Category: Newsroom Articles

Programming Edison Bots at Brewer Community School

Edison Bot up close
Edison Bot up close

Pictured: Poster in Mr. Kumpa’s room connecting computer science tasks to classroom concepts.

Computer science isn’t so scary, just ask Bob Kumpa’s 8th-grade science students at Brewer Community School in Central Maine. As a precursor to a physics unit, students integrated computer science skills into class by programming an Edison Bot to navigate a maze of their creation.

Students drew any design they desired on a poster with the expectation that they would then program an Edison Bot to navigate through the design. Mr. Kumpa also required the Bot perform actions like going in reverse, spinning, and turning. There was no lack of creativity as students designed themed tracks such as Chutes and Ladders, Super Mario, trick-or-treating, passing on a soccer pitch and even one where the Bot travels the digestive system.

Students Julia Spencer (left) and Delaney McDonough (right) draft out their ice cream maze
Student designs a Mario themed maze
Student designs a Chutes and Ladders’ theme
A finished product of a Candyland themed maze

Eighth grader, Julia Rall, who also programmed her Bot to perform the Star Wars theme song, says the creativity aspect is her favorite. She wasn’t intimidated about the computer science, saying, “I feel like we’ve made it pretty easy. It’s just a lot of kinks that you have to work out.”

Students programmed their Bot either with Block or Python coding included in the program EdScratch. To navigate their design, some students elected to conduct the trial and error method, or, like project partners Julia Spencer and Delaney McDonough, some attempted to precisely measure out the distance and angles ahead of time. Delaney said that she and Julia felt that was the best way to do it because “that way we didn’t have to [unnecessarily] keep doing it over and over again.”

Kumpa told us the experience of perseverance via debugging does not happen by chance, but rather was one of the fundamental parts of the activity. It is those types of skills he hopes will translate to other sciences and other subjects, which is the main reason why he used the Edison Bots in the first place.

The Bots were supplied in 2018 from a grant through the Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center) at the University of Maine, in conjunction with their Maine STEM Partnership division, for a three-year study looking at the impact of computer science. Kumpa, who has done extensive work with the RiSE Center over the past 12 years, described the goal of the study to see if “teaching computer science will improve the learning of other sciences.”

Besides Brewer, there are 18 other schools involved in the study across the state. While Kumpa is focused on connecting computer science to physics, other schools have the option of also integrating computer science into life science or earth science.

Should this study prove fruitful, Kumpa said the hope will be to “allocate dollars towards moving computer science to the younger grades.” Bringing students more exposure to computer science provides not only regular experience with problem solving and critical thinking, but also an opportunity to shake off the intimidating stigma of computer science.

For further information about the Edison Bots or the RiSE Center, please feel free to reach out to Bob Kumpa at rkumpa@breweredu.org.

Diving Into Maine History with Primary Sources

Looking for ways to connect your students with national issues and events through a local lens? Three Maine agencies have partnered to create “primary source sets,” themed packets of images, documents, artifacts, and sound recordings that open a window into Maine’s past.

The Maine State Museum, Maine State Archives, and Maine State Library have partnered with the Maine Department of Education to offer these free resources to schools and homeschools across the state.

The structure is simple. Each packet provides an introduction with contextual information on the topic. Then, students receive the primary sources – with no explanation of what they are. Students spend time with their source, finding clues, making observations, asking questions, and interpreting what they see and how it might connect to the broader story. The materials are presented like mysteries that the students can solve, with optional analysis worksheets to walk them through the process. They actively do the work of historians.

Only after these steps do they get the “answers,” labels with the names, dates, and facts associated with their sources. Optional reflection questions and activities offer opportunities for additional depth to the lesson, often drawing the line between the historical materials and issues that impact the present.

The themes and the questions they explore:

Maine Pandemics

old tuberculosis vaccine poster
Image source: Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/98508942/

Explores sources with information on the local story of smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, influenza, and polio.

  • How do people carry on with life during a pandemic?
  • How do information and misinformation spread during a pandemic?
  • How do pandemics impact different people in different ways?
  • Is it right to control people’s actions during a pandemic?

Access this set here »

Freedom & Captivity

old photo of a jail cell
Maine State Prison Jail Cell Around 1924

Sources exploring the history of incarceration in Maine.

