Category: Health & Physical Ed

Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance Announces 2023 Teachers of the Year and Honor Award Winners 

Every November outstanding professionals in the fields of health education, physical education, adapted physical education, and recreation are recognized during the Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (Maine AHPERD) Annual Conference. This year the following four educators were named as the 2023 Maine AHPERD Teachers of the Year and honored during the Award Banquet at the Samoset Resort.

Awards were presented to a community partner and two individuals who are recognized as strong supporters of the mission of Maine AHPERD and the field. This year’s awardees were:

Additionally, six students were recognized as the 2023 Outstanding Future Professionals in health and physical education hailing from five Maine institutes of higher education.

Pictured L to R: Sarah Wentworth - University of Maine at Orono, Zachery Creekmore - St. Joseph's College, Brecken Sargent - University of Maine at Presque Isle,(Maine AHPERD President Kayla McGee), Tyler Calhoun - University of New England, Jonah Sautter - University of Maine at Farmington, Jacob Mulligan - University of Maine at Orono
Pictured L to R: Sarah Wentworth – University of Maine at Orono, Zachery Creekmore – St. Joseph’s College, Brecken Sargent – University of Maine at Presque Isle, (Maine AHPERD President Kayla McGee), Tyler Calhoun – University of New England, Jonah Sautter – University of Maine at Farmington, Jacob Mulligan – University of Maine at Orono

Check out the MaineAHPERD website for highlights and resources from the conference.

 

2-Day Workshop: Health Ed. and Physical Ed. Inclusive Teaching Practices and Learning – May 5 & 11

This event is open to all school personnel as it does not just apply to HE & PE.

This is the second offering of the Heath Education (HE) & Physical Education (PE) Inclusive Teaching Practices Professional Learning Opportunity. Here is a little more about the workshop:

  • Have you taken a look at your curriculum and teaching practices with the lens of inclusion?
  • Are your materials representative of all students and their families?
  • Are your practices and the language you use inclusive of all your students and their families?
  • Do you know what to look for?

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Health Education & Physical Education Program is hosting a second training opportunity focused on learning about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and the impact better understanding what it means has on teaching practices within HE & PE…or any discipline! This 2-day interactive training will focus on understanding foundational concepts in DEI then review a tool and process for conducting a deep dive into curriculum, instructional strategies and classroom management practices. Following the 2-days of training, virtual Community of Practice sessions for conversations and technical assistance will be held. Please note, educators outside of the HE & PE disciplines are more than welcome to attend and all will find great benefit!

We are excited to again have the fabulous Dr. Sarah Benes (she, her, hers), as our trainer and consultant on this initiative. Sarah is an assistant professor at Southern Connecticut State University in health education and physical education, co-owner of Lighthouse Wellness and Health Education Consulting, and SHAPE America President. We are pleased to also have Maine HE & PE Teacher Leaders co-training with us this spring.

Event Details: Friday, May 5 and Thursday, May 11 at Thomas College in Waterville from 8:00 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day. The fee for this training is ONLY $45* to assist in covering the cost of food and facility. All other expenses are funded by the Maine DOE.

Register Now – Attendees must commit to both days of this training.

Email susan.berry@maine.gov with questions or before registering if using a PO for the discount code to bypass the credit card payment.

Health Ed. and Physical Ed. Inclusive Teaching Practices and Learning Workshop to be Held in December – Register Now!

The September Health Education and Physical Education Inclusive Teaching Practices and Learning Workshop dates are being postponed. The first sessions will now be held in December.

HE & PE Inclusive Teaching Practices and Learning Professional Development

  • Have you taken a look at your curriculum and teaching practices with the lens of inclusion?
  • Are your materials representative of all students and their families?
  • Are your practices and the language you use inclusive of all your students and their families?  
  • Do you even know what to look for?

