Maine DOE Releases Sneak Peek of MOOSE Learning Module Library

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has released a sneak peek of MOOSE, a new online Learning Module Library (Maine Online Opportunity for Sustained Education) that will launch on Tuesday, September 8th, 2020. The website provides free access to a-synchronous, interdisciplinary, project-based learning modules aligned to the Maine Learning Results for all grades, PK-12.

Preview more of the module topics visit the Maine DOE website.

Maine educators, curriculum leaders, and educational community organizations throughout Maine have worked all summer to produce the engaging and innovative learning opportunities in MOOSE. Educators have also have been invited to take part in a second phase of the website’s development that will begin on September 8^th when the site launches.

The For more information about MOOSE please contact Beth Lambert,  beth.lambert@maine.gov or Page Nichols, page.nichols@maine.gov.

Seeking Members for DOE Truancy, Drop Out and Alternative Education Advisory Committee

The Department of Education is seeking individuals who are invested in identifying and reducing barriers to school attendance for Maine students. The Truancy, Drop Out and Alternative Education Advisory Committee has been appointed to advise the Commissioner of Education on the development and implementation of state and local policies and programs that are needed to deal effectively with the incidence of truancy and dropouts in Maine schools. In accordance with PL 2007, c. 667, §10 (AMD), the committee will consider its mandate in a broad context to assess the causes of truancy and dropouts, the effectiveness of alternative education and prevention programs, and the social and educational programs or changes needed to encourage students to remain in school, including reintegration planning and aftercare services provided for juvenile offenders who have been released from juvenile facilities in the State and have enrolled in schools in the State.

The 15 member committee will meet throughout the year with the support of DOE staff to review and discuss current information related to student attendance, as well as examine policy and guidance practices for the State. Committee members will join for a two year period with the option to be reappointed. We are bringing together a team with diverse backgrounds including: school principals, school counselors, adult education teachers, superintendents, administrators of private schools, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Corrections, Department of Labor, staff or community members of dropout and alternative education programs, business community representatives, as well as other individuals who will contribute to the development of effective guidance and programs and who are passionate about the success of students.

We hope you are interested in joining this important work, and are looking forward to having you as part of this team.

If you have questions, or are interested in serving on the committee, please contact Maine DOE School Counseling and Mental Health Specialist Bear Shea at w.bear.shea@maine.gov or Office of School and Student Supports Director Rich Meserve at richard.meserve@maine.gov.

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Jonathan Graham

Maine DOE Team member Jonathan Graham 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 Elementary Digital Learning Specialist on the MLTI Team within the Office of Innovation. I work with educators around the best ways to implement technology into their schools and classrooms. I also work to provide guidance around digital learning through different DOE initiatives and through organizations like ACTEM and MASL. Building a connection with MASL and School Librarians over the past year has been a rewarding addition to my job.

What do you like best about your job?

I really enjoy visiting schools, where I can learn from staff and students. Seeing and celebrating their successes is invigorating. Most recently working on MLTI 2.0 has been a highlight since MLTI completely changed my career trajectory during my student teaching.

How or why did you decide on this career?

My mother was middle school teacher and gave me the advice of becoming an ed tech as a college student to gain perspective on career in education. I have been fortunate to work in a wide variety of roles within several school systems. I fell in love with technology integration during my student teaching and never looked back. A position at the Maine DOE allows me to continue growing as an educator while giving back to my profession.

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

I am married (to a teacher) and have two middle schoolers and we enjoy day trips that involve cultural and outdoor activities and usually some tasty food. I also love to cook and particularly enjoy learning about new cuisines and dishes. I also enjoy podcasts – it’s a great way to learn while doing housework or driving.

Maine DOE Specialists Offering Virtual Content Specific Office Hours

As educators and schools are preparing for the 2020/2021 school year, Maine Department of Education specialists have begun once again offering regular and on-going virtual office hours in a number of content areas. During these meetings, Department specialists will be available to provide support and guidance regarding distance, hybrid and in-person learning and school supports, as well as to facilitate networking and resource sharing between educators and school staff.

Be sure to check out the Department’s Professional Development Calendar on a regular basis to see what is being offered and when. As the school year goes into full swing there will be many more learning and networking opportunities posted there on a regular basis.

As a reminder, the Department also offers an ever-growing library of recorded webinars and sessions to support educators, school staff, and administrators. The library is organized by topic area and it can be found here.

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine Teachers of the Year Association and Maine DOE Create Special “Teacher to Teacher” Back to School Message

The Maine Teachers of the Year Association, in partnership with the Maine Department of Education, has created a special “teacher to teacher” back to school message to help kick off the 2020/2021 school year.

The video message features Maine’s current and legacy Teachers of the Year and County Teachers of the Year. Their message is one of compassion, inspiration, hope, self-care, and unity for teachers across Maine as schools, and educators prepare to welcome back their students in a year like no other.

