Weekly Field Memo

March 29, 2023

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 (AOE), other State of Vermont agencies, federal agencies or Vermont's congressional delegation.

Awareness Level Behavioral Threat Assessment Training

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Safety Stakeholders
The Vermont School Safety Center is pleased to announce another online delivery of the free, eight-hour delivery of the Awareness Level Behavioral Threat Assessment Training on May 24, 2023. This training is designed to educate and inform participants on the methods and strategies used to identify behaviors that may lead to a pathway of violence. Register on the School Safety Center webpage.
Contact: Robert L. Evans at revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448

FY24 Central Data for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Interdisciplinary Team, and Blind or Visually Impaired Applicants

Audience: Applicants for Statewide Consultant Grants
The FY24 Central Data collection is now available on the Vermont Agency of Education Grants Management System. These grants require central data to be completed, submitted and approved in order to submit an application. Grant Applications for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Interdisciplinary Team and Blind or Visually Impaired grants open April 15, 2023, with a due date of May 15, 2023.
Contact: Laura Greenwood at laura.greenwood@vermont.gov

Special Education Rule Changes and Functional Skills Office Hour

Audience: Special Educators, Special Education Directors, Coordinators, Superintendents
The Special Education Rule Changes and Functional Skills Office Hours on April 6, 2023, from 3-4 p.m. is intended to support questions related to functional skills and the special education rule changes. We will review Wesley’s case study and discuss additional questions related to this rule change. To learn more, join in the office hour. Please submit questions in advance through the office hour question submission form.
Contact: Cassie Santo at cassie.santo@vermont.gov

Upcoming Stronger Connections Grant Application Available March 29, 2023

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Grant Coordinators
As part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), Vermont has received funds for the BSCA Stronger Connections grant program, which will fund activities allowable under section 4108 – the Safe and Healthy Students section - of the ESEA (see Title IV allowable uses). The Stronger Connections grant will be live on GMS on March 29, 2023, and Q&A office hours will be on March 31 from 10-11 a.m. and/or April 4 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Please pre-register. More information is on the Title IV, Part A - Student Support and Academic Enrichment website.
Contact: Beth Keister beth.keister@vermont.gov

Teachers Who Write Conference

Audience: PreK-12 English Language Arts Teachers
It’s not too late to register for the Teachers Who Write Conference on May 3, 2023. Join the Vermont Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts, the Vermont Agency of Education and the Ruth Stone House to develop your writing practice and create a literary community for young people. This immersive day-long retreat will include conversations with fellow educators on writing and literature, opportunities for writing alongside professional writers and an exploration of effective writing instruction that engages all learners. Featured writers include Ben Pease, Bianca Stone and Angela Patten. The cost is $115, meals provided.
Contact: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov

Vermont Public: Celebrate Women’s History Month

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, 6-12 Teachers
Women’s History Month pays tribute to amazing women! Learn about Maggie Lena Walker, the first African American woman to found a bank, in the Unladylike Collection. Or, enjoy this Crash Course: Women in the 19th Century. Plus, find out about composer Florence Price on Vermont Public’s Timeline Podcast. Visit the Vermont Public Kids and Education page for more recommendations. 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@vermontpublic.org

Agency of Education Open Positions

Audience: All
The Vermont Agency of Education has open positions that are available to both state employees and external applicants. The open positions are: Student Support Services Division Director - Contact: Heather Bouchey at heather.bouchey@vermont.gov, Education Quality Division Director - Contact: Heather Bouchey at heather.bouchey@vermont.gov and Director of Education Finance - Contact: Bill Bates at bill.bates@vermont.gov.
Contact: AOE Info at aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets Farm-to-School and Early Childhood Vision Grant – Now Accepting Applications

Audience: School Administrators
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets Vision Grant is designed to support innovative projects that engage youth in addressing contemporary problems such as climate change, food insecurity, food sovereignty, health disparities and racial injustice through farm-to-school and early childhood activities. Strong proposals will be scalable and/or replicable, will prioritize youth leadership and will demonstrate a significant impact on Vermont youth. $150,000 is available to award and the min/max award range is $5,000-$50,000. Apply for the grant by April 24, 2023, by noon. Join an informational webinar on March 30, 2023, at 10 a.m. to learn more.
Contact: Gina Clithero at gina.clithero@vermont.gov or (802) 585-6225

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.

Register Your Class Now: K-6 Earth Month EduSeries

Vermont schools unite to celebrate Earth Month with this fun, virtual educational series for grades K-6. Learn how your class can be better stewards of Earth by sorting out your unwanted stuff, discovering who is turning food scraps into soil and how to protect the environment by thinking outside the blue bin in this three-lesson series. For more information and to register your class, check out Earth Month EduSeries webpage.
Contact: Rhonda Mace at rmace@cswd.net or (802) 872-8100 ext. 211

Professional Learning: Social Emotional Learning and Effective Communication in Young Children

The development of social communication and social-emotional regulation begins in infancy and expands across our lifetimes. Within the context of secure relationships, play and exploration, children build a foundation for social exchange. In addition, successful social communication relies on the mastery of social emotional competencies. This two-day series with Laura Bonazinga Bouyea will explore how educators can draw from universal design practices to create the optimal environment to foster engagement, regulation and communication for young children. Vermont Higher Education Collaborative (VT-HEC) is offering these virtual workshops on April 12, 2023, and May 3, 2023. Participants can attend either or both days.
Contact: Julie Medose at info@vthec.org or (802) 498-3350

Champlain Research Experience for Secondary Teachers (CREST) Professional Learning Program

CREST is a week-long program, June 26 - June 30, 2023, for grade 7-12 teachers conducted at the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Ecosystem Labs and aboard UVM’s new Marelle Melosira Research Vessel. Teachers will engage in place-based research about Lake Champlain led by scientists, STEM educators and graduate students. Teachers will gain access to STEM resources, project templates and data applicable to your curriculum and will create place-based projects that integrate diversity and equity principles and proficiencies. Apply online and complete the survey by March 25, 2023. CREST 3.0 Application. CREST 3.0 Survey.
Contact: Regina Toolin rtoolin@uvm.edu

Umatter Training of Trainers

Join the Center for Health and Learning for a Umatter Training of Trainers on May 3, 2023, at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier, Vermont. Participants engage in a full-day of training to develop their skills and confidence to bring Umatter Suicide Prevention Awareness workshops to one's community or workplace. Register online on the Umatter Training of Trainers webpage no later than one week before the program start date.
Contact: Karen Carreira at karen@healthandlearning.org

Last Call for Governor’s Institutes of Vermont Summer 2023 Applications

The Governor’s Institutes of Vermont will be hosting a series of eight exciting Institutes for Vermont high school students this summer. Our application window closes on March 31, 2023, so students are encouraged to apply now to experience the adventure of a lifetime. Our online application process can be filled out in ten minutes or less. Students can attend the Governor's Institutes of Vermont for as little as $10.
Contact: Matthew Binginot at hello@giv.org

The Resilient Adolescent Reader

Join Partnerships for Literacy and Learning (PLL) for the three-credit graduate summer course, The Resilient Adolescent Reader, with Lisa Driver, Ed.D., addressing the needs of the adolescent reader who needs literacy support. By the time they are in middle or high school, they may appear unmotivated, but in reality, they crave and deserve success in reading. Strengthen the resiliency of your struggling readers by learning to revise, adjust and grow our approach to help all learners. This asynchronous course runs from July 5 - Aug. 19, 2023. Find details on the PLL’s course webpage.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521

Weekly Field Memo - Volume 17, Issue 13