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Weekly Field Memo - Volume 17, Issue 1

January 4, 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. 

Indicator 13: Focused Open Office Hours

Audience: Superintendents, Special Ed Administrators
Indicator 13: Focused Open Office Hours is an opportunity for members of the field to attend a group session for questions and answers about Post-Secondary Transition Plans (Indicator 13), including support from John Spinney and Kat Pfannenstiel. This event will be held on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, from 9-10 a.m. Please join us by using this Microsoft Teams link, or by calling (802) 828-7667, Phone Conference ID: 795 419 259#.
Contact: Tristan McNamara at AOE.SpecialEdMonitoringGroup@vermont.gov

What if Wednesday, Volume 1, 2023

Audience: Superintendents, Principals and School Safety Stakeholders
The Vermont School Safety Center is pleased to announce the What if Wednesday, Volume 1, 2023 school safety training initiative. The “What if Wednesday” training program is designed to be shared with all school safety stakeholders and should be used to stimulate a conversation about school emergency preparedness.
Contact: Robert L. Evans at revans@margolishealy.com or (802) 839-0448

Benchmark Assessment Grant Application

Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, Instructional Coaches
The application for the ARP ESSER Benchmark Assessment Grant for Vermont LEAs is available in the Grant Management System. Applications are due on Jan. 17, 2023. Additional information about the grant can be found online on the grant document webpage. A FAQ document is also available online. Completion of the SY22-23 Universal Screener, Interim or Benchmark Census is a requirement. The purpose of this survey is to gather information on the type(s) of assessments SU/SDs are using in English Language Arts, mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov

Vermont Public: Reading Resource Highlight

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Public continue our partnership to meet the educational, social and emotional needs of Vermont students. Preschool teachers, check out the Reading League’s Reading Buddies, which can be accessed anytime and anywhere. Dusty loves to talk but learning to read is a new skill. With the help of his friends, he discovers that it can be so much fun! Along the way, the friends practice letters, sounds and reading words; improvise stories; practice social skills and so much more. Visit the Vermont Public Kids and Education page to find more recommendations for high-quality media and resource collections.
Contacts: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov or Heather Duhamel at hduhamel@vermontpbs.org

Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Prevention Online Help Request

Audience: Superintendents, Headmasters, Principals, Families
The Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Prevention Help Request Form should be used to help direct your request to the appropriate staff member at the AOE to provide an efficient response. As is our protocol, your request for help will be logged, the appropriate superintendent, headmaster or school administrator will be contacted to inform them of this request for help, and someone from the AOE will follow up with you if needed. Note: If you call and leave a voice message with the AOE you will be asked to share the information in the form before someone can help you, so we recommended using the form as your initial communication to the AOE.
Contact: Tracy Watterson at tracy.watterson@vermont.gov

STEAM Challenge Grant Opportunity

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Curriculum Directors, CTE Administrators, Educators, School Librarians, SU/SD Afterschool Program Directors/Staff
The AOE is offering a competitive grant to support programs providing students with a holistic STEAM experience. This short-duration, competitive grant opportunity will make awards of no more than $25,000. The intent of the grant is to promote rigorous, relevant and authentic STEAM learning experiences that encourage students to apply STEAM concepts to real-world situations. Vermont public secondary schools, including career technical education centers, are invited to organize interdisciplinary student teams to address a problem within the state. A team must utilize a STEAM approach to come up with a solution and apply the knowledge and practices of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Grant applications are due Jan. 20, 2023.
Contact: Lisa Bresler at lisa.bresler@vermont.gov

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. Positions are: Education Programs Coordinator I - Science Specialist - Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.govAssessment & Accountability Director - Contact: Amanda Gorham at amanda.gorham@vermont.govAOE Grants Manager - Contact: Cassandra Ryan at cassandra.ryan@vermont.gov, Education Quality Assurance Coordinator - Josh Souliere at josh.souliere@vermont.govEducation Data Analyst II - Contact: David Kelley at david.kelley@vermont.gov, Education Programs Coordinator I - Math Specialist - Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov, Education Assistant Division Director - Student Pathways - Contact: Jess DeCarolis at jess.decarolis@vermont.gov and Assessment Coordinator for Special Populations - Contact: Chris Case at chris.case@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.