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Health Education & Physical Education (HE & PE) Program will host a professional development opportunity this year focused on learning more about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and the impact on teaching practices. The training will start with an exploration and understanding of foundational concepts in DEI then teachers will be led through a process for doing a deep dive into their own curriculum, instructional strategies and classroom management practices. Following the trainings, video sessions for follow-up conversations and technical assistance will be held.

We are excited to have Dr. Sarah Benes (she, her, hers), as our co-trainer and consultant on these trainings. Sarah is an assistant professor at Southern Connecticut State University in health education and physical education, co-owner of Lighthouse Wellness and Health Education Consulting, and SHAPE America President-Elect. We are pleased to have some of Maine’s HE & PE Teacher Leaders also co-training with us this year.

This is a two-day training and attendees must commit to both days. There will be at least three opportunities offered throughout this school year. The first one is open for registration. Thursday and Friday, December 1 & 2 in Augusta (Please note we may change the training format due to the shortage of substitutes.)

The fee for this training is ONLY $40 to cover the cost of food. All other expenses are being funded by the Maine DOE.

A book study will be held this fall to begin to explore and understand issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. This is not required to attend the two-day workshop.

Register here December Workshop

For further information and questions contact Susan Berry at susan.berry@maine.gov and/or Jean Zimmerman at Jean.zimmerman@maine.gov.

Maine Nurses Attend New England School Nurse Conference

Over 25 Maine nurses (not all are pictured here) joined school nurses from across New England for their first in-person professional development event in two years.

The New England School Nurse Conference is an annual event, hosted by one of six New England School Nurse Associations (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont).

Hosted by New Hampshire School Nurse Association, the conference was held in Portsmouth, NH with a theme of, “Schools Nurses: The Link to Student Success.”

For more information about the New England School Nurses Association visit: https://nesnconference.nursingnetwork.com/

Health and Physical Education, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Language Standards Updated

The revised Chapter 132: Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction was signed into law March 31, 2022. This revision cycle updated the Health and Physical Education, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Language standards.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) will be providing guidance and resources to School Administrative Units (SAUs) in making the transition to the revised standards throughout the 2022-2023 school year. There is no pre-determined date when SAUs must make the transition to the revised standards. It is the Maine DOE’s belief that SAUs will use their own professional judgment and phase in the revised standards at a pace that makes sense for their students and for their educational practice.

The proposed health and physical education standards have been revised to identify health education as a strand and physical education as a strand to better delineate the unique standards and performance expectations in each. For the health education strand, the proposed draft is closely aligned to the National Health Education Standards and includes minor adjustments to wording for clarification and the combining or elimination of some language in order to be more clear, concise, and appropriate (for the age level or age span). In addition, content topics and examples were removed from the performance expectations as the committee felt they were limiting the content by implying those were the only topics to be addressed. For the physical education strand, several standards were renamed and/or restructured and the performance expectations reworded to better meet the needs of Maine educators.

The proposed visual and performing arts standards have been adapted from the National Core Arts Standards while still including those items that Maine arts educators felt are specific to their work with Maine students.

The two biggest changes to the document include the addition of media arts standards, a rapidly developing field of the creative economy that includes audio, video, digital design, and mixed media creations, and the realignment of strands that separate each arts discipline into its own collection of unique standards and performance expectations (previously, three of the five arts standards were universal across all arts disciplines; now, they are individualized for each discipline.)  Although some disciplines share the same standards, their performance expectations are unique.

The proposed world languages standards are in alignment to national standards (ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages), which were published in 2012, and are designed to meet the needs of Maine educators. Whereas the current standards include four strands, in the proposed draft, they have been reorganized into five strands, consistent with the five goal areas represented in the national standards. To make this shift, concepts included in the four original strands were retained but categorized differently in order to align with the five goal areas. For example, language comparisons appears in the communication strand in the current standards, while in the proposed draft it appears in the comparisons strand.

