Maine’s National Board-Certified Teachers Celebrate at Pinning Ceremony

“The number one reason we do this (National Board Certification) is the students. Educators are about kids and we want our students to have the best teachers possible,” said Tami Fitzgerald, Director of Outreach and Engagement for the National Board of Professional Standards. Fitzgerald, who traveled to Maine from Washington DC for the event, was one of the featured speakers at the March 29, 2019 ceremony: a celebration honoring and recognizing Maine’s new and renewed National Board-Certified Teachers.

Friends, families, and colleagues throughout the state gathered at Cony High School to attend the ceremony, which was co-sponsored by the National Board-Certified Teachers of Maine Network and the Maine Education Association. Also speaking at the ceremony were Grace Leavitt, NBCT and President of the Maine Education Association; Melissa Guerrette, NBCT and Chair of the Maine NBCT Network; and Constance (Connie) Russell, NBCT and 2018 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year.

In achieving National Board Certification, teachers demonstrated that their teaching meets the profession’s standards for accomplished practice through a rigorous, peer-reviewed and performance-based process, similar to professional certification in fields such as medicine. This comprehensive process includes four components: a computer-based assessment to test content knowledge and three classroom embedded portfolio entries which include student work samples, assessment practices, videos of teaching, and in-depth written reflections. Through the four components, teachers provide evidence of their ability to advance student learning and achievement.

Due to the rigorous and personalized nature of this process, a common sentiment expressed by the speakers was the commitment –mental and emotional—that National Board Certification requires. Russell spoke about feelings of vulnerability and insecurity that arose as she shared her teaching samples at the candidate support workshops, “I was putting my teaching on the big screen, out there in front of people” and yet, as uncomfortable as it was, how she benefited from it, “at school we never had the kinds of conversations I was having with my National Board colleagues—I knew the feedback was making me better—I began craving it.” Fitzgerald echoed Russell, “teacher candidates are always asking, ‘how do I keep getting better, how do I reach higher?”

The speakers also reflected on the new lens that National Board Certification gave them: a lens in which to view their students, standards, content, and teaching practice. Russel shared, “I started looking at every lesson, bulletin board, field trip, and guest speaker through the lens of how any of these activities would impact student learning.”

Along with being congratulated and honored for achieving National Board Certification, the speakers told the new NBCTs that this is not the end of the journey. Honorees were encouraged to use their “NBCT-voice” to advocate for their students, schools, and to elevate the teaching profession.

After the pinning was completed, the new NBCTs were given “tapping cards” – invitations for them to extend to their colleagues to begin their own journey toward National Board Certification.

Maine’s new 2018 National Board Certified Teachers:

	First name	Last Name	Employer District	Employer School
1.	Jennifer	Dorman	RSU 54/MSAD 54	Skowhegan Area Middle School
2.	Laura	Phelps	RSU 1	Phippsburg Elementary School
3.	Matthew	Leland		Lincoln Academy
4.	Seth	Anderson		Lincoln Academy
5.	Gayle	Martin	AOS 92	Winslow Elementary School
6.	Kelly	O’Brien-Weaver	RSU 22/MSAD 22	George B. Weatherbee School
7.	Kristin	Lorbeski	RSU 11/MSAD 11	River View CMTY School
8.	Anne	Dalphin	Portland Public School District	Presumpscot Elementary School
9.	Hillary	Hoyt	RSU 22/MSAD 22	Leroy H Smith Elem School
10.	Ryan	Avery	RSU 11/MSAD 11	Gardiner Regional Middle School
11.	Patricia	Forster	Five Town CMTY School District	Camden Hills Regional High School
12.	Michael	Hayashida	RSU 16	Poland Regional High School
13.	Emily	Powers	Lewiston Public Schools	Gov James B. Longley Elem School
14.	Christina	Rich	RSU 55/MSAD 55	South Hiram Elementary School
15.	Courtney	Cole	RSU 19	Etna-Dixmont Elementary School
16.	Rebecca	Humphrey Hanaburgh	Falmouth School District	Falmouth Elementary School
17.	Gordon	Crosby	RSU 16	Poland Regional High School
18.	Angela	McLaughlin	RSU 26	Asa C Adams Elementary School
19.	Toni	Barboza	RSU 19	Etna-Dixmont Elementary School
20.	Emilie	Throckmorton	Bangor School District	Bangor High School
21.	Luanne	Mudgett	RSU 55/MSAD 55	Sacopee Valley Middle School
22.	Rebecca	Maiorano	Portland Public School District	Presumpscot Elementary School
23.	Katie	Dutil	Augusta School District	Lillian P Hussey Elem School
24.	Rebekah	Brockway	RSU 12	Windsor Elementary School
25.	Pauline	Leadbetter	RSU 17/MSAD 17	Harrison Elementary School
26.	Marie	Dickson	Lewiston Public Schools	Thomas J McMahon Elem School
27.	Venise	Philbrick	Lewiston Public Schools	Martel Elementary School
28.	Jennifer	Lunt	Portland Public School System	Portland High School
29.	Dawn	Pendergrass	Biddeford School District	Biddeford High School
30.	Jason	Kash	RSU 22/MSAD 22	Reeds Brook Middle School
31.	Nell	Hermann	Union School Dist 93	Blue Hill Consolidated Elem School
32.	Megan	Markgren	Portland Public School District	Longfellow Elementary School
33.	Sonya	Logan	RSU 55/MSAD 55	Sacopee Valley Middle School
34.	David	Boardman	AOS 92	Mid-Maine Technical Center

