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Weekly Field Memo - Volume 17, Issue 16

Weekly Field Memo
April 19, 2023

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.

Provisional License Reports

Audience: Superintendents and Designees
Please submit your Provisional License Reports to Ron Ryan at ronald.ryan@vermont.gov by Friday, May 19, 2023. More detailed directions on how to create and complete the report using the ALiS online licensing system are posted on our website. Creating the Provisional Licensing Report includes a link to our video tutorial which demonstrates how to complete the report using your online ALiS account.
Contact: Amy Scalabrini at amy.scalabrini@vermont.gov

Family Engagement Equity and Access Tool

Audience: Family Engagement Personnel, Administrators
The Family Engagement Equity and Access tool includes an assessment of current practices. This tool highlights strategies to support school systems, educators and family engagement personnel with differentiating services and supports based on the unique needs of each child and family. It compiles information from Core Principle 6, providing equity and access of the Vermont Family Engagement Toolkit and Self-Assessment. Equitable family engagement is centered on embracing the unique characteristics and strengths of all families and building partnerships with families. You can also find more information on the AOE Resource Center.
Contact: Nancy Hellen at nancy.hellen@vermont.gov       

Kindergarten to Age 8: Suspension and Expulsion Definitions, Data Collection and Reporting

Audience: Superintendents, Principals
The Agency of Education is providing the document, Kindergarten to Age 8: Suspension and Expulsion Definitions, Data Collection and Reporting, to assist in the application and reporting of suspension/expulsion of students in kindergarten up to age 8. This document includes policy background and some additional considerations related to the suspension or expulsion of students. There are also examples of some “non-disciplinary” practices that meet the definition of suspension.
Contact: Tom Faris at thomas.faris@vermont.gov

Essential Special Education Resources Document

Audience: Special Education Directors, Special Educators, SU/SD and School-based Administrators, MTSS Coordinators, Educational Support Teams, Assessment Coordinators, Parents/Guardians
The Agency of Education wants to announce this Essential Special Education Resources document that is designed to provide a basic suite of resources such as laws and processes in the form of webinars and documents in the Special Education Process.
Contact: Chris Kane at AOE.SpecialEd@vermont.gov

Federal Grant Funds for School Safety

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Safety Stakeholders
The Vermont School Safety Center would like to remind school districts of the federal grant funds available for school safety. This is an important initiative and we strongly encourage you to explore this funding opportunity. For more information please visit the School Violence Prevention Program webpage.
Contact: Robert L. Evans at revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448

Two Student Members Sought for State Board of Education

Audience: Vermont Secondary Students, Superintendents, Principals, CTE Directors, Guidance Counselors, Secondary Educators
The Governor’s Office is seeking student representatives for the State Board of Education. One appointment will be for a one-year term (voting student member); the second appointment will be for a two-year term (first-year non-voting, second-year voting). Candidates may apply using the Application for Gubernatorial Appointment. Application deadline is April 28, 2023. Questions about the State Board of Education may be directed to Maureen Gaidys (Maureen.Gaidys@vermont.gov) at the Agency of Education. Questions about the application or the nomination process itself can be emailed to EXE.Appointments@vermont.gov.
Contact: Maureen Gaidys at aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov

Stronger Connections Grant Application Due May 12

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Grants Managers
Vermont has received $4,833,025 under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections Grant Program. 95.5% of these funds will be awarded competitively to high-need SU/SDs to fund activities allowable under section 4108 – the Safe and Healthy Students section - of the Every Student Succeeds Act (see Title IV allowable uses). The Stronger Connections Grant is currently live on Grant Management System and is due May 12, 2023. Responses to the Q&A period will be published by April 14. Please see the AOE Title IV, Part A website for more information.
Contact: Beth Keister at beth.keister@vermont.gov

