The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program provides students access to fresh fruits and vegetables, which help kids develop lifelong healthy eating habits while experiencing new flavors. Qualified elementary schools may apply to operate FFVP in the Colorado Nutrition Portal. The application window opens on Thursday, May 19, and applications are due by Thursday, June 30.

Elementary schools qualify based on the following criteria:

• Be an elementary school participating in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program
• Have at least 50% of their students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals based on the 2021-22 PK-12 free and reduced-price data available on the CDE Pupil Membership webpage.
• Operate FFVP for the entire school year

View the FFVP webpage for additional information.

The fall Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer collection closed on May 6. The fall collection captures student-level data from August 2022 through December 2022. The spring P-EBT collection opens Monday, May 9, and closes Friday, June 17. Information about the spring P-EBT collection will be provided in upcoming CDE Town Hall training sessions.

CDE Town Halls are held every Thursday at 9 a.m. Visit the Data Pipeline Town Hall webpage to access training links and view the upcoming agendas.

For questions, email [email protected].

If you need support for the fall collection, sign up for office hours.

Congratulations to the Colorado state finalists for the 2021-22 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching:

• Mathematics: Amanda Jaquette, Brown International Academy, Denver Public Schools
• Mathematics: Amanda Sutton, Lesher Middle School, Poudre School District
• Science: Allison LeWarne, Sunset Elementary School, Moffat County School District
• Science: Autumn Rivera, Glenwood Springs Middle School, Roaring Fork Schools

These teachers' applications will be reviewed by a national selection committee convened by the National Science Foundation. PAEMST awardees receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States, a $10,000 award from NSF, and an all-expenses-paid trip for an award ceremony and professional learning and networking opportunities in Washington, D.C.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the U.S. government for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science teachers. The Awards were established by Congress in 1983 and the President may recognize up to 108 exemplary teachers each year.

The free virtual symposium brings together campus safety professionals; including administrators, mental health staff, law enforcement, security, emergency management, prevention and advocacy specialists, Title IX Coordinators, facilities, and IT professionals. This symposium was initially designed for staff of Institutions of Higher Education, but faculty members from K-12 schools and districts will also benefit, as the topics are directly relevant to their work.

For more information, and to register, visit the 2022 Virtual IHE Summer Safety Symposium website.

All kindergarten through third-grade educators who teach reading and literacy skills in Colorado must complete their evidence-based reading training requirements by Monday, Aug. 1. Documentation that they complied with the K-3 evidence-based reading training requirements should be submitted by Monday, Aug. 15.

CDE offers a free self-guided training to all K-3 educators.

Learn about the requirements to complete this training and the completion options available for K-3 teachers on the teacher training webpage.

• District/BOCES PE teachers, special education directors, or teachers
• Colorado physical education and special education preparation programs
• CDE Physical Education and Special Education experts
• Community and educational advocates

The application for the 2023 Colorado Teacher of the Year is available. Each year, the Colorado Teacher of the Year Program honors an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled K-12 classroom teacher to represent the entire profession in the state. The selected teacher will also automatically become Colorado's nominee for the National Teacher of the Year competition.

Applications for this honor are due Wednesday, June 29.

Visit CDE's website for more information on the 2023 Colorado Teacher of the Year program, the application process, and to access the online application form.