For more information about National Board Certification:

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: https://www.nbpts.org/

Tamara Ranger, MDOE Educator Excellence Coordinator: tamara.ranger@maine.gov

Melissa Guerrette, Maine NBCT Network Chair: nbct.melissa@gmail.com

Employee of the Week: Jean Zimmerman

Health Education and Physical Education Consultant, Jean Zimmerman is the Maine Department of Education’s Employee of the Week this week. Get to know a little more about Jean through this brief question and answer:

What are your roles with DOE?

I am the Health Education and Physical Education Consultant and also am a co-chair of the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey(MIYHS). MIYHS is self-reported student behavior data that is essential for targeted policies and practices.

What do you like best about your job?

There is so much variety in job responsibilities. I also feel strongly about the importance of lifetime health literacy and physical literacy and encouraging teachers to take leadership roles in the field.

How or why did you decide on this career?

Ever since elementary school, I always wanted to be a teacher. There is something very powerful about making connections with students and providing positive experiences.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

I have a black pug, Oscar, who loves to go for walks. I also enjoy playing golf and reading.

Important federal grants for local communities on school safety and security just opened, apply soon!

The Department of Education is committed to providing timely information and support to school communities, including federal grant opportunities, in the ongoing efforts to ensure safe schools in the State of Maine. Please see below for new grant information; further questions about the grants and requirements should be directed to the grant providers.

Community Policing Development (CPD) Program

The 2019 Community Policing Development Program is a competitive grant program designed to advance the practice of community policing by providing guidance on promising practices through the development and testing of innovative strategies; building knowledge about effective practices and outcomes; and supporting new, creative approaches to preventing crime and promoting safe communities. The CPD solicitation is open to all public governmental agencies, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, community groups, and faith-based organizations.

Applications are due by May 28, 2019 at 7:59 PM EDT.

Please click here for more information on the 2019 Community Policing Development Program.

Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Program

The 2019 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program is a competitive grant program that provides funding to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through training and technical assistance, demonstration projects, and implementation of promising practices related to peer mentoring programs that are national in scope. The LEMHWA solicitation is open to all public governmental agencies, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, community groups, and faith-based organizations. This grant may be of interest to school districts with a dedicated police force.

Applications are due by May 28, 2019 at 7:59 PM EDT.

Please click here for more information on the 2019 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program.

School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)

The 2019 School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) is a competitive grant program that provides funding directly to states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and public agencies (including school districts and local law enforcement agencies) to be used to improve security at schools and on school grounds. Awards may include funding for coordination with local law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent school violence against others and self; placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures; acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency; and/or any other measure that may provide a significant improvement in security. Special eligibility notice for school districts: Applications for SVPP must be submitted by a state, tribe, or local unit of ‘general government (city, county, township, etc.), or public agencies (school districts, police departments, sheriff’s departments).

Applications are due by May 31, 2019 at 7:59 PM EDT.

Please click here for more information on the 2019 School Violence Prevention Program.

Registration Open for the 16th Annual MLTI Student Conference

Registration for the 2019 MLTI Student Conference, taking place on Thursday, May 23rd at the University of Maine campus in Orono, will be open from Monday, April 1^st until Tuesday, April 23^rd.

We’re expecting 1000 students and their adult chaperones to fill the concert hall at the Collins Center for the Arts for the opening student keynote and, at the end of the day, for the so-called “Über Session.” Between the opening and closing at the Collins Center, students will spill out over the campus for a “college way” lunch, and for sessions where they will learn and create in a variety of ways – through coding, audio, video, images, text, and more. As always, this will be a time for celebration and fun challenges. Described by past participants as, “Our favorite day of the year,” we are dedicated to keeping it that way!

