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Curriculum Grants of up to
$1,500 available to VRP Schools!
VRP members! Your site is entitled to apply for a mini grant for the current school year. Grants may be up to $1,500. All teachers who document and publish their project on VRP's web site will receive a personal check for $250 upon publication. We have $5,000 in stipends available. more
Our Curriculum Library contains teacher created examples from the classroom and community, along with many Vermont History units. more
Reflections contributed by VRP students, educators, and community members. more
VRP's Web site is made possible in large part through the generous support of the Bay and Paul Foundations.
VRP Resource Partner Rural School and Community Trust www.ruraltrust.edu
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VRP News and Events
Farm to Cafeteria Conference Join us August 2-5, 2012 in beautiful Burlington, Vermont, where we’ll be Digging In! to all things Farm to Cafeteria! Registration is now open. The Early Bird registration rate is $290.
Farm to Cafeteria is Digging In! Whether you are new to the movement or have years of wisdom to share, the 6th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference: Digging In! is a great opportunity to network, build skills and get energized! Registration information is here.
11th Annual Learning in Place VRP Conference, May 11th, 2012 Moving to Higher Ground—Don't Miss It! Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier
Don’t miss this year's celebration of innovative learning opportunities in our Vermont schools, including exemplary youth voice, place based learning and school-community partnerships efforts. Join Vermont Rural Partnership K-12 schools for an unforgettable day of renewal and hope, as we reclaim the promise of our schools and communities, with young people in the lead. Download Conference Flyer • Register Now! •
More Information: hnbeattie@gmail.com
VRP Grants for 2011-2012 Announced! We are pleased to announce that VRP's Governance Board approved the following grants to VRP member schools. Congratulations to the following school communtiies: PEACHAM, $2,000 for REVITALIZING THE SCHOOL NATURE TRAIL; MORETOWN, $2,000 for GEOCASHING PROJECT; SAMUEL MOREY, $2,000 for E -READING WITH ELDERS; WESTSHIRE, $2,000 for E-READING WITH ELDERS; RIVENDELL ACADEMY, $2,000 for SCHOOL GREENHOUSE; WASHINGTON VILLAGE, $2,000 for COMMUNITY HISTORY CELEBRATION; BARNET, $1,000 for JOBS IN OUR TOWN; LAKEVIEW, $2,000 for AMAZING BIRDS; EDEN, $2,000 for SCHOOL TALES ORAL HISTORIES; CABOT, $2,000 for COMMUNITY GARDEN; Additionally Isle La Motte is continuing their work with Joseph Kiefer to construct a community bread oven.
Vermont's Rural Trust Global Fellowship Teachers for 2011
Application information for 2012 Teacher fellowships is available at: http://www.ruraledu.org
Photo Left to Right: Dawn Elliott and Kathy Tobin from Eden School who travelled to Barcelona, Spain to participate in a Creativity Workshop; Chris Shaffer from North Country Union High School who travelled to Iceland to study geothermal capacities; Maureen Davis from Twinfield School who travelled to France to study technology and second language teaching; Lynn Talamini and Donna McSweeney from Cabot School who travelled to Italy to follow in the footsteps of Tomi Di Paulo, and learn Italian cooking; Kathleen Ellis from Thetford who travelled to Cambodia to study genocide; Amy Locarno from Wsahington Village School who travelled to Turkey to study its history and culture.
VRP School Updates
Be sure to check out the latest news updates from VRP schools.
Curriculum Grants Available to VRP Schools!
Vermont Rural Partnership school member your site is entitled to apply for a mini grant for the current school year.
Grants may be applied for up to $500 for a project involving one teacher and classroom, $800 for a project, including 2 or more teachers and multiple classes of students,$1,000 for projects involving teachers in 2 or more schools to collaborate and work together or $1,500 for a whole school project, which involves all teachers and students in the school. Additionally all teachers who document and publish their project on the VRP website will receive a personal check for $250 upon publication. We have $5,000 in stipends available.
APPROVED GRANTS: Eden, Peacham, Cabot, Doty, Rivendell, Barnet, Lakeview, Twinfield, Isle La Motte
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION DOCS: Grant RFP • Grant Review Checklist • VRP Rubric
VRP Featured in What Kids Can Do Article
PLAINFIELD, VT—On this crisp fall weekend, 165 youth and adults from high schools throughout Vermont pack a large, renovated barn on the campus of Goddard College. They have gathered to “Be the Buzz”: to speak up, dig deep, and work together for school transformation in their schools and across the state. For two days these budding education activists, young and old(er), move between large and small group discussions and activities, challenging assumptions and building trust. Their energy warms the November chill, and conversation and debate fill the barn to the rafters. “This is what real youth–adult partnership looks like,” one teacher remarks. A student adds, “And what school change sounds like.” more
Vermont School Leadership Project–NOW Accepting Applications
Effective public school leadership requires more than professional knowledge. It demands passion, the ability to articulate a vision and engage others in that vision, and the ability to facilitate organizational change. To strengthen these capabilities among Vermont educators, the Snelling Center developed the Vermont School Leadership Project (VSLP) in collaboration with prominent members of Vermont’s business and education communities. VSLP was launched in 1995 and has graduated eleven classes, creating a collegial leadership network of over 170 alumni. VSLP offers intensive professional development for administrators, as well as other education professionals who have proven leadership abilities and seriously aspire to leadership roles. For more information about the VSLP and an application, please visit http://www.snellingcenter.org/vslp/ or email: valg@gmavt.net • Tel: 802-859-3090 Application Deadline is March 17, 2011.
