Special Topic Series on Inclusivity and Multi-tiered Systems of Support

The Maine Department of Education’s Office of Special Services & Inclusive Education is hosting a Special Topic Series around inclusivity and multi-tiered systems of support through the winter and spring months.

Sessions will be held virtually once a month. Participants will receive 1 contact hour for each session. For more information about the series, contact Anne-Marie Adamson at anne-marie.adamson@maine.gov

Featured Presentation: Leveraging Student Strengths: Neurodiversity and Mathematics – Dr. Rachel Lambert
Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 3:30-4:30 PM

In this session, we will explore neurodiversity in relationship to mathematics teaching and learning. Dr. Lambert will discuss her research on dyslexia and mathematics, conducted with dyslexic mathematicians, as a springboard to discuss strategies to leverage the strengths of neurodiverse students in math class.

Download a flyer
Register here

Upcoming Presentation: Word-Level Reading Problems: Implications for Instruction and Intervention – Dr. David Kilpatrick
Wednesday, March 1, 2023, 3:30-4:30 PM

This presentation from David A. Kilpatrick, PhD will focus on how children learn to read words and why some children struggle. Including:

The nature of word-level reading development and how word-level reading problems can guide instruction and intervention.
Understanding how reading works and why some students struggle, illustrating other approaches to intervention that can yield very large reading gains for such students.
Examples of studies that consistently show that the most used intervention approaches provide limited benefits for at-risk and struggling readers.
Establishing a knowledge base for educators to choose the most effective instructional and intervention practices.

Download a Flyer
Register here

Yarmouth Students Find Their Courage with SpiritCorps

Eighth graders at Frank H. Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth faced their fears this fall as they wrote, recorded, and shared short video stories of Courage from their own lives for SpiritCorps.

Barbara’s Story of Courage (3 mins)

In 3 weeks of project-based learning, students engaged in self-reflection and a rigorous 5-step narrative writing process, culminating in their Courage videos. Along the way, students were supported by their teachers, peer Story Partners, program videos, as well as adult volunteer Story Coaches–a distinguishing feature of SpiritCorps–providing approximately one hour of individualized feedback per student. Teachers and students were thrilled with the positive impact on both academic and social-emotional skills:

“The support for students’ revision and encouragement they received from their Story Coaches was highly effective and helped to keep students motivated.” – Mike Rice, Yarmouth Partner Teacher

“I learned that I’m braver than I think I am and that I show courage in many different ways throughout my life.” – 8th Grade student, Yarmouth

In partnership with the Maine DOE, we hope to bring the benefits of SpiritCorps to students throughout the state over the next two years. All participating schools receive a 100% scholarship in their first year, thanks to a federally funded DOE grant. We still have some openings in our spring schedule and would love the opportunity to work with you and your students! Keep your eye out for more wonderful SpiritCorps stories coming your way in the weeks ahead.

To find out more or schedule an information session, please email Dr. Christina O’Neal, our Director of Program Partnerships, at coneal@spiritseries.org.

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Laura Cyr

Maine DOE Team member Laura Cyr is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Laura in the question and answer below.

What are your roles with DOE?

I am the Legislative and Constituent Services Specialist and the Rulemaking Liaison

What do you like best about your job?

A big part of my job is helping our content experts answer questions about the process of governing education, which can be very different from when we used to be teachers delivering education. I love being able to support our teams as they support educators in the field.

How or why did you decide on this career?

I began my teaching career shortly before NCLB in 2001. My students were middle-schoolers dealing with English language acquisition, housing instability, equity issues, and dramatic curriculum changes. I focused my graduate degrees on public policy and educational administration because I believed I could help more students outside of the classroom.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

Work during the legislative season keeps me pretty busy. At home, my husband and I have 3 dogs: an Italian mastiff, a Pitbull, and a Belgian Malinois. They like to drink my coffee, snore loudly during Zoom meetings, and begrudge me even one couch cushion. We have a cozy little farm in a 150-year-old farmhouse where we raise our own veggies, goats, ducks, and chickens. Our fun is usually something like building garden beds, renovating our old home, and watching our dogs act like fools.

Resources for Black History Month

February marks Black History Month and the Maine Department of Education is sharing a collection of resources to help educators integrate Black history into the curriculum, not only this month but on a regular basis.