Transformative Language Learning in the German Classroom

Klett World Languages (KWL) provides the highest quality language materials in German. KWL creates content that helps students build authentic communicative competence and become global citizens. All materials are authentic, accessible and user-friendly. Materials follow a communicative approach with project based learning that is student centered and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages aligned. We highly recommend our series such as Portfolio Deutsch NEU and Klasse!. For a free demo/sample of any of our materials, please reach out to or schedule a meeting with our Northeast Program Consultant, Kristi O’Connor.
Contact: Kristi O’Connor at koconnor@klettwl.com or (708) 689-0409, ext. 116

Best Practices in Secondary Math Teaching: Introduction to Essential Math for College and Careers

Save the date for the week-long, in-person workshop, Introduction to Essential Math for College and Careers (EMC2), from July 31 to August 4, 2023, at Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) in Winooski. Topics will include using formative assessment effectively, crafting instructional strategies to engage students fully, sharing ideas for building a rich learning environment and utilizing performance-based assessment throughout the course. Attendees will earn thirty professional learning hours for the week. Visit the VSAC EMC2 webpage for more information.
Contact: Anita Long at long@vsac.org

Innovating School Transportation Webinar

Register for the Innovating School Transportation webinar on Jan. 23, 2023, from 3-4:30 p.m. to learn about opportunities to innovate school transportation systems to improve equity, student health and environmental impact. The webinar will share opportunities for increasing equity through coordination with transit providers to add public transit options for students and staff. It will also discuss options for electrifying school bus fleets, including Vermont examples, and information about grant programs and assistance. Hosted by: Energy Action Network, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Vermont Energy Education Program, Vermont Clean Cities Coalition and Vermont Agency of Transportation.
Contact: Cara Robechek at crobechek@eanvt.org

Ned Kirsch Innovative Leadership Award

In honor/memory of former Franklin West Supervisory Union Superintendent Ned Kirsch's extraordinary innovative leadership in Vermont, Champlain Valley Educator Development Center annually awards a Vermont leader who exemplifies the qualities that were part of Ned’s aspirational and forward-looking leadership with a plaque, a check and press release. Review the award information and nomination form and nominate a Vermont innovator who deserves this special recognition.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org

Earn a Teaching License/Additional Endorsement and Master's Degree in One Year

Saint Michael’s College is offering a competitively priced Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program that provides both one and two-year options. The MAT offers initial licensure tracks in art, elementary, middle, secondary and special education with the option of pursuing additional endorsements. For licensed teachers, the MAT offers additional endorsements in special education and English language learners. Join us for an information session, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, from 4-5 p.m. For more information, please see the Saint Michael’s College website.
Contact: Claudine Bedell at cbedell@smcvt.edu or (802) 654-2741

Supporting Diverse Learners: A New Webinar Series with Dr. Melissa Farrall

Join nationally recognized assessment expert, Dr. Melissa Farrall, for a series of workshops developed especially for general and special educators in Vermont districts. Learn practical strategies for building thriving and effective multi-tiered systems of support and gain the background knowledge you need to prepare for education changes related to Act 173. Develop your capacity to assess student strengths and weaknesses, determine interventions, understand how to link assessment data to instruction and boost the effectiveness of collaborating teams. The “Why Some Students Have Difficulty Learning” series begins Jan. 31, 2023, and will run from 4–5:30 p.m.
Contact: Julia Caminiti at news@sterncenter.org

Holocaust Education Week: Jan. 23-27, 2023

The Vermont Agency of Education is collaborating with Vermont Holocaust Memorial, Echoes and Reflections and other Holocaust education organizations to bring teachers in grades 7-12 a menu of themed lesson plans and presentations to share the fundamental history and lessons of the Holocaust with their students. Registration is required for a choice of ten webinar presentations given by Holocaust survivors, their children, grandchildren and others. Lesson plan links and registration for speakers can be accessed on the Vermont Holocaust Memorial webpage.
Contact: Debora Steinerman at info@holocaustmemorial-vt.org

All Learners Network Math Professional Development: Main Lesson Workshop K-6

Main Lesson Workshop K-6, is a six-hour workshop offered in person at the All Learners Network Learning Center in Burlington on Jan. 21, 2023 from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Main Lesson is the component of the balanced math block where all students access grade-level content by working on rich tasks. Teachers consider why tasks may exclude students and how to take action to increase access. Participants will engage as learners and they will learn about the characteristics of rich tasks. Participants will also learn about the nuanced planning process that happens before, during and after the conclusion of the lesson.
Contact: TJ Jemison at communicationsdirector@alllearnersnetwork.com


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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 Ted Fisher at ted.fisher@vermont.gov.