The nomination deadline is just days away for the 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year.
Continue reading “Nominations due Feb. 20 for next Maine Teacher of the Year”
Category: Maine Teacher of the Year
Commissioner’s Update – January 22, 2015
From the Maine Department of Education
The Maine DOE has selected one of the state’s leading learning technology integrators and a 30-year veteran educator to head its Learning Through Technology Team, which administers the groundbreaking 1:1 Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI).
Dr. Mike Muir, who now serves as the Multiple Pathways Director for the Auburn School Department, will join the Maine DOE starting Jan. 26. In his current role in Auburn, Muir supported the district’s large scale school change initiatives, including customized, performance-based learning; shared leadership teams; proficiency-based professional development; and one of the first 1:1 primary grades iPad initiatives.
Prior to his tenure in Auburn, he worked as a mathematics teacher in Winslow and Skowhegan, and later as a practicum supervisor and professor of middle grades education and educational technology at the University of Maine at Farmington.
While this is the first time Muir has worked for the Maine DOE, he has long been an advocate of MLTI and a leader in integrating technology provided by the State into the classroom to improving teaching and learning.
Notices and Reporting
- Annual Certification of Superintendent, due Jan. 31 (Reminder)
More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar
News & Views
Nominations sought for 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year
Members of the public can enter educators who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and nurturing the achievement of all students at www.mainetoy.org through Feb. 20. | More
LePage Administration proposes public charter school funding fix
The LePage Administration is proposing legislation that would have the Maine DOE make monthly payments directly to approved public charter schools starting in FY16, the same way the Department has long distributed funds to traditional public school districts. | More
Schoolwide Plan due, Department schedules guidance webinar
The Maine DOE is hosting a webinar next month to provide guidance to Title I schools as they complete their Schoolwide Plan, which now must be submitted to the Department. | More
Maine FFA students discover Agricultural Trades Show
Student leaders from the Maine FFA Association (formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”) traveled to the 74th annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show at the Augusta Civic Center last week. | More
Maine teachers invited to apply for STEM scholarship
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Alumni Club of Maine is inviting Maine middle school and high school science and engineering teachers to apply for Club scholarships to the MIT Science and Engineering Program for Teachers (SEPT). | More
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Nominations sought for 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year
AUGUSTA – Nominations are now open for the 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year.
Members of the public can enter educators who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and nurturing the achievement of all students at www.mainetoy.org through Feb. 20. To be considered, a teacher must hold at least a four-year degree and be employed by a Maine public school – including a public charter school or publicly supported secondary school. Continue reading “Nominations sought for 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year”
Celebrating Maine’s 2015 Teacher of the Year
Last week I had the honor of announcing Jennifer Dorman as the 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year.
Mrs. Dorman, who dreamed of being a teacher since her very first day of Kindergarten, has been a special educator in Somerset County schools for two decades, most recently at Skowhegan Area Middle School (SAMS) where she is a seventh-and eighth-grade special education and reading intervention teacher.
Continue reading “Celebrating Maine’s 2015 Teacher of the Year”
Longtime Skowhegan special educator Maine’s 2015 Teacher of the Year
In a surprise all-school assembly today, Maine Education Commissioner Jim Rier announced Skowhegan Area Middle School’s Jennifer Dorman was selected from nearly 400 nominees as Maine’s top teacher
SKOWHEGAN – A 20-year veteran special educator in Somerset County schools committed to supporting her students succeed despite their challenges has been selected as the 2015 Teacher of the Year.
In a surprise assembly at MSAD 54’s Skowhegan Area Middle School (SAMS) on Thursday, Education Commissioner Jim Rier announced Jennifer Dorman had been chosen from a field of 376 nominees as Maine’s top teacher. Continue reading “Longtime Skowhegan special educator Maine’s 2015 Teacher of the Year”
2015 Maine Teacher of the Year finalists in the final stages of the determination process
Finalists for Maine’s 2015 Teacher of the Year were visited by the Maine Teacher of the Year state review panel last week. As part of the 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year review process, the panel spoke with each candidate’s district administrators, fellow teachers, students and parents. The teachers will participate in their final interview with panel members this week–the last step of the determination process. Once decided, the 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year will be announced at a surprise event by the end of October.
Maine’s Teacher of the Year asks for votes
The Department is encouraging Mainers to vote for Karen MacDonald, the current Maine Teacher of the Year, in her quest to win a $2,500 grant to extend learning opportunities to struggling students in Portland.
Continue reading “Maine’s Teacher of the Year asks for votes”
Maine’s County Teachers of the Year one step closer
Maine’s County Teachers of the Year have been hard at work this summer. They have now completed their oral presentations and are one step closer to becoming Maine’s State Teacher of the Year. These 16 teachers, representing every area of our state, have developed a platform that keep students at the center of their work advocating for teachers, students, and quality education in Maine.
Continue reading “Maine’s County Teachers of the Year one step closer”
Nominations sought for 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year
AUGUSTA – Nominations are now open for the 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year.
For the first time since the Maine Department of Education recognition program launched in 1954, the public is being invited to join school and district leaders in going online to directly nominate educators for the prestigious statewide distinction, the winner of which serves as an advocate for Maine’s teachers, students and education system. Previously, only school principals and superintendents could put forth a candidate for consideration.
Continue reading “Nominations sought for 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year”
Seeking outstanding educators for 2015 Teacher of the Year
Maine’s students are our future, and it is teachers who prepare them with the skills they’ll need to achieve success.
Each year, the Maine DOE Teacher of the Year program gives us an important opportunity to come together as a state to say ‘thank you’ to our most deserving classroom leaders – like current Teacher of the Year Karen MacDonald, an English language arts teacher at Portland’s King Middle School who is ensuring education is the great equalizer for her students, many who are new to our great country. Continue reading “Seeking outstanding educators for 2015 Teacher of the Year”
