Category: Newsroom Articles

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine DOE Comprehensive Mental Health Forum Draws Over 350 Educators and School Staff with Both State and National Experts Sharing Lived Experiences

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 2, 2021
Contact: Kelli Deveaux

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) hosts a timely and successful workshop, “Supporting Maine Educators: A Forum to Bolster Mental Health in Our Schools” Thursday, April 1, 2021.

Augusta, Maine- On April 1, 2021 Maine Department of Education hosted a workshop, Supporting Maine Educators: A Forum to Bolster Mental Health in Our Schools as the latest in the Departments professional development efforts. The virtual, six-hour event was open to all educators and staff in Maine schools, and focused on acknowledging the struggles of this past year, celebrating successes, and building resources to support mental health for Maine’s school communities. While over 350 educators were able to attend live throughout the day, this event was intentionally designed to be accessible asynchronously for those who were working with students and in classrooms during the daylong event. The entire event will be available for viewing April 2nd  at School & Student Supports (O3S) | Department of Education (maine.gov)   and will include access to all resources.

“Ensuring the mental health and well-being of both staff and students in Maine’s schools has been and continues to be one of our greatest priorities,” said Pender Makin, Commissioner of Education.  “While our schools continue to provide safe and welcoming classrooms and spaces in which all can grow and learn, our DOE team members are providing outstanding resources and professional development to assist educators in identifying and addressing mental health needs in students, and even in themselves.  I am so grateful to this amazing panel of professionals, who provided such a rich experience to over 350 of our Maine educators.”

Bear Shea, LCSW and Maine Department of Education’s School Counselor and Mental Health Specialist, spoke to the educators, and offered a message of gratitude on behalf of the Department. “We wanted to take this opportunity to recognize the essential work of our educators, especially in this last year during the pandemic as mental health concerns have never been more in the spotlight.”

With a goal of bringing greater awareness to the importance of mental health, destigmatizing mental illness, increasing mental health literacy for staff, administrators and community-based agencies, and to provide practical supports to bolster the mental wellness of students and staff, the event featured the following keynote speakers and was facilitated by Maine DOE mental health, social emotional learning, and school support specialists.

  • John T. Broderick, Jr.  Dartmouth- Hitchcock Senior Director of External Affairs Former Chief Justice of the NH Supreme Court
  • Ayesha Hall, District Social Emotional Learning and Equity Resource Coordinator for Lewiston Public Schools
  • Christine Proefrock, Music Director, Calais Middle School
  • Ellen Nicholas, K-8 Art Teacher at Sipayik Elementary School
  • Joanne Palumbo McCallie, Author and Former Duke, Michigan State and UMAINE Women’s Head Basketball Coach

The agenda featured sessions with each of the keynote speakers, which were then followed by a related panel discussion comprised of experts from the field, State agencies and community partners, as well as staff and students from Maine schools. Live attendees from across the state were able to share their own experiences and ask questions of the panelists.