The registration cost for each participant (student or adult) is once again $15. This fee includes all event activities, lunch for each registrant, and a 2019 MLTI Student Conference T-Shirt for each student. Schools will be invoiced for registration costs after the conference.

New this year:

Each student will complete their own registration form and will be expected to register for specific sessions ahead of time. Please plan for this as part of the registration process this year!
Even students from non-MLTI grades can attend the conference. We encourage chaperones to work with students during the registration process to make sure they have a device that will allow them to participate fully.

For more information, please visit: https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/ltt/conference

To register, go to: https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/ltt/conference/register

Please be sure to register by Tuesday, April 23^rd!

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the planning team at mlti.project@maine.gov, and we look forward to seeing you and a team of students from your school in Orono on May 23^rd!

Central Maine Educators Regional Conference (CMERC) is a Success

Submitted by Wendy Berce, Administrative Assistant at Regional School Unit No. 68

On March 15, 2019, SeDoMoCha school in Dover-Foxcroft Maine hosted the 7th annual regional professional development day. This year’s event, formally known as MooseTech, was rebranded as the 1st annual Central Maine Educators Regional Conference. Over 400 teachers, support staff, and administrators from five local school districts attended the days events. Attendees from RSU 68 (Dover-Foxcroft), Foxcroft Academy, AOS 94 (Dexter), SAD 31 (Howland), and SAD 41 (Milo) were given the opportunity to attend four one-hour sessions ranging in topics that included technology, poverty, social and emotional learning, student safety, instructional strategies, and student engagement.

In addition to these individualized breakout sessions, attendees were also able to attend a keynote presentation by Heather Blier Ph. D., owner and psychologist at Dirigo Consulting. Dr. Blier has a doctorate in clinical psychology and she specializes in clinical assessment and intervention, placing a special emphasis on research-based practices and applied research in clinical and academic settings.

The main focus of this conference is bringing together some of the area’s smartest and most influential educational minds in the state. In addition to sessions being lead by local educators, many external organizations such as universities, private and public businesses as well as local law enforcement all contributed to the day’s learning. Coupled with the generous donation of time and knowledge by the session presenters, this year’s event could not have be completed without the generous donations of all of our sponsors, including our host sponsor, Maine Highlands Federal Credit Union.

Planning for next year’s event is already underway!

Maine DOE Update – March 28, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Important Notice: Quarter 3 (Q3) Truancy, Behavior, Attendance and Bullying Data Review-due date approaches

April 1 Attending Count

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Administrative Letter: Clarification Concerning Local School Bus Purchase and Bid

To assist and support school districts in their diligent work to purchase school buses, the Maine Department of Education is providing clarification concerning the process for districts to bid and purchase school buses. | More

Maine FFA State Vice President Promotes Student Leadership Opportunities at Maine Agriculture Day

Maine FFA State Vice President, James Hotham, joined representatives from a number of Maine agriculture and natural resources organizations in the Maine State House on Maine Agriculture Day, March 21, 2019. | More

1400+ Educators Convene for Regional PD “Rendezvous” Provided by Western Maine Education Collaborative (WMEC)

Educators from 13 districts throughout the western Maine region gathered at the University of Maine at Farmington last week to attend a series of professional development opportunities designed specifically for them. | More

2019 Maine State KidWind Challenge

More than 80 “windgineers” on 28 teams from York, Topsham, Winslow, Freeport and Portland took part in the 2019 Maine State KidWind Challenge on March 20, at Ocean Gateway in Portland. | More

English Teachers Gather at the Summit

Nearly 200 English teachers from across the state attended the Maine Council of English Language Art’s annual conference at the summit of Point Lookout in Northport last week. The conference began on Thursday with a celebration of poetry headlined by Maine Poet Laureate Stuart Kestenbaum. | More

Commissioner Makin Selects Kelli Deveaux as Department of Education Communications Director

Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin announced today that she has selected former Westbrook High Principal Kelli Deveaux to serve as the Department’s next Communications Director. | More

Maine DOE Employee of the Week: Michael Ashmore

Michael Ashmore, Program Development & Training Officer for the Maine Commission for Community Service is the Maine Department of Education’s Employee of the Week this week. Get to know a little more about Michael. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

Exciting Summer Agriculture Opportunity for Teachers!

