WEBINAR: Media Literacy in the Classroom

Please join Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Humanities Teacher Leader Fellows James St. Pierre and Dorie Tripp for an in-depth discussion of Media Literacy in the Classroom.

There is no denying the significant presence media has in the lives of our students regardless of their age. This webinar is intended to discuss the many ways media permeates their lives and explore how we, as teachers, can help students understand its influence and determine what is true, what is useful, and what is important. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thursday, November 30, 2023
4:00 p.m.
Virtual – Register here

About the Presenters:

James St. Pierre is a national board-certified English teacher with thirty years of teaching experience at Fryeburg Academy where he has taught courses in English and biology and served as English department chair. In addition to his work at the secondary level, he also holds the position of Lecturer at both Granite State College and White Mountains Community College, where he has taught as an adjunct for two decades, one of his specialties being Media Studies. He holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Middlebury College and has presented at state and regional conferences regarding the medium of comics. He is married with two sons and enjoys anything to do with comics, disc golf and soccer.

Dorie Tripp is a national board-certified music teacher with 14 years of experience teaching elementary music in Maine public schools. Over the years, it has been her mission to promote music instruction that is developmentally appropriate, inclusive, diverse, and engaging. In her quest to do this, she has taken on many roles as a learner and leader. Dorie spent two terms as Vice President of the Maine Music Educators Association, contributed to the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative as a Design Team member, was an active member of the Maine Learning Results writing team for the Visual and Performing Arts, and co-hosted a series of PD sessions for educators during the Covid 19 pandemic. In 2021, she was awarded the MMEA Music Educator of the Year Award. In this next step of her journey, Dorie is looking forward to working with the Maine DOE. She’s excited to practice, share, and support unique learning opportunities for Maine students and educators!

Learning Series: Supporting Children, Families, and Communities to Thrive

As a reminder, Maine’s Department of Education’s (DOE) Early Learning Team and Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services are hosting a professional learning opportunity for child care and public-school educators working with children birth-8 years old. This opportunity is funded through Maine’s Preschool Development Renewal Grant.

The Maine Resilience Building Network will be hosting a series of free virtual (via ZOOM) professional development sessions. Supporting Children, Families, and Communities to Thrive: Promoting Positive Childhood Experiences and Resilience will bring together early childhood and PK-3 public-school educators to participate in sessions during the fall of 2023. These sessions will focus on:

How adverse and positive childhood experiences impact children’s development,
ideas for how to support a stronger focus on positive experiences and for building resilience for young children, and
strategies for how educators can address compassion fatigue and build their own resilience.

Descriptions of all 3 available offerings can be found here. Two contact hours are available for each session. Registration is required and links to each session are provided within the table below.

Date/Time	Program and Registration Link
Saturday, 11/4/23 9:00-11:00am	The Impact of Experience: How Adverse Childhood Experiences and Positive Childhood Experiences Impact Healthy Child Development (Part I) https://maineresilience.org/event-5407584
Thursday, 11/9/23 3:00-5:00pm	The Impact of Experience: How Adverse Childhood Experiences and Positive Childhood Experiences Impact Healthy Child Development (Part I) https://maineresilience.org/event-5407589
Saturday, 11/18/23 9:00-11:00am	Addressing Compassion Fatigue and Resilience Strategies in Educators and Caregivers https://maineresilience.org/event-5407625
Monday, 11/27/23 3:00-5:00pm	A Framework for Implementing Positive Childhood Experiences to Support Healthy Child Development (Part II) https://maineresilience.org/event-5407598
Saturday, 12/9/23 9:00-11:00am	A Framework for Implementing Positive Childhood Experiences to Support Healthy Child Development (Part II) https://maineresilience.org/event-5407617
Tuesday, 12/12/23 6:00-8:00pm	Addressing Compassion Fatigue and Resilience Strategies in Educators and Caregivers https://maineresilience.org/event-5407706
Monday, 12/18/23 6:00-8:00pm	Addressing Compassion Fatigue and Resilience Strategies in Educators and Caregivers https://maineresilience.org/event-5407630

Additional questions can be directed to Maine DOE Early Childhood Specialist, nicole.madore@maine.gov.