Resources to Support Black History Month:

Teaching the complete history of African Americans
Teaching Tolerance
Black History Month: Digital Resources to Support Representation in Teaching and Learning – In 1990, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop wrote an article entitled “Windows, mirrors and sliding doors” that provided a powerful analogy for the role that children’s books play in a child’s early development. This message extends beyond books to all media sources. To listen to Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop talking about the meaning behind the article, check out this video. To access digital resources that focus on the representation of African Americans in teaching and learning, check out this infographic.
Black History Month: Influential Science and Technology Leaders – From capturing the very first satellite images from space to contributing to the creation of Global Positioning Systems (GPS), African Americans have been leaders in technology advancement throughout history. To learn more, check out this article.
Black History Month: Influential Computer Science Leaders – From co-creating IBM’s first personal computer to laying the foundation for modern video games, web design, animation, and graphics, African Americans have been leaders in computer science throughout history. Check out this infographic to learn more.
Black History Month: Digital Resources to Support Inclusive Teaching Practices – In the article Black History Month: Teaching the Complete History from Learning for Justice, the author Coshandra Dillard explores how to “go beyond trauma and struggle to examine the liberation, civic engagement, creativity and intersecting identities of Black people during Black History Month”. Educators can do this by using inclusive teaching practices and ensuring that they are using strategies to teach in culturally responsive ways. Check out this infographic to explore resources for inclusive teaching practices.
Learning for Justice
Resources on the Maine DOE Website for African American and Ethnic Studies
Immigrant Learning Center: Black History Month: Seven Famous Black Immigrants
EDSITEment! – Guide to Black History Month Teaching Resources, African American History Month lesson plans, and 2015 blog post.
Smithsonian – Black History Teaching Resources and Learning Lab Collections about the Civil Rights Movement
The Newseum– Hundreds of free online historical newspapers, videos and lesson plans that draw connections to civil rights struggles.
ReadWorks– Level readings that support Black History Month.
iCivics – The Nashville Sit-Ins(DBQuest), Jim Crow, and the Road to Civil Rights and MORE
KidCitizen – Rosa Parks: A Proud Daughter(K-2)
Facing History and Ourselves – Eyes on the Prize(documentary series w/ teacher guide)
The National Museum of African American History and Culture has a collection of resources for Celebrating Black History Month.
Facing History and Ourselves has a Black History Month Resource Collection.
Share My Lesson has a robust collection of Black History Month lesson plans and resources.
Scholastic provides 13 ways to celebrate Back History Month with ideas for 3rd-12th grade classrooms.
NCSS – Black History Month Resources
The following organizations have resources dedicated to teaching about African American History:
- NEA
- Teaching History.org
- PBS Newshour Extra
- ADL
- Colonial Williamsburg
- Bill of Rights Institute
- Facing History and Ourselves
Teaching Activities for African American Studies Zinn Education Project – A coordinated effort of Teaching for Change and Rethinking Schools
The Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History (Teaching Tolerance) – How do you ensure that students get the most out of black history and Black History Month?
Education World Teacher Resources – Celebrate Black History month with education that works.
Scholastic Black History Month – Teaching Resources
20 Pertinent Classroom Resources for Black History Month (PBS Newshour)
Smithsonian’s History Explorer – Black History Month
Edutopia – Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways

Maine Related Resources for Black History:

The Atlantic Black Box Project – Atlantic Black Box has launched a public history project that relies on an “enlightened crowd-sourcing” model.
Maine Calling: Maine’s Role in the Slave Trade
Black History in Maine: The Stories and Contributions of Maine’s Black Individuals and Communities
Abyssinian Meeting House – This short article gives a brief introduction to an important local landmark.
Portland Freedom Trail – If you are located near Portland or have the ability to take a field trip, you can take students on a walking tour of the Portland Freedom Trail.
Slavery and Maine (Grades 6-12 Primary Source Set)
Library of New England Immigration – resources in immigration to Maine

Malaga Island:

Explore Malaga Island (Maine State Museum)
Othered: Displaced From Malaga – Educators from the University of Southern Maine along with others have compiled a collection of research and essays that contributed to this resource that tells the history of the people of Malaga Island.
Malaga Island: A Story Best Left Untold
Malaga Island/Maine Coast Heritage Trust – Malaga Island was once home to a mixed-race fishing community forcibly removed by the state in 1912. Now a public preserve and important Maine historical site, we encourage all to learn the story of Malaga and those who called the island home.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy – Check out this review of a young adult historical novel by Gary D. Schmidt about two children and the events related to Malaga Island.