  • What Kinds of People are in Prison?
  • Life in Prison
  • Captivity Outside of Prison
  • Working in Captivity

“Since mass incarceration is such a critical part of our history and our present, we must be able to offer students a way to understand how we got to this point,” said Freedom & Captivity Coordinator Catherine Besteman who worked on some of the materials for this project. “The U.S. is the world’s largest jailer.  It is likely that many children have been impacted by the legal system because of the arrest or incarceration of a family or community member. Understanding how the criminal legal system in the U.S. developed, how it has grown, how it impacts families and communities, and what alternatives exist is a profoundly important task for our schools if we are ever to correct the abuses and problems of the past in order to build a healthier future.”

Access this set here »

Maine’s Bicentennial

old map of maine
The Province of Maine 1794

Different elements of Maine’s story leading up to statehood in 1820.

  • Creating a Maine Identity
  • Mapping Maine
  • Power of Maine’s Vote
  • Slavery and Maine
  • Statehood and the Wabanaki

Access this set here »

Here is the link to sign up for Joe’s famous Social Studies listserv where you can find out about great resources like this one.

Interested in learning more? Join the next webinar about these great resources. More information can be found below. You can also reach out to Maine DOE Social Studies Specialist Joe Schmidt at Joe.Schmidt@maine.gov or contact Manie State Museum Education Program Specialist Kate Webber at kate.webber@maine.gov.

Part 4: “Maine Pandemics” Primary Source Set
Exploring pre-packaged online educator materials on the theme of the history of pandemics in Maine. 3:00-4:30pm ET November 9th (Register for this session)

Attendance Matters: Transforming School Climate and Culture During COVID

Due to popular demand, another session has been planned for December! This opportunity is two half-day interactive sessions that are relevant for staff working remotely or in-school.

  • Wednesday, December 8 from 12:00 to 2:45pm
  • Wednesday, December 15 from 12:00 to 2:45pm

You and your team can create a positive climate and culture during a pandemic! Participants will:

  • Learn strategies to build positive climate, improve school culture and decrease chronic absenteeism whether remote, in-person and 6 feet apart,
  • examine how to build healthy relationships within the school community even when behind the screen (staff with students, staff with staff, and staff with families),
  • explore strategies for difficult conversations among staff, students, and/or families,
  • access a framework (including staff survey) to assess your own school climate and culture through consensus decision-making,
  • leave the workshop with tools to help create a thriving school where all students and staff can feel welcome and be successful.

Everyone is welcome. We strongly encourage schools to register teams of 3 – 5 staff.  During the training, you will work closely with your team-whether you are in-person or working remotely. All teams will leave the training with a plan that can be used immediately!

The cost is $85 for each member of the school team (minimum of 3 team members) and $115 for an individual registration.  The same team should attend both sessions. The cost covers training and materials.  Zoom link will be forwarded after registration.  The sessions are limited to 50 participants.

To register and for more information: Click here or go to https://countmeinmaine.org/newsite/attend-upcoming-trainings/

If you have any questions, contact Susan Lieberman at slieberman@countmeinmaine.org

Our Journey to Success: The Westbrook 21st CCLC Intercultural Community Center 

Since 2014, Westbrook Intercultural Community Center (ICC) has offered Power School afterschool and summer learning programs to hundreds of children in Southern Maine. After taking advantage of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program through the U.S. Department of Education they were able to stabilize funding and improve efforts in a way they never thought possible. 

“The 21st Century grant has been huge for us,” said Chris Feely, 21st CCLC Program Director at ICC. “We had previously been living grant to grant, so to speak.” The consistent funding and professional support enabled the Westbrook Intercultural Community Center to expand their staff with qualified individuals, coordinate programming efforts with the local middle school, and cement themselves as a stable resource in the community. From there, Chris says building those important community connections has been the critical component to allowing them to spread awareness and appreciation for the work they are doing in the Southern Maine area. 

“We have had over 50 students join the afterschool program this fall,” said Chris. “Our outreach has been so successful that, for the first time ever, we have had to create a waiting list for registered students to enter the program.”  

Students learn about their program through word of mouth, which is often within local immigrant communities in the area. The Center also engages in purposeful and coordinated outreach with the Westbrook School Department.  

“Specifically, we work with the middle school to identify low-performing students, and then make phone calls directly to parents and guardians promoting our program,” explained Chris.  

Regular communication and twice-a-month meetings with school and district administrators Principal Laurie Wood and Superintendent Peter Lancia ensure that updates and needs that support both the program as a whole and for individual students are discussed on a regular basis.  

“Central to our collaboration is promoting equity among students, as most of our students are immigrant or first-generation Americans and low-income,” added Chris. “We work with Amanda Atkinson-Lewis, the Equity Resources Coordinator, on identifying ways to support students and have developed a strong relationship with the School Nutrition Director, Mary Emerson, to secure healthy and diverse snacks for our students every day after school.” 