  • The first keynote, “Changing the Culture and View of Mental Illness” focused on Judge Broderick’s work on eliminating stigma and raising understanding of mental health for youth. The panel discussion included Judge Broderick;Casey Maddock from Scarborough High School and Isaiah Doble from Camden Hills High School both Maine high school seniors; and Dr. Karen Barnes of the Maine School Safety Center, who discussed mental health stigma faced by Maine students and educators and the positive approaches that are being employed to support school mental health and wellbeing.
  • The second keynote, “Keep Calm and Educate On: The Impact of Covid-19 for Educators” centered on presentations from Maine educators who shared their experiences over the past year and the ways they have approached providing education and support through the adversity of the pandemic. The presenters included Ayesha Hall, District Social Emotional Learning and Equity Resource Coordinator for Lewiston Public Schools; Christine Proefrock, Music Director, Calais Middle School; and Ellen Nicholas, K-8 Art Teacher at Sipayik Elementary School, Perry Maine. Following the keynote, presenters were joined by Johnathan Radtke, Assistant Principal of Falmouth High School; Amber Nelson, at-risk youth attorney; and Bonnie Robbins, school counselor in Poland’s Whittier Middle School, to explore the impact of the pandemic on educators. The discussion covered the grief and loss from schools going remote in the spring of 2020, the importance of finding new ways to support students and staff during the crisis, and the lessons learned that have been used to build positive ways to continue to engage, educate and support schools now and in the future.
  • The closing keynote, “Stories Over Stigma: Finding the Secret Warrior Within All of Us” brought Maine coach phenom, Joanne Palumbo McCallie to share her own battle with mental health and negative stigma and to speak directly to the challenges educators and students have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the panel that followed, Coach P. was joined by Greg Marley of NAMI Maine; Kellie Bailey, DOE Social Emotional Learning Specialist; and Sarah Nelson, Social Emotional Learning Coach and 4thGrade Educator, Ames Elementary School, Searsmont Maine, to build on the keynote themes of mental health support and perseverance in face of adversity. The panel discussed the strengths of engaging with students and staff with a strong, relational approach, building adult social emotional learning and the power of building inclusive teams as a way to connect and support schools.

Attendees of the forum included school principals, social workers, counselors, superintendents, psychologists, nurses, teachers and many others from community agencies and organizations. They reported appreciation for recognition of the impact COVID-19 has had, and that the panels explored significant but seldom talked about topics including grief, stigma and practical ways to increase emotional health.

Yesterday’s forum was just the latest in Maine Department of Education’s efforts to address mental health and wellness for students and schools by providing robust professional development, technical assistance and resources to education professionals across the state, as students are best supported by the trusted teacher, counselor or family member who can recognize issues and guide our youth to the resources in their communities.

In 2019, when the new administration prioritized youth mental health, the DOE restructured and formed the Office of School and Student Supports (OSSS). This team is comprised of professional educators, social workers, counselors, community and family engagement specialists, health and wellness specialists, and healthcare providers as well as school based mental health clinicians. The comprehensive, collaborative team and their plan to address and support mental health and well-being for Maine’s students existed long before the pandemic and allowed them to pivot in the spring of 2020 to immediately address the impact of COVID19 on students and staff.

Since March of 2020, OSSS has provided over 5,300 contact hours directly to educators in content areas, training and support for schools on the employment of mental health best practices to support their students. Many of these training modules have been recorded and archived for anyone to use.

In November, Maine DOE announced the availability of a free, online, Maine developed and best-practice driven social emotional learning program for use with any students from prek-12.  The SEL4ME program has been accessed more than 30,000 times since November, and teachers are intertwining these developmentally appropriate lessons into their curriculum and expectations, helping students to build healthy body and mind skills by incorporating the assignments as a part of their classroom routines.

Please reach out to the Office of School and Students Supports at Maine DOE for further information and mental health support for educators and students.

 

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Priority Notice: Registration for 2021 ESOL Meeting May 7, 2021 Now Open!

Registration for the 2021 Maine English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Meeting is now open! All educators and community partners are welcome to attend this free virtual event on Friday May 7th, which will feature a variety of speakers and presentations on topics related to ESOL.

We are excited to hear from Elena Sullivan, Maine’s 2021 ESOL Teacher of the Year, the Department’s Family Engagement/Cultural Responsiveness Specialist Deqa Dhalac, and Dr. Laurene Christensen from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, who will be speaking on identification and services of students who are English learners and students with disabilities. Details on the breakout sessions, facilitated by outstanding ESOL educators from around Maine, will be available in the Professional Learning section of the Maine DOE English learners webpage in early April.

