Important Notice: Fall Data Collection has OPENED

October 1st Student Enrollment: Report opened on October 1, 2022 for review and will be open for certification by districts starting on October 15, 2022 with a due-date of October 30, 2022.

Data from these reports is used in many areas of State and Federal reporting and is also the basis for the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding formula. Due to the time-sensitive nature of EPS funding, it is essential this data be submitted, reviewed, and certified in a timely manner.

Superintendent and Special Education Director certification are both required for this report.

Other Upcoming Fall Reports

Quarterly Reporting (Attendance, Behavior, Bullying, and Truancy) are due October 15, 2022
Dropout Reporting opened on October 2, 2022 and will be open until October 30, 2022
Staff Certification is open until November 15, 2022

Resources

All due dates for reports are listed on the MDOE reporting calendar:

https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/neo/DCAR/Calendar

For issues or questions regarding reports, please contact MEDMS.Helpdesk@maine.gov or call 624-6896

For NEO and Synergy training, please contact Alexandra.Cookson@maine.gov or call 207-446-3897

Sparking Creativity: International Dot Day and Augmented Reality

When Terri Dawson, Technology Integrator at Gorham Middle School, heard Peter H. Reynolds read from his children’s book, The Dot, at an International Society for Technology in Education conference, she knew she had to bring the book back to her school. Reynolds’ book tells the story of a young student, Vashti, who feels like she can’t draw. Her teacher encourages her to simply “make a mark and see where it goes,” and by doing so, sparks Vashti’s creativity, inspiring the little girl and her classmates to have creative confidence.

So, when Dawson discovered a collaboration between QuiverVision, an augmented reality (AR) coloring app for iPads, and International Dot Day, she knew she had found an innovative way to connect sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students to this beloved children’s book via technology. The students began by listening to Peter H. Reynolds read from his book on YouTube. That’s when they began their own creative process.

Dawson provided students with a paper template from QuiverVision that included space for the students to design their own dots and a QR code, that, when scanned by their iPads, displayed their dots in augmented reality. This allowed them to experience their drawings in a totally different way. Dawson noted that “when the students saw their dots come to life, their engagement and motivation to do another dot was amazing…it gave them another level of learning. They started to think about what else they could create.”

Dawson’s students were so engaged and inspired, they asked for the opportunity to take their iPads home and continue with their own designs using AR.

“Augmented reality and virtual reality seem to be a natural progression in education,” said Dawson, “there are so many different things that allow students to view their world differently. That’s what I want to expose them to. I want them to have these skills so that when they go out into the workforce they say, ‘I remember using AR! Did you know you could do this with a QR code?’”

CISA Active Shooter Preparedness Webinar

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is hosting a 2-hour Security Webinar to enhance awareness of, and response to, an active shooter incident.

Objectives

Discuss the elements of active shooter incident response planning with guidance from expert instructors.
Describe common behaviors, conditions, and situations associated with active shooter events.
Discuss how to recognize potential workplace violence indicators.
Provide information about best practices, communications protocols, and resources that will assist stakeholders to develop or enhance their emergency planning, preparedness, and response to active shooter incidents.

Building Emergency Planning Capabilities

The event will also describe how to incorporate key elements of successful incident management into planning efforts including:

Communication and Incident Planning for employees
Emergency Action Plan Development
Recognizing Behavioral Indicators
Coordinating with First Responders

Who should Participate?

Corporate and facility security professionals from the private and public sectors
Supervisory first responders
Human Resource managers
Community Response and Liaison officers
Health organizations
Faith-based leaders
School administrators and security officers
Homeland security representatives

Registration is free and participation is based on a first come, first served basis with a limit of 1,000 participants. Registration will close as soon as the event reaches capacity or no later than October 18, 2022 at noon (12:00 p.m.) EDT.

Register here. (Eventbrite will email you a link to access the AS Webinar the evening prior to the event.)

For more information email CISA-Active Shooter Preparedness at ASworkshop@CISA.DHS.GOV or visit cisa.gov/active-shooter-preparedness.

Webinar Announcement: Bullying Prevention Awareness Month: Resources for K-12 Schools (Oct. 13)

Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on October 13 at 2:00 PM EDT for an informational webinar on bullying awareness and prevention resources along with guidance to help create safer school environments. This session will provide information and resources designed for the kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) school community.

The session will feature guest speakers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention and Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The event will provide an overview of what bullying is and how to identify it, key strategies and actions schools and school personnel can implement to prevent and address it, and the tools and resources available from the government to support schools in these efforts, including StopBullying.gov.

The discussion will also feature additional school safety-related resources on topics like school climate and mental health access and support and a Q&A session for participants.

When: October 13, 2022, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
Where: Webex (access link to be provided one day in advance of the event)
For: K-12 School Superintendents and Principals; Counselors and Mental Health Practitioners; School and District Administrators; Teachers and School Staff; School Resource Officers; Parents and Guardians; Students
Registration: https://2022schoolsafetybullyingpreventionwebinar.eventbrite.com

We hope you can join us for this special event during National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. If you have any questions, please contact the School Safety team at SchoolSafety@hq.dhs.gov.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month!

Cyber Awareness Month is a global effort to help everyone stay safe and protected when using technology whenever and however they connect.

The theme for the month is, “It’s easy to stay safe online.”

