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The Agency of Education created the weekly field memo to keep subscribers up-to-date with current education policy, state-wide education initiatives, and official messages from the AOE. The Weekly Field Memo contains education-related posts from the Agency of Education (AOE), other State of Vermont agencies, federal agencies or Vermont's congressional delegation.
Contents: May 3, 2024
- Vermont Agency of Education IDEA Part B Grant Application Public Comment (Revised Closing Date)
- Act 166 10th Year Celebration Continues
- Vermont Public: Civics Education Resources
- Family Engagement Networking Series
- Updated: VTmtss Team Technical Assistance Request Form
- TalkSpace Webinar: Combatting Stress and Burnout as an Educator
- Save the Date: BTA Workshop for Current BTA Teams
- Early Childhood Special Education and Early Intervention Quarterly Collaborative Meeting
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mental Health Well Being Web Page Updates
- Framework for Proficiency: Proficiency-Based Graduation Hierarchies
Vermont Agency of Education IDEA Part B Grant Application Public Comment (Revised Closing Date)
Audience: Education Administrators, School Board members, Educators and the General Public
The Vermont Agency of Education has developed a draft application packet for IDEA Part B funds and, by this notice, is making the application available for review and comment. The application packet, developed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs includes a summary of the assurances, certifications, and IDEA use of fund descriptions the state will use to implement Part B of IDEA. Upon the Office of Special Education Programs’ approval of Vermont's Part B application, the state will receive a federal grant award under Part B of the IDEA for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. Please provide public comment to AOE.SpecialEd@vermont.gov no later than Friday, May 10, 2024.
Contact: Heather Willis-Doxsee at heather.willis-doxsee@vermont.gov
Act 166 10th Year Celebration Continues
Audience: School Administrators, UPK Coordinators, Early Educators
The Agency of Education Early Education Team continues their celebration of 10 years of Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) education with the release of the UPK Coordinator Handbook, and the latest UPK Café: Special Series Issue 3 on Vermont Early Learning Standards.
Contact: Early Education Team at AOE.UPK@vermont.gov
Vermont Public: Civics Education Resources
Audience: Vermont Educators
Civics, voting and elections are an essential part of democracy, and this collection is designed to help involve students from PreK-Grade 12 in the political process. These resources encourage critical thinking and raise issues in media as students voice their perspective. Check out Arthur Takes A Stand (PreK-2), Election Central Collection (3-12), Civic Duties | Social Studies Shorts (3-12), and Election Basics | Crash Course (9-12). Find these and more on the Vermont Public Educators page and PBS LearningMedia.
Contacts: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov or Heather Duhamel at hduhamel@vermontpublic.org
Family Engagement Networking Series
Audience: Family Engagement Personnel, After-School Personnel, Administrators
Please join the Family Engagement Networking Series facilitated by the AOE Vermont Multi-tiered System of Supports (VTmtss) Team. The next Networking Session on May 8, 2024, 1-2 p.m. will explore Family Engagement Opportunities with After-School and the Summer Food Service Program. Joining the session will be Emanuel Betz, 21st Century Community Learning Centers State Coordinator along with school-based after-school coordinators, and Jamie Sutter and Sarah Bangs from the Child Nutrition Team. These are informal monthly virtual sessions for family engagement colleagues to connect and discuss problems of practice regarding family engagement. This is the last session for this school year.
Contact: Nancy Hellen at nancy.hellen@vermont.gov
Updated: VTmtss Team Technical Assistance Request Form
Audience: SU/SD and School Administrators
The VTmtss Team has updated the VTmtss Team Technical Assistance Request Form to offer a more comprehensive list of technical assistance opportunities the team can provide to the field. In sharing this updated form this spring we hope it will support SU/SD and school plans for summer and fall support.
Contact: Tracy Watterson at tracy.watterson@vermont.gov
TalkSpace Webinar: Combatting Stress and Burnout as an Educator
Audience: Vermont Educators
Please join the Vermont Agency of Education on May 8, 2024, from 3:15-4 p.m. for a live webinar with our host Laura Magnuson, MA, MS, LAMFT, VP of Clinical Engagement at TalkSpace. The agenda for this webinar will include the current state of mental wellness in education, understanding stress and burnout, techniques to lessen the load, resources, and time for your questions. You can join the May 8 webinar by using this Zoom meeting link.
Contact: Tracy Watterson at tracy.watterson@vermont.gov
Save the Date: BTA Workshop for Current BTA Teams
Audience: School Administrators, Current Behavior Threat Assessment Team Members
The AOE, in partnership with the Vermont School Safety Center, is pleased to announce a Behavioral Threat Assessment Team (BTAT) Workshop. This workshop is designed to support current BTA teams in building effective procedures under the new requirements of Act 29 of 2023. This will be a one-day, hybrid conference with opportunity to attend in person or remotely on May 21, 2024. The workshop is to be held in Stowe, VT. Additional details to be shared with registrants closer to the event date. Please register via the 2024 BTA Workshop Registration Form by May 13, 2024.
Contact: Taylor Goodwin at taylor.goodwin@vermont.gov
Early Childhood Special Education and Early Intervention Quarterly Collaborative Meeting
Audience: ECSE Coordinators Special Educators, ECSE Educators, Special Education Coordinators and Directors, Intervention Service Providers, Regional Part C Providers and Staff
Participants are invited to join this second-in-series virtual session on Friday, May 3, 2024, from 1-2 p.m. to address, discuss, and problem-solve ongoing topics within Part C to Part B transition. Leslie Davis, Part C Director, Katie McCarthy ECSE/Part B 619 State Programs Manager, and Amy Murphy, Early Education Inclusion Coordinator will moderate and facilitate. Participants should review the 2023 Early Childhood Transition Questions and Answers document. No previous sign up is required.
Contact: Katie McCarthy (Part B), katie.mccarthy@vermont.gov or Leslie Davis (Part C), leslie.davis@vermont.gov
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mental Health Well Being Web Page Updates
Audience: Vermont Educators, Families
We welcome you to explore new resources that have been added this quarter to the Agency’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mental Health Well Being web page. New resources have been added to the SEL and Health Standards, Data Collection and Reporting, Resources for Educators, Resources for Families and Caregivers, and Funding Opportunities, Grants, and Legislation topics. In addition, the New Guidelines and Highlights topic has been added and features the Boys and Girls Club of Brattleboro.
Contact: Tracy Watterson at tracy.watterson@vermont.gov
Framework for Proficiency: Proficiency-Based Graduation Hierarchies
Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, Educators
Join the Proficiency-Based Learning Team for a three-part webinar series on the Framework for Proficiency. Throughout this series, participants will gain insights into the revision of the Framework for Proficiency in its second iteration. Additionally, attendees will learn strategies for adopting or adapting the high school Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements to create equity and coherence across the state, utilizing the AOE’s model to refine what they already have in place. Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding and explore practical applications of proficiency-based learning. Sign up for sessions on May 7, May 16 and May 21, 2024, from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Contact: Lisa Bresler at lisa.bresler@vermont.gov