School Health Annual Reporting Window is Open

The Department is announcing that the School Health Annual Report is now available through the Reporting Calendar. The reporting window closes on July 31, 2019. This report contains both required reporting components for all schools, public, charter, and private, as well as an optional section. As a reminder, we will be collecting only one report for every school administrative unit. In the past, this report has been done by each school. The reporting link is available through the calendar; the superintendent will determine who will compile and submit the data from all schools within the SAU. The data does not need to be submitted by your health staff; it can be entered by whomever the Superintendent determines is appropriate.

You may preview and print the reporting tool in order to aid data collection among your schools. The following is a list of the data points that are being collected:

Number of students screened for distance acuity, near acuity, and hearing in the required grades and the number of students referred/number of students with completed referral (required reporting per Chapter 45)
Summary of epinephrine administration (required reporting per Chapter 40)
Staffing levels for health services (direct services, supplemental staff, special assignments, supervisory position provided by RN, LPN, and health aides)
Number of students with a diagnosis (from a health care provider) of asthma, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, seizure disorder, life threatening allergy
Health office visits & disposition (number of students seen face to face by RN, LPN, health aide and resulting disposition: return to class, sent home, or 911 call)

Collecting school health data informs local, state, and national student health policy and helps to promote best practices in school health services. Creating data driven polices to advocate for the needs of students, we can increase evidence-based school nursing practice and improve youth health outcomes.

The School Health Annual Report summary for 2017-18 is available if you are interested.

If you have questions about the School Health Annual Report please contact the School Nurse Consultant, Emily Poland at Emily.Poland@Maine.gov or 207-624-6688.

Department of Education Seeks Educators for Standards Revision Writing Teams

As a part of our regular review cycle schedule, The Department of Education is performing a review of the Maine Learning Results for English language arts, career and education development, and mathematics, and is looking for participants to serve as part of the writing teams for each content area. The purpose of each writing team is to revise the current standards based on guidance provided from a steering committee. For more information about the standards review process, check the new Maine DOE standards revision website.

The Department will be convening three writing teams, one for each content area under review. The writing teams will serve as a representative sample of Maine K-12 educators covering K-12 grade levels, geographic locations, and content area strengths. While specific dates are still to be determined, a majority of the work will take place in July and August, and will include at least one face to face meeting in Augusta.

All interested educators are encouraged to participate. To help ensure that the geographic diversity of our state is represented, those who teach in the following counties are strongly encouraged to apply: Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, or Washington.

Participants will receive contact hours for time worked, be reimbursed for travel costs, and be provided lunch at face to face meetings.

If you are interested in participating as a member of one of these writing teams, please complete the application associated with your desired content area by 4:00pm on Friday, May 24^th to be considered. We will reach out to interested participants with more information in the coming weeks.

Links to Writing Team Applications:

English Language Arts: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ELAwriting2019

Career and Education Development: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NG69J98

Mathematics: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MathWTApp

For further information, contact Beth Lambert at (207) 624-6642 or beth.lambert@maine.gov.

Windham Students Participate in Interdisciplinary Crime Scene Investigation Unit

(pictured: Windham High School math teacher, John Ziegler and alternative education teacher, Adrianne Shetenhelm)

Windham High School students had the unique opportunity of working with the Windham Police Department last week to investigate a mock crime scene as part of an interdisciplinary activity integrated into their regular classes. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors came out of their math, science, English, law, and journalism classes for a hands-on activity where they played either a police detective, forensic analyst, journalist, or lawyer to help solve the mystery in a mock hit and run crime scene that took place in two locations on the Windham Raymond School District campus.

Collaboratively planned by high school math teacher, John Ziegler, alternative education teacher, Adrianne Shetenhelm, and School Resource Officer Seth Fournier, the Crime Scene Investigation Unit is in its second year running and has more than doubled in student participation. The unit integrates multiple course topics into one real-life, hands-on activity that gives students an opportunity to try out potential career options, and gets them out of the classroom and working together.

