Professional Development Opportunity: Fostering Musical Early Childhood Classrooms

The Maine Department of Education invites educators to be part of its upcoming professional development opportunity, Fostering Musical Early Childhood Classrooms.

Early Childhood Specialist, Sue Reed, and Visual and Performing Arts Specialist, Nate Menifield, are looking for teachers who want to energize their teaching and learning through focusing on music in the public preschool classroom.

Applicants must apply in teams of two: one public preschool teacher and one music teacher from the same district. The music teacher must currently teach at the elementary level.

Under the guidance of early childhood music experts, Catherine Newell and Danielle Collins, teams will work to build a collaborative partnership to ensure that preschool students receive a musical learning experience. Public preschool teachers will become familiar with research regarding why music is important in the preschool classroom; understand how it encompasses multiple early learning standards; and learn how to include music into their daily routines. Music teachers will learn developmentally appropriate pedagogical approaches to teaching music to our youngest learners. Teams will be expected to practice new pedagogy in between sessions and document their experiences. As a culmination of their work, participants will deliver a brief presentation to an audience of their choice.

Participating Teacher Responsibilities:

Attend three day-long, face-to-face professional development trainings. All trainings will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Educare, 56 Drummond Ave., Waterville, ME 04901. Dates for trainings are: March 15th, May 23rd, and May 24th.
Attend one online check-in support meeting between face-to-face meetings. These meetings will occur between individual teams and the trainers at a mutually convenient time.
Develop individual goals for music implementation in your classroom and collaboration with a music teacher.
Commit to incorporating music into the preschool schedule on a regular basis.
Develop a plan for communicating the importance of music to preschool families.
Present a brief presentation on the work to an audience of each team’s choice, and submit a copy of the presentation to the Department of Education.

Compensation:

Each team will receive up to $300 in music supplies (determined by individual need).

To Apply:

Interested parties should fill out and submit an application here by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, February 28th (only one application is required per team). Applications will be reviewed immediately, and those accepted for participation will be notified by the afternoon of Monday, March 4th.

Please forward all questions to Visual and Performing Arts Specialist, Nate Menifield, at nathaniel.j.menifield@maine.gov.

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine DOE Kicks off February ‘Read to ME Challenge’ at Young School in Saco

Saco – Maine Department of Education Acting Commissioner A. Pender Makin along with students, educators, and administrators from Young School in Saco officially kicked off the Read to ME Challenge on Monday, February 4, 2019.

In its 4th year running, the Maine Department of Education launches the Read to ME Challenge as way to encourage communities throughout Maine to contribute to children’s literacy growth by reading aloud to one or more children for at least 15 minutes. Part of the challenge is to capture the moment via a photo or video and then post it on social media with the hashtag #ReadtoME and then challenge others to do the same.

At the kick-off event yesterday, Acting Commissioner Makin read Maine author Chris Van Dusen’s, Camping Spree with Mr. McGee to children in kindergarten through 2nd grade at Young School and then challenged the following groups of people to participate in the Read to ME Challenge:

All the big kids in the room
Maine Educators
Community Literacy Teams
School Administrators, School Board Members, and Volunteers
Maine Librarians
Maine Author, Chris Van Dusen
State Legislators
Local Legislators
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King
Governor Janet Mills

See a live stream of the event on the Maine DOE’s Facebook Page.

Schools and organizations throughout the state have joined the challenge so that they too can encourage their community members to read to children and to be part of the collective voice expressing the vital importance that reading to children plays in the social and economic well-being of Maine. See a full list of community partners for the 2019 Read to ME Challenge.

The Read to ME Challenge runs through the month of February leading up Read Across America Day which takes place on March 2. Learn more about being a Read to ME Challenge Partner. For further information about the challenge, contact Danielle Saucier, Early Literacy Specialist, Maine Department of Education at danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov and (207) 624-6702.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Maine DOE to Kick-off Read to ME Challenge on February 4th at Young School in Saco

WHAT: To kick off the 4^th annual Read to ME Challenge, Maine Department of Education’s Acting Commissioner A. Pender Makin will read to students at the Young School in Saco. She will follow up her reading by issuing a challenge to others to participate in the 2019 Read to ME Challenge campaign. This simple but powerful campaign challenges adults to read to children for 15 minutes, and to capture that moment via a photo or a video and then post it on social media and challenge others to do the same. The Read to ME Challenge will run for the month of February leading up to Read Across America Day on March 2, 2019.

WHEN: Monday, February 4, 2019 at 9:00 am

WHERE:
Young School
75 Tasker St., Saco, Maine 04072
Media are asked to check in at the main office upon arrival to sign in, get a badge, and directions to the event.

WHO: Students in Kindergarten through 2^nd Grade (ages 5 – 8 years old), their teachers, school and district administrators, and Acting Commissioner A. Pender Makin.