A Rainy Day Meeting with Sunny Results Today, Madison, Todd and Johan and I walked through the drizzle to the United Church of Christ for a meeting with people from all different schools in the area to talk about VRP, Vermont Rural Partnership. There were kids from Barnet, Cabot, Twinfield, Peacham, Rivendell, Doty Memorial, schools, and of course, us. We were the first ones there despite the fact we walked A WHOLE HUNDRED YARDS to get there, so we got to warm up with the first of the hot cocoa.... more
School Communities Learn Tools for Change at Be the Buzz! Conference The Youth and Adults Transforming Schools Together Be the Buzz! conference was a tremendous success, bringing together 160 students and adults from 18 schools in November. The purpose of the conference, held at Goddard College in Plainfield, was to give students and adults the tools they need to make changes in their schools. The focus was on “what is possible” in schools, not “what is wrong” with schools. read more
YATST Video Introduction (click to enlarge)
An Update From Isle La Motte
We will be taking a more in depth look at our VRP schools and their work as we feature regular articles and updates here in the coming months. Isle La Motte is our first school to be featured. The symbiotic relationship between a school and the local community and the greater links between the local community, the larger community and the world are at the root of the educational initiatives at Isle La Motte Elementary. read more
Fund For Teachers Application is now open www.fundforteachers.org This is a fabulous opportunity for all teachers to receive a $5,000 individual scholarship or a $10,000 team scholarship to follow your passion during the summer of 2011. If you have applied and not been funded then do consider reapplying and if you have never applied then consider giving it a try!
A number of Vermont teachers have had fabulous experiences through FFT over the last 3 years. This maybe the last year of the program in its current form so do not miss this opportunity. All applications are read blind and good applications rise to the top so do not worry if more than one teacher per school applies. In 2010 two Newark teachers went to Alaska, a North Country teacher went to Nova Scotia to build a guitar and a Barnett teacher went to Italy. Teachers have until January to complete the application. They should also feel free to use Margaret MacLean as a resource. Email her at: margaret.maclean@ruraledu.org
Foodworks Bread Oven Work at Newark and Walden Schools.
Many VRP schools continue to move towards school community food system education and use Quebec bread ovens as another vehicle for hands-on food based curriculum and local entrepreneurialism. [photo at right]more
Fund for Teachers Fellowships: A total of 5 VRP teachers applied for these grants. Nationally 35 applications came in and 11 teachers received funding. Three of the VRP group were awarded Fellowships. www.fundforteachers.org
Community Works Journal -online digital magazine
The newest edition of Community Works Journal is now on line, available to educators at no cost. As always you will find a wealth of ideas, information, and resources through the writing and reflections of our educator contributors. From Baltimore to Los Angeles, the ideals of service-learning, education for sustainability, and place based education resonate through the articles and essays. more
As you read these inspiring stories consider your own teaching and place. Think about submitting an article of your own. Feel free to contact us if you would like assistance in framing a reflective piece that showcases work in your community. Submission guidelines are available online
A PREMIER INTERNATIONAL EVENT Community Works Institute presents
CWI's Summer EAST and WEST Institutes on Service-Learning July 16-20, 2012 at Shelburne Farms, Vermont
July 30-August 3, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA
"Super! Incredibly useful to hear the ‘voice’ of others. Having this experience not only enriches myself and my practice, but will also enrich the practice of my coworkers as we share these ideas back home." Elliott Lax, Science Teacher
City High School, Tucson, Arizona
Join with colleagues from across North America and beyond,
working to enhance their teaching practice around service-learning, place based curriculum and sustainability. For well over a decade CWI's annual Summer Iinstitutes on Service-Learning have supported educators from around the globe in creating curriculum that empowers students, invigorates teachers, and connects schools to local communities in deeply meaningful ways. CWI's partner Shelburne Farms plays an important role in this process by providing support for sustainability education.
Call 909-480-3966, or email with questions. more information
Shelburne Farms Summer 2012
Professional Development Opportunities
Fabulous learning, training and networking opportunties for educators right in your own backyard. Events include place based, education for sustainability, food and nutrition related curriculum development seminars and institutes. more
MORE VRP NEWS
Trash on the Lawn Day
Thetford Academy and Harwood Union along with high schools around Vermont hold "Trash on the Lawn Days." For this event, sponsored by the Vermont Association of Recyclers, all the school's trash for one day is collected, spread out, and sorted for an "audit." VISTA workers work with students to organize this event. Students in Diane Ferriter's math classes analyzed data and graphed results. The next step involves composting food waste, in cooperation with the hot lunch program and the Academy's Agricultural Sciences program.
Vital Results Through Service-Learning:
Linking Students and Community in Vermont Schools This publication from Community Works Press includes work from Vermont Rural Partnership schools. Vital Results is a moving testament to the power and significance of service-learning. Included are firsthand stories, narratives, photographs and interviews with students, educators and community members who have been involved in service-learning at these schools. At a time when the need to develop civic and social responsibility in our youth has never been greater, Vital Results provides both strategies and evidence that students involved in service-learning can make a difference in their schools and their communities. NOTE: Special publication rates available to Vermont schools. More General information
Fund For Teachers Application is now open www.fundforteachers.org
Foodworks Bread Oven Work at Newark and Walden Schools.
CWI's Summer EAST and WEST Institutes on Service-Learning
Shelburne Farms Summer 2012 
This publication from Community Works Press includes work from Vermont Rural Partnership schools. Vital Results is a moving testament to the power and significance of service-learning. Included are firsthand stories, narratives, photographs and interviews with students, educators and community members who have been involved in service-learning at these schools. At a time when the need to develop civic and social responsibility in our youth has never been greater, Vital Results provides both strategies and evidence that students involved in service-learning can make a difference in their schools and their communities. NOTE: 