
Vermont Suicide Prevention Coalition September Meeting
The Vermont Suicide Prevention Coalition is virtually holding its Fall meeting on Thursday, Sep. 8, 2022. We will have updates on suicide prevention work across the state from our partners at the Department of Mental health and Vermont Department of Health, along with a review of last quarter’s state suicide data. Please sign up on the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center webpage.
Contact: Contact: Kirk Postlewaite at Kirk@healthandlearning.org
Vermont Destination Imagination
Are you interested in facilitating teamwork for a small group of kids or teens? Lots of young people would enjoy Destination Imagination in their communities after school, but need an adult Team Manager to supervise and facilitate. All the ideas and hands-on work is done by the team. Background checks are required and training is free. Prepare to be inspired!
Contact: Jane Youngbaer at vtdicreativity@gmail.com or (802) 272-2766
Explorations: Leadership in Literacy
Partnerships for Literacy and Learning is offering the course for elementary principals, Explorations: Leadership in Literacy. As the leader, it’s a challenge to “do it all.” This course will help elementary administrators know how to help all learners and teachers be successful in literacy. You will leave this course with a strong understanding of what to look for within the realm of literacy in individual classrooms and across multiple grade levels. Registration and more details can be found on the link to our Professional Courses page.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521
All Learners Network Course: Clinical Interviews
The All Learners Network Course, Clinical Interviews, is a three-credit course on Aug. 15-16, 2022, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., in-person, at the All Learners Network Learning Center in Burlington, with three follow-up dates in the fall of 2022. This course will allow teachers to investigate how students learn and collaboratively design instruction to meet the needs of individual students. Teachers will receive three graduate credits upon completion as well as All Learners Network Clinical Interview Certification.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com
Professional Learning: Fundations Levels K-3 Workshops
Registration is now open for Fundations Workshops offered this fall. These professional learning courses are offered through the Stern Center for Language and Learning. Fundations teaches the foundational skills, and significantly supports reading, writing, speaking and language standards found in states’ rigorous college and career-ready standards. The program addresses all five areas of reading instruction with an emphasis on systematic phonics and word structure. Visit the Fundations course page to register. Grant funding is available through the Application for Grant Funding form.
Contact: Peter McDonald at pmcdonald@sterncenter.org
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont is Offering Training Events for Trainers on Innovative Topics Beginning in August
These trainings offer a wide range of skills from how to use brain science findings to take advantage of the optimal developmental window to teach children about consent to preparing attendees in school-based programs that teach about healthy relationships. There will also be two new topics that relate to decreasing risk of abuse for LGBT youth and addressing risks of harm when youth use technology offered later this Fall. You can view the description of all events on the Trainings for Trainers webpage and you can register on the Registration webpage.
Contact: Marcie Hambrick at mhambrick@pcavt.org