For more information please contact Maine Department of Education’s Director of Communications Rachel Paling at Rachel.paling@maine.gov or (207) 624-6747.

Read to ME Challenge to Kick-off February 4th at Young School in Saco

Year 4 of the Read to ME Challenge is scheduled to begin on February 4, 2019. Maine Department of Education Acting Commissioner Pender Makin will launch the campaign by reading to children at Young School in Saco. She will follow up her reading by issuing a challenge to participate in the 2019 campaign. This simple but powerful campaign challenges adults to read to children for 15 minutes, to capture that reading episode via a photo and then post it on social media to challenge others to do the same. The Read to ME Challenge will run for the month leading up to Read Across America Day on March 2, 2019. The Department will be live streaming this event on their official Facebook Page.

If your organization is willing and able to promote the Read to ME Challenge, please follow this link to provide us with your contact information: Read to ME Challenge Partner 2019. Read to ME Challenge resources, including a guidance document, public service announcements in a variety of languages, fliers and a list of engaging ways to incorporate the challenge are available on the Read to ME webpage.

Reading aloud to children is one of the most cost effective and highly beneficial methods of building children’s literate abilities. The simple act of reading aloud to a child 15 minutes a day for five years results in 27,375 minutes of language exposure which can put children on the path to high literacy achievement. Reading aloud exposes children to the world around them, helps them see reading as an enjoyable and valuable activity and often strengthens bonds with trusted adults.

Schools and organizations are invited to join the challenge and to encourage community members to do the same. The collective voice of many key partners, leaders and those in respected positions will send a clear message about the vital importance reading to children plays in the social and economic well-being of Maine. Maine DOE also encourages partners to be creative and to use this opportunity to enhance ongoing literacy education outreach efforts.

Thanks for your consideration of this opportunity, and don’t hesitate to contact danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov (624-6702) with any questions.

Professional Development Opportunity – Poverty: The Multiple Influences and Effects

The Maine DOE is providing a 3-part workshop series with Miriam Dodge, a GoldStar speaker for Communication Across Barriers, that will challenge participants to understand poverty at a deeper level and to think about their own biases and beliefs around poverty. The series will be limited to 20 participants and will focus on the Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten age span. This series will address the following goals:

Increase educators’ knowledge base to understand key concepts of poverty;
Recognize personal biases, thoughts and beliefs around people living in poverty;
Increase understanding of the effect poverty has on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES);
Increase the foundational understanding that if basic needs are met (nutrition, medical, social/emotional), students can focus engage in higher order thinking skills; and
Help educators recognize personal beliefs and how they can indirectly influence collaboration between school staff and families.

By understanding the effects poverty has on Maine’s children; teachers, principals and other school leaders will be better able to individualize supports and increase learning outcomes for students most at risk.

Schools are strongly encouraged to register 3-member teams representative of classroom teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, and special educators. Time will be provided for individuals to share their learning and to collectively plan for how to with colleagues in their respective schools.

Dinner will be provided during each session which will run 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm. Six contact hours will be provided to each participant over the course of the series.

Cost is $90 per team to attend the 3-part series. Registration requires a credit card. Event Registration Link

Training Dates:                                             Training Location:
January 14, 2019                                             Educare Central Maine
March 18, 2019                                               56 Drummond Ave
May 13, 2019                                                  Waterville, ME 04901

For further information, please contact Nena Cunningham Ed.D., Head Start State Collaboration Director at 207-624-6601 or nena.m.cunningham@maine.gov

Join Maine DOE for the 2019 Read to ME Campaign

For the past 3 years, Mainers have strongly engaged in the Maine Department of Education’s Read to ME Challenge. We are pleased to announce that Read to ME will launch for its 4^th year. This simple but powerful campaign challenges adults to read to children for 15 minutes, to capture that reading episode via a photo and then post it on social media to challenge others to do the same. Hundreds of Maine schools, community literacy teams and other literacy related organizations have partnered in the annual campaigns and the Maine DOE is hoping that even more organizations will partner in the 2019 campaign scheduled to kick off the first week of February.

We invite your school or organization to join the challenge and to encourage community members to do the same. The collective voice of many key partners, leaders and those in respected positions will send a clear message about the vital importance reading to children plays in the social and economic well-being of Maine. Maine DOE also encourages partners to be creative and to use this opportunity to enhance ongoing literacy education outreach efforts.

If your organization is willing and able to promote the Read to ME Challenge, please follow this link to provide us with your contact information: Read to ME Challenge Partner 2019. Read to ME Challenge resources, including a guidance document, public service announcements, fliers and a list of engaging ways to incorporate the challenge are available on the Read to ME webpage.