Vermont Public: Classical Is in the Community

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
Join James Stewart on April 28, 2023, at 2 p.m., at the Faith Methodist Church in South Burlington, VT, in collaboration with Essential Early Education. On May 2, 2023, visit St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Burlington between 12-7 p.m. to see highlights from MusicCOMP’s Student Showcases series live. Check out our local Timeline Podcast episode, Music is about Venue with connected WebQuest learning guide. 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: State Director of Special Education - Contact: Heather Bouchey at heather.bouchey@vermont.gov, Education Data Analyst II - Contact: David Kelley at david.kelley@vermont.gov and AOE Legal Services Specialist - Contact: Emily Simmons at emily.simmons@vermont.gov.
Contact: AOE Info at aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov

Youth Book Awards

Audience: All
Cheers and applause to all Vermont teachers who facilitate youth book award reading and voting in their classrooms. Last year, nearly 18,000 students read, discussed and cast votes for their favorite book of those nominated for these student-choice literary awards. Voting for all three, the Red Clover Book Award (K-4th grade), the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (grades 5-8) and the Green Mountain Book Award (grades 9-12) is now in full swing and closes on Sunday, May 7, 2023. Find the award pages with voting submission forms and more information on the Vermont Department of Libraries’ Youth Book Awards page.
Contact: Jonathan L Clark at Jonathan.L.Clark@vermont.gov

School Nurse Day is May 10

Audience: School Administrators
Wednesday, May 10, 2023, is National School Nurse Day! School nurses are often the first to identify and address student behavioral health concerns and serve as an early warning system for children and families in crisis. School nurses protect and promote student health, facilitate optimal development and help in advancing academic success. Celebrate School Nurses on May 10.
Contact: Kaitlyn Kodzis at kaitlyn.kodzis@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.

Three-Credit Graduate Course Focused on Standardized Assessment

Expand your knowledge of effective reading assessment and instruction this summer with a three-credit graduate course focused on standardized assessment. Learn how to use formal testing data to enhance instruction that uses structured literacy or an Orton-Gillingham Approach. Look beyond test scores to understand what different tests measure and why small differences in test design are important—all to make a stronger link between testing data and effective lesson planning. Instructors: Melissa Farrall, Ph.D., SAIF, and Peggy Price, M.Ed., Fellow/OGA. Learn more on the event webpage.
Contact: Kristen Lee at social@sterncenter.org

Join the Citizen Math Impact Study

Want to help your students see the value of math in their lives while supporting academic achievement? Teachers, join the Citizen Math Impact Study and receive free lessons and professional development to implement these powerful materials. Administrators, invite your staff to participate. The study, funded by the US Department of Education, starts summer 2023. Citizen Math lessons explore standards-based mathematics through real-world issues engaging students in critical thinking and collaboration. The lessons have a demonstrated record of improving student learning. For more information, or to sign up for a personalized info session, visit our website.
Contact: Maria Salciccioli at msalcic@wested.org

2023 Transition and Career Planning Conference

The 18th Annual Transition and Career Planning Conference is less than four weeks away. Join colleagues and fellow educators at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa on Friday, May 12, 2023. The theme, “Living and Learning in the 802: Vermont Opportunities and Pathways”, featuring Jess DeCarolis as the keynote speaker, centers around the belief that the future is a destination of value for learners. Registration closes on Friday, May 5, 2023, so reserve your spot today. Find all the details and the link to register on the conference event page.
Contact: Cathy Printon at printon@vsac.org

Computer Science Courses For Educators at the University of Vermont

The Departments of Education and Computer Science at the University of Vermont will offer two online computer science courses for educators that fulfill Vermont Agency of Education endorsement standards for Computer Science Licensure in Grades 7-12. The courses include EDCI 380 OL1 Interactive Web Design for Educators – 3 Credits - May 22-June 30, 2023, by Robert Erickson – robert.erickson@uvm.edu and EDCI 380 OL3 Python Programming for Educators – 3 Credits – June 20–June 30, 2023, by Jackie Horton – jackie.horton@uvm.edu. For more information about the CSE courses and registration requirements, please see our informational flyer, CSE Course Information, and register by May 5, 2023.
Contact: Regina Toolin at rtoolin@uvm.edu