MEDIA RELEASE: State Finalists Announced for 2021 Maine Teacher of the Year

Three Maine teachers have been announced as State finalists for the 2021 Maine Teacher of the Year program. The finalists were chosen from the 2020 Maine County Teachers of the Year honored earlier this year during a special virtual ceremony which was viewed over 7,000 times.

The Maine Teacher of the Year program honors outstanding teachers who represent the thousands of excellent educators in Maine. Maine’s Teacher of the Year serves as an advocate for the teaching profession, education and students, and represents Maine in the National Teacher of the Year program.

Each educator was nominated by a member of their community for their exemplary service in education and dedication to their students. They were selected by a distinguished panel of teachers, principals, and business community members from a pool of hundreds of other nominated teachers in their communities.

The Maine Department of Education, Educate Maine, Maine State Board of Education and the Maine State Teacher of the Year Association are pleased to announce that Cindy Soule (Cumberland), Alison Babb-Brott (Knox) and Heather Webster (Lincoln) are moving on as 2021 State Finalists.

Please join us in congratulating the 2021 Maine Teacher of the Year finalists.

Cindy Soule

Gerald A. Talbot Community School, Portland
2020 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year

Cindy Soule creates a learning community that disrupts the opportunity gap. For twenty of her twenty-one years of teaching, she has been committed to one of Maine’s most diverse schools, the Gerald E. Talbot Community School, in Portland, Maine. Soule fosters a dynamic learning environment that inspires curiosity and citizenship in her fourth-grade students.

A lifelong resident of Maine, Soule developed an appreciation for the natural world. This passion is evident in her teaching. She grounds learning in real world contexts and encourages students to construct scientific understanding through observation, questioning, and collaborative thinking.  Through inquiry and discourse, Soule empowers students to see themselves as meaningful contributors to their community. This work is recognized by her Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching candidacy.

Soule contributes to a positive culture of collective efficacy where students thrive. To enrich student learning, she partners with community organizations to include Side X Side, the Maine Audubon, and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance. She serves as a representative on the Portland Schools Literacy Committee, Talbot Leadership Team, Building Steering Committee, RTI Team, and Science Teams. On behalf of students, Soule is a recipient of Portland Education Foundation, TD Banknorth and DonorsChoose grants.

Soule holds a Master of Science in Special Education from the University of Southern Maine and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from the University of Maine at Orono. A 2020 Funds for Teachers Fellow, she looks forward to continued professional discovery and learning.

Alison Babb-Brott

St. George School, St. George
2020 Knox County Teacher of the Year

Alison Babb-Brott is the second grade teacher at St. George School in St. George, Maine, where she has taught since 2016. Babb-Brott is inspired by the power and potential of young students and sets the bar for high expectations, as evidenced by her students’ engagement and achievement. She believes that by teaching students to be the leaders of their classroom and academic careers, they will in turn become leaders of their communities and their world.

Babb-Brott teaches learning expeditions that connect students with authentic, local experiences – like her “Plants and Pollinators” expedition, in which students study local flora and fauna and plant pollinator gardens – and also expose students to global perspectives – like her “Schools and Community” expedition, in which students explore schools around the world to find similarities that connect them and differences that challenge them.

Underlying Babb-Brott’s content delivery is a fierce commitment to the development of her students’ character. Every interaction is designed to teach and support integrous care for student dialogue, classroom culture, and academic achievement.

Babb-Brott graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management. She later received her Master of Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2015.

She returned to teach in Maine as the ocean and her family called her home. On a boat in Penobscot Bay or in the stands at her younger sister’s soccer games, she is happiest surrounded by friends and family.

Heather Webster

Medomak Valley High School, Waldoboro
2020 Lincoln County Teacher of the Year

Heather Webster is an English teacher at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, Maine, where she has just completed her 19th year. Webster is an active teacher-leader who is always focused on improving the school experience for all students; she has served on many and varied committees and particularly enjoys developing student-centered curriculum. She is the co-founder of the school’s student-staffed writing center. She also started Storybook Theater, a community service drama program where high school students bring a book to life for elementary students.

Webster recognizes the importance of relationships and works to establish positive ones both in and out of the classroom. Her classroom motto, from the Apollo 13 mission, is “Failure is not an option,” and she works to provide students with choices and multiple opportunities to demonstrate knowledge, often seeking out or creating, project-based activities to employ in her classroom.

Webster graduated from the University of Maine in 1991, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English. She later completed the coursework for teaching certification and is currently pursuing a Master of Education in Literacy with a concentration in Writing and the Teaching of Writing at the University of Maine. Family, both nuclear and extended, are of utmost importance to Webster. Her husband, Phil, supports her endeavors, and parenting her 16-year-old son Russell has definitely contributed to making her a better teacher. She loves reading, writing, and scrapbooking, and can often be found on horseback navigating woods trails or circling a show ring.