Windham senior, Kendall Mesoin described the activity as fun and different. She loves the fact that the activity is hands-on and is not in the classroom. When asked what she is learning, she replied that she felt as though she was learning a lot about problem-solving with a team, and the importance of communicating about what you are seeing and doing in order to “put two and two together” to help solve the mystery.

The students took part in the Crime Scene Investigation Unit in class-sized groups for one hour at a time throughout the day while their teachers accompanied them. At each location students had the opportunity to learn from detectives about the various tasks, approaches to investigation including collecting evidence as a team. For example, students from Mr. Wirtz’s Chemistry class talked with Windham Detective Sergeant Andrews about the potential impact of cross contamination on a forensic investigation while they worked together to collect evidence from the scene.

The day was considered an enormous success by teachers and students alike. They continue to refine the unit and hope to expand the opportunity to students again next year.

Enter a *From the Windham Police Department, (L to R) Detective Gene Gallant, Sergeant Jason Burke, School Resource Officer Seth Founier.*

Great Salt Bay Community School Choir Honors Fellow Student with Album, “Sail On Silver Girl”

Submitted by Anne-Marie D’Amico, choir teacher at Great Salt Bay (GSB) Community School in AOS 93. The article was written as part of the Lincoln County Artsbeat of the Lincoln County News. Photo credit: Lincoln County News.

Great Salt Bay (GSB) Community School choir recently completed a project directed by teacher Anne-Marie D’Amico titled “Sail On Silver Girl,” and consists of a choral album and a documentary film about the project.

The project was named “Sail On Silver Girl” to honor the late Isabelle Manahan, D’Amico said. Manahan, who had been a member of GSB’s advanced chorus before going on to Lincoln Academy, passed away in June of last year at age 15.

“We named it after her passing to keep her memory alive,” said D’Amico. “It was another extension of our community reflection, especially because Izzy was so active in all the programs at GSB.”

The “Sail On Silver Girl” project, begun in September 2017, features “last year’s eighth graders and seventh graders and this year’s eighth graders” in the GSB advanced chorus, D’Amico said. Some of those involved are now freshmen at Lincoln Academy.

“We’ve never done anything like this before,” said D’Amico of the ambitious project that also features local musicians Sean Fleming on piano/keyboard, Dave Martin on guitar, John Cannon on bass, Michael Sevon on drums, and Curt Boot on trumpet. Cannon and Sevon both work at GSB.

John Morrison, of Auburn, was the project’s sound engineer and Jared Morneau, of Brunswick, was the video engineer.

Members of local community chorus Common Threads also took part in the project, D’Amico said.

GSB’s advanced chorus “got to do something professional,” D’Amico observed.

It was the first time that GSB choral students had been involved in a musical project of such magnitude and seriousness, from the very beginning of learning all the songs through to listening to raw recorded tracks and later to mixed tracks, which “made their faces light up,” D’Amico said.

For more information and to watch the video visit their website at sailonproject.wordpress.com.

School Safety and Security Bulletin: Children Healing After Crisis

Throughout the 2018- 2019 school year, the Maine Department of Education, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Department of Health and Human Services, Maine State Police, Maine Sheriffs Association, Maine Chiefs of Police Association, and the Maine Emergency Management Agency will provide tips and resource information to Maine schools to help provide some guidance for identifying signs and preventing school violence.

School Safety vol. 9 Children Healing after Crisis

Further questions and inquiries can be send to Pat Hinckley, Maine DOE Transportation and Facilities Administrator at 207-624-6886 or pat.hinckley@maine.gov.

Maine DOE Announces 4th Annual Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge

Summer vacation is a welcome break from the daily school routine for children and parents alike, but the summer months can be detrimental to students’ learning if young minds do not remain active. Summer learning loss is a well-documented phenomenon, particularly with respect to reading achievement. Students can lose up to three months of reading progress during the summer if they don’t keep reading. When combined across a child’s PK-8 school career, this can result in 1-2 years of lost reading progress.

