As part of National Poetry Month, we’ve compiled some fantastic digital resources, events, and great poets to help with integrating poetry into teaching and learning throughout the month.
The Maine Department of Education will be highlighting great poets with Maine ties all month long on our social media sites, follow us to learn more and continue the celebration:
Resilience Strategies for Educators (RSE): Techniques for Self-Care and Peer Support Train-the-Educator (TtE) Virtual Training by Request (VTBR) is a virtual learning opportunity coming up for caregivers in schools and school districts to better understand, and teach others, resilience strategies following emergency events.
The REMS TA Center is excited to offer the NEW Resilience Strategies for Educators: Techniques for Self-Care and Peer Support (RSE) Train-the-Educator (TtE) Virtual Training by Request (VTBR) created in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (OSSS). This dynamic and interactive half-day-long training is designed to assist caregivers in schools and school districts to better understand resilience and self-care strategies following natural disasters and other emergency events.
Participants will gain the knowledge and hands-on skills needed to implement the five components of Psychological First Aid — listen, protect, connect, model, and teach, as well as awareness about compassion fatigue, and how to build a self-care plan.
Pre- and -post training activities will provide guidance on how this training is relevant to emergency operations planning and assist with the implementation of what is learned.
TRAINING DETAILS When: Tuesday, April 26, 2022 Time: 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET Cost: NO CHARGE Register here.(Registration for this event closes on Friday, April 22, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.)
TRAINING DESCRIPTION
As part of a comprehensive school emergency operations plan, it is important for schools and school districts to understand how to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from critical incidents, including social, emotional, and behavioral recovery. The training is designed to provide educators and school staff with a better understanding of resilience strategies that can be used to increase their ability to work more effectively with individuals impacted by stress, loss, and trauma brought on by community or family violence, natural and man-made disasters and economic hardship.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The training is applicable in areas that have been impacted by traumatic events and/or natural disasters, as well as those that have not recently experienced a traumatic event(s). The intended audiences for this training include, but are not limited to:
• School counselors and psychologists
• School social workers and nurses
• Administrators, educators, and support staff
• School Resource Officers
• Community partners such as local mental/behavioral health practitioners
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education, will present a peer-to-peer jazz informance on Tuesday, April 19, featuring the Peer-to-Peer Jazz Quintet. Hosted by U.S. Secretary of Education Dr.Miguel Cardona and 14-time GRAMMY Award-winning jazz legend Herbie Hancock, the “informance” – a combination of performance and educational information – will be presented by five of the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area’s most talented high school music students alongside internationally acclaimed jazz trumpet recording artist Sean Jones, and renowned jazz educator Dr. JB Dyas.
The informance will be livestreamed from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) headquarters building in Washington, D.C., beginning at 1 pm Eastern Time, to hundreds of school districts in the United States and around the world, streamed on ED’s YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, and streamed on the Institute’s website. It will not only focus on what jazz is and why it’s important to America, but also on leadership in the time of a crisis, such as a pandemic, and how the principles of jazz – collaborating, improvising, not seeking perfection, playing off each other’s strengths, perseverance and the vital importance of really listening to one another – can enlighten leaders as they navigate through a crisis, uncertainty and challenging times.
The Maine DOE will continue this collaboration with virtual Regional Meetings to share available regional and statewide resources, and hold space to discuss the most pressing issues schools in Maine are currently facing with homelessness.
Join us for the April and May Regional Meetings
Hear updates on federal, state, and local policies and resources for students and families who are homeless or have unstable housing.
Learn how to increase your school and district’s capacity to support students.
Brainstorm solution-oriented strategies affecting youth in your school and community.
Network with colleagues from other schools and organizations in your region.
Dates and Times for Schools and Organizations in Your Region!
No cost to participants ~ Registration is required.
Pictured: Team LRTC 8023 with their robot. From left to right: Ahmed Hussein, Omar Osman, Jacob Willette, and Chance Tuttle.
April 2nd – 10th is National Robotics Week, a time to focus attention on this interdisciplinary component of computer science. In Maine public schools, robotics comes to life in a variety of ways. From our high school students participating in robotic competitions down to the youngest elementary student programming robots to follow a sequence, robotics is a grassroots effort that we can see in many schools. This recognition, dating back to 2009, has a simple mission – “to inspire students in robotics and STEM-related fields and to share the excitement of robotics with audiences of all ages.”