One of these three teachers will be named the 2021 Maine Teacher of the Year, an honor awarded each year to one teacher in Maine. The announcement will be in October after the final stages of the selection process are complete.

Maine Teacher of the Year is a program of the Maine Department of Education, administered by Educate Maine. For more information, visit http://www.mainetoy.org.

Mother and Son Team Up for Virtual Farm to School Cook-off

When the pandemic closed school buildings abruptly in March, the annual Maine Farm to School Cook-off was put on hold. The cook-off is an annual competition among students and school nutrition staff, featuring Maine grown ingredients, organized by the Maine Child Nutrition office. As an alternative, a virtual Farm to School Cook-off was offered to participating teams to showcase their prepared meals in a virtual format.

Capitalizing on the unique opportunity of being in the same household during the pandemic, Gina and Caleb of Team “Sonday” from RSU 54, playfully named to showcase the mother and son duo, embraced the challenge and created breakfast and lunch videos to showcase the meals they had planned for the cook-off.

Two challenge ingredients were part of the competition, donated by Maine farms and producers, including rolled oats from Maine Grains in Skowhegan and ground beef from Common Hill Farm in Jackson.

The team did a great job showcasing the recipes they used which consisted of a strawberry shortcake smoothie for breakfast (what creative use of rolled oats!), and a Mexican inspired lunch, consisting of a taco mashup bowl and Mexican fruit salad. Check out the videos created by this stellar team.

Thank you, Gina and Caleb, for your dedication to this event and for being an annual participant in our Farm to School Cook-off since School Year 2017. Team Sonday will be awarded a breakfast and lunch plaque, as well as a certificate of appreciation for the longest running team to participate.

Announcing Maine’s 2019 Presidential Awardees for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching: John Congelosi and Robyn Graziano

The Maine Department of Education is excited to share the announcement from the White House of the 2019 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching (PAEMST).

On August 3, 2020, President Donald J. Trump announced the recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

Awardees are selected from schools in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States territories which includes American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. Nominations and awards are facilitated by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science Foundation.

Presidential award for K-12 teachers

Established in 1983, PAEMST is the highest award given by the U.S. Government to kindergarten through 12th grade teachers of mathematics and science, including computer science.

A panel of distinguished mathematicians, scientists, and educators at the State and National levels assess the applications before recommending nominees to OSTP. Teachers are selected based on their distinction in the classroom and dedication to improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

The announcement was held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Maine Awardees and state finalists will be recognized by the Maine Department of Education at a later date in the presence of PAEMST alumni and distinguished guests in a semi-formal event.

We are pleased to announce Maine’s 2019 PAEMST awardees:

Science (grades 7-12): John Congelosi

Mathematics (grades 7-12): Robyn Graziano

Please join us in congratulating John and Robyn!

For more information about the PAEMST program, please contact Shari Templeton, shari.templeton@maine.gov, PAEMST Science Coordinator, or Michele Mailhot, michele.mailhot@maine.gov, PAEMST Mathematics Coordinator.

Special Education Forms Update 08.01.2020

Based on the periodic review and feedback from a stakeholder group of practitioners in the field, the Maine Department of Education’s Office of Special Services has revised two of the required forms for Special Education. Specifically, the IEP form and the Optional Referral form have been revised; all vendors have been notified of these changes. Below are links to the updated forms:

A complete list of all forms is available on our website. All changes in the revised forms go into effect on August 1, 2020. Below are the detailed changes to the IEP form and the Optional Referral Form:

Section 3. Considerations C. and Ci. on page 1 were updated to include current language related to English Learners.
Section 7. Related Services on page 4, Behavioral Health Day Treatment was removed from the related services grid. Please see guidance about documenting behavioral services in section 6. Supplementary Aids, services, Modifications and/or Supports of the IEP. The guidance was jointly issued, in March of 2020, by the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Office of MaineCare Services (OMS).
Section 5. The Academic Performance description was updated to include all children in Part B, ages 3-20.
Section 5. The Functional/Development performance descriptions were updated to include all children in Part B, ages 3-20.
The Optional Referral Form, section J, Recent Academic Achievements was revised to include the grade level benchmarks for the assessments that are considered during a referral.

The updated Procedural Manual is posted on the Office of Special Services website. For more information or assistance, please call Roberta Lucas, Federal Programs Coordinator at 624-6621 or roberta.lucas@maine.gov

DOE Commissioner to Provide Briefing to Legislature

Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin will host a briefing with the legislature, on Friday, August 21, 2020 from 11 am – 12pm.

Recognizing that Maine schools are preparing for, and that some have already begun, their 2020-2021 school year, Commissioner Makin will provide an update on the innovative initiatives that the department has undertaken as part of their continued provision of resources and support for Maine schools, and answer questions.

The update will occur for one hour via Zoom. The link will be provided by respective leadership.

Others who wish to attend may reach out to Karen Kusiak, DOE Director of Legislative Affairs, at karen.kusiak@maine.gov.