Book Study: Increasing Student Engagement

Starting in December, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is hosting an asynchronous book study on student engagement based on two books: Reimagining Student Engagement and Teaching Students to Drive Their Learning. Educators will receive a free copy of each book. In this 8-week online book study, educators will:

Examine what research says about student engagement
Reflect on their students’ engagement and classroom management
Design strategies to increase engagement that works for them and their students
Collect data on how the changes have impacted their students’ engagement
Opportunity to collaborate with teachers statewide

During this book study, educators will be assigned weekly readings, post a response, and comment on other teachers’ responses. Teachers will also need to implement one or more engagement strategies and share their resources and/or reflections. Educators completing the book study will receive 10 contact hours. The book study is perfect for individual teachers, as well as teams of teachers, who want to examine research-based practices that can increase and improve student engagement.

Books: Teachers participating in the book study will receive copies of:

Reimagining Student Engagement by Amy Berry
Teaching Students to Drive Their Learning: A Playbook on Engagement & Self-Regulation, K-12 by Fisher, Frey, Ortega & Hattie

Intended Audience: PK-12 Teachers & Administrators
When: December 1-February 2
Where: Maine DOE EnGiNE Platform (There will be optional Zoom sessions to further our discussions and collaboration.)
Contact Hours: 10 contact hours available upon completion
How: Register here

This book study can be done in conjunction with the Maine DoE ConCEPT pilot.  Click here to learn more about ConCEPT.

For more information on this book study, please contact Jaime Beal, Interdisciplinary Instruction Specialist at jaime.beal@maine.gov

The Maine DOE encourages all schools and districts across the State of Maine to learn more about interdisciplinary instruction on our website or by contacting the Interdisciplinary Instruction Team Coordinator at Kathy.bertini@maine.gov

Professional Learning: The Rural Experience in America Project

Community Civics through Historical Inquiry (K-12 grade educators)

Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program, NCHE is proud to announce a 3-part colloquium for teachers focusing on Rural America. These free professional learning opportunities will help teachers develop place-based interdisciplinary units that connect students to their rural communities. Additionally, the Maine Department of Education will be hosting a bi-weekly professional learning community to support educators through these NCHE modules. The PLC will incorporate the work developed by the MDOE interdisciplinary instruction specialists.

The program is designed to:

connect teachers with the Library Congress’s collections on rural history and with local rural historical societies so they can situate local history in the larger human experience
support teachers in the design and implementation of works of public value that connect rural students to their community’s history
engage rural teachers in a deep examination of rural history and the impact of change on children, families, and communities
The Right Question Institute will be leading a 4-week session on the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with a focus on working with rural students

Educators may complete all or part of the 3-part colloquium.

Part A – Self-paced online courses: the Library of Congress’ 6-week module course: Teaching with Primary Sources Basics; the Right Question Institute 4-week module course: Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Primary Source Questions (Dec 1-March 31)
Part B – Participate in three online synchronous Saturday professional development sessions led by historians, educational specialists, and master teachers (March 23, April 20, May 11)
Part C – Apply for a Summer Colloquium. Teachers and community partners will learn from historians and build civic connections to develop a plan for implementing a public history project in their community.
- July 24-26 Washington, DC Travel reimbursement available

Register here for these NCHE events.

When you register with NCHE, you will receive a follow-up from the Maine DOE to register into our Maine PLC.

For more information, please contact Jaime Beal, Interdisciplinary Instruction Specialist, at  jaime.beal@maine.gov.

New Learning Cohort Opportunity to Equip Principals in Leading Equity-Based MTSS for Student Supports; Info Session on 10/23

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is thrilled to announce the launch of an innovative training program aimed at empowering school principals to champion equity-based Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for comprehensive student success.

Implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Support is a requirement in Maine schools. The purpose of this learning cohort is to provide training and support to Maine school principals and related personnel with design and implementation of MTSS frameworks that provide them with the knowledge and tools necessary for addressing the diverse needs of students and to promote school and student success effectively. By adopting a schoolwide MTSS, schools can foster a culture of academic, behavior, social/mental health, and attendance support, early intervention, and data-driven decision-making, ultimately leading to improved growth and achievement rates and better outcomes for all students.