African American Studies:

Teaching Hard History: American Slavery – Most students leave high school without an adequate understanding of the role slavery played in the development of the United States—or how its legacies still influence us today. In an effort to remedy this, Teaching Tolerance developed a comprehensive guide for teaching and learning this critical topic at all grade levels.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
Facing History and Ourselves (Race in U.S. History Resources)
African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Library of Congress Rare Book Collection
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
The River Road African American Museum
The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum
On This Day in Racial Injustice by the Equal Justice Initiative – The Equal Justice Initiative designed A History of Racial Injustice as a set of tools for learning more about people and events in American history that are critically important but not well known.
The Google Arts and Culture Institute – resources, collections, stories, and items related to African American history and culture that are part of the Google Arts and Culture Institute collections.
EDSITEment! Lesson Plans – The National Endowment for the Humanities has a website called EDSITEment! that you can search for lesson plans and so many additional resources. Here is what they have for lessons related to African American history and culture.
Common Sense Education: Best African American History Apps and Websites
Smithsonian Learning Lab: African American History
EVERFI’s 306: African American History Digital Curriculum

Civil Rights Movement:

Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot – This film tells the story of a courageous group of students and teachers who, along with other activists, fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South.
Selma March 55th Anniversary in 2020 (Teaching Tolerance) – 2020 marks the 55th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march for voting rights.
Beyond the Bus – Beyond the Bus, a special publication of the Teaching the Movement initiative, brings together key elements from several resources Teaching Tolerance has developed to help educators recognize and fill instructional gaps when teaching about the civil rights movement.
Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement 1954-1985 – Individuals, groups and nations have responded to injustice throughout history.
Choices in Little Rock – Choices in Little Rock is a teaching unit that focuses on efforts to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957—efforts that resulted in a crisis that historian Taylor Branch once described as “the most severe test of the Constitution since the Civil War.”.
Civil Rights Historical Investigations – In this resource students trace the development of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Library of Congress: Civil Rights History Project
Library of Congress: Rosa Parks Papers – The Library of Congress offers classroom materials to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library’s vast digital collections in their teaching about Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights movement.
Created Equal – The NEH Created Equal project uses the power of documentary films to encourage public conversations about the changing meanings of freedom and equality in America.
PBS Learning Media: Civil Rights – In 1954, the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education declared segregated schools unconstitutional and sparked a decade of groundbreaking civil rights activism and legislation.
Selma Online – This website by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University is a free, online teaching platform that seeks to transform how the civil rights movement is taught in middle and high schools across the country.
The Road to Civil Rights (a lesson plan from iCivics)
National Civil Rights Museum
Five Essential Practices from Teaching the Civil Rights Movement
Race and Civil Rights in the Nation – The Nation has put together a five-part Journey Through History on Race and Civil Rights:
- Part I, From the Memphis riots of 1866 to the first anti-lynching conference, in New York City, in 1919.
- Part II, From the “Red Summer” of racial violence in Chicago, in 1919, to Rosa Parks’s bus protest, in 1955.
- Part III, From the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968.
- Part IV, From the ban on segregation in housing, in 1968, to freedom for Nelson Mandela, in 1990.
- Part V, From the LA riots of 1992 to the release of Selma, in 2015.
Students “Sit” for Civil Rights – On February 1, 1960, four African American college students challenged racial segregation by sitting down at a “whites only” counter lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. Politely asking for service, their request was refused. When asked to leave, they remained in their seats. Their sit-in inspired others to engage in nonviolent protests, which drew attention to the inequalities in civil rights at the time. Learn more about these sit-ins and books to use with your students.
Social Justice Books – a Teaching for Change Project
Curated Booklists – Teaching for change has carefully selected the best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and teachers on more than 70 topics. Reviews and selections on the booklists come from the See What We See coalition and are generated at Teaching for Change.

