This past week the Maine Department of Education celebrated National Nurses Week by hosting school nurses for National School Nurse Day at the Blaine House for tea where the Department and Maine Association of School Nurses honored our current School Nurse of the Year, Ann Bouchard.
Please consider honoring a deserving colleague by putting in a nomination for the 2018-2019 School Nurse of the Year.
This title provides recognition to an individual who demonstrates leadership in 6 areas of their practice: Care provision, program management, health education, professional development, community involvement, and research.
Please take this opportunity to showcase your School Nurse’s accomplishments and nominate! The individual selected will receive a $500 cash award and be recognized at the Maine Association of School Nurses Summer Institute, the Blaine House Tea and at the National Association of School Nurse annual conference.
We are accepting applications now. Below you can find the nomination form and the information necessary to begin this process:
Nominations are being accepted for the 2018 Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD) Teachers of the Year awards.
Maine educators in the following categories are eligible for consideration: Elementary Physical Education Teacher, Middle Level Physical Education Teacher, Secondary Physical Education Teacher, Adapted Physical Education Teacher, Health Education Teacher (All levels), Recreation Teacher/Leader, and Dance Teacher. There are many deserving teachers throughout the State of Maine and MAHPERD would like to be able to recognize more of those individuals.
Click here for more information regarding eligibility, nomination criteria and to access the application.
Nominations are due by June 30 and completed applications are due by August 21. For more information contact Kristen Allen at kallen@rsu10.org, MAHPERD Awards chairperson, before June 30.
Maine students recently took part in the GirlsGoCyberStart program, a national opportunity that features fun, technical challenges and games to inspire the next generation of cyber security professionals.
Promoted by Governor Paul R. LePage, the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Office of Information Technology, the program took place February 20th through the 25th of 2018 with students from all over Maine participating.
GirlsGoCyberStart was available to the first 10,000 girls who registered with teams of 1-4 students. 18 states participated and 5 of Maine’s 60 plus teams that participated, ranked in the top 100 scorers. Participants on the top three Maine teams were awarded prizes.
Maine’s top five scoring teams were from the following high schools (in order of scoring):
Bangor High School, Penobscot County
Thornton Academy, York County
Portland High School, Cumberland County
Falmouth High School, Cumberland County
Maine Connections Academy, Cumberland County
More details about the scoring can be found on the GirlsGoCyberStart website and more details about Maine team’s scores can be found on the Maine scores page of the GirlsGoCyberStart website.
National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. Erin Towns from Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine
High School teacher Erin Towns from Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine has been selected as one of this year’s Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows in recognition of her commitment to geographic education. The 2018 Fellows, a group of 40 highly respected educators from the United States and Canada, will embark on global expeditions on board the Lindblad Expedition ships for a hands-on experience for professional development.
Starting later this year, the 2018 Fellows will begin their 10 to 17 day expeditions to locations including the Canadian High Arctic, Antarctica, Southeast Alaska, Arctic Svalbard, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Galápagos Islands. Accompanied by Lindblad-National Geographic expedition experts, ranging from undersea specialists to National Geographic photographers, the Fellows will experience landscapes, cultures and wildlife unique to their regions of exploration.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is seeking nominations for the Maine History Teacher of the Year.
State History Teachers of the Year receive $1,000, an archive of materials for their school’s library, and an invitation to attend a 2019 Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar.
The deadline for 2018 nominations is March 31, 2018.
The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce the Maine state selection committees for the 2017 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) program has selected as the state-level finalists for 7-12th grade teachers of mathematics Ellen Payne from Nokomis Regional High School and Priya Natarajan from Casco Bay High for Expeditionary Learning School.
The state-level finalists for 7-12th grade teachers of science are Sharon Gallant from Gardiner Area High School, Sara McQuarrie from Hodgdon Middle/High School, Bill McWeeny from Adams School, and Alyson Saunders from Dexter Regional High School.
All State-level finalists will be honored at state ceremonies this year.
Up to five state-level finalists for each content area are forwarded to a national selection committee composed of mathematics and/or science educators, researchers, district officials, and past awardees who will meet to select the PAEMST awardees at the national level. The teachers chosen to be Presidential Awardees will be notified by the White House, honored at various ceremonies in Washington, D.C., and will receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.
Join us in congratulating the 2017 PAEMST State Finalist and wishing them luck in the national selection process.
Nominations are now open for the 2018 PAEMST Awards. This year’s awards will honor mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers working in grades K-6. Nominations close on April 1, 2018 and applications are due by May 1, 2018. Nominate a teacher today!