Registrations Open: Vita-Learn Dynamic Landscapes Annual Conference

This year's annual conference is scheduled for May 18-19, 2023, and registrations are still open. The conference focus includes assistive technology and accessibility, esports and gaming, innovation and education and IT leadership and management. Please share this opportunity with your educators and edtech leaders, and especially with your special education teachers. Conference information including registration details are on the Vita-Learn website.
Contact: Jeff Mao at jeff@vita-learn.org

Spring Train the Trainer Events from Prevent Child Abuse Vermont

If you want to bring empirically-based, effective child sexual abuse prevention and sexting prevention to your school, check out these Virtual Train the Trainer opportunities. These programs fulfill the Act 1 child sexual abuse prevention education mandate, show which national health standards are addressed, and keep children safe. Visit the Trainings for Trainers webpage and you can register for the trainings on the registration webpage.
Contact: Marcie Hambrick at mhambrick@pcavt.org

Free Book: Teaching Math for All Learners

All Learners Network (ALN) has re-released, Teaching Math for All Learners: Teaching Educators to Use Effective Strategies to Help All Children Learn Math, complete with a new chapter centered on belonging. This book offers an approach to instruction for all students that is unique in three ways: the use of inquiry to guide instruction, a strong focus on continuous formative assessment to understand student thinking and to inform instructional decisions and the use of a Main Lesson/Math Menu approach to lessons to address the need for both inclusion and differentiation. The entire book can be downloaded from the website.
Contact: Christa Hagan-Howe at christahagan-howe@alllearnersnetwork.com

Professional Learning: Adolescent Literacy Interventionist Cohort

Dr. Sarah Lupo will bring Adolescent Literacy Support with Beyond Core Instruction focused on leadership and support teams and also a year-long interventionist cohort. There will be three in-person institute days as a stand-alone series or in combination with the cohort that has asynchronous modules, follow-up virtual sessions with Dr. Lupo that will include strategies for teaching Word Recognition with Morphology Instruction, Vocabulary Development, Progress Monitoring for Intervention and Fluency and Comprehension. First sessions at Delta in South Burlington on Sept. 28-29, 2023.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642

Partnerships for Literacy and Learning presents the 2023 Vermont Literacy Conference

Registration is now open for the Vermont Literacy Conference from July 31-Aug. 2, 2023. Enjoy renowned speakers Timothy Rasinski and Penny Kittle, an author talk with Jo Knowles, as well as seven strands and eight hot topics from which to choose. The theme Joy and Urgency: Addressing Equity while Inspiring Learners K-12 will be pertinent as we prepare for the 2023-2024 school year. Details on the Vermont Literacy Conference webpage.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521

Create Make Learn: Summer Institute In Southern Vermont

Registration is open for the 10th Annual Create Make Learn Summer Institute. By request, the institute will be held in Southern Vermont this year (July 10-14 in Bellows Falls). Hands-on sessions give educators the confidence they need to design instruction that integrates STEAM across the curriculum. Topics include circuits and code, integrating STEAM in literacy, create with cardboard, 3D printing, design thinking, project-based learning and more. Register on the event webpage.
Contact: Lucie deLaBruere at ldelabruere@gmail.com

Funded Clean Transportation Virtual Classroom Presentations

For Vermont high school STEM educators: Green Driving America’s The Clean Transportation Path project offers funded virtual guest-speaking presentations, given by trained college-level interns and endorsed by Drive Electric Vermont, to provide students, as new drivers, with the knowledge of clean transportation. “The Clean Transportation Path presentation given by Green Driving America gives students a nice overview of alternatives to driving gasoline-powered cars. The student presenter did a nice job and the organization is easy to work with.” - Lea Ann Smith, math teacher/STEM Academy Leader at Essex High School, Essex Junction, VT
Contact: Wayne Michaud at info@greendrivingamerica.org or (802) 267-4442

Subscribe Online

The field memo has time-sensitive and relevant information designed for students, teachers, and staff. The agency encourages principals, headmasters, and superintendents to share the memo with their education community. Additionally, individuals can subscribe or unsubscribe online.

Questions? Email aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov.