Weekly Field Memo

April 5, 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.

SY24 State Equipment Grants Now Open

Audience: Business Managers and Food Service Directors
State Equipment grant applications have opened in the Grants Management System. Applications are due by June 1, 2023, and award decisions will be made in July 2023. This grant is a 50% matching grant. Maximum award amounts have increased this year, SFA-wide applications may receive up to $10,000 and site-specific applications may receive up to $5,000. Only supervisory unions and school districts are eligible to apply. Independent Schools are not eligible. For complete details, review the “Overview” tab of the application. Apply in the Grants Management System.
Contact: Conor Floyd at conor.floyd@vermont.gov or (802) 828-0310

Dual Enrollment, Fast Forward and Early College Partnership Agreements for FY24

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, CTE Directors, High School and CTE Voucher Coordinators
Under the Flexible Pathways Initiative, 16 V.S.A. § 941, Vermont Dual Enrollment, Fast Forward and Early College Programs provide credit-bearing courses for eligible Vermont Students tuition-free to the student. The FY24 Partnership Agreement memos and forms are now available for each of these programs and can be found on the AOE Dual Enrollment webpage and the AOE Early College webpage. Please read the appropriate memo for each program and submit the accompanying form by April 14, 2023.
Contact: Amy Dodge at AOE.DualEnrollment@vermont.gov

Special Education Rule Changes and Adverse Effects Office Hour

Audience: Special Educators, Special Education Directors, Coordinators, Superintendents
The Special Education Rule Changes and Adverse Effects Office Hour is on April 20, 2023, from 3-4 p.m. The office hour is intended to support questions related to adverse effect and the special education rule changes. To learn more, join in the office hour. Please submit any questions in advance through the question submission form.
Contact: Cassie Santo at cassie.santo@vermont.gov

Early Learning Networked Improvement Community Lunch and Learn

Audience: Principals, SU/SD Leaders
The AOE's Early Learning Networked Improvement Community (ELNIC) invites you to a lunch and learn on April 6, 2023, from 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Connect with our nationally renowned content experts, Dr. Sharon Walpole, Dr. Doug Clements, Dr. Julie Sarama and some current lead participants. We will share our efforts to improve instruction in foundational skills and formative assessment practices in PreK-3rd grade math and literacy, as well as possible opportunities to participate. The ELNIC is a unique, job-embedded professional learning opportunity where participants collaborate to provide equitable, high-quality instruction. We hope that you can join us at the event.
Contact: Lori Dolezal at aoe.elnichubgroup@vermont.gov

What if Wednesday, Volume 4

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Safety Stakeholders
The Vermont School Safety Center is pleased to announce the What if Wednesday - Volume 4 for our What if Wednesday school safety training initiative. Please share this broadly with all your school safety stakeholders.
Contact: Robert L. Evans at revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448

Award Opportunity: Vermont Lottery Educate Innovate Initiative

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Technology Directors, Curriculum Directors, Educators, Librarians
Through a partnership with the Vermont Lottery, AOE announces the 2023 round of a competitive award program that seeks to further school education technology programs. Proposals should showcase a practical and deliberate use of technology for increasing student engagement and support student-centered learning. This program aims to support educators from all content areas to create connections between students and curriculum content using technology. Two schools will receive awards of $15,000 each. The deadline to apply is April 19, 2023. Obtain an award application on the Education Technology webpage.
Contact: Lisa Helme at lisa.helme@vermont.gov

Vermont Public: Autism Awareness Month

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
April is Autism Awareness Month, and PBS KIDS has several shows to help celebrate! PBS KIDS gives representation for autism all year long with characters in programs including Hero Elementary, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Arthur and Sesame Street. These shows feature unique characters on the autism spectrum, highlighting their differences while also teaching kids the importance of acceptance. Visit the Vermont Public Kids and Education page for more recommendations.
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, State Director of Special Education - 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

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.

Pathway to Licensure for Elementary Teachers on Emergency/Provisional License

Saint Michael’s College (SMC) plans to offer an initial elementary licensure program in Barre that will include a combination of online, on-site and on-campus (summer only) courses for candidates working full-time as teachers on a provisional/emergency license. Classes start May 22, 2023, and applications are due by April 17. SMC also offers a one-year (May to May) master’s and licensure program through our traditional on-campus Master of Arts in Teaching with initial licensure tracks in art, elementary, middle, secondary and special education. Licensed teachers can earn a master’s and additional endorsement in special education (online option available) or English Language Learner.
Contact: Claudine Bedell at cbedell@smcvt.edu or (802) 654-2741

Project Design Lab Info Session

There will be an info session on Monday, April 10, 2023, at 3:00-3:45 p.m. for PreK-12 educators interested in learning more about the Project Design Lab. The Project Design Lab is a professional development planning and learning retreat, July 10-14, 2023, at the University of Vermont. This is for educators to rejuvenate and design a creative project with a teaching artist. The April 10 Info Session will present what to expect at the weeklong retreat, with time for Q&A. For more information about the Project Design Lab and to register for the info session, go to the event webpage.
Contact: Paul Gambill at paul@communityengagementlab.org

New Early Childhood Educator and Early Childhood Special Educator Initial Licensure Cohort Beginning This Summer

Vermont Higher Education Collaborative (VT-HEC) is offering a new program that results in an initial license and endorsement as an early childhood educator or an early childhood special educator. The two-year program is designed for individuals who are currently working in the field. Courses have either occasional face-to-face meetings or are totally online and scheduled outside of working hours. Courses for the 2023 Initial Licensure Cohort will start in the summer of 2023. VT-HEC also can provide just the endorsement if you are already a licensed teacher. A full program scholarship is available for one student each year.
Contact: Manuela Fonseca at manuela.fonseca@vthec.org