Elementary Booklist Black History

Africville By Shauntay Grant and Eva Campbell (Illustrator)
Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring By Nancy Churnin and Felicia Marshall (Illustrator)
Before She Was Harriet By Lesa Cline Ransome, James E. Ransome
Buzzing with Questions By Janice N. Harrington
Carter Reads the Newspaper By Deborah Hopkinson, Don Tate (Illustrator)
Child of the Civil Rights Movement By Paula Young Shelton, Raúl Colón (Illustrator)
Circle Unbroken: A Story of a Basket and Its People By Margot Theis Raven, E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)
Down on James Street By Nicole McCandless and Byron Gramby (Illustrator)
Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon By Kelly Starling Lyons
Ellen’s Broom By Kelly Starling Lyons
The Escape of Robert Smalls By Jehan Jones-Radgowski
Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table By Jacqueline Briggs Martin, Eric-Shabazz Larkin (Illustrator), Will Allen (Afterword by)
Freedom’s School By Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome (Illustrator)
Going Down Home with Daddy By Kelly Starling Lyons
The Great Migration: Journey to the North By Eloise Greenfield, Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Illustrator)
Harlem’s Little Blackbird By Renee Watson, Christian Robinson (Illustrator)
Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat By Nikki Giovanni, Alicia Vergel De Dios (Illustrator), Damian Ward (Illustrator)
A History of Me By Adrea Theodore and Erin Robinson (Illustrator)
It Jes’ Happened By Don Tate, R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone By Katheryn Russell-Brown
Love to Langston By Tony Medina, R. Gregory Christie
Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl By Tonya Bolden
Me and Momma and Big John By Mara Rockliff, William Low (Illustrator)
Milo’s Museum By Zetta Elliott
My Story, My Dance By Lesa Cline Ransome, James Ransome
New Shoes By Susan Lynn Meyer
No Mirrors in My Nana’s House By Ysaye M. Barnwell, Synthia Saint James (Illustrator)
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read By Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora (Illustrator)
Opal’s Greenwood Oasis By Quraysh Ali Lansana, Najah-Amatullah Hylton and Skip Hill (Illustrator)
Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book By Keila V. Dawson and Alleanna Harris (Illustrator)
Papa’s Free Day Party By Marilyn Nelson and Wayne Anthony Still (Illustrator)
A Ride to Remember By Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan
Sing a Song: How “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Inspired Generations By Kelly Starling Lyons
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down By Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)
Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-ins By Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Jade Johnson (Illustrator)
So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom By Gary Schmidt, Daniel Mintor (Illustrator)
Sprouting Wings: The True Story of James Herman Banning, the First African American Pilot to Fly Across the United States By Louisa Jaggar, Shari Becker, and Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)
Steamboat School By Deborah Hopkinson
Sugar Hill: Harlem’s Historic Neighborhood By Carole Boston Weatherford, R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt By Deborah Hopkinson
Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee! By Andrea Loney, Keith Mallett (Illustrator)
Tea Cakes for Tosh By Kelly Starling Lyons
This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration By Jacqueline Woodson
Thurgood By Jonah Winter, Bryan Collier
Uncle Jed’s Barbershop By Margaree King Mitchell
When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop By Laban Carrick Hill, Theodore Taylor (Illustrator)
William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad By Don Tate
Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree By William Miller, Cornelius Van Wright
Ruby Bridges Goes to School – My True Story by Ruby Bridges
Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride By Andrea Davis Pinkney Illustrator Brian Pinkney
Great Black Heroes: Five Brilliant Scientists By Lynda Jones Illustrator Ron Garnett
Great Black Heroes: Five Notable Inventors By Wade Hudson Illustrator Ron Garnett
Five Brave Explorers By Wade Hudson Illustrator Ron Garnett
Henry’s Freedom Box By Ellen Levine Illustrator Kadir Nelson
28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World By Charles R. Smith, Jr. Illustrator Shane W. Evans
Granddaddy’s Gift By Margaree King Mitchell Illustrator Larry Johnson
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind By William Kamkwamba , Bryan Mealer Illustrator Elizabeth Zunon
Amistad By Patricia C. McKissack Illustrator Sanna Stanley
Gordon Parks By Carole Boston Weatherford Illustrator Jamey Christoph
Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights By James Haskins Illustrator Benny Andrews
Talkin’ About Bessie By Nikki Grimes Illustrator E. B. Lewis
Rosa By Nikki Giovanni Illustrator Bryan Collier
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince And His Orchestra By Andrea Davis Pinkney Illustrator Brian Pinkney
Champion By Jim Haskins Illustrator Eric Velasquez
Martin Rising: Requiem for a King By Andrea Davis Pinkney & Brian Pinkney Illustrator Andrea & Brian Pinkney

USM Teacher Certification Program for Current School Employees

Do you have educators in your district with bachelor’s degrees who are seeking initial teacher certification? Consider directing them to the University of Southern Maine’s (USM) ETEP Program.