Operating During the Pandemic: 

Chris recounts that their year-long remote program which took place at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic from April 2020- to June 2021 had some wonderful highlights and enabled them to accessibly reach many new students.  

“Kids could log on every day after school, participate in a brief lesson, and take their time getting homework help in virtual breakout rooms,” said Chris. “The need for academic as well as emotional support became clear, as many students opened up to teachers or would stay to chat after they had completed their homework. We felt closer to our students than ever before.” 

While this was a silver lining to the new way the Center had to operate, like many schools and afterschool programs, they came to understand that remote learning did not fit everyone’s strengths or needs and morphed their program to a hybrid model.  

“Our hybrid summer program experienced much larger attendance on in-person days, and I think that speaks to the innate need for kids to run around, socialize, and interact,” added Chris. 

Although keeping the Center successful has been a lot of hard work, especially with all of the changes that have come as a result of the pandemic, the Intercultural Community Center team strives to make a difference in the lives of students in their community. When asked what the best thing is about working with the students he serves, here is what Chris had to say:  

“Far and away, it’s the moments when you see that you’ve made a positive impact on a child. It makes all the planning and day-to-day tumult worth it– when a single mother tells us we’ve saved her daughter’s academic performance after they could no longer afford to pay her tutor; or when a 10-year-old girl who, a month ago, escaped threats on her life in Kabul, is seen laughing with friends and tells us that she loves Power School.” 

Maine Kids COVID-19 Vaccination Video Contest

With authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in partnership with the Maine Department of Education (DOE), is sponsoring a competition for videos made by and featuring Maine children encouraging other children to get vaccinated.

Videos can include:

  • Messages children or youth ages 5 to 17 believe will be effective in encouraging other children or youth along with their parents to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Original music or humor
  • Information on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy
  • Discussions of the impact of not getting vaccinated

Information that participants can use in developing these videos can be found at on the US CDC website.

Children can make these videos on their own or as part of a school activity. They can choose whether or not to include their school name.

To enter, contestants must complete the online entry form. Once the form is submitted, contestants will receive an email with instructions for submitting their video.

To be considered videos must be:

  • 30 seconds in length
  • Shot in portrait mode on a smart phone
  • Video file must not exceed 32MB

The deadline for submission is 6pm on November 22. 

The winners will be announced on December 1, 2021. The selection committee includes the Commissioners of Maine DHHS and DOE, and their communications teams.

The selection criteria will include:

  • originality and clarity of the message
  • consistency with public health information on youth vaccination
  • potential to reach groups that may be hesitant to be vaccinated

Three winners will be selected. The prize will be the use of the videos by Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on television via press conferences and/or PSAs and social media in promoting vaccination.

Additionally, the school that the winners attend will receive a cash prize to be used for:

  • supplementing school meals with healthy treats;
  • purchasing playground, classroom, gym, sports or music equipment; enhancing a school fun day; or
  • supporting a school field trip for all students.

Other ideas from the winners will be considered as well. If the winners attend different schools, then the prize will be pro-rated for those schools.

If the participants are home schooled, they may designate a public facing non-profit serving all children in the area receive the prize.

Prize amounts will be:

  • $50,000 for the first-place winner
  • $25,000 for the second-place winner
  • $10,000 for the third-place winner

Winners will need to have a consent form signed by parents that allows:

  1. use of the child’s intellectual property
  2. permission to use an image of the child

Good Luck!

Work Group to Meet on CTE Opportunities Tuesday, Nov. 2

On Tuesday November 2, 2021 from 8:00-10:00 am the Work Force Group for LD 313 will hold its first meeting hosted by the Department of Education.

LD 313 was passed in the 130th legislature and is focused on several topics regarding Career and Technical Education. If you’d wish to join as an attendee and listen to the discussion, you can use the following link. Link to join Webinar: https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/87137119084

If you have any comments on the discussion, you can send email them to; cte.doe@maine.gov

U.S. DOE School Ambassador Fellowship Application Open

The application window for the 2022-2023 cohort of U.S. Department of Education’s School Ambassador Fellowship opens Friday, October 15, 2021. The application portal will be open for application submissions through Friday, January 14, 2022.

Founded on the principles of partnership, collaboration and cooperation between the Federal Government and school-based educators, the U.S. Department of Education designed the School Ambassador Fellowship program to enable outstanding teachers, administrators, and other school leaders, such as school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and librarians to bring their school and classroom expertise to the U.S. Department of Education and to expand their knowledge of the national dialogue about education.