The Maine DOE has teamed with MaineIT, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA).

We are proud to support this online safety and education initiative this October.

This month is all about taking action! We are promoting key behaviors to encourage everyone in education to take control of their online lives.

There are all kinds of ways to stay safe and secure online and even just practicing and understanding these cybersecurity basics can make a huge difference.

Each week, we will be sending out some important information to help keep your data and teams safe:

1. Week 1: Anatomy of a Data Breach

2. Week 2: Multi-Factor Authentication and Password Managers

3. Week 3: Updating Your Software

4. Week 4: Recognizing and Reporting Phishing

The DOE will release information regarding the above items throughout the month. Please consider taking an active part in your local school system.

· NCSA’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month Website: https://staysafeonline.org/cybersecurity-awareness-month/

· CISA’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month Website: https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month

Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin Visits Schoodic Institute’s Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative Program

Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin headed to the Schoodic Peninsula last week to take part in a Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative program run by the Schoodic Institute. More than 50 sixth through eighth graders from Hancock Grammar School, and their teachers, took part in a two-night, three-day outdoor coastal learning experience.

Students engaged in real-life, hands-on learning through exploring tide pools, photojournalism projects, marine chemistry, mapping, night hikes, art projects, forestry, and other activities that combine different subject areas to learn about science and coastal ecology. The programs were selected by teachers to connect to what students are learning back in their classrooms and are aligned with the Maine Learning Results.

“These students are collaborating, they are outdoors, and they are experiencing deep and meaningful learning through applied, project-based experiences that combine content areas,” said Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin. “And there is a team of dedicated staff here at Schoodic working with these students in partnership with their classroom teachers. These kinds of experiences are extraordinarily important and meaningful, and students will always remember their time here.”

Makin got to tour the outdoor and classroom learning facilities, bunkhouse, and take part in the morning wrap up activities with students where they mapped all of their locations during their time in the program and created graphics highlighting problems and solutions to climate change issues.

Schoodic’s Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative program engaged 2,000 Maine students in summer day programs and hundreds of Maine students in their multi-day immersive outdoor Schoodic Education Adventure (SEA) program. Schoodic Institute’s outdoor, hands-on coastal education programs encourage students to learn, discover, understand, and solve problems by experimenting and evaluating possible solutions. Curriculum-based outdoor education on the rugged coast of Maine offers an unparalleled experience for students and an exciting way to build science literacy and enthusiasm. For many students, this is their first experience spending the night away from home or their first time getting a coastal experience.

The Initiative also funding several teaching assistant positions, providing living-wage internship opportunities for young people that will provide a springboard for full careers in outdoor education in Maine.

“Schoodic Institute is thrilled to work with the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative to create hands-on coastal education opportunities here in Downeast Maine for under-resourced schools and low-income families. Furthermore, the early-career internship positions created through this initiative will be springboards for bright careers in outdoor education in Maine,” said Schoodic Institute President and CEO Nicholas Fisichelli.

Schoodic Institute was one of several organizations that received funding through Governor Mills’ Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative. The Initiative, developed by the Maine Department of Education using Federal funding, gives middle and high school students the opportunity to participate in marine and coastal ecology learning programs, including marine research and exploration, boat building, sailing, career exploration with marine businesses, island immersion programs, and more. There was also a specific focus on engaging students who do not typically have access to such experiences due to distance, cost, or other barriers.

Spending time outdoors has been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety and to equip students with skills and knowledge that can help them succeed inside the classroom. Being able to interact with nature while building connections with peers is also beneficial students’ recovery following the disruptions and difficulties caused by the pandemic.

Read more about Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative experiences here.

FY 2023 Leased Space Approvals

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has completed its review of FY 2023 leased space applications. Approvals can be viewed here: https://www.maine.gov/doe/index.php/schools/facilities/lsp.

Maine DOE’s Leased Space Program addresses the need for additional classroom space due to overcrowding, enrollment fluctuations and new programs in order to improve the quality and condition of learning environments for Maine students.

For additional information about the Leased Space Program contact Ann Pinnette at 207-215-3809 or ann.pinnette@maine.gov.

Professional Learning Opportunity: Teacher Leaders – Planning with the WIDA English Language Development Standards

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, coordinators/directors, Ed Techs, tutors, and instructional coaches are invited to join the Maine Department of Education and WIDA for a hybrid workshop on planning with the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards!

This hybrid workshop is designed to support ESOL educators in providing local professional development and support for using the WIDA ELD Standards Framework (2020 edition) to plan instruction at the unit level. This workshop is for you if you can answer “yes” to any of these questions:

Have you been asked to provide professional development about the WIDA ELD Standards Framework (2020 edition) to educators in your school or district?
Do you engage in co-planning with content/classroom educators on a regular basis?
Do you have experience evaluating and/or designing content lessons and units?
Do you have a strong background in the WIDA Standards system and in working with multilingual learners?

Participants who complete the workshop will receive an invitation to join a consortium-wide pilot community of practice with quarterly activities and collaborative online discussions.

There will be a live virtual session on 11/30/22 from 3-4pm, followed by an in-person workshop on 12/6/22 from 9am-3pm in Augusta. Register here.

If you have any questions about this professional learning opportunity, contact April Perkins, ESOL & Bilingual Programs Specialist, at april.perkins@maine.gov or (207)441-9043.