VPALeads 404 - Monday,
March 24th, 2025

Principal of the Year 2025 Winners

The Executive Council of the Vermont Principals' Association is proud to announce the 2025 Principal of the Year award winners. These outstanding school leaders will be honored at our Annual Leadership Academy on the evening of August 5, 2025 at the Killington Grand Hotel. Reminder that last year, Scott Blood, principal of Blue Mountain Elementary School, was selected as the National Association of Elementary School Principals winner of the year and will represent Vermont in Washington D.C. This year's winners are:

• Jason Di Guilo who has been selected as the National Association of Secondary Schools Principal of the Year. Jason is the principal of Hazen Union High School in Hardwick, VT.
• Bobby Riley has been selected as the Vermont High School Robert F. Pierce  principal of the year. Bobby is principal of the Eagle Bay Academy in Burlington, VT.
• Sarah Welch has been selected the Henry Giaguque Vermont Elementary Principal of the Year. Sarah is the principal at Danville Elementary School.
• Erik Remmers has been selected the Vermont Career Center Director of the year. Erik is the CTE Director at Green Mountain Technology & Career Center in Hyde Park, Vermont. 
• John Craig has been selected at the National Association of Secondary Schools Assistant Principal of the Year. John is the Assistant Principal at South Burlington High School. 

(Press Release)

Measles Information

Please see the below information issued by the Vermont Department of Health regarding current measles outbreaks throughout the United States. The Vermont Department of Health has shared this information to their network of school health contacts. Please pass this information on to relevant school leadership:

The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) has confirmed a case of measles in the state. The Department has developed a Measles Messaging Toolkit to support schools in understanding and responding to potential cases. The Measles Messaging Toolkit provides sample communication resources that can be shared with parents, caregivers, and staff. These materials include key information on measles, the importance of vaccination especially before traveling outside of the U.S., and guidance on what to do in case of exposure or if symptoms of measles occur.
Please use and customize these resources as needed for newsletters, email lists, mailings, and other communication channels to help keep your school community informed and protected. For more information, please visit the Vermont Department of Health website.

Join Colleagues for Learning & Laughter

April 17, 8:30 to 3:30

Berlin, VT

Main Idea Book: All Clear

All Clear: Lessons from a Decade Managing School Crises gets to the heart of how things really go “on the ground” for real people experiencing real emergencies. Author and school safety consultant, Chris Joffe, describes the book as a manual for preventing, enduring, and lessening the impact of crises, based on the experiences of real school leaders.

Not the usual type of book I summarize for you, right?

But Chris says that what lies at the heart of an effective response is LEADERSHIP and COMMUNICATION. So, given the full range of school crises (and he counts late lunches and fights as well as tornadoes and shootings as crises), I thought this book could be truly useful.

Also, Chris has offered to do a free workshop on April 7 at 4pm ET just for The Main Idea subscribers. And you can invite one guest. What an added perk! Sign up here.

It might be the last thing you want to think about, but I hope you'll take some time to look at the resources below and learn from others' experiences in some of the toughest situations.

Here are my resources for you this month:

• My full summary of All Clear: Lessons from a Decade Managing School Crises with my PD ideas and HANDOUT for your leadership team to prepare for a crisis
• My 1-pager with 4 strategies Chris Joffe says you need to memorize for any crisis
• SPECIAL for The Main Idea subscribers only: Join me and Chris Joffe for a free 1-hour workshop on April 7 from 4-5pm ET.
• My podcast with Chris Joffe about his book and what you need to do to prepare for emergencies
• March can be a tough month as we emerge from the darkness, but hang in there as the light re-emerges. Take care and I'll be back in your inbox on April 15.

Marshall Memo 1079

This week's quotes and articles come from The Learning Professional, Edutopia, American Educator, Harvard Business Review, School Library Journal (more next week), and The New York Times. Here are the headlines:

-Different feedback strategies to meet individual teachers' needs

- Thomas Guskey on planning professional development with the end in mind

- Audience-driven, in-class writing in high-school social studies

- Getting a handle on aggressive behavior among students

- Can we win the battle with distraction and interruption?

- Notable poetry books

- Graphics on Covid-19

If you want an HTML version of this week's Memo, please click here.

To listen to a podcast of last week's issue, click here.

For a podcast of this week's Memo, just log in at www.marshallmemo.com later this week and click Podcasts.

Reminders

New Leaders List 2025-26

Here is the NEW LEADERS LIST. We rely on members to help update the changes in school leadership roles around the state for the coming school year. Thank you for any help you can provide. Add an Update Here 

Preparing for Summer Retreats & In-Service Days?

This is a friendly reminder that the VPA can help facilitate for staff and leadership team meetings throughout the year, including during the summer months. A few of the key content options to consider include but are not limited to:

• Leading People Through Change
• Direction, Alignment, Commitment
• Boundary Spanning

For School Leaders & Admin Assistants

VPA Offering: Utilizing a well-designed, highly functional, organizational system allows leaders to be present in the day, focus on leading, and engage in work that has the greatest impact on improving teaching, learning, and culture. 

Facilitated by: Sarah Pickering 

$300 total for 2 participants
May 7th, 2025, 9am to 3pm
VSBIT Training Room (Berlin, VT)

Learn More and Register

VPA Member Drop-Ins

Trouble with the links? Try cutting and pasting the full zoom link address from here.

• Mondays, 9am, High School Focused: Join Zoom Meeting 
• Tuesdays, 10am Assistant Principals Focused: Join Zoom Meeting
• Wednesdays, 10:30, Athletic Director Focused: Video Conference Link
• Fridays, 9am, Elementary School Focused: Join Zoom Meeting
• Fridays, 10am, Middle School Focused: Join Zoom Meeting

Courtesy & Sponsor Posts

Invitation to VSA & VPA members to attend VTCLA Spring Meetings