News

PBS is looking for science teachers to test out our invention lessons! PBS NewsHour Extra is the NewsHour’s teacher resource website for middle and high school students. We are looking for science teachers to test out the lessons with their students, provide feedback and take pictures to share over social media. You’ll receive a $50 Amazon gift card for your work! For more information, write Victoria at vpasquantonio@newshour.org.

Check out these student leadership opportunities from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation:

https://vast.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/CBF%20Student%20Leadership%20Flyer.pdf

https://vast.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/VA%202020%20SL%20Expeditions%20Flyer.pdf

VIRGINIA ENVIRONMENTAL ENDOWMENT

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

 Richmond, Virginia

The Virginia Environmental Endowment (VEE) was established in 1977 as an independent, non-profit grant-making organization dedicated to improving Virginia’s environment. VEE’s overarching strategic grant-making priorities are water quality improvement, Chesapeake Bay restoration, land conservation, environmental literacy and outreach, climate adaptation, and emerging issues. The Endowment’s grant-making has increased substantially over the past few years with the addition of new grant programs and funds. The VEE office is located in downtown Richmond, Virginia. More information is available at vee.org.

The Administrative Assistant is a key member of the 3-person VEE staff, charged with providing administrative and financial assistance to VEE’s operations as well as administrative support to the Executive Director and Senior Program Officer. The position must maintain strict confidentiality, work independently, and maintain the highest levels of professionalism. Responsibilities include inventorying, cataloguing, processing, and tracking monthly income and expenses, including grant funds and awards. The Administrative Assistant must be detail-oriented, a self-starter, and committed to VEE’s mission of working to improve Virginia’s environment through philanthropy.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

·         A high level of organizational skills and attention to detail with the ability to organize and maintain records, files, and databases while making recommendations for process and quality improvement

•          Able to work independently with minimal direction and to prioritize workload and schedule; this includes the ability to periodically work alone in the office
•          Effective written and verbal communication skills, including correspondence drafting
•          Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and other programs and databases, including Quicken Deluxe
•          Proficiency in basic bookkeeping and income and expense tracking including accurately creating and tracking budgets and financial records
•          Experience with, or ability to learn, grant database software (Gifts Online)
•          Ability to multi-task effectively with strong time management and sound problem-solving skills
•         Must be of high integrity and trust including the ability to maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information
•          Ability to work in a small office with a collaborative team culture
•          Effective at developing working relationships with staff and Board of Directors, grant applicants, vendors, and others
•          Commitment to environmental protection; a drive to fulfill the organization’s mission

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

•          Provide general office support to Executive Director and Senior Program Officer
•          Process grant applications, awards, and reports, including grant agreements, correspondence, report notification, check issuance, bill paying, etc.
•          Maintain all VEE files (administrative, grant, and financial)
•          Manage and maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records, prepare monthly account reconciliations, prepare periodic financial asset statements, prepare for annual audits/accounting reviews,
•          Prepare budgets and financial statements in cooperation with the Executive Director for presentation to the Board of Directors
•          Provide support for Board meetings, including preparing Board meeting materials, assisting the Executive Director with meeting scheduling, logistics and related items
•         Handle periodic updates of website content and materials including working with outside website contractor as needed

·         Assist with developing and distributing press releases and other items of general distribution including maintaining related email lists

·         Assist with development of the Annual Report

·         Inventorying and ordering office supplies and program materials

·         Maintain and update office procedures and manual

·         Answer office phone and greet office visitors

·         Other duties as assigned

DESIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience working in a professional office settingwith high levels of responsibility for office and financial management; prefer at least 5 years of prior experience

·   Bachelor’s degree or combination of education and experience sufficient to fulfill requirements of the position

·         Experience with grant making or grant management a plus

·         Strong organizational skills with a critical attention to detail

·         Desired personal traits include strong interpersonal skills, good sense of humor, results-oriented, persistent, hard-working, accountable, sound judgement, integrity, truthful, approachable, team-oriented, practical and creative

·         Motivated worker in a non-stressful work atmosphere

COMPENSATION

VEE offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include:

·         Reimbursement of eligible health/medical expenses, up to $10,300 per plan year

·         Monthly pension contributions equal to 12% of eligible employees’ salary

·         Group life, accidental death and disability insurance

·         3 weeks’ paid vacation per year, paid holidays and sick leave

·         Paid on-site employee parking; modern office building with cafeteria and coffee shop

To apply, submit resume to: dave@winterhr.com, attention Dave Winter

The Virginia Environmental Endowment is an Equal Opportunity Employer

How do you participate as a member in VAST?  Our members are involved in all science curricula at all levels, pre-K to college.  What is your area of expertise?  Do you have a successful activity, lab or lesson that you could share with others?  Have you planned or attended a professional development that you could write about?  How about a field trip suggestion or a community partnership?  Please consider sharing your ideas with VAST members by submitting to the VAST newsletter. 

The submission deadline for the next newsletter is March 1.  Please send your article(s) to the newsletter editor (newsletter@vast.org) by the deadline. Besides earning points for recertification, you will inspire “Excellence in Science Education” across the Commonwealth and demonstrate your professionalism.