Teachers of all grades: Looking for an exciting and informative summer opportunity related to agriculture? Consider the upcoming July 29 – August 2, 2019 “Agriculture for ME on Land and Sea” Summer Teachers’ Institute. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

April 1 Attending Count

Open Date: 4/1/2019

Due Date: 4/15/2019

The April Attending Count Report will be available for districts to submit and certify, beginning on April 1^st. Once submitted, the Department of Education will then review the reports and approve them, or return them for further information or clarification. If accepted, this will complete the April Attending Count report. If returned, the superintendent will receive notification about discrepancies; DOE staff is available to assist in reconciling the information.

The April Attending Count Reports will be used for calculating tuition rates in accordance with Title 20-A, §5805, subsection 1.B, which states: B. “The number of students shall be the average number of public secondary pupils enrolled on October 1st and April 1st of the same year.” This count will not be used for the Essential Services and Programs (EPS) School funding formula, but is still necessary for calculating the tuition rates. Please note that students who are attending outside placements at regional programs or special purpose private schools, are not included attending counts in the primary enrollment district.

Instruction on how to complete this report are available here:

https://www.maine.gov/doe/data-reporting/collection/helpdesk/resources/data-reporting-instructions

If you have any questions, feel free to contact:

Helpdesk – 207-624-6896

Trevor Burns (Student Data Coordinator) – 207-624-6678

Important Notice: Quarter 3 (Q3) Truancy, Behavior, Attendance and Bullying Data Review-due date approaches

The Department of Education offers quarterly windows for districts to review, for accuracy and comprehensiveness, the data that has been entered and reported to us. The fourth quarter review requires final certification for the annual data. It is our hope that review of this data on a more regular basis will save time and work at the end of the year, and will provide more time to make any necessary corrections.

The review period for Quarter 3 (Q3), which includes truancy, behavior, attendance and bullying, opens April 1^st and review and submission is requested by April 15th. Again, certification is not required for Quarter 3 (Q3) reports; this will be obtained on the final, Quarter 4 (Q4), report.

Truancy review can be found here:

https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/neo/StudentData/BehaviorCertification/TruancyCertification/Index?reportId=18

Guidance on reporting truancy can be found here:

https://www.maine.gov/doe/data-reporting/collection/helpdesk/resources/truancy

Behavior review can be found here:

https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/neo/StudentData/BehaviorCertification/BehaviorCertification/Index?reportId=17

Guidance on reporting behavior can be found here:

https://www.maine.gov/doe/sites/maine.gov.doe/files/inline-files/BehaviorGuidanceSynergy_1.pdf

Attendance review can be found here:

https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/neo/StudentData/AttendanceCertification/AttendanceCertification/Index?reportId=12

Guidance on reporting attendance can be found here:

https://www.maine.gov/doe/data-reporting/collection/helpdesk/resources/attendance

Bullying review can be found here:

https://neo.maine.gov/doe/neo/brs

Guidance on reporting bullying can be found here:

https://www.maine.gov/doe/schools/safeschools/bullying

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

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

If you have difficulties navigating to Synergy or NEO, please call the Helpdesk at 624-6896 or email at medms.helpdesk@maine.gov

All quarterly reports are based on the following months and are cumulative:

Quarter One (Q1)– As of Oct 1 (to include July, August, Sept) – due Oct 15
Quarter Two (Q2) – As of Jan 1 (to include July through Dec) – due Jan 15
Quarter Three (Q3) – As of April 1 (to include July through March) – due April 15
Quarter Four (Q4)– As of July 1 (to include July through June) – due July 15

Highlights from Bangor High School

National Art Honor Society members participated in Winterfest, a Downtown winter festival full of games, sales, and events happening in West Market Square and Downtown at large. The student artists created snow sculptures, including a variety of snow people and snow chairs, for visiting children and families to interact with.

Submitted by Kathy Harris-Smedberg, Assistant Superintendent of Schools at Bangor School Department.

World Languages On February 8, all Chinese 1–4 students gathered in the BHS library for an in-school field trip to celebrate the Year of the Pig. Students began the celebration with Chinese New Year songs and greetings. Then they watched a video about the new-year celebration in China. Students wrote calligraphy, did paper cutting and folding, played Chinese games, made Chinese dumplings and mooncakes, and ate authentic Chinese New Year dishes. Students also participated in the lion dance, which represents chasing away evil spirits and welcoming good luck into the New Year.

Kathleen Greenlaw received a Scholastic Art Gold Key award for her work titled Zosia at a formal reception at the Maine College of Art. Her work was presented and discussed in front of a crowd of supporters.

