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.
Reminder: Input Needed in the Asthma Management in Schools Survey
Audience: School Nurses, Superintendents, Principals
In the context of “back-to-school”, the Vermont Department of Health’s Asthma Program is sending a brief survey to better understand barriers to implementing asthma self-management education (AS-ME) curriculum in schools and to identify opportunities for improvement. This survey will take approximately five minutes to complete and will provide valuable information to inform the development of a brief AS-ME curriculum for schools. Even if you are not familiar with AS-ME curriculum but you work with students who have asthma, your input is appreciated. Respond to the Asthma Management in Schools Survey by Sept. 30, 2022. Survey Contact: Emily Groebner at egroebner@pdastats.com.
Contact: Karen Casper at karen.casper@vermont.gov
Governor’s School Safety Conference 2022
Audience: Principals, Superintendents and School Safety Teams
Vermont’s Agency of Education, Department of Public Safety and the Vermont School Safety Center are pleased to announce that registration is open for the 2022 Governor’s School Safety Conference. This free event will take place on Nov. 2, 2022, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hilton in Burlington. Dr. Marisa Randazzo will be the keynote speaker and will be discussing the background and history of active shooter incidents and the tools and strategies that have been developed to mitigate the risks of these events in the future.
Contact: Rob Evans at (802) 839-0448 or revans@margolishealy.com
Reporting Requirements for the Suspension or Expulsion of Students Under Age 8
Audience: Administrators, PreK Program Directors
Act 35 of 2022 amended Sec. 6. 16 V.S.A. § 1162 to prohibit the suspension or expulsion of students under the age of eight except in situations where the student poses an imminent threat of harm or danger to others. This prohibition is in effect as of the current school year. The Agency of Education is requiring schools and PreK programs to report the suspension or expulsion of students under age eight within five calendar days of any such incident. For Universal Prekindergarten (UPK), fill out UPK Suspension and Expulsion Incident Report. For students in Kindergarten to age 8, fill out Kindergarten to Age 8: Suspension and Expulsion Incident Report. Contact Kate Rogers at kate.rogers@vermont.gov for questions on UPK Incident Report. Contact Tom Faris at thomas.faris@vermont.gov for questions on Kindergarten to Age 8 Incident Report.
Contact: Tom Faris at thomas.faris@vermont.gov
Vermont Public: September Resources for Back to School
Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Public continue our partnership to meet the anywhere, anytime, educational, social and emotional needs of Vermont students. As the new school year begins, visit the Vermont Public Kids and Education page to find recommendations for high-quality media and resource collections, including the Teach Your Way collection for PreK-2. For K-2, check out But Why Podcast’s new collection as well as PBS Kids’ new C3 Standards connected series, Rosie’s Rules. For older students, check out the Election Collection and the new U.S. History Collection. For a Vermont connection, listen to Brave Little State Podcast’s Remembering Vermont’s 19th Century Black Communities. Also, don’t forget to visit the Education Ambassadors page to learn more about how Vermont educators are involved in our partnership.
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.
Youth Environmental Summit for Grades 6-12
The Youth Environmental Summit (YES) is a free annual event for students in grades 6-12 who want to learn about environmental issues and find ways to take action. At YES participants engage in hands-on workshops, action-inspiring discussions, networking with environmental professionals and like-minded peers, and much, much more! This year’s Summit will take place at the Barre Civic Center on Oct. 28, 2022. Learn more and register at the 4-H Announcements page.
Contact: Lauren Traister at lauren.traister@uvm.edu or (802) 888-4972 x 402
Annual Financial Aid Training Offered by Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
Registration for Vermont Student Assistance Corporation's (VSAC) Annual Financial Aid Training for education and agency professionals is still open. Federal, State and VSAC updates will be a hybrid training on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Register to attend virtually via Zoom or in person at the VSAC building in Winooski.
Contact: Chris Barry at barry@vsac.org
October Umatter Suicide Prevention Awareness Training
Join the Center for Health and Learning for a no-cost suicide awareness training on Oct. 11, 2022, from 10-11:30 a.m. Enhance knowledge, comfort and skills to identify those at risk for suicide in your organization or community, including resources. Register online today on the Umatter Suicide Prevention Awareness and Skills Training registration page.
Contact: Karen Carreira at karen@healthandlearning.org
All Learners Network Math Professional Development
Coaching for Launch is a three-hour workshop offered in person on Oct. 10, 2022, from 4-7 p.m., at the All Learners Network Learning Center in Burlington. This workshop will inspire participants to reimagine how educators use the first five to fifteen minutes of their math block for purposeful, discussion-rich number sense routines in their classroom. Launch is the vehicle for powerful instructional routines which are amplified through consistent exposure over time.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com
Orton-Gillingham: Focus on Level II, Vowel Teams, & Beyond
Registration is open for Orton-Gillingham: Focus on Level II, Vowel Teams, & Beyond that begins Oct. 19, 2022. This webinar is designed for Orton-Gillingham (OG) teachers with a basic understanding of the OG lesson plan and scope and sequence whose students are advancing in Level II of the OG Scope and Sequence. Do you have questions about how to teach syllabication, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels and spelling patterns? Do you have questions as you progress to more advanced levels in your scope and sequence? This online workshop will give you plenty of opportunities to practice and troubleshoot. Participants will receive six professional development hours. Visit the course webpage to register.
Contact: Peter McDonald at pmcdonald@sterncenter.org
Vermont Destination Imagination at Fall Festival
Please join us at the Marshfield Harvest Festival on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Old Schoolhouse Common. Lots of fun, food and vendors. Destination Imagination will have an activity for kids and program information.
Contact: Jane Youngbaer at vtdicreativity@gmail.com or (802) 272-2766
Partnerships for Literacy and Learning Graduate Course: “Free to Read: Challenged and Banned Texts”
In the asynchronous online course, Free to Read: Challenged and Banned Texts, participants will read and analyze current texts for young adult readers that have been recently banned or challenged. Sarah Miller, M. Ed. will support upper middle grade and high school educators interested in challenged and banned texts in this three-credit course. Find more details, including a partial reading list at this link to the Free to Read: Challenged and Banned Texts course webpage.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont Has Virtual Parent Education Events
Do parents and caregivers of your students want to learn more about promoting safe environments and fostering children’s social development? These live, virtual events are perfect for parents. Topics include supporting social emotional brain development, technology safety, nurturing healthy sexual development and more! Trainings are held at varied times to accommodate parent's busy schedules. Parents can view our event's webpage to register to attend (use promo code VERMONTER to enter for free). Schools are asked to share this link widely to the parents and caregivers of your students!
Contact: Marcie Hambrick at mhambrick@pcavt.org