Weekly Field Memo

May 10, 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.

Restorative Practices for Substance Use Policy Workshop

Audience: Any school-based professional working on school-based substance use policies
Essex CHIPS (Community Health Initiatives & Programs for Students), with support from the AOE nicotine and substance use prevention grant, will be hosting a virtual workshop on restorative practices approaches specifically as they pertain to substance use policy and practices in schools on May 25, 2023, from 9-10:30 a.m. The workshop will be presented by Dan Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Chariho Youth Task Force and a substance use prevention and mental health promotion coalition in southern Rhode Island. Please reach out to Beth Keister at beth.keister@vermont.gov for the Zoom link.
Contact: Beth Keister at beth.keister@vermont.gov

May Issue of Literary Learning: Vermont’s Newsletter for English Language Arts Educators

Audience: English Teachers, Literacy Coaches
The May issue of the bi-monthly newsletter, Literary Learning, is now available. This issue contains articles about evidence-based instructional practices presented by Dr. Sharon Walpole, the Early Learning Networked Improvement Community for Literacy and the Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Public Ambassadors project as well as resources educators can access to support this work. Also included is information about new professional learning opportunities. Be sure to subscribe to the Agency’s ELA listserv in order to stay informed about ELA and literacy in Vermont.
Contact: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov

Family Engagement Networking Series

Audience: Family Engagement Personnel, Administrators      
Please join the Agency of Education for the Family Engagement Networking Series. The next Family Engagement Networking Session is May 18, 2023, from 1-2 p.m., will focus on Family Engagement Through Summer Programming. Jamie Curley, AOE Child Nutrition Coordinator, and Johannes Haensch, AOE Expanded Learning Opportunities Program Manager, will share resources and an overview of Summer Food Service Program and after-school summer learning. These are virtual sessions for family engagement colleagues to connect and discuss problems of practice regarding family engagement.        
Contact: Nancy Hellen at nancy.hellen@vermont.gov    

School Nurse Day is May 10

Audience: All
This Wednesday, May 10, 2023, is National School Nurse Day! School Nurses lead the way to support health and ensure that students are healthy, safe and ready to learn. Celebrate School Nurses on May 10.
Contact: Kaitlyn Kodzis at kaitlyn.kodzis@vermont.gov

Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators – Teacher Representative Seat

Audience: Vermont Educators
The Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators (VSBPE) has an open seat for a currently practicing teacher representative. The VSBPE is a 13-member, teacher-majority, policy-making board appointed by the Governor. The Board’s purpose is to oversee the training, licensing and professional standards of teachers and administrators. Its overarching goal is the promotion of educator quality. Board members receive an honorarium for their service and mileage reimbursement for any in-person meetings. Remote meetings are held monthly.
Contact: Josh Souliere at josh.souliere@vermont.gov

Stronger Connections Grants Due May 12

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Grants Coordinators
The Stronger Connections grant applications are due on May 12, 2023. Please see the Stronger Connections webpage for the question-and-answer results, scoring rubric and other helpful information. Contact Beth Keister at beth.keister@vermont.gov with any questions and contact the GMS Help Desk at aoe.gmshelp@vermont.gov with any GMS issues.
Contact: Beth Keister at beth.keister@vermont.gov

Vermont Public: STEAM and Summer of Possibilities

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
Join the Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Public for some STEAM inspiration as we celebrate the summer of possibilities with PBS Kids! Follow the sound waves with Ready Jet Go! Visit PBS Kids Science games for free and safe everyday apps. Also, watch and use resources in PBSLM for A Gardener’s Poem. 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 Position

Audience: All
The Vermont Agency of Education has an open position that is available to both state employees and external applicants. The open position is: Director of Data Management & Analysis - 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.

Special Education: Preventing School Shootings Course

Taught by Dr. Justin Garwood, this online course will explore a variety of issues including historical perspectives on school safety, theories of sources of violence in schools and their merit, relationship building as an antecedent intervention, the intersection of social justice and the second amendment and action steps to be taken to help prevent further school tragedies. Find course details and registration information for Special Education: Preventing School Shootings, EDSP 218 OL1 (CRN: 61516) on the University of Vermont College of Education and Social Services Courses webpage.
Contact: Doug Gilman at douglas.gilman@uvm.edu

Registration Is Open: Castleton University Center for Schools Summer Learning Opportunities