Another substantial shift is the inclusion of proficiency levels in addition to grade spans. The current standards represent a full pre-K to grade 12 progression of language learning. The proposed draft also offers this full progression, while at the same time providing multiple entry points by directing educators to begin at the current level of proficiency of their students. For example, if a program begins in kindergarten, the educator will start by addressing the kindergarten/novice low performance expectations. If the program begins in 7th grade, the educator will start with the performance expectations in the same kindergarten/novice low level, in order to appropriately target instruction to students’ current proficiency level.

Finally, a third shift is within the performance expectations themselves. In the current standards, performance expectations direct educators to focus on specific topics and skills within the standard. However, the proposed draft mirrors the national standards in its intention to provide general, universally applicable performance expectations that can be tailored to all languages, whether modern, classical, or signed. Supplemental resources will provide greater guidance on how to tailor them to specific languages, particularly classical and signed languages, which differ from modern languages in terms of uses, communities of speakers/users, and cultures.

It is also important to note that the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements, which include general communication and intercultural communication, provided the basis for the performance expectations in the proposed standards. The performance expectations in the communication strand are based on the can-do statements for interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication. For the four remaining strands, performance expectations were established based primarily on the intercultural communication can-co statements.

This revised document is the result of a thorough review process that began in the fall 2019 with multiple opportunities for stakeholder voice, and is the result of expertise from Department staff, representatives from higher education, district and building administration, as well as dozens of Maine educators.

For more information, please visit our standards review process website, or contact Beth Lambert, Director of Innovative Teaching and Learning, at beth.lambert@maine.gov.

Nominations are Being Accepted for the 2022 MAHPERD Teacher of the Year Awards

Nominations are being accepted for the 2022 Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD) Teacher of the Year awards.

MAHPERD Teacher of the Year Awards are presented to health education, physical education, and adapted physical education teachers who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to their students and profession. Eligibility requirements include prior and current membership in MAHPERD.

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 Professional
  • Dance Professional

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 nomination form. Nominations are due by April 15th.

For more information, contact MAHPERD Awards Chairperson Kayla McGee at mahperdawards@gmail.com before April 15th.

Carrabec Community School P.E. Class Individualizes Learning Through New Heart Rate Monitors

Physical Education at Carrabec Community School looks more colorful as students’ wrists glow with a mix of blue, yellow, and red. The glow comes from the new heart rate monitors that students are using as part of Heidi Day’s Physical Education class. The monitors use colors to indicate students’ heart rates as they play and learn through Physical Education. 

“The goal in this process is to make the learning personal and relevant to each individual. This system should help the students make the connection between the perceived rate of exertion and their heart’s ability to adjust to the intensity they are putting forth,” said Heidi.  

Students have learned the drill. They come to class, get their assigned heart rate monitors, log them in by holding them on a scanner attached to Heidi’s computer, and keep an eye on the color. As students exercise, their heart rate data is saved on the monitor. Once the class is over, students put their monitors back on the scanner to upload their heart rate data. An e-mail is sent to them and their parent/guardian with the amount of time they spend in blue, resting heart rate, yellow, target heart rate, and red, max heart rate. Students then use a spreadsheet on their laptops to record the number of minutes in each category.

“Students will set appropriate personal goals and work weekly to achieve those standards. The spreadsheet allows tracking that averages the time the student has spent in the resting, target, and max heart rate zones. This process becomes a means of self-assessment for my students, making their experience in physical education personal and success achievable,” Heidi explained.  

The heart rate monitors are working well, and students are excited by what color their monitor is, but Heidi has worked hard for that excitement. Last year Heidi attempted to integrate the monitors, but found the process overwhelming. 

Heidi explained, “I love technology. However, I am limited in my skill set as well as my patience when trying to implement something new. I feel like it takes me three times longer than it should, and I get so frustrated I tend to avoid the trouble altogether.”  But through perseverance and help from the MLTI 2.0 ambassador program, Heidi has found success. 

“Honestly, without [the Ambassador’s] help, I don’t believe I would have been able to implement this addition to my class. He has been there to troubleshoot through the challenges, making changes and adjustments as necessary, allowing me to still focus on my students. Ask for help!  I’m so glad I did!  I am excited to have this new process in place, but I know with all the daily tasks I have to complete, there would be little chance of me learning it all on my own and implementing it without support!” 