Here are a few highlights for the 2023-2024 academic year:

All classes will be held in the evening, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This could be more convenient for ed techs, long-term substitute teachers, and/or teachers with conditional certificates who may want to continue employment while completing the program
Participation in the Maine Teacher Residency program
Enrollment in select courses (rather than entire program) may be an option (on a case-by-case basis).
All classes apply to a Master’s in Teaching & Learning

Applications need to be started by January 31, 2023 to guarantee consideration for this year, but there may also be rolling admissions.

Apply and get more info here.

All questions can be directed to Michael Katz (michael.katz@maine.edu). Mike would be willing to meet with educators individually or arrange a time to meet as a group at your school.

Resources and Guidance for Ensuring a High-Quality Education for Highly Mobile Children

The following message is from the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services:

The letter below and the list of resources provides guidance and describes several important principles that states, school districts, school staff, parents, families, and others may find helpful in ensuring that highly mobile children with disabilities receive required special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs in a timely manner.

Ensuring a high-quality education for highly mobile children is a critical responsibility for all of us. Highly mobile children include children and youth experiencing frequent moves into new school districts, such as military-connected children, migratory children, children who are homeless, and children in the foster care system. While these children often possess remarkable resilience, they also experience formidable challenges as they cope with frequent educational transitions.

Identify ways to make State and district policies and procedures consistent with guidelines and rules set forth under the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) Compact;
Honor and respect the previous academic standing and accomplishments of highly mobile children in their new districts;
Involve district and school leaders, teachers, school counselors, social workers, coaches, school nurses, and administrators at all levels in efforts to better address the needs of highly mobile children; and
Provide professional development opportunities to educators, related service providers, and staff on how to recognize and respond to the needs of highly mobile children.

Issue #1: Highly mobile children should have timely and expedited evaluations and eligibility determinations.

Issue #2: Comparable services include services during the summer, such as Extended School Year (ESY) services.

Tenets of High-Quality, Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction for Pre-K to Grade 3 Students Released by Maine Department of Education

The success of Maine’s future requires an approach to education that fully prepares students for college, careers, and citizenship by focusing on their physical, emotional, and academic growth. The Maine DOE’s Whole Student Approach is a framework that invests in structures, people, and practices to develop educational systems that support healthy, safe, engaged, supported, challenged and prepared students. To accomplish this, the Maine DOE studies the science of learning and promotes evidence-based practices that support whole student development. A critical component of a whole student approach is to ensure intentionally planned foundational literacy instruction is available for all students in Pre-K to Grade 3. Strong literacy skills are essential for ensuring equitable academic, social, and emotional learning opportunities.

Recognizing the vital importance of foundational literacy development and in response to school system inquiries related to early literacy program development, a team of Maine DOE specialists, with feedback from Maine educators and educational partners, has developed guidance to support School Administrative Units in designing and implementing systematic and explicit early literacy instruction. The guidance outlines essential literacy content as well as core instructional and assessment practices research indicates should be present in Pre-K to Grade 3 classrooms. A table depicting the changing emphasis on essential components across the Pre-K to Grade 3 span is included in the document.

This guidance is designed as a supportive tool for early elementary educators, administrators, and literacy leadership teams to reflect on current practices and to potentially adjust educational design to support high-quality and evidence-based early literacy learning for all Pre-K to Grade 3 students. The recently revised state literacy plan, Literacy for ME 2.0, offers SAUs additional structures to develop reliable systems of literacy supports from birth to adult in communities and schools.

Access the guidance document: High-Quality, Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction for All Maine Pre-K to Grade 3 Students

If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Dee Saucier (danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov), Inclusive Education Literacy Specialist, or Lee Anne Larsen (leeann.larsen@maine.gov), Director of Early Learning.

