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

Audience : Audience: Vermont Educators, Grades 3-5 Educators

Looking for great activities to send home this summer? Vermont Public's But Why Adventures! Northeast Nature series just launched What Is Cyanobacteria? with online activities for school or home. As the climate grows warmer, cyanobacteria are becoming more pervasive, frequently closing lakes and ponds to swimming. In Vermont, scientists are studying why these oxygen-producing bacteria can be toxic for humans and animals, and how their growth in our aquatic environments might change in the future. Host Jane Lindholm talks with limnologist Mindy Morales-Williams about why cyanobacteria is so important to life on earth and yet so problematic.

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

Audience : School Nutrition Professionals

A ServSafe class will take place at Brattleboro Union High School on Friday, June 20, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Classes are free and only open to those working in one of the federal Child Nutrition Programs in Vermont. The deadline to register is June 13, but there is a limited number of seats available and this form may close prior to that date. Additional classes will be offered throughout the summer, including during Summer Institute. Register Here

Contact : Conor Floyd at conor.floyd@vermont.gov

Audience : Vermont Educators Grades K-4, Art Teachers

In 2024, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announced a new Agriculture Kids Calendar opportunity for students in grades K-4 to create agriculture imagery about our state. Vermont school classes that entered had the chance to have their imagery included in the 2025 Agriculture Kids Calendar . The Agency is once again offering that opportunity during the 2025--2026 school year. An email to elementary school principals will be sent later this month with a copy of the entry form and rules for participation. We hope this will spark conversations in the classroom about the many types of agriculture here in Vermont. Entries are due on November 3, 2025.

Contact : Terry Smith at terry.smith@vermont.gov

Audience : General Public

The Vermont Department of Libraries announces the 2025 Vermont Youth Book Award titles, selected by 17,244 Vermont youth:

• The Red Clover Book Award, chosen by kindergarten to fourth-grade students, went to "Who's Afraid of the Light?" by Anna McGregor.
• The Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, selected by fourth to eighth graders, was awarded to "Lasagna Means I Love You," by Kate O'Shaughnessy.
• The Green Mountain Book Award, chosen by high school students, was given to "Where He Can't Find You," by Darcy Coates.

The Vermont Youth Book Awards promote literacy and foster a love of reading and critical thinking skills among Vermont's children and teens. Special thanks to the award committees, all who assist students in their reading and voting efforts, and most of all, Vermont youth, who are at the core of the awards!

Contact : Jonathan L. Clark at Jonathan.L.Clark@vermont.gov

Audience : Educators, Principals, Superintendents, Administrative Staff, Anyone Related to Educator Licensing

The AOE is excited to announce that educator licensing will transition to new software this summer. The Vermont Licensing System for Educators (VLSE) is anticipated to go live in July. This new software will be a major improvement to streamline the licensing process for Vermont educators, and is being developed by Level Data, which provides similar software for many other states.

The Agency of Education is testing and developing the new system in partnership with Level Data, and has identified various partners to begin testing in mid-May. Training materials and state manuals will be made available as we roll out the new software. We are aiming to provide training to stakeholders in July.

Superintendents and Human Resource Directors will start the hiring season by requesting temporary licenses through the current software, ALiS, but will begin using the new software in late July.

The last day of the ALiS system will be July 1; there will be approximately a two-week blackout period while we make the transition to the new software. The new system is currently planned to be online and available for users around July 15, once all data transfers are completed and verified.

We will be offering virtual training for the new system during the dates of July 21 to July 25. More specific details will be provided closer to July.

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

Audience : Currently Licensed Vermont Educators

The Agency of Education's Peer Review program needs licensed educators to serve as Panelists. Panelists receive $175.00 per interview. The work of a panelist involves evaluating a candidate's licensure portfolio (approximately 2-4 hours) and participating in additional follow up questions or reviews of evidence, as needed. There is no longer a car insurance requirement for this role! If you are interested, complete the online Small Scale Education Contract Survey FY26 by June 15. All endorsement areas are welcome to submit if interested.

Contact : Michelle Farrington at Michelle.Farrington@vermont.gov

Audience : Educators, School Leadership Teams, Administrators, Support Staff

The BEST Project's draft 2025-2026 Professional Development Calendar is now available. Save the dates for professional learning opportunities on topics related to social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health supports for students. August offerings include School Administrative Assistants: Building Bridges and Calming Conflict; Setting Up Your Classroom for Success Webinar; Crisis Prevention Institute training; and Utilizing De-escalation Strategies for Paraeducators and Behavior Interventionists Webinar.

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

Audience : School and District Facilities and Maintenance Staff

The AOE has developed several tools and resources to assist school districts in meeting certain legal requirements regarding school facilities, such as the requirements for all school districts to develop a Capital Improvement Plan (Act 72 of 2021) and for all public schools to develop an Operations and Maintenance Manual (Rule Series 100, District Quality Standards). These resources can be found in the School Facility Information section of the AOE Facilities and Construction webpage .

Contact : Bob Donohue at bob.donohue@vermont.gov

Audience : SD/SU Central Offices, Administrators, Special Education Directors

IDEA B and IDEA 619 grant applications are now open. Applicants will need to login to their Grant Management System account to apply. These applications are due June 30.

Contact: Cassie Santo at cassie.santo@vermont.gov

Audience : Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, Instructional Coaches, and Educators

The Agency of Education has released K-12 health education grade-span proficiency-based learning hierarchies ( K-2 , 3-5 , 6-8 , and 9-12 ) to support implementation of the recently adopted National Health Education Standards . These hierarchies serve as a foundation for the implementation of the standards adopted by the Vermont State Board of Education, Local Comprehensive Assessment Systems, flexible pathways, and personalized learning plans.

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

Audience : Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, Instructional Coaches, and Educators

The Agency of Education has released three grade-span proficiency-based learning hierarchies ( K-2 , 3-5 , and 6-8 ) to support implementation of the recently adopted National Physical Education Standards . These hierarchies serve as a foundation for the implementation of the standards adopted by the Vermont State Board of Education, Local Comprehensive Assessment Systems, flexible pathways, and personalized learning plans. The 9-12 Physical Education Proficiency-Based Learning Hierarchy was previously released.

Contact : Ian Burfoot-Rochford at ian.burfoot-rochford@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 : Current and Prospective School BTA Team Members

Please note: office hours will temporarily pause on June 26 for the summer and will resume again in late August.

School Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) team office hours are available on Tuesdays from 12 to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m. for questions and guidance from the statewide BTA consultant team about BTA policies and procedures, process tools, best practices, readiness activities to prepare a BTA team, and more. Current and prospective school BTA team members are encouraged to attend. The theme for the first two weeks of June is the model Policy and Procedures documents, followed by the Best Practices Guide through month-end. Please use this BTA Team Consultation Office Hours Meeting Link to join.

Contact : Michele Hartje at michele.hartje@vermont.gov

Audience : Principals, Facilities Managers and School Nurses

Creating a healthy school environment includes maintaining good indoor air quality and reducing exposure to toxic substances. The Health Department has created an Indoor Air Quality in Schools webpage and a Cleaning Safely in Schools webpage to provide information and resources to make schools a cleaner, safer and healthier place for everyone.

Additionally, in response to requests from school nurses, there is also a new fact sheet called Breathe Easy, Choose Fragrance Free . Fragrances in cleaning products, personal care products and essential oils can trigger asthma and cause other health impacts. This fact sheet shares input from VT school nurses and offers simple steps to improve indoor air quality in schools.

Contact : Michelle Thompson (VDH) at Envision@vermont.gov