This story was written and coordinated by MLTI Ambassador Erik Wade as part of the Maine Schools Sharing the Success Campaign. To learn more, or to submit a story or an idea for a story, email rachel.paling@maine.gov. 

Physical Educators Asked to Complete Interest Form for ‘Assessment in Adapted Physical Education’ Course Through UMaine

The University of Maine has given tentative approval to offer a graduate-level course, Assessment in Adapted Physical Education. The course would train physical educators within the context of adapted physical education. It would focus on assessment tools and be offered via a distance learning modality.

This is an exciting opportunity, but responses to the interest survey are needed ASAP! The survey will be used to determine if there is sufficient interest to offer the course and when it should be offered (online). Those interested in the course can fill it out here: APE Interest Survey.

For more information contact: Shannan Fotter, shannan.fotter@maine.edu  (University of Maine School of Kinesiology, Physical Education & Athletic Training) or Jean Zimmerman, jean.zimmerman@maine.gov (Maine Department of Education Physical Education Specialist).

MAHPERD Honors 6 Maine Undergrads as Outstanding Future Professionals

The Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD) recently honored six Maine students as Outstanding Future Professionals.

The award recognizes Maine undergraduate students for their accomplishments as higher education students studying Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; for their involvement in university organizations; contributions to the community; professional potential/leadership qualities; and individual accomplishments, honors, and awards.

Outstanding Future Professionals Awardees:

Curtis ShepardCurtis Shepard
University of New England

Curtis is a senior at the University of New England, majoring in Sport and Recreation Management. He has worked at Vermont Lake Monsters, a summer league collegiate baseball team, in various positions to gain experience in a variety of management roles and responsibilities. He has also interned at the University of New England Athletic Department where he gained daily experience with different operations and functions of NCAA Division III Athletics. Curtis is looking forward to participating in more leadership and volunteer positions in sport and recreation in the future.

One of Curtis’s professors wrote that, “Curtis is one of the most diligent and responsible students. He is always curious and eager to learn and is never in a bad mood. He’s the first to volunteer to answer a question or work in a group. He brings a positive influence to the class.”

Jonah HudsonJonah Hudson
University of Maine at Presque Isle

Jonah is a junior at the University of Maine at Presque Isle majoring in Physical Education. Jonah has been the Vice President of the Physical Education Major’s club for the last three years, he has played on the men’s soccer team for 2 years, and played on the men’s basketball team for a year. Jonah also coaches JV High School Softball and Soccer and substitute teaches at MSAD #1 (which consists of students from Presque Isle, Mapleton, Chapman, Castle Hill, and Westfield). Jonah also was captain of three sports and participated in Drama Club in high school.

A professor of Jonah’s wrote that, “Jonah is certainly one of the most dedicated and hardworking young men I have ever had the privilege of working with here at the University. He is an outstanding role model to both his fellow students as well as his teammates on the field.”

Savannah RodriguezSavannah Rodriguez
University of Maine at Presque Isle

Savannah is a junior at the University of Maine at Presque Isle majoring in Physical Education (PE). Savannah participates in various ways at the University and in the community. She has been on the Women’s Soccer team for the last three years and is the head of the Softball Program at the University. She has also filled the role of President and VP of the PE Majors Club on campus as well as being a member of the Leadership Committee. In the community, Savannah has volunteered at the Special Olympics, Northern Maine Fair, and at different schools as a classroom helper, in addition to coaching at Wildcat Soccer and Basketball Camps. In the school year of 2019-2020, she received the award for Female Break Through Athlete of the Year.

Her professor wrote that, “Savannah has been an active leader in both our athletic and academic programs. She is the type of person who will see what needs to be done and will do everything in her power to see that the job is completed to the best of her ability. She is certainly a true leader in every sense of the word.”

