Weekly Field Memo: Recent News and Items of Interest From the Agency

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Educators, Afterschool Directors

In light of recent announcements from the U.S. Department of Education regarding Title funds, specifically Title IVB, the Agency of Education will be hosting additional weekly hours to support the field.

Office Hours in July:

July 16 from 11am-noon:
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 278 775 346 622 4
Passcode: 3AF2Qe6W

July 30 from 11am-noon:
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 278 562 991 826 9
Passcode: qj9Ju36H

Contact: Emanuel Betz at emanuel.betz@vermont.gov

Education Knowledge Week - Virtual Trainings, August 18-21

Audience: Superintendents, Special Education Directors, Principals, and Educators

The Agency of Education is hosting a Special Education Knowledge Week. The Knowledge Week will be hosted from August 18 to 21, with 54 sessions for educators to participate in. Sessions include a keynote with the State Director of Special Education, trainings from a wide range of subjects, and partnership with the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP), Developmental Disabilities Services Division, and Vermont Pathways to Partnerships!

Content Contact: Ana Russo at ana.russo@vermont.gov

Registration Contact: Sabine Perry at sabine.perry@vermont.gov

Audience: Administrative Assistants

School administrative assistants are likely the first people that students, staff, families/caregivers, and other community members see when entering the building. This workshop will provide an opportunity to enhance communication skills with the people they connect with all day, every day. Relationship-building, de-escalation, and conflict-resolution strategies will be explored and practiced, as well as collaborative problem-solving. The workshop will be held at Lake Morey Resort on August 12 from 9:00-3:00. Register by July 29.

Contact: Anne Dubie at anne.dubie@uvm.edu

Audience: Current and prospective school Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) team members

In anticipation of the Fall 2025 return to school, the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) will host a virtual event to highlight the Center's latest release, titled Aligning Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management with a Multi-tiered System of Support: Building a Continuum of Prevention and Intervention.

This free virtual event is appropriate for educators, school and district administrators, counselors, school psychologists, BTAM team members and coordinators, MTSS and PBIS leadership teams, state education agency personnel, law enforcement officers, and other school safety partners. Please visit the US Secret Service website to learn more and to register.

Contact: Taylor Goodwin at taylor.goodwin@vermont.gov

Audience: Vermont educators

We are excited to inform you of upcoming enhancements to the Pepper learning platform. We will be migrating all Vermont users and trainings to a new platform called Playbook. The user interface (UI) will be upgraded to incorporate new features and to align with industry standards related to accessibility and instructional design. However, course content and your record of completions will remain the same. Please keep your eye on your email for your login credentials on July 17.

Contact: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov

Audience: Curriculum Directors and Educators

The AOE, in support of implementation of the recently adopted 2024 SHAPE America National Physical Education standards, has contracted with SHAPE America to provide three regional trainings to Physical Education educators in Vermont. The three trainings will be full-day sessions (8:30-3:30) held on August 13 at Randolph Union High School, August 14 at Manchester Elementary Middle School, and August 15 at Missisquoi Valley Union Middle and High School. All participants must complete the registration form to attend. Each site has a maximum registration cap, so please sign up soon if interested.

Contact: Ian Burfoot-Rochford at ian.burfoot-rochford@vermont.gov

Audience: Superintendents, Business Managers, Data Managers

As you have staff changes over the summer and into the coming school year, please remember to update AOE on the main contacts and grades offered for your schools. This helps ensure the people working these roles are receiving the information they need from AOE. Use this form to see what we currently have on file and to submit changes.

Contact: AOE.SLDSSupportGroup@vermont.gov

New Licensing System Reminder

Audience: Teachers, Principals, Superintendents, Administrative Staff, Higher Education

The Vermont Agency of Education and Level Data will provide training on the new Educator Licensing System, VLSE, on July 15. These sessions will be held over Zoom. There are two training sessions available: one for district users at 1 p.m. and one for general users at 3 p.m. Links to attend these Zoom sessions are provided below.

These trainings will be recorded and posted for those who cannot attend the live sessions.

As previously announced, educator licensing is transitioning to new software this summer. The Vermont Licensing System for Educators (VLSE) will go live later this month.

More information about the rollout is available on the Vermont Agency of Education website.

Contact: Katie Gagliardo at katie.gagliardo@vermont.gov