Submitted by Dawn Jones, Teaching Principal at Cushing Community School in RSU 13

A new after school math program for Cushing Community School students begins this week, thanks to our partnership with Cushing Public Library. This is the latest example of how community organizations and volunteers in our small, rural town partner with our school to support students.

Bedtime Math®’s Crazy 8s Club provides high-energy standards-aligned math activities to build motivation and confidence. Starting out as a once-a-week program for students in grades K-2, the library has plans to possibly expand for grades 3-5 in the fall. The school provides bus transportation and helps support communications with families, while the library provides planning, healthy snacks, and staff and supplies to implement the activities. Not only is Crazy 8s Club helping fill a community need for after school programming, but the school anticipates benefits will come back to the classrooms as students bring increased confidence and enthusiasm to their math learning each day.

In addition to Crazy 8s Club, the Langlais Sculpture Preserve in Cushing also provides after-school nature-based arts enrichment to Cushing students in grades 1-5. Growing out of a partnership between Cushing Community School and The Georges River Land Trust, this program is approaching the end of its second year. Among their many projects this spring, students will work with a local woodworker to create a sculpture for the school garden area, modeled after the work of well-known Cushing Artist, Bernard Langlais, whose homestead-studio is the site and inspiration for this after
school program.

Community organizations also help support reading and science enrichment. Students take monthly walking trips to the town library for stories and activities with library volunteers. A community “Green Team” — composed of retired community members with a passion for nature and gardening — helps maintain the school garden area and supports teachers in using our garden and school nature trail to take learning outside and help students learn about and care for our local resources.

This past fall the Green Team worked with school administration and staff to organize the school’s first ever “Outdoor Science Day.” Students spent the day rotating through outdoor activities led by community volunteers and experts from environmental education organizations to learn about seeds, soil, pollinators and beekeeping, ecosystems and apple-pressing. Teachers were able to connect activities with specific expectations in the Next Generation Science Standards so they could continue to build on the learning back in their classrooms. The centerpiece of the day was students enjoying apple cider they pressed themselves, thanks to a local community member who brings his cider press to our school each year. This year they had a better idea of all the natural resources and ecosystem
connections needed to produce a delicious cup of cider.

These are a few examples of how community volunteers and organizations are helping provide unique activities for Cushing students. In combination with the support of the CCS Friends & Family parent group — whose active support could easily fill another article — our growing network of community connections helps make Cushing Community School a special place. You can follow school news and events on our Facebook page.

Civil Rights Team Hosts Annual “Theme Week” with Success

Submitted by Terese Hodgdon, Secretary at Noble Middle School

In Berwick, Maine, Noble Middle School Guidance Counselors, Amy Malette and Sarah Burcalow, have been co-advisors of our Civil Rights Team for many years. They typically have 15-20 students on the Civil Rights Team. Meeting once a week, the students work on projects that fulfill the Maine Civil Rights Team Project mission statement:  We help schools think and talk about issues related to race and skin color, national origin and ancestry, religion, disabilities, gender (including gender identity and expression), and sexual orientation.

Recently, the Civil Rights Team hosted the annual “theme week.” This year, it was called “Identity Week.” Students and staff wore different clothing each day to show support for the different areas covered under the Maine Civil Rights Law. Students were invited to the office each morning to read a quote that pertained to the daily category. This year’s clothing options were as follows:

• Monday: Wear Black and White clothing to show your support of all races and skin colors
• Tuesday: Wear the colors of the flag of your national origin or ancestry.
• Wednesday:  Wear all the colors of the rainbow to show your support of all genders and sexual orientations.
• Thursday: Wear comfy clothing to show that people of all religions should feel comfortable in school.
• Friday: Wear a hat to ‘put a lid’ on discrimination against disabilities.

During lunch periods, a table was set up in the cafeteria where there was a banner of flowers. Students could pick a petal and write on it what they were proud to identify with.

Fitness for Life and Teacher Good Enrich the Lives at Noble Middle School

Submitted by Elyse Galeucia, Literacy Coach at Noble Middle School

Over the years Noble Middle School (NMS), in Berwick, Maine, has been lucky enough to have wonderful teachers. Many do not compare to that of Physical Education teacher Rebecca Good. Ms. Good not only embraces her physical education curriculum, but is stellar in building relationships with students by investing and modeling the lifestyle she thinks everyone should have both physically and emotionally.

Every child Ms. Good has taught, both past and present, would all agree that she is a powerful, impactful, and unforgettable teacher. She has always had such finesse when working with students within their middle school years, an extremely delicate period of their lives.

Although there are many notable moments in Ms. Good’s 35+ year career, one of her many successes has been her Fitness for Life program at NMS. This program has allowed Ms. Good to invite many different community members, such as firefighters, police officers, Navy personnel, and parents, into the school to lead fitness classes in order to model how they are “fit for life.” Furthermore, she not only has brought this program to the classroom, on multiple occasions, she has scheduled times during the morning for the whole school (all 532 students) to work out together, staff and administrators included!

Ms. Good strives for excellence and is never satisfied with “good enough.” Within her daily physical education curriculum she is always finding ways to imbed literacy and technology in order to engage and bind her message of truly living a balanced life.

 

Submitted by Ashlee Savage, Administrative Assistant for Cornville Regional Charter School

The Cornville Regional Charter School is doing some amazing things district wide. As a district, we are community-center and uncompromisingly learner-centered. We have 3 schools that serve a variety of age ranges from Prek to Grade 10.

Our Early Childhood Campus serves learners ages 4-6 and are working very hard to pull in community members and businesses into the classrooms. This happens in a variety of ways from having those people come directly into the classrooms to run learning opportunities to setting up different centers in the room to represent different businesses. This campus also does a great job with scheduling and hosting parent involvement nights.

Our Cornville Campus offers a variety of opportunities for learners, facilitators, and families. Each learner participates in special interest groups 3 days a week. These special, unique offerings include, but are not limited, to knitting, rhythmic gymnastics, snowshoeing, robotics, gym games, felt art, painting, etc. Our schedule also allows learners to move from room to room as needed throughout the day to ensure that everyone’s education is customized to their needs. For facilitators, they receive a numerous amount of professional development. Every Friday our district has an early release day which allows staff to partake in meaningful PD for the last 3 hours of each week. