Join the Maine Department of Education in extending congratulations to Ellen Payne, from Nokomis Regional High School, as the 2021 Recipient of The Jaqueline Mitchell Mathematics Educator Award! The award was presented by The Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine (ATOMIM) on June 16, 2021.
Read more about Ellen and the award on the ATOMIM website.
Contact information: Michele Mailhot, Secondary Mathematics Specialist, michele.r.mailhot@maine.gov
With the start of a new school year underway, the safety and security of students, teachers, and staff remains top of mind for schools and districts across the country. For the pre-kindergarten through grade 12 (pre-K to 12) community, school safety encompasses measures and systems ranging from mental health support, threat assessment and reporting, and fostering a positive school climate. Integrating these various components and elements of school safety helps school communities better address the range of threats and hazards they may face, while maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment for students to thrive and grow.
The U.S. Department of Education (USED) has created an informational one-page document that includes key school safety elements and topics for schools to consider this year, including Bullying and Cyberbullying, Mental Health, Threat Assessment and Reporting, School Climate, Emergency Planning, Physical Security, and COVID-19.
BACK TO SCHOOL Resources for Schools and Districts (PDF)
For further information visit https://www.schoolsafety.gov/ or reach out to the Maine School Safety Center.
This spring, Maine Department of Education (DOE) Adult Education Professional Development Coordinator Amy Poland worked with the EdTech Center at World Education to develop an observation tool for remote instruction (specific for adult learners).
As a member of the Innovating Distance Education in Adult Learning (IDEAL) IDEAL Consortium, Maine is part of a consortium of states dedicated to increasing access to high-quality distance and blended education opportunities for adult learners, and this work was an extension of our work with IDEAL.
For further information, reach out to Maine DOE Adult Education Professional Development Coordinator Amy Poland at amy.poland@maine.gov.
Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on August 31 at 3:00 PM EDT for an informational webinar on back-to-school safety for the K-12 community.
During the session, leaders from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education will provide an overview of resources, programs, and guidance to support schools in safely re-opening as the 2021-2022 academic school year gets underway. The discussion will feature information on efforts including the Return to School Roadmap, the Lessons from the Field Webinar Series, and the Summer Learning & Enrichment Collaborative.
The webinar will close with a brief look at the additional resources offered through the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on school safety topics like school climate and mental health, physical security, and threat assessment and reporting, as well as a question and answer period for participants to engage directly with our speakers.
We hope you can join us for this special event. If you have any questions, please contact the School Safety team at SchoolSafety@hq.dhs.gov.
This webinar is part of the 2021 School Safety Webinar Series, a program hosted by the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse to address emerging risks and threats facing the K-12 school community. Held on a monthly basis, the webinar series covers a range of school safety topics, and provides information on the resources, tools, and best practices available to equip school leaders with a set of strategies in creating safer and more resilient school systems. Learn more about the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse at SchoolSafety.gov.
A veteran educator has become the new director of Lewiston Adult Education and Auburn Adult & Community Education.
Photo (curtesy of Lewiston Adult Education): Jennifer Tiner, left, stands with Certified Nursing Assistant graduate Angel Monk in this 2018 photo. Tiner has become the new director of Lewiston Adult Education and Auburn Adult & Community Education.
The Lewiston School Board approved hiring Jennifer Tiner on Aug. 16. She replaces William Grant, who has served as director for the Lewiston and Auburn programs since 2016. He became the executive director of operations for Lewiston Public Schools earlier this summer.
Tiner is a Lewiston High School and Bates College graduate who has had a 23-year career in education. She worked as an English teacher, parenting instructor and teen parenting center coordinator at Lewiston High School. Tiner has served as assistant director for Lewiston Adult Education for the past eight years.
She has led job training programs at Lewiston Adult Education that included partnerships with local businesses. Students became certified nursing assistants to construction workers thanks to the classes. This fall, Lewiston Adult Education will offer classes in health care and computer support.
“Adult education provides many opportunities for continued, life-long learning. I am excited to serve both Lewiston and Auburn and look forward to building partnerships throughout our communities,” said Tiner.
Tiner has a master’s of arts degree in educational policy and leadership from Wheelock College in Boston.