Register here to receive Zoom links to all the day’s events (to be emailed to you on 5/3/21). Participants may attend the full day or specific sessions, as their interests and schedules allow. Sessions will be recorded and shared on the Maine DOE YouTube channel after the event concludes.  See the tentative schedule below, and contact April Perkins at april.perkins@maine.gov if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Tentative Schedule of Events

10:00-10:20       Opening Remarks: April Perkins, World Languages & ESOL/Bilingual Programs Specialist

10:20-10:30       A Message from our 2021 ESOL Teacher of the Year: Elena Sullivan

10:30-10:50       Plenary Speaker: Deqa Dhalac, Family Engagement & Cultural Responsiveness Specialist

10:50-11:00       Break

11:00-12:00       Keynote Speaker: Dr. Laurene Christensen

12:00-12:45       Social Time/Lunch

Breakout Presentations

12:45-1:15          Session A

1:20-2:05            Session B

2:10-2:55            Session C

 

WIDA Standards Framework 2020 to be Introduced at Maine ESOL Meeting on May 7

The WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, is now available! This new framework provides a clear and coherent structure to guide the development of curriculum, instruction, and assessment of content-driven English language learning. The 2020 Edition:

  • Incorporates ideas and feedback from educators around the world
  • Refines and enhances ideas and concepts from prior editions and resources
  • Continues to advance the field of language development and academic achievement for multilingual learners, pushing forward the latest theory, policy, and practice
  • Serves as the foundation for systems that foster engaged interactive student learning and collaborative educator practice
  • Is centered on equity and fosters the assets, contributions, and potential of culturally and linguistically diverse children and youth

Maine Department of Education (DOE) will be introducing the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, on May 7th at the Maine ESOL Meeting. All educators, administrators, and community partners are invited to attend this free, virtual event, which will include a session on the 2020 ELD Standards Framework and Maine’s implementation plan, as well as a variety of other ESOL-related sessions for participants to attend.

For more information and to register for the Maine ESOL Meeting, please visit the Maine DOE professional development calendar.

Visit the WIDA ELD Standards webpage to download the 2020 Edition, learn about professional learning opportunities, and access resources. WIDA is offering a free, self-paced, six-module training called The WIDA 2020 ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach. This training is available to all Maine public school educators through the WIDA Secure Portal. If you do not yet have a WIDA Secure Portal account, contact WIDA Client Services to have one set up for you.

In addition, the Maine Department of Education is hosting two eWorkshops, facilitated by WIDA, on Planning with 2020 WIDA ELD Standards. The eWorkshops will take place on June 9th from 9:30am to 11:30am and June 16th from 9:30am to 11:30am. Registration is not yet open, so stay tuned for announcements or contact April Perkins at april.perkins@maine.gov for more information.

Priority Notice: Maine Department of Education Speaks Out Against Attacks on Asian American and Pacific Island Community Members

The Maine Department of Education joins our colleagues and communities across Maine, as well as leaders across the nation, in taking a stance against the demonstrations of hate and violence endured by our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) friends and neighbors.  The reported attacks on members of the AAPI community members across our country, and here in Maine, and the horrific murders in Atlanta on March 16, 2021 are painful reminders of the importance of recognizing the harm that prejudice and racism inflict upon all of us.

Race-based violence has no place in our society; we strongly denounce such actions, and we stand in solidarity with AAPI communities to demand the end of the discrimination and attacks. We encourage Maine schools and educators to join us as we engage in education about the impact of discrimination and violence on our society.

We understand that discussions about discrimination and violence can be emotional and at times difficult to navigate for both educators and our students. With this in mind, the Maine DOE has created a resource page to help support these conversations in our classrooms. It is also important for both educators and students to take time to reflect on our own biases and beliefs in order to help us understand how we see the world around us. Our webpage on Personal, Student, and Staff Reflection and Engagement has a variety of videos and tools to help with this process of reflection.

The Maine Department of Education, in partnership with our schools and educators across Maine, pledges to continue to speak up with and on behalf of every student and every person in our education system. We strive to create an inclusive culture within all Maine schools, where all people are supported, celebrated, and heard.