Visual and Performing Arts The University of Maine Museum of Art exhibit opening was another huge success! Every exhibit opening brings more people to appreciate the art our students have created! Each student shared a few words about the meaning behind their artwork and answered questions from those in attendance. The exhibit will remain at the museum until early June.

English As part of Bangor Humanities Day, BHS Humanities Academy students will present posters about their capstone research at the Bangor Public Library on Saturday, March 3. These posters will show the initial research pre-capstone students have engaged in this year, including research about the past, present, and future of political parties, the spread of the English language around the world, and diversity in Maine high schools.

To honor notable African Americans, students created posters and made announcements about achievements by African Americans in science, sports, and education. One local connection is Beryl Williams, who graduated from BHS in 1931 and became the first African-American to earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Maine. She went on to have an illustrious career in education, teaching at a number of colleges, and eventually became the first female academic dean at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Skills USA – 11 BHS students received medals in the SkillsUSA competition at the United Technology Center in Bangor.

Haley Gould, Gold Medal in Automotive Refinishing
Kylie Braley, Gold Medal in Community Service
Cameron Dysart, Gold Medal in First Aid / CPR
Allison Foster, Gold Medal in Interactive Apps & Gaming
Emerson Landon, Gold Medal in Interactive Apps & Gaming
Damon Tucker, Gold Medal in Power Equipment Technology (2nd Year)
Brittney Pecue, Gold Medal in Robotics Urban Search & Rescue
Alejandra Hernandez, Gold Medal in Television Video Production
Zachary DeRoche, Silver Medal in Audio Radio Production
Noah Braley, Bronze Medal in Medical Terminology
Emma Duplain, Bronze Medal in Photography

Junior David Carroll placed fifth nationally in the 2019 US Crystal Growing Competition in the Quality category. BHS Chemistry teacher Dr. Barbara Stewart guided David in the process.

Art – Students in Eric Hutchins art class designed posters to promote school attendance. They worked with Attendance Specialist, Carolyn Sproul, to spread the message of how important it is to attend school.

Chess – Members of the BHS Chess Team too home top honors for the High School Reserve section of the 2019 Maine Scholastic Chess tournament on March 2.

The winter sports season at Bangor High School was nothing short of amazing! Bangor continued to add to its championship tradition (106 titles) by capturing two state titles: Class A girls’ swim & Class AA boys’ basketball. The Bangor Rams also won four regional championship titles: cheering, girls indoor track, girls’ swimming, and boys’ basketball. The swim teams set state records at the boys’ and girls’ championship meets.

Boys’ Basketball The closeness of the school community was apparent at the Class AA basketball championship in Portland. The band, cheerleaders, student body, and basketball team exhibited awesome energy and demonstrated great school spirit. The boys’ varsity basketball team won the KVAC championship and the Class AA regional championship on its way to the state championship game against Bonny Eagle! Damien Vance scored his 1,000th career point at the last regular game of the season at Edward Little. Matthew Fleming, who will be attending West Point in the fall, was selected as 2019 Mr. Maine Basketball.

Girls’ Swimming and Diving The girls’ swimming and diving team first won the PVC championship with Mckayla Kendall named Swimmer of the Meet. The team then went on to win the Class A state championship! Rachel Hand set a new school record in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 59.97. Cindi Howard, the girls’ swim coach, was name Coach of the Year.

Girls’ Indoor Track The girls’ indoor track team won the PVC championship. Alyssa Elliott broke a 32 year record by posting a jump of 37 feet, 7 ¼ inches to lead the Bangor Rams to the Eastern Maine Indoor Track League Big Schools championship. Coach Alan Mosca was named the Indoor Track Coach of the Year.

Cheerleading: The varsity cheerleaders were the Class A runner-up at the state championships.

Wrestling Jeffrey: Kirk finished fourth in the 285 lb. weight class at the KVAC wrestling championships at Cony High School on February 2. Additionally, he outscored three other schools in the team points portion of the day!

2019 Maine State KidWind Challenge

More than 80 “windgineers” on 28 teams from York, Topsham, Winslow, Freeport and Portland took part in the 2019 Maine State KidWind Challenge on March 20, at Ocean Gateway in Portland.

The KidWind Challenge is an event that allows students to explore the power of wind by building and testing their own wind turbines. Daniel Chuhta, the deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Education attended in the afternoon to watch the action and address the young windgineers.

The top two teams from the middle and high school divisions will be invited to the National KidWind Challenge in Houston, which runs May 21-23.

The Portland Public Schools and KidWind are partnering together to promote and support this STEM education challenge for students around the state.