Fortunately, the summer slide can be prevented or greatly reduced when students continue to read on a regular basis. By encouraging children to read for enjoyment from a variety of resources and to explore topics of interest, they continue to practice applying the skills they have learned, build their vocabulary, and widen their knowledge of the world. For students who are not yet reading independently, or just beginning to read, reading to and with parents is equally beneficial.

Once again this year, the Maine Department of Education is collaborating with the Freemasons of Maine to sponsor the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge for students in grades PK-8. The Maine Freemasons have generously donated 48 bikes with helmets as prizes for the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge. During the first three years of this initiative, thousands of Maine children completed the challenge of reading 500 minutes during the summer vacation. Maine DOE hopes to see this number grow even higher during the summer of 2019.

Any school with students in the PK-8 grade span may register to participate. Participating schools will collect documentation from students who have completed the challenge. They will hold school level drawings to select two students (one boy and one girl) whose names will be entered into the state level drawing to be held on September 25, 2019. Schools are encouraged to participate in this challenge, to coordinate it with any other summer reading challenges/programs they offer, and to consider soliciting their own local level prizes for students who complete the challenge. Find details and the link to register your school at the Read to Ride Challenge website.

Questions may be directed to Maine DOE’s Elementary Literacy Specialist, Danielle Saucier at danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov.

Two Maine Students Named 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholars

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the 55^th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts and career and technical education fields. Maine’s two scholars are Rohan Ben Freedman, from Cape Elizabeth High School, and Emma Hargreaves, from Old Town High School.

“I want to congratulate this year’s class of Presidential Scholars on their achievement both inside of the classroom and out,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “Their hard work and commitment to excellence, no matter what challenge they are tackling, will serve them well throughout their lifelong learning journeys. I have no doubt that many of tomorrow’s leaders are among this year’s class of Scholars.”

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.

Of the 3.6 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 5,200 candidates qualified for the 2019 awards, determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, or through nominations made by Chief State School Officers, other partner recognition organizations and the National YoungArts Foundation’s nationwide YoungArts™ competition.

As directed by Presidential Executive Order, the 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholars are comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large, 20 Scholars in the Arts, and 20 Scholars in Career and Technical Education.

Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored over 7,500 of the nation’s top-performing students with an annual ceremony in Washington, D.C. The program was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields.

The 2019 ceremony will be held June 23, when each honoree will receive a Presidential Scholar Medallion.

A complete list of 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholars is available at http://www.ed.gov/psp.

For more information about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program in Maine, contact Beth Lambert, beth.lambert@maine.gov, 207-624-6642.

Science Standards Revision-LD 283

On April 19, 2019 Governor Mills signed LD 283, which contained the revised Science and Engineering standards in the Maine Learning Results. The revised standards are an adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards, which represent significant shifts from the previous version. The revised standards call for students to build core knowledge by making sense of observable events that use science to explain or predict. The three-dimensional nature of the standards promotes students “doing” science over passively listening to lectures. The standards also foster students’ ability to communicate scientific arguments and explanations. The revised standards replace breadth with depth of scientific ideas and practices.

The signed bill is currently going through the Maine Administrative Procedure Act to officially become law through the Secretary of State’s office. It is anticipated that the law will go into effect near the end of this school year. This timeline allows schools to begin planning for implementation during the summer of 2019. To help support schools as they transition to use of the revised standards., planning is underway here at the Department of Education to provide a series of professional development opportunities around the state in 2019 and 2020, as well as online resources.

For questions regarding the standards review process please contact Beth Lambert at beth.lambert@maine.gov.

For questions regarding science education please contact Shari Templeton at shari.templeton@maine.gov.

Classroom Highlight: Comprehensive Computer Science at Lyman Moore Middle School

Submitted by AJ Rog and Sean Wasson, Computer Science Educators at Lyman Moore Middle School in Portland, Maine.