Bath Middle School 8th Graders Find Their Passion

Eighth graders at Bath Middle School (BMS) are preparing for high school with “Journey to Success,” a cross-disciplinary learning initiative (called an “expedition”) with a presentation component. Students were recently asked to identify something they are passionate about and present the topic in front of their classmates.

Pictured above: Sawyer Wright demonstrates his model airplane before his presentation on the aerodynamics of flight.

“Middle school is the transition between ‘everything is possible’ and narrowing your field,” said science teacher Monica Wright, describing the importance of helping students identify their passions so that they can pursue them in high school and beyond. “Before winter break, we helped students make their own ‘interest bracket.’ On one side they put things that they think about often; things that jazz them up. On the other side they put things that make them mad. Going through the bracket helped them articulate things they are passionate about.”

Projects spanned a broad range of topics, and every eight-grade teacher played a role in each student’s success: social studies teacher Tiffany Alexander helped them perform interviews with local experts, tech ed teacher Steve Richard supported hands-on building projects (like setting up wave tanks, house models, and engineering cars), art teacher Jackie Johnson helped them create their displays, and ed techs, like Roman Quinn, offered ongoing support.

Tirzah Berglund’s scale model house presentation
Shealyn Brochu shows a video where she dissected a pig heart to show the innerworkings of the organ.

Presentations took place on February 25 and 26 in the BMS cafeteria – it was the first time that some students had spent class time together since the pandemic started. Topics included everything from suicide prevention to traditional chip boat design to the aerodynamics of flight. Shealyn Brochu filmed herself dissecting a pig’s heart and demonstrated the inner workings of the organ in her presentation, “How can the heart be cured?” Gaffney McDonough, who had been helping his father with the restoration of a Ford Model A, documented his repair of the car’s signature “ahooga” horn. Belle Watson wrote and recorded a heartfelt song about discrimination.

Despite the breadth of topics, there was one common thread: the students’ enthusiasm and pride in their work.

“Every student put themselves out there,” said Wright. “There were so many moments where they had to let themselves be vulnerable. In the end, their perception about the project went from, ‘This is something I have to do,’ to ‘This is something I’m really passionate about doing.’ Every kid did that, and that’s what’s so important to me.”

Wright said the passion projects could not have been done without the one-on-one support of ed tech Roman Quinn, who joined BMS this year. Quinn discovered a 3D printer in the school’s library and taught himself how to use it so he could help students create unique props for their presentations. For example, when student Brady Wallace wanted to make a presentation on turbochargers vs. superchargers, Quinn helped him locate a design and print a model turbocharger to show his class. Quinn even lent his own car to the passion process when student Jackson Murray wanted to learn how to change a tire.

“I filmed Jackson changing the tire at BMS,” Quinn said. “It turns out that he was born to be in front of the camera – he was so personable. So determined. The whole experience was awesome.”

Quinn, who worked in finance before switching careers, said projects like this make him wish he had become a teacher “right out of the gate.”

“I know what it’s like to watch the clock at work. Now, every day I leave work, I’m still energized. I have just as much fun as the kids, if not more,” he said.

The final step in the eight grade’s “Journey to Success” expedition will come at the end of the year when students present evidence to a panel of judges that they are ready to start high school; a process guided by English language arts teacher Adelle Carter. But these have students already accomplished something that they can carry forever: finding and sharing their passion.

This article was provided by Bath Middle School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email it to Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Emergency Rental Assistance Program Available for Eligible Families

The Maine Department of Education asks that our school and district partners please share this important information with families that may need housing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MaineHousing and Maine’s Community Action Agencies are accepting applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. This program helps pay rent and utility costs for eligible renters affected by COVID-19. Maine’s Community Action Agencies are running this program in communities across Maine.