The School Ambassador Fellowship offers two separate 9-month tracks: full-time and part-time. The full-time appointment is based at the Department of Education Headquarters in Washington, DC and requires Fellows to relocate to the Washington, DC area for their Fellowship experience. The part-time fellowship does not require relocation allows educators to maintain their regular school responsibilities in their home communities, while also participating in the School Ambassador Fellowship experience.

To be eligible for the School Ambassador Fellowship, participants must:

  • Be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident.
  • Currently be a teacher, administrator, counselor, social worker, or other school staff member (and anticipate being employed in this role during the 2022 – 2023 school year).
  • Be employed by a traditional public, charter, private, virtual, military (DoDEA), or tribal (BIE) school that serves any grade, preschool through twelfth.
  • Have at least five years of experience in his/her role, up to and including the current school year.
  • Have daily interaction with students and/or educators in his/her school/district role.

The School Ambassador Fellowship is a professional learning community designed to improve educational outcomes for students by leveraging the expertise of school-based practitioners in the creation, evaluation, and dissemination of information around national education initiatives.

Ideal candidates for this program are educators from public, charter, independent, magnet, parochial schools, etc. who have made significant contributions to student learning and culture, can effectively communicate to a variety of internal and external education stakeholders, and can promote excellence in education through their collaboration and leadership capabilities.

Applications for the 2022-2023 cohort of the School Ambassador Fellowship applications are open through 11:59pm EST on January 14, 2022. Please visit the Applicant Information page and sign-up for updates to stay in contact with the program.

For more information on how the Fellowship works, please see the Program Overview.

Resources for National American Indian Heritage Month

November is National American Indian Heritage Month, which celebrates and recognizes the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers, and settlers of the United States.

“National American Indian Heritage Month” had its origins in 1986 when Congress passed Pub. L. 99-471 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week of November 23-30, 1986 as “American Indian Week.” As directed by Congress, President Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5577 in November 1986 proclaiming the first American Indian Week.

Both law and proclamation recognized the American Indians as the first inhabitants of the lands that now constitute the United States as well as making mention of their contributions to American society. Many of the foods we eat and the medicines and remedies we use were introduced by Indians and more than one highway follows an Indian trail. Indians make contributions in every area of endeavor and American life, and our literature and all our arts draw upon Indian themes and wisdom. Countless American Indians have served in our Armed Forces and have fought valiantly for our country.

Check out the following resources for teaching Native American Indian Heritage Month.

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Jonathan Shapiro

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

What are your roles with DOE?

I am the Director of the Maine School Safety Center (MSSC).

What do you like best about your job?

I enjoy working with a dedicated, motivated, capable, team of experts in all things concerning school safety.  I also enjoy being in a position that has such a meaningful mission – helping schools to keep their students, staff, and visitors safe!!

How or why did you decide on this career?

I have dedicated my life’s work to serving others and to ensuring their safety to the best of my ability.  This current role is an extension of that work and I can think nothing more important than keeping our schools and students safe – after all, the MSSC moto is Supporting Schools – Protecting our Future!

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

I enjoy working with my hands – fixing or creating something that can bring joy or be put to good use is rewarding to me and to the recipient 😉

The 11th Annual Maine PBIS Conference 2021

Engage with educators throughout the state to promote positive, predictable, equitable, and effective learning environments for all!

November 5th, 2021
VIRTUAL and FREE!
9am – 3pm
Please register for this event (Connection information will be sent to your email after you register)

AGENDA:

  • 9:00 AM Welcome
  • 9:30 AM Keynote Address “Sustaining PBIS by Putting Equity at the Center of Our Work” – Kent McIntosh,  PhD – Philip H. Knight Chair of Special Education at the University of Oregon, Director of Educational and Community Supports, Co-Director of the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Lead of the Center’s Equity Workgroup, Founding member of the PBIS-SCP Canada Network, Member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Positive Behavior Support
  • 10:45 Break
  • 11:00 AM Keynote Follow-up through Facilitated and Interactive Discussion Groups
  • 11:30 Lunch
  • 1:00 PM Keynote Address: “Integration is Key to Doing Less, Better: Engaging a Whole Child Approach in Schools” – Sandra M. Chafouleas, PhD, NCSP – Distinguished Professor in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, Directs the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH), Authors a Psychology Today blog on promoting student well-being

Please contact Courtney Angelosante (courtney.pacholski@maine.edu) with any questions!