Orton-Gillingham: Diagnostic Assessment Workshop Series

Registration is open for the Orton-Gillingham: Diagnostic Assessment Workshop Series which begins August 18, 2023. This 12-hour workshop series will give you a detailed Orton-Gillingham (OG) scope and sequence for grades K–2 and show you how to administer a comprehensive diagnostic assessment that can be used as a universal assessment for students in grades K–2. This assessment battery can also be used with struggling readers to determine a starting place for OG instruction and ongoing progress monitoring. Visit the course page for more info.
Contact: Julia Caminiti at news@sterncetner.org

Teaching for Transfer - Sticky and Relevant Word Study Practices

Join Partnership for Literacy (PLL) for the 3-credit graduate summer course with Ellen A. Thompson, addressing the vital components of teaching word study with diverse learners. Participants will consider the brain research and the research as they look closely at their pedagogy used for teaching word study using the book Word Study that Sticks Best Practices, K-6, by Pamela Koutrakos. This asynchronous course runs from July 10 - August 23, 2023. Find details on PLL’s courses webpage.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521

18th Annual Transition and Career Planning Conference

Sign up today for the 2023 Transition and Career Planning Conference taking place in person on Friday, May 12, 2023, at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa. “Living and Learning in the 802: Vermont Opportunities and Pathways” will feature Jess DeCarolis as the keynote speaker. Jess will speak about opportunities for learning in Vermont and the future of being a destination of value for learners. In addition to morning and afternoon breakout workshops, there will be a Vermont State University information panel for all registrants to attend immediately following lunch. To view workshop descriptions, visit the conference event page.
Contact: Cathy Printon at printon@vsac.org

New Course: Open Windows, Open Minds: Developing Antiracist, Pro-Human Students

The virtual course, facilitated by and focused on Afrika Afeni Mills’ book, Open Windows, Open Minds: Developing Antiracist, Pro-Human Students, will offer participants an opportunity to explore how to use classroom instruction to provide more windows to racial awareness, antiracist thinking and pro-human action in the classroom. The flyer contains class dates/times and links to the registration form as well as the course syllabus and work for those wishing to take the class for credit. Participants will receive the author’s book. Register on the course registration webpage.
Contact: Juliette Longchamp at jlongchamp@vtnea.org

University of Vermont Summer Courses for Education and Social Services Professionals

The College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont offers convenient and flexible summer courses to improve your practice, enhance your credentials and boost your career. Summer tuition is 30% less than academic-year tuition, and there are many classes to choose from over three sessions starting in May, June and July 2023. View course descriptions, instructors, dates, financial aid information and how to register on the summer courses webpage.
Contact: Doug Gilman at learn@uvm.edu or (800) 639-3210

Professional Learning: C-3 /Creating inquiry-Based Social Studies

Using Inquiry-Based Teaching to Promote Justice and Combat Inequity with Dr. Kathy Swan is just two weeks away and there is still room to register. This two-day workshop will show educators for grades 5-12 how they can pose expansive questions that promote justice and expose students to sources that demonstrate the ways in which history is framed by both oppression and resistance. Dr. Swan, the C-3 lead author, will explore how to develop a coherent and holistic approach to inquiry-based social studies. The event will be at the Delta Conference Center, South Burlington on April 18-19, 2023.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642

Free Summer Financial Literacy Graduate Course at Champlain College

The 2023 Educators Financial Literacy Academy is a free, online, asynchronous three-credit graduate course for 17 Vermont middle and high school educators. The course will give you the confidence, skills and curriculum tools to successfully bring financial literacy topics into your 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. Funding for this free course is provided by Northfield Savings Bank Foundation.
Contact: John Pelletier at cfl@champlain.edu or (802) 860-2744

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

This is a Vermont Higher Education Collaborative three-credit course ideal for those who are new to work-based learning (WBL), looking for more WBL tools and resources, pursuing the WBL endorsement or are responsible for student learning outside the school walls. It provides 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. Taught by Rich Tulikangas, Career Advancement Director HireAbility Vermont. Dates: June 20-July 19, 2023, with four three-hour, in-person meetings. The remainder is online.
Contact: Kim McKellar at kim.mckellar@vthec.org

Middle Grades Institute: June 26-June 30, 2023

For the past three decades, the Middle Grades Institute has provided high-quality professional development to educators who work with young adolescents. This summer’s Institute focuses on equitable middle-grade education to address students’ diverse needs, interests and identities. Participants can commute to one of three locations: Castleton University, Saint Michael’s College, Northern Vermont University in Lyndon or fully online. You can enroll at the Middle Grades Institute for 40 hours of re-licensure credit ($1600) or for three graduate credits ($2000).
Contact: James Nagle at jnagle2@smcvct.edu

Vermont Youth Lobby is Looking for New Members

Vermont Youth Lobby is accepting new youth members in its work to affect significant change through responsible, informed, collective action and civil discourse. Rally for the Planet is an annual event to voice youth concerns and solutions for the health and future of the planet to the decision-makers in the Vermont Statehouse. Rally for the Planet will take place April 14, 2023, from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. on the Statehouse Lawn.
Contact: Miriam Serota-Winston at youthlobbyvt@gmail.com or (802) 324-4521

Weekly Field Memo - Volume 17, Issue 14