Participants in this cohort will:

Build capacity to design and effectively lead schoolwide MTSS across grades PK-12
Develop knowledge and skills to make MTSS a part of the school culture to ensure valuable work in high-leverage student supports can be blended and braided into a cohesive system of school supports that leads to long-time positive impact
Convene relevant stakeholders into MTSS leadership teams that are prepared to utilize research-based strategies for identifying areas of concern/need, assessing identified problems, selecting solutions, create targeted plans, and monitor outcomes that crosses all school domains (reading, mathematics, behavior, social and emotional/mental health, and attendance)
Explore and learn how to use a variety of MTSS implementation tools and resources that are used to assess and build readiness for MTSS implementation, assist principals in aligning initiatives and layering support for maximum impact and long-term sustainability, and facilitate the identification of existing or future barriers that may have a negative impact on the implementation of MTSS and provide action steps for removing barriers to aid in successful MTSS implementation

The MTSS cohort will take place through a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous learning sessions from November 2023 through June 2024 utilizing both live in-person and virtual sessions including (3) in- person team-based workshop events at a centralized location to be determined and taking place on the approximate timeline of end of November 2023, mid-January 2024, and mid-March 2024. Weekly 1-hour online learning sessions will begin November 12.

For more detailed information regarding the timeline, commitment requirements, and in-person meeting location(s), please attend an online information session on Monday, October 23rd from 3:30 to 4:30.

Applications for participation will open following the informational session and will be reviewed on a rolling basis through November 1^st until all slots are filled. All schools will be notified of their application status no later than November 3rd with virtual learning sessions to begin the week of November 12.

The program is open to PK-12 principals and any of their designated MTSS Team members. To register for the informational webinar, you can visit the Maine DOE Professional Learning Calendar, or click this link to register.

For further questions, you can reach out to Andrea Logan, MTSS Specialist, via email (andrea.logan@maine.gov) or by phone (207-592-2011) Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM through 4:30 PM.

Maine DOE and BMV to Offer Joint Open Office Hours on School Bus Transportation and Licensing

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) are pleased to offer joint Open Office Hours focused on school bus transportation and licensing. Information on how a school administrative unit (SAU) can train new bus drivers will be reviewed. The shortage of school bus drivers is at a critical point. Being able to train in-house is an advantage in recruiting candidates.

The first Office Hours on October 11 will feature Cheryl Brackett, Maine DOE Transportation Coordinator, as well as Christopher Ireland, Maine BMV Director of License Services. Sessions are meant to be a time for transportation directors to come together to ask questions, work together to problem solve, share best practices, and network.

Office hours are offered as part of the Maine DOE’s School Safety Center and are intended to meaningfully support addressing questions and needs. Participants can join for the full hour, for just a part, or only to obtain an answer to a question.

Transportation Office Hour Sessions will be held the second Wednesday quarterly, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., on the following schedule:

Month	Day	Topic
October	11th	Preparing Candidates for a CDL Endorsement
January	10th	Emergency Preparedness – Introduction to Maine DOE Guidelines
April	10th	NEO Transportation Reporting
June	12th	Alternative Transportation

Please use the following Microsoft Teams link to join the meeting on October 11:

Click here to join the October 11th Meeting via Microsoft Teams

Meeting ID: 267 027 044 018
Passcode: sA7sbW

Download Teams | Join on the web

To submit a topic or question prior to a session and/or for more information please email Cheryl Brackett at 207-446-3019: cheryl.brackett@maine.gov.

Resources for Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Many have learned the phrase, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. But Columbus was not the first foreign explorer to land in the Americas, and neither he nor those who came before him discovered America—because Indigenous Peoples have populated the Western Hemisphere for tens of thousands of years.

Celebrating Columbus and other explorers like him dismisses the devastating losses experienced by Indigenous Peoples of the Western Hemisphere in the past and the ongoing effects of colonialism today.

In 2019, joined by Wabanaki tribal leaders and representatives, Governor Janet Mills signed legislation to establish Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Maine. It is now celebrated on the second Monday of October recognizing the resilience and diversity of Indigenous Peoples instead of honoring Columbus.

Now we ask ourselves, what does it mean to honor Indigenous People? See below for resources for educators, parents, and those in the education community.