Lyman Moore Middle School is in the Portland Public School District. It is home to 480 students in grades 6 through 8. Over the last 20+ years Portland has become a very diverse city with an influx of refugees and asylum seekers from around the world. Thanks to this welcome change to our city, our school is currently home to students from 28 different countries with at least 15 different home languages being spoken.

Sean Wasson and I (AJ Rog) feel privileged to be the two computer science teachers at Lyman Moore. We are able to reach approximately 85% of our students. Our classes run on an alternating day schedule, allowing their semester of content to stretch across the entire year. This schedule engages our students in two semesters of computer science content throughout their 6th and 7th grade experiences. During their time in the CS program they are given access to coding, problem solving skills and design thinking. Our students leave middle school with a high level of understanding of JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and circuit boards.

When our students enter 8th grade they are given some choice in the elective classes hey take. Sean and I offer multiple choices over the 3 trimesters ranging from movie making, TEAM Windmill Challenge, Web Design, Puzzles and Cyber Security, Video Game Design, nd Circuit Boards. These classes have allowed our students who want to go further in the STEAM fields an opportunity to do so.

Our ultimate goal is to have 100% of our middle school students take CS and to collaborate closely with the three city high schools in order to recommend high school CS placement and encourage students to continue their CS journey. We also see CS curriculum as a path toward equity and engagement. Because of the demographics of our school we are positioned to encourage those students who have historically been underrepresented in Computer Science (e.g. girls and students of color) to focus on, build skills in and find inspiration in CS. In addition we provide opportunities for students to engage in skills and knowledge that will serve them beyond the classroom. In our ever digitizing world, our students will leave middle school equipped to creatively tackle problems using the CS lens.

Washington County Educator Profile: Mathy Terril

Submitted by Sarah Woog from the The Washington County Consortium.

Meet Mathy Terrill, Social Studies Teacher, A.P History Teacher, History Department Head, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teaching Fellow, National Honor Society Advisor, Gay Straight Transgendered Alliance Advisor, Student Assistant Team Co-Advisor, Homecoming Coordinator, Varsity Cross Country Coach, Varsity Track and Field Assistant Coach, and Overall Ridiculously Busy and Dedicated Educator at Washington Academy.

Mathy and I met at her home in Machias over the weekend so I could interview her for this profile. I usually come to such interviews with questions prepared, but this time I was stumped. Mathy does EVERYTHING. How could I structure the interview to highlight her deep commitment to education in Washington County without leaving anything out? Truth is, I couldn’t. So I asked her what she is most proud of. She told me two things: her work as a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teaching Fellow, and the Prom Dress Boutique she puts on as advisor for the National Honor Society at Washington Academy.

Mathy has been a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teaching Fellow for three years. She goes to Washington, D.C. every summer for a week to connect with other Fellows and gain resources and study practices for teaching the Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Washington Academy and to support other teachers in bringing Genocide Studies lessons to their classrooms. Mathy has shared her work at Harvest of Ideas for the past three years and continues to work with teachers throughout the school year to develop age-appropriate curriculum in an effort to bring these important lessons to students beyond Washington Academy.

The Prom Dress Boutique is an annual event held on a Saturday morning in April each year at Washington Academy and has been covered by many news outlets including the Bangor Daily News, Machias Valley News Observer, and WABI News Channel 5 (here is a story from this years event). Hundreds of dresses have been collected by donation throughout the years and are made available to students to pick from, as are shoes and accessories. Mathy and the National Honor Society set up the cafeteria at Washington Academy as a boutique, complete with dressing rooms, and organize the fantastic inventory on racks by size so area students may come and experience prom shopping without the prohibitive price tag typically associated with such fun.

One of the best things about Mathy is her eagerness to share. Part of her enthusiasm for her work comes from her belief that all our kids deserve the opportunities she brings to Washington Academy. you can reach out to Mathy (m.terrill@raider4life.org) if you’d like to incorporate Genocide Studies into your classroom. Somehow she’ll find the time to help you. She always does.