Thanks for your consideration of this opportunity, and don’t hesitate to contact danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov (624-6702) with any questions.

Public PreK Funding FY20 – Estimate Counts Required

Beginning in FY19, the Essential Programs and Services(EPS) funding formula added an allocation for PreK programs’ estimate student count. The PreK program estimate count allocation is intended to provide funding for PreK programming in advance of actual student enrollment, helping to offset the upfront costs associated with expanding or starting PreK programs. This PreK program allocation was first authorized into law on July 1, 2018 to begin in FY19.

If an SAU is opening or expanding a PreK program and the SAU would like to receive an FY20 estimate PreK allocation they must notify the Maine DOE’s finance team by completing the FY20 Estimate PreK Count Survey before October 31, 2018. SAUs completing this survey must also complete the PreK Program Application by April 30, 2019 and obtain program approval.

This FY20 Estimate PreK Count Survey is meant to capture the overall FY20 statewide obligation for estimate new and expanding PreK programs, but does not guarantee funding. This estimate count allocation will be used to provide funding on the FY20 ED279. SAUs must enroll the number of children included in the projected estimate count by October 1, 2019. After October 1, 2019 an audit adjustment, based on actual enrollment reported in NEO on October 1, 2019, will be made to the PreK allocation assigned on the FY20 ED279.

For more information please contact Deb Lajoie at 624-6613 or deborah.j.lajoie@maine.gov

New ESEA Report Cards & STEM Technology Showcase to be Featured at 2018 Commissioner’s Conference; Register Now

As a reminder, registration for the 2018 Commissioner’s Conference is now open. The conference features an array of sessions catered toward superintendents. This year’s sessions include opportunities to:

Get a sneak peak at the new ESEA Report Card dashboard
Ask questions and talk about ESSA, and School Improvement
Learn more about the budgeting process for Title I/ESEA funds
Learn more about supports and resources available on topics like Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), trauma, attendance, concussion management, and substance abuse
Learn more about Certification, including updates about the new online system
Learn more about Department initiatives and goals including: pilot programs for early math and literacy, CTE programing and funding, and regionalization opportunities
Participate in open forums on the teacher shortage, and on educator effectiveness
Listen to panels about workforce development, and about workforce needs and CTE
Get hands on experience with current STEM technology at a showcase brought to you by the Maine State Library

See a draft agenda, including session descriptions.

In addition to this year’s breakout sessions, Commissioner’s Conference participants also have the opportunity to enjoy the following celebrations:

The Annual Reception Hosted by Apple, Inc
An Evening Banquet Dinner
Maine School Management Association’s Annual Awards Ceremony

The conference takes place at the Augusta Civic Center on June 27^th and 28^th.

Find additional resources and information including pricing, the draft agenda, lodging options, further details about registration including guest registration, and more on the Maine DOE Commissioner’s Conference webpage.

Register now »

Public Preschool Annual Report

Per Chapter 124: Basic Approval Standards: Public Preschool Programs, (Section 17.01): Public preschool programs, including partnerships, will complete the electronic Public Preschool Program Annual Report online and submit to the Maine Department of Education no later than 30 days after the end of the school year.

This report is now available here and must be completed no later than close of business on July 31, 2018.

Before you get started, the following information will be useful to have:

Information on any staff turnover
Program operation:
- Hours/day
- Days/week
- Any major changes- partners, curriculum, location, etc.
Successes/challenges
Student attendance- percentages for FRL, chronic absenteeism, transient students, etc.
Student’s identified:
- English Learners- screening process
- Individualized Education Plan (IEP)- referrals, active, no longer qualify, etc.
Student growth in all learning domains
2018-19 MOU with Child Development Services
2018-19 MOU with any community partners (if applicable)

All public preschool programs are required to complete this report. Any questions should be directed to Nicole Madore at Nicole.madore@maine.gov (624-6677).

Online Formative Assessment Opportunity for Primary Grade Educators

The Maine Department of Education will be supporting a cohort of public primary grade (K-2) teachers for the 2018-19 school year in using an online Formative Assessment Platform. This tool utilizes observation and documentation of student work during ongoing instruction. Teachers selected to participate will:

Be required to attend one 2-day training on August 1 and August 2, 2018, held in Augusta.
Receive iPad minis to collect and document child observations for the online platform.
Receive a one-time $300 training stipend.

Those interested in participating should complete and submit this application no later than end of business on Friday, June 15, 2018.

Due to the limited number of student portfolios that can be supported, this opportunity is available on a first come, first served basis – per the date and time on the submitted application. Once the cohort has been set, a Memoranda of Understanding will be sent to each participating teacher for signature. Notification via email will be sent to those teachers who were not selected.

For further questions please contact Nicole Madore at Nicole.madore@maine.gov or (207) 624-6677.