This second installment highlights the underdog story of LRTC 8023 (Team 8023*) from Lewiston Regional Technology Center. The team formed in 2019 and only had one competition under their belt when FIRST suspended the season. At that first meet in Massachusetts, they walked away the Rookie Inspiration Award and many lessons learned from competing on the field.
LRTC 8023’s two awards in a display case at their school. Two events, two awards, including an Alliance win, is quite the feat. The broken piece was sent with love from Team 6324 with the inscription “Ouch!”
After a year and half without in-person competitions, the team made their return to the carpet for the Pine Tree District’s FIRST Robotics Competition held at Thomas College in Waterville. The twenty-six teams were from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, many of them with long established programs and experienced mentors.
The team had been spending months getting their robot ready for their first competition of the 2022 season. They were, however, underdogs. They came out of the qualifying matches with a 3-6 record. They were brought into an Alliance with Orange Chaos (Team 4564) out of Brewer and Morpheus (Team 5813) out of New Hampshire going into the playoffs. After a spectacular final match with a close point count, LRTC came out victorious. It was a big lift for the young team mentored by LRTC Trade Works instructor Alan Graves and Lewiston High School Social Studies teacher Kathy County. As a result, they ranked 21 of 183 in New England district. LRTC 8023 was one of the fourteen Maine teams headed down to the NE District Pease ANG Event this past weekend, where the field was deep and the competition was fierce. They came in 32nd overall after a 5-7 record during qualifying and did not make the playoffs. “They worked hard, showed up and had what it took to show what a true underdog can do,” LRTC Student Services Support Kelsey Poliquin said. The town of Lewiston recognized the team’s accomplishments and proclaimed April 5th to be “Robotics Team Day” and invited the team to city hall to be formally recognized.
Every year, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) hosts Week of the Young Child. This year the celebration will occur from April 2nd through April 8th. Members of the Early Learning Team at the Department of Education are sharing a video each day highlighting early childhood educators across Maine enhancing high-quality experiences for young children ages birth through eight. Each day’s video is focusing on NAEYC’s theme of the day. Today is Work Together Wednesday!
Today’s video highlighting music in early childhood settings can be found here:
You can find the daily videos and resources posted on our Early Childhood Professional Learning and Resources page here.
Thank you to those who have contributed to the videos and photos. We enjoy highlighting your work and sharing your commitment to young children with our colleagues throughout Maine.
Throughout the week, be sure to share additional photos and ideas using #WOYC2022 and #MEWOYC2022. Tomorrow we’ll share another video for Artsy Thursday.
Any questions regarding the Week of the Young Child can be directed to our Early Childhood Specialist at Nicole.Madore@maine.gov.
April 2nd through 10th is National Robotics Week, a time to focus attention on this exciting, interdisciplinary component of computer science. In Maine public schools, robotics comes to life in a variety of ways. From our high school students participating in robotic competitions, down to the youngest elementary student programming robots to follow a sequence, robotics is a grassroots effort that can be found in many schools, some of whom will be spotlighted throughout this week. National Robotics Week, dating back to 2009, has a simple mission – “to inspire students in robotics and STEM-related fields and to share the excitement of robotics with audiences of all ages.”
This first story highlights the perseverance and ingenuity of The Bucks’ Wrath (Team 6329*), from Bucksport High School (BHS). The idea to form a robotics club was born in a first year “Introduction to Engineering” class, co-taught by teachers John Boynton and Mike Gross back in 2017. Being afforded the opportunity to go to a local competition in 2017, and then the FRC World Championship in St. Louis with the financial support of their school, community, and donors, sparked students’ enthusiasm in robotics to grow. BHS soon added classes about Machining, Engineering, and Computer-Aided Design (CAD), which helped the students develop the knowledge and skills to compete. Donations of a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) router and mill from Bucksport graduate, Andrew Silvernail, and his wife, Shelby, helped grow the team’s capacity. Sadly, that initial group of freshmen, now seniors, only enjoyed one strong showing at a competition before the 2020 season was suspended.
Team members sporting their Penobscot Narrows Bridge themed t-shirts at community presentation.
The 2021 season was also without in-person competitions, but the Infinite Recharge at Home challenges allowed the team, mostly freshmen and sophomores, to demonstrate their skills in a new way. While working through the challenges of a hybrid school model, the team decided to build a new bot from the ground up. As Team 6329 shared videos of their progress, they could see other teams using their methods, which motivated the team further. By the end of the season, their robot ranked in the top 20 in the world and ranked second in its shooting ability.