The Castleton University Center for Schools has summer courses starting mid-May through mid-August. The growing list of offerings and course descriptions can be seen on Castleton's Continuing Education and Graduate Courses webpage. Learn online, in-person or outdoors.
Contact: Tara Lidstone at cfs@castleton.edu or (802) 345-0092

Change the Story: Becoming an Effective Math Leader Virtual Event

All Learners Network (ALN) is hosting a free math leadership event designed for school and district administrators on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, from 2-3 p.m. Few schools are successful with math. In most cases, only half the children learning math become proficient with it. The children who are proficient are overwhelmingly from white and middle-class social groups. We want to help administrators to be the leaders who change that situation. Learn more and register on the course webpage.
Contact: Christa Hagan-Howe at christahagan-howe@alllearnersnetwork.com

Vermont Family Network Free Workshop: Building and Empowering Ourselves Through the Youth Advocacy Council

Come join the Vermont Family Network on May 25, 2023, from 1-2 p.m. for Vermont Family Network “Building and Empowering Ourselves Through the Youth Advocacy Council”. Learn about the Youth Advocacy Council and the leadership and advocacy opportunities it helps create for youth and young adults with disabilities in Vermont. This webinar will cover the history of the council since it was formed in 2018, membership opportunities for youth and young adults ages 15-25 and an overview of the work the council does each year.
Contact: Sienna Tuinei at sienna.tuinei@vtfn.org

Trauma-Informed Social Learning Course

Registration is open for the Trauma-Informed Social Learning Course, which begins June 26, 2023. This course focuses on defining, identifying and understanding children’s developmental experiences—such as early adversity or autism—that negatively impact typical social development. Our goal is to help teachers and programs protect vulnerable learners and provide the knowledge and support needed for robust instruction in social-emotional learning. Visit the course page for more info.
Contact: Julia Caminiti at news@sterncenter.org

Vermont Higher Education Collaborative Summer Catalog: Registration Now Open

The Vermont Higher Education Collaborative (VT-HEC) summer semester is open for registration, with a full lineup of graduate courses to gain endorsements in many areas. VT-HEC is also now approved to recommend candidates for initial licensure as a special educator, an early childhood educator or an early childhood special educator, with new cohorts beginning this summer. Continuing education courses and workshops are scheduled on topics including Trauma Transformation (with Dave Melnick), Neurodiversity and Inclusion, Technology Integration and Literacy with Young Learners. See the entire list of offerings on the workshops and courses webpage.
Contact: Julie Medose at info@vthec.org or (802) 498-3350

Summer Learning Course: The Resilient Adolescent Reader

By the time students reach middle or high school, many students who need literacy support may appear unmotivated. However, in reality, they crave and deserve success in reading. In this course with Partnerships for Literacy and Learning (PLL), you will learn how to strengthen the resiliency of struggling readers by revising, adjusting, and growing your approach to help all learners. This asynchronous course will run from July 5 – Aug. 19, 2023. Find details on The Resilient Adolescent Reader webpage.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521

Professional Learning: Co-Planning for Multilingual Learners K-12

The two-day workshop, Classroom Design Supporting Students' Cultural Backgrounds: Co-Planning for K-12 Classrooms, will be held June 27-28, 2023, at the Hampton Conference Center, Colchester. The focus is on co-planning instruction while accommodating the needs of multilingual students, considering their cultural backgrounds and other important factors for creating culturally-sensitive classroom environments. Facilitated by Kayla Johnson, Marina Brzostoski and Christine Sealey, ELL trainers.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642

Summer of Science, Natural Resources Management Academy, Teen Leader Opportunities and More

University of Vermont Extension has a lot of free programs available to youth this summer. Check out our offerings at the 4-H Announcements page. Youth can explore different science pathways as part of our Summer of Science, learn about environmental issues at the Natural Resources Management Academy and become a teen leader for the Youth Environmental Summit or a science ambassador for the VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Cafes. Learn about all of these amazing opportunities and register today.
Contact: Lauren Traister at lauren.traister@uvm.edu or (802) 888-4972 ext. 402

Registration Open: Place-Based Science for Educators

There are a few spots remaining in the Place-based Science for Educators professional development course this summer. This three-credit online graduate class is offered through Teach Local and Castleton University and is designed for teachers who are passionate about getting their students outside to learn science. Participants will study their local ecosystems, practice activities they can use with students and build a place-based mini-unit. The class will be July 10-21, 2023, part-time and mostly asynchronous. Learn more and register on the Teach Local website.
Contact: Mike Blouin at mike@teachlocal.org

Weekly Field Memo - Volume 17, Issue 19