Maine Department of Education Recognizes this Year’s MPA eSports Finalists

Organized by the Maine Principals Association (MPA), Central Maine Community College hosted the first in-person Maine eSports championships on its Auburn campus. eSports is a form of competition using video games. This year’s champions are:

Champions

Noble High School: League of Legends
Caribou High School: Rocket League
Maine Central Institute: Super Smash Bros (Tyson Thompson)

Runner Up

Cape Elizabeth High School
Noble High School
Cape Elizabeth High School (Rohan Yadav)

See more info on this year’s competition at MPA eSports.

Establishing eSports in high school enables students to do what they love and provides them with additional opportunities to earn recognition, a sense of belonging and enhanced critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

eSports is a growing trend in Maine and across the country. Why?

Character Growth – Students build character and develop discipline through practice and competition
Grade Point – Both teachers and parents have reported a renewed interest in schoolwork and an improvement in grades as a result of participation.
Socialization Skills – Many students are already passionate about gaming, and eSports provides an environment where they can come together and bond over a shared interest
Stem Skill Growth – Esports competition is rooted in technology, and provides a natural pathway for students pursuing college majors in the STEM category. (Noble Website)

SPRING SEASON 2023

Preseason February 10, 2023
Registration deadline February 13, 2023

Consider starting a team, to learn more visit the Maine eSports website.

Three School Projects Honored with ‘Spirit of America Foundation’ Award

Spirit of America Foundation, has selected three school programs with their ‘Spirit of America Foundation Award.

Nominated by local school leaders, the Award is presented to local individuals, organizations, and projects for commendable community service within the school community. The three awardees this year are:

Perry Elementary Parent-Teacher Committee (PTC) – The Perry Elementary PTC worked diligently to create a Haunted Trail at the school. Many parents, teachers, students, community members, and alumni came together to design a haunted trail that has become an annual event. This community project provided an evening for our families and area families to come together and “Get Spooked.” There were also indoor activities and concessions provided by the 8th-grade students. It was an amazing fundraiser for our PTC.
Kingfield Elementary School Growing Gardeners & Outdoor Learning Program – The Growing Gardeners Program teaches students about wellness: planting and growing healthy foods and herbs, as well as how to prepare healthy foods. The Outdoor Learning Program focuses on “Place” and teaches students about their environment and the world around them.
Stratton School Garden Team Harvest Fest – The Harvest fest is a collaborative event that takes place with the collaboration of the entire staff, including the students and community members. It’s a good event in this crazy world. This year we had over 150 people in attendance and raised about $600 to support the growth of the garden program. This event brings the community together to break bread, chat and genuinely build community and good feelings.

Spirit of America Foundation is an Augusta based public charity established to honor volunteerism. To see past awardees or learn more about the Spirit of America Foundation, visit spiritofamerica.website.

Seeking Teacher Leadership Fellows for Humanities, STEAM, Civics, and Communication

As part of our work to elevate the expertise of the Maine education field, the Maine Department of Education is looking to hire Maine educators in each of the following areas, Humanities, STEAM, Civics, and Communication. These educators will be provided a stipend through this program to:

Create and distribute a weekly communication to the field in their focus area;
Create and maintain a webpage on the DOE website related to their focus area;
Provide a monthly, 1-hour long, professional learning opportunity for Maine educators. The professional learning will be based on requested needs from the field, will be offered virtually, synchronously, and archived for asynchronous access on the Maine DOE youtube channel;
Provide Maine educators technical assistance regarding classroom-specific best practices in their focus area; and
Fellows will form a community of practice that will be led by the Director of Innovative Teaching and Learning and will meet monthly to share best practices and engage in a book study to help support their work.

The Fellows will be selected from Maine’s field of exceptional educators through a competitive process. Applicants will need to demonstrate that they have experience as classroom educators (all levels welcome to apply), they have demonstrated innovative approaches in their classroom, have knowledge and experience in the focus area, and they have been involved in learning communities throughout Maine.

Since the fellowship is in addition to their regular teaching job, fellows will work remotely and outside of their contracted school hours.

Fellows will begin work as soon as suitable candidates are found and continue through June 2023. Work will then resume for the 2023-24 school year (September – June) for a total of 14 months. Fellows will be expected to work 20 hours/month for a stipend of $2,000/month.

Click here to apply. Applications close on February 3rd, 2023.

For more information or questions, please contact Beth Lambert, Director of Innovative Teaching and Learning, beth.lambert@maine.gov.