The 2022 season finally allowed The Bucks’ Wrath to return to the carpet and compete. In addition to their robot’s skills in competition, the team as also recognized with the Entrepreneurship Award, thanks to a business-minded senior who’s marketing and financial efforts set the team up for future success. The Bucks’ Wrath performed strongly after a lengthy layoff from competition, ending the first day as the top qualifying team and performing well through the playoffs on the second day. An unfortunate turn-of-events saw their three-team alliance lose in the finals. True to their character, the team has continued to work and improve as they head to their second event in Durham, New Hampshire.
Fourteen Maine teams headed down to the NE District Pease ANG Event and Bucksport High School was the smallest of the schools sending a team. Again, they performed well in qualifying (coming in 4th) and were picked second overall for an Alliance captained by Orange Chaos (Team 4564) out of Brewer and the Blue Devils (Team 6324) from Salam, New Hampshire. Their Alliance went all to the way to the finals before falling to a formidable Alliance of B.E.R.T. (Team 133) from Bonny Eagle, Infinite Loop (Team 2648) from Messalonskee and captains The Crushers (Team 238) from Manchester, New Hampshire. Despite the loss, The Buck’s Wrath is currently the top ranked Maine team in the NE District at seven overall. The Buck’s Wrath also walked away with the Excellence in Engineering Award as well for the first time since 2018. Coach John Boynton said, “It is a lot of fun representing a small rural school in Maine against the best New England has to offer.”
The Bucks’ Wrath are currently ranked 7th in the NE District after two finalist showings this season.
Every year, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) hosts Week of the Young Child. This year’s celebration is happening between April 2nd through April 8th. Members of the Early Learning Team at the Department of Education are sharing a video each day highlighting early childhood educators across Maine enhancing high-quality experiences for young children ages birth through eight. Each day’s video is focusing on NAEYC’s theme of the day. Today is Tasty Tuesday!
Today’s video highlighting health and nutrition in early childhood settings can be found here:
You can find the daily videos and resources posted on our Early Childhood Professional Learning and Resources page here.
Thank you to those who have contributed to the videos and photos. We enjoy highlighting your work and sharing your commitment to young children with our colleagues throughout Maine.
Throughout the week, be sure to share additional photos and ideas using #WOYC2022 and #MEWOYC2022. Tomorrow, we’ll share another video for Work Together Wednesday.
Any questions regarding the Week of the Young Child can be directed to our Early Childhood Specialist, Nicole.Madore@maine.gov.
Save the date for the first School Safety Summit hosted by the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Maine School Safety Center (MSSC).
Windham High School & virtually on Zoom June 21-23 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
There will be classes and breakout sessions designed for school administrators, staff, school board, and social workers, as well as JCCOs, SROs, Police Officers, front line supervisors, and administrators.
For more information, contact Rob Susi, Maine DOE MSSC School Safety & Security Manager at robert.w.susi@maine.gov.
During their annual spring conference, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine (ATOMIM) honored Lisa Coburn for her outstanding contribution to mathematics in the state of Maine with the 2022 Jacqueline Mitchell Mathematics Educator Award. This award is given annually to an outstanding educator who demonstrates a commitment to Maine’s mathematical community through dedicated service.
Currently a mathematics coach at Auburn’sWashburn School, Lisa is aleader in math education in Maine.She is a graduate of the Maine Mathematics Coaching Project at UMF, attends and presents at ATOMIM and national mathematics conferences, and is a current member of the ATOMIM Board. She helped plan and implement the “Podcast in Pajamas” sessions and was instrumental in securing Pam Harris as a presenter at both the “Podcasts in Pajamas” and the 2022 ATOMIM Annual Spring Conference.
Her colleagues say the following:
“Lisa works with all the teachers in the building. She is a resource for the staff and is always bringing something new for the teachers to think about and helps them add to their teaching toolbox. Lisa is dedicated to providing students with quality mathematics instruction. Lisa is also working closely with another math coach in the district – helping her as she grows into the math coaching role.”
“When it comes to quality pedagogy, Lisa is the person that comes to mind. She encourages and supports teachers to improve mathematical practices in the classroom and engages students in rich meaningful learning experiences that promote strong mathematicians.”
Congratulations, Lisa Coburn, for all your work in mathematics and mathematics education!
Do you know an outstanding educator who, through dedicated service, has demonstrated a commitment to Maine’s mathematical community? If so, consider nominating them for the 2023 Jacqueline Mitchell Mathematics Educator Award by filling out this form. Nominations for the 2023 award close on Friday, January 13, 2023.
Maine DOE Newsroom 