Local Impact (Dawnland specific)

Resource Type	Title/Link
Statement	Maine Memo — The importance of Indigenous People’s Day (Office of the UMO President)
Statement	Indigenous Peoples’ Day statement (City of Lewiston)
Statement/article	Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Maine Audubon)
Article	Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the Dawnland (Freeport Historical Society)
Statement/article	Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Native American Day Eradicate Columbus Day October 9, 2023 (USET)
Article	Multiple Events Planned in Celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Healthy Acadia)

Global Impact (all Indigenous)

Resource Type	Title/Link
Fact sheet/article	Who are indigenous peoples?
Statement/declaration	United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Publication	The Role of Indigenous Peoples in Biodiversity Conservation
Lesson Plan	Indigenous Peoples’ Day (IllumiNative)
Article	Indigenous storytellers share scary stories and the wisdom they hold (CBC)
Video	Indigenous Peoples’ Day \| All About the Holidays (PBS)
Video	The word Indigenous — explained l CBC Kids News
Sample lesson plans	Lesson Plans (Whose Land)	3 lesson plans: k-5, middle, high school
Article	Cultural Appropriation: What’s an Educator’s Role? (PBS Teachers Lounge)

Why not Columbus Day?

Resource Type	Title/Link
Collection/case study	Abolish Columbus Day: Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples (Zinn Education Project)
Article/lesson preview	The People vs. Columbus, et al. (Zinn Education Project)
Handout	Unlearning Columbus Day Myths: Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Article	Why more people are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day \| PBS NewsHour

Maine Association of School Libraries (MASL) to Host New Library Staff Affinity Session on 10/5

School librarians are leaving the profession, nationwide and in Maine. Yet we know the impact of school librarians on student learning and growth, particularly during the pandemic — and how a certified school librarian prepares students for their post-secondary success.

The Maine Association of School Libraries (MASL) is a professional community for all school library staff whose members access free, ongoing professional development, scholarship opportunities for continued learning, members-only resources, mentoring, and support. With a modest annual membership fee of $25, MASL connects, uplifts, and supports school library staff across our state.

MASL is hosting a “Newbie” Affinity Session on October 5th at 7:00 pm via Zoom, suitable for new hires in libraries, new school librarians or library ed techs, anyone who has transitioned from the classroom to a library, or a staff member who is juggling multiple roles (including a library assignment), or just anyone who still feels “new” at their job in a Maine school library!

“Send all the new school library folks our way,” says Iris Eichenlaub, chair of MASL’s Mentoring Committee, “as the lonely-onlies in our buildings (or district), connecting with the Maine school librarian professional community is how we keep more librarians in Maine schools.”

For more information or further questions, reach out to maslibraries@gmail.com.

13th Annual Maine PBIS Conference

Join us to celebrate, learn, and network with PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) leaders and implementers from across Maine and beyond to enhance the quality of life of students by promoting evidence-based and effective positive behavior supports to realize socially valid and equitable outcomes for people, families, schools, agencies, and communities.

Thursday, November 9, 2023
Augusta Civic Center
9:00 AM until 3:45 PM

Registration Cost:

General (individual)- $195
Group (groups of 3 or more attendees)- $165
Student (full-time undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in 6 credits per semester for at minimum 2 semesters per year)- $85
Lead Presenter (those accepted to present; only lead presenters are at no charge; co-presenters will be charged the individual rate)- $0

Keynote Speaker:

Lindsay Fallon, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Associate Professor and Director of the School Psychology Ph.D. Program in the College of Education and Human Development at University of Massachusetts Boston. She is a former New York City special education teacher and special education faculty member. She is a licensed psychologist and a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has presented her work nearly 150 times at international, national and regional conferences. Her work focuses on multi-tiered systems of support, behavioral interventions, implementation science, as well as culturally responsive practice. She works extensively with school districts to design and implement positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in and around Boston.

Register here.

Questions regarding the conference or proposal submissions may be directed to: Courtney Angelosante (courtney.angelosante@maine.edu) and Sarah Wilkinson (sarah.wilkinson@maine.edu)

Application Deadline Extended for ConCEPT Asynchronous Professional Learning Opportunity

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is piloting a program designed to support educators throughout the state with professional learning that is practical and flexible.

Conceptual Classroom and Educational Programs for Teachers (ConCEPT) is focused on providing professional learning to educators across Maine through asynchronous evidence-based modules, topic-driven office hours, asynchronous book studies, and customized support from the Maine DOE Interdisciplinary Instruction team. ConCEPT offers a menu of choices for educators to choose from that can be tailored to your team’s goals. ConCEPT is completely free to Maine educators. Contact hours and reimbursement for planning purposes outside the regular contracted day are available.