This article is part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea email it to Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) invites teachers to participate in a series of virtual workshops on topics related to serving English learners and managing an English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. While the sessions will be targeted to the needs of new ESOL teachers, all are welcome! More experienced ESOL teachers and others whose work relates to the topics listed will also find information of value and benefit from connecting with colleagues across Maine.
See the list of sessions below for dates and topics of focus each month. Each session will be held from 3:00-4:00pm. Participants should plan to attend all sessions in the series, to the extent possible. Contact hours will be available for participation in the sessions. Ideally participants, as a cohort of learners, will develop and sustain a professional connection beyond the monthly sessions.
Note that this series of workshops for new teachers will touch upon the 2020 Edition of the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework, but for those who are looking for in-depth work on the ELD Standards, please take advantage of the other professional learning opportunities centered around that topic.
The workshops will be facilitated by Robin Fleck, Maine DOE ESOL Consultant, and will feature guest speakers during some sessions. If you have any questions, contact Robin at robin.fleck@maine.gov.
Register HERE to receive the Zoom links.
| Date | Topics | |
| Session 1 | Monday, September 13, 2021 |
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| Session 2 | Thursday, October 7, 2021 |
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| Session 3 | Monday, November 15, 2021 |
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| Session 4 | Thursday, January 13, 2022 |
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| Session 5 | Thursday, February 17, 2022 |
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| Session 6 | Thursday, April 7, 2022 |
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| Session 7 | Thursday, June 2, 2022 |
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Maine DOE team member Erin Reinhard is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team.
What are your roles with DOE?
Certification Specialist, I evaluate applications for certification and support educators in the field.
What do you like best about your job?
I love e-mailing with educators. It is extremely gratifying to assist educators in finding the answer they are looking for, helping them complete a requirement, and most importantly letting them know they are certified. I send around 500 e-mails a week and I enjoyed every single one of them (I am not joking)!
How or why did you decide on this career?
I did not intend on this career pathway, but my favorite jobs were ones where you get to assist someone to completing a goal. Every day I get to help someone complete something they have been striving to attain, whether for a few months or for years. When they cross the finish line I am as happy for them as they are exciting to be done.
What do you like to do outside of work for fun?
I hate to say it, but my favorite thing to do is spoil my tiny white dog! He might argue that it is torture, please see picture for example.
In collaboration with community agencies, Aroostook County Action Committee (ACAP), through the Aroostook Public Health District Vaccine Awareness Subcommittee and WAGM-TV, continues to roll out a marketing campaign featuring local “celebrities” sharing their stories about why they chose to receive their COVID-19 vaccination, and why they are encouraging others to do the same.
The latest in the series of public service announcements features County youth explaining to their peers and the community why they got vaccinated. The spot was released just as many County schools prepare to go back into session for the new school year. Like the previously released spots featuring adults, youth featured in the video clips come from across the geographic and demographic landscape of Aroostook County.
Check out the video below:
The Maine Legislature passed a law requiring all school drinking and cooking water fixtures be tested for lead. All schools will either need to work with their local water professional or use the provided training materials to identify water sampling locations, collect water samples, coordinate with the designated laboratory, report results, and follow up with plans/procedures/actions based on the sampling results. Schools should designate someone for this responsibility.
Samples can be ordered on October 1st, 2021. To begin preparing for your sampling, visit our website at www.medwp.com/schools.html to download instructions.
Communication is Key
Before you begin sampling for lead in your school’s drinking water, it’s recommended that you communicate your efforts to parents and guardians. Make it known that by collecting lead water samples, your school is working toward creating a healthier and safer learning environment for students.
Staying ahead with your messaging is proactive and builds trust. Attached is a template your school can use to develop your messaging:
If you have specific questions about the program you can contact the Drinking Water Program at 207-287-2070. You can also visit Maine’s Childhood Lead Poisoning website, or by calling 866-292-3474.
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Team will be holding a training session on August 24th at 10am to discuss how School Administrative Units (SAUs) and private schools should be submitting Homeless Student data to the state.
The target audience for this training includes both data coordinators and McKinney-Vento Liaisons.
We will have Maine DOE Migrant Education Specialist Amelia Lyons on hand to answer any specific Homeless Student data questions.
Please follow the “Join Live” link below at the time of the training to join us.
Join the 8/24/21 Training Live here
For questions, please contact Maine DOE Helpdesk at medms.helpdesk@maine.gov
Maine DOE Newsroom 