If you have any questions about the PAEMST program feel free to contact:
Math Finalist: Jenny Jorgensen, Barbara Ellis, Michele Mailhot
On Friday evening, May 19th, Maine DOE honored the four state finalists for the 2016 Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and Science (PAEMST) with a dinner held at the Maple Hill Farm Inn located in Hallowell. Shari Templeton, Maine DOE Science and Technology Specialist, and Michele Mailhot, Maine DOE Mathematics Specialist, planned the evening event honoring Barbara Ellis (Frank H. Harrison Middle School), elementary mathematics finalist, Kirsten Gould (Buxton Center Elementary School), elementary science finalist, Susan O’Brien (Weatherbee School), elementary science finalist, and Tonya Prentice (Woodstock Elementary School), elementary science finalist.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.
Science Finalist: Matthew Lindemann, Susan O’Brien , Shari Templeton
The evening began with a social networking event where past awardees had an opportunity to meet the four state finalists. This was followed by dinner, official congratulations from Robert G. Hasson, Commissioner, Maine Department of Education, and Martha Harris, Chair, Maine State Board of Education. The keynote address was delivered by Beth BeyersSmall, the NSF Teaching Fellowship Coordinator for the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education, and several past Presidential Awardees, Marielle Edgecomb, Laurie Gott, and Laura Stevens, shared memorable moments from their experiences in D.C. during their recognition trip as awardees.
The main event of the evening was the introduction of the four state finalists. Jenny Jorgensen, Mathematics Coach, Yarmouth Schools, spoke on behalf of Barbara Ellis, Kimberly O’Donnell, principal, Buxton Elementary School, spoke on behalf of Kirsten Gould, Matthew Lindemann, Co-Teacher, George B. Weatherbee School, spoke on behalf of Susan O’Brien, and Jolene Littlehale, Principle, Woodstock Elementary School, spoke on behalf of Tonya Prentice. All four state finalists were presented with certificates from the PAEMST program by Shari Templeton (Maine DOE) and Michele Mailhot (Maine DOE).
The Maine Curriculum Leaders’ Association recently selected Becky Brown, Director of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction in South Portland as Maine’s 2017 Curriculum Leader of the Year. Nominated by her superintendent Ken Kunin, Brown is described as “a forward thinking, reflective district and state leader in the move to proficiency-based learning.
To read more about Maine’s Curriculum Leader of the Year, click here or visit the Maine Curriculum Leaders’ Association website at mainecla.org.
Nominations are being accepted for the 2017 Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD) Teachers of the Year awards.
Maine educators in the following categories are eligible for consideration: Elementary Physical Education Teacher, Middle Level Physical Education Teacher, Secondary Physical Education Teacher, Adapted Physical Education Teacher, Health Education Teacher, Recreation Teacher/Leader, and Dance Teacher. There are many deserving teachers throughout the State of Maine and MAHPERD would like to be able to recognize more of those individuals. Click here for more information regarding eligibility, nomination criteria and to access the application.
Nominations are due by June 30 and completed applications are due by August 21. For more information contact Kristen Allen at kallen@rsu10.org before June 30.
Whole grain crepes, a wild blueberry kelp smoothie, granola encrusted French toast and fish tacos were featured on the menu as the top two teams of school food service staff faced off at Freeport High School on April 26. This was the final round of the 2nd Annual Maine Farm to School Cook-off, sponsored by the Maine Department of Education, Child Nutrition department. The cook-off aims to promote local products in school meals while showcasing the skills of school food service staff.
Pictured L to R: Stephanie Stambach (Maine DOE), Nikki Dovoren, Blaire Currier (Yarmouth School Department Food Service)
Each team prepared a breakfast and lunch meal that was presented to a panel of judges including a culinary arts student, chef and school nutrition director. The judges scored the dishes based on presentation, taste, creativity and food cost, as well as food safety and time management.
For breakfast, Yarmouth whipped up whole grain crepes with a strawberry topping and Maine maple syrup. This was paired with a wild blueberry kelp smoothie. The judges were impressed by the flavor and texture of the smoothie and commended the team for introducing a less common food to students in an appealing way. RSU 52 created a granola encrusted French toast and wild blueberry compote paired with a strawberry smoothie. Each team was tasked to incorporate wild Maine blueberries as a challenge ingredient in their breakfast dishes.
For lunch, Mexican fare was featured by both teams. RSU 52 cooked up chicken quesadillas with a fresh fruit salsa and grilled potatozana. Yarmouth prepared fish tacos using Gulf of Maine fish with a side of roasted potatoes and apple salsa. The judges commended the teams for a creative twist on a traditional salsa. Maine potatoes were used as the challenge ingredient for lunch.
Congratulations to Yarmouth who took the grand prize and was named the 2017 Maine Farm to School Cook-off Champion! All recipes from the cook-off will be shared in a Maine farm to school cook-off recipe book to be compiled this summer.
For information on how you can be part of next year’s Farm to School cook-off, contact Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition Consultant Stephanie Stambach at Stephanie.stambach@maine.gov.
Maine DOE Newsroom 