Matt FarnhamMatt Farnham
University of Maine at Orono

Matt is a Senior at the University of Maine at Orono majoring in Physical Education and Coaching. He is a member of Maine’s Gamma Omicron chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, which is an international honors society for education majors. Matt has been a long-term Physical Education substitute for the Patricia A. Duran school in Hermon where he has taught virtual lessons for 4th grade students and in-person lessons for grades 1 through 3. Prior to this position, he was an Ed-Tech in the Hermon School Department. In addition to working in the school, Matt has worked as an assistant coach for the Hermon football team for the last 8 years. Three of those years he coached the 7th & 8th grade team while the other 5 years he coached the Hermon High School varsity team. Matt has also worked as the program leader in Hermon’s Recreation Department for the last 8 years where he has organized camp-wide activities for campers aged 5-14.

A professor of his wrote that, “Matthew has repeatedly demonstrated leadership, professionalism, innovation, and dedication to the profession. His instructional skills, dispositions, and high personal standards drive him to excel in any situation.”

Sierra McLellanSierra McLellan
University of Maine at Orono

Sierra is a senior at the University of Maine at Orono majoring in Kinesiology. Sierra was appointed the position of Panhellenic Delegate for Alpha Phi Fraternity her freshman year at UMaine. She was a member of the Executive Council where she was able to contribute valuable opinions, ideas, and content to represent her chapter to the rest of the Greek community. She was appointed to VP of the Membership Recruitment for Alpha Phi her Sophomore and Junior year where she could engage and empower others in joining. To top it all off, Sierra was a founding member of the Physical Education Student Organization at UMaine to promote health and wellness on campus and in the Orono community. These accomplishments have allowed Sierra to participate in other community events such as BOKS (Build Our Kid’s Success), hosting the annual Healthy High 5k and 10k race, and leading morning physical activity at the local elementary schools with UMaine athletic teams and future Physical Educators.

One of her professors wrote that, “Sierra is positive, compassionate, organized, and disciplined. These qualities have helped drive her success here and will catapult her to new heights as she prepares for a professional career in teaching.”

Maddie CormierMaddie Cormier
St. Joseph’s College

Maddie has worked in different elementary schools in Bangor as an Ed-Tech for 3 years when she is on break. She has volunteered at elementary schools, been an organizer for a fair fundraiser, as well as participated in other community based projects such as Fitter than a Fifth Grader, worked with Teens to Trails, and observed Physical Education classes in Bangor elementary schools and Windham High School. Maddie is on the Women’s soccer team at St. Joseph’s College. With a deep passion for coaching, Maddie has spent the past two years coaching 7 and 8 year old players in the Bangor Soccer Club. In addition to all that, she also received the Triumph of Diversity Presentation in 2021.

A professor of Maddi’s wrote that, “she is a highly motivated, successful individual. It was evident from the first meeting that Maddi was goal oriented and going to have a positive impact on anything she set out to do. She is a true team player on and off the field and is outstanding with students. She is a truly dedicated and committed individual.”

To learn more about MAHPERD visit maineahperd.org.

MAHPERD Honors Maine Family Planning with Community Award

Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD) recently recognized Maine Family Planning and the work of Lynette Johnson, Vicki Preston and Maddy Magnuson with their Community Award.

The Maine Family Planning organization responded to the shift in education practices due to the pandemic by not simply revising the Best Practices curriculum program, but also developing materials and even a “virtual classroom” to support hybrid or remote instruction of students. This team supported the professional learning and instruction of health teachers across the state by effectively harnessing technology for teaching.

Maine Family Planning’s board and staff are extremely proud of the work of Lynette, Vicki and Maddy. They applaud their efforts to provide the latest evidence-based sexuality information for STI/HIV and pregnancy prevention to teachers across the state, as well as mastering the technology needed to present this material in a virtual setting. Congratulations to these outstanding individuals.

Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD) Honor Awards are presented to MAHPERD members in recognition of their excellence to their profession by demonstrating outstanding dedication to their students and profession. To learn more about MAHPERD visit maineahperd.org.