Do you have lesson activity, research article, or solution to share? The  Journal of Virginia Science Education, VAST’s peer-reviewed journal, is seeking submissions for upcoming issues. Our next issue will be published July 1, 2020 and the theme is The Outdoor Science Classroom. Manuscripts that do not address this theme are also welcome. Submissions to be considered for this issue are due by March 1, 2020. Please see the website: https://vast.wildapricot.org/Journal for planning templates, submission guidelines, and review criteria. Contact Amanda Gonczi or Jennifer Maeng, co-editors, at journal@vast.org for questions. 

The Winter Edition of The Science Educator Now Available In this issue: Honorees recognized at the November PDI: VAST Recognition in Science Education awardees, Presidential state finalists, Sterling awardees, Virginia Outstanding Biology Teacher awardee. Ellen Peterson, the 2018 Sterling winner, shares her project to move her classes from "Textbook to 3D". Anne Peterson gives a Virginia Department of Education update. PDI presenters Suzie Gilley and Page Hutchinson describe how to create a field kit. "Donata the Dragonfly Explores the Dominion” highlights places to explore in winter. See images of the many attendees and activities at the PDI Roanoke. Click here to download the January Newsletter.

“Programs that Work”

The application deadline has been extended through February 1, 2020

STEM awards for exemplary projects and programs in K-16 STEM Education

The Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition (VMSC) invite you to nominate effective student and teacher education projects and programs for its annual “Programs That Work” Awards. The VMSC recognizes exemplary mathematics, science, integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs for which there is evidence of a positive impact on student or teacher learning.  Proposals will be evaluated on the extent that applicants are able to:

• Represent innovative, exemplary programs that have proven effective with all students or teachers
• Demonstrate the important mathematics, science, and STEM concepts, skills or processes students and teachers learned as a result of the programs
• Document impact on teaching and learning

Virginia’s public and private elementary and secondary schools, public school divisions, institutions of higher education, state agencies, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are invited to apply.

It is entirely appropriate to nominate your own project or program as long as the following criteria are met:

• ·         The project or program is a specific STEM project with goals and objectives

·       Science, mathematics concepts, technology, skills, and or processes are the main focal point of the project or program

• ·         The STEM project or program has a documented impact on STEM learning which has been documented with an assessment
• ·         The project or program has been implemented for a minimum of at least 2 years within the past 5 years

The application date has been extended through February 1, 2020. Applications will be evaluated on a competitive basis for programs that have been conducted within the past five years and have demonstrated positive results.  Awardees will be recognized at a conference and awards ceremony on February 18, at the Workforce Development and Conference Center, in Henrico, Virginia.  Through a generous grant from Dominion Energy, the VMSC will support the travel and lodging of award recipients.

Applications can be found at http://www.vamsc.org/index.php/application/

For additional information, contact the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition by e-mail at ptw@vamsc.org.

Teacher Appreciation Day and Open House

Saturday, January 25 • 9:30 am – noon

Teacher Appreciation Day is back at the Science Museum of Virginia! Teachers, bring your immediate family, show your school ID and receive FREE general Museum admission for both you and your family! Don’t miss a day of fun that includes our new touring exhibition, Giant Insects.

Make sure to RSVP on Facebook and you’ll get a reminder before the open house.

For more information, contact us at 804.864.1400 or info@smv.org.

SCIENCE MUSEUM OF VIRGINIA Teacher Appreciation Day and Open House

The 2019 winter issue of JVSE (member login required) includes four manuscripts each with a very different and unique focus- providing something of interest and value for all readers. As disparate as the articles may seem, they are all concerned with supporting student interest, success, and identity within science through innovative instruction.

The first article, “Do you see what I see? Plant and animals and habitats, oh my!” is a Lesson Activity to support elementary students’ understanding of observations and inferences in science. In the article, “Lights, camera, and a call to action: Women in media help promote science identity in female students” the authors Share a Solution to help teachers foster a science identity among their female students using video. The approach can be used with students of any age. The final articles are both Research Articles that involve high school students. These manuscripts address the oral argumentation abilities of students with disabilities and cross-disciplinary impacts of students’ math identity, respectively. Together, the articles comprising the winter 2019 issue of JVSE provide a variety of practical options that teachers and administrators can add to their toolboxes when designing and implementing science programs.

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Better Together: 

Connecting Educators with Engaging

Resources

and

Region 2- Virginia Association of Science Teachers Professional Development Day

When:Saturday, December 7, 2019

Time: 9am-12pm

Where:National Institute of Aerospace (NIA)

 100 Exploration Way

 Hampton, VA 23666

What will be offered:

• Training from National Geographic Society, Geo-Inquiry Process and Phase 1 Certification 

• Engineering Activities for Science Classrooms using NASA eClips™ Resources

• Minute-to-Win-It Science Edition 

• Lunch

Cost: $5 per attendee 

Click here to register.

Space is limited: Contact Becky Schnekser rebeccaschnekser@capehenry.org