Program information and the application link can be found here: mainehousing.org/covidrent

Marketing Materials:
Flyer
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For further information or questions, please reach out to MaineHousing at (800) 452-4668 or (207) 626-4600.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Vaccination Appointments Available NOW for School/Child Care Staff

Have you received your COVID-19 vaccine? Your shot is waiting for you! 

All Maine residents who are Pre-K through Grade 12 school staff/teachers, or who work at licensed child care providers are eligible to be vaccinated, regardless of age.

APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE: Click here to view a list of locations and instructions for scheduling an appointment.

Questions? Answers to frequently asked questions are available here.

The Early Learning Team Releases New Public Pre-K Guidebook

The Maine Department of Education’s Early Learning Team and Head Start State Collaboration Office  are excited to offer a new resource to facilitate the expansion of high-quality and inclusive public Pre-K in Maine.

The Public Pre-K Guidebook describes high-quality pre-k programming, provides guidance for developing and implementing inclusive public pre-k programs that align with state requirements,  and offers links to a wide variety of useful tools.  This guidebook will support not only school administrative units planning new programs, but also existing programs with continuous improvement efforts. The guidebook can be accessed digitally on the Early Childhood Education  homepage or downloaded as a PDF document.

In the guidebook you’ll find detailed information related to the following topics:

  • Program Standards and Learning Standards
  • Program Structure
  • Inclusive Student Support
  • Collaborations and Partnerships
  • Preschool Budgets
  • Family Engagement
  • Transition to Preschool and Kindergarten
  • Technical Assistance

Information will be updated as appropriate.

Any questions can be directed to Nicole.Madore@maine.gov Early Childhood Specialist, Nena.m.cunningham@maine.gov Head Start State Collaboration Director, or Marcy.r.whitcomb@maine.gov Early Childhood Monitor.

Berwick Teacher Selected for National History Day Spring Webinar Series

Ms. Christa Boeykens-Bui, a teacher at Noble Middle School in Berwick, Maine is one of only 120 teachers selected for a National History Day® (NHD) spring professional development program. This course focuses on using online Library of Congress resources to develop and support historical arguments and is a feature of NHD’s membership in the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Consortium.

The teachers chosen for this honor represent NHD’s 58 affiliates across the country and around the world, and the National History Day program in Maine selected Ms. Boeykens-Bui. NHD affiliates include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and international school programs in China, South Asia, and South Korea.

“The skills and strategies Ms. Boeykens-Bui is developing through this series will benefit her students over the course of their academic and professional careers,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “As a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member, NHD is incredibly fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity for teachers, especially now as teachers and students continue to address challenges of non-traditional learning settings required by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

For several months, Ms. Boeykens-Bui works with her peers around the country and National History Day staff to build knowledge for teaching with online Library of Congress resources. Upon completion of the series, she will have demonstrated the ability to share with her students key strategies for researching, supporting, and presenting historical arguments bolstered by these primary sources.

NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, which seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website.

For more information about the national level program, visit nhd.org. for more information about National History Day in Maine visit  http://www.mcslibrary.org/national-history-day-in-maine/ or contact State Coordinator John Taylor at john.m.taylor@maine.edu or 207-474-7133.

Registration Open for Black Student Caucus Hosted by MYAN

This April, MYAN (Maine Youth Action Network) is hosting a multi-day virtual caucus for Black Student Unions and Black students from across Maine. Each Saturday of the month (four events in total), Black youth in Maine will have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another and four incredible keynote speakers.

Each Saturday is dedicated to one of four main topics: Black Excellence, Black Self Preservation and Wellness, Shades of Blackness, and Black Expression.

This space is explicitly reserved for Black student unions and individual Black youth. Participating Black youth currently in middle school, high school, college, and out of school will have an avenue to foster networks and dialogues with each other. We additionally welcome Maine high school graduates from the Black community who are pursuing plans for themselves outside of post-secondary education.

To learn more about this event or to register, visit our website using the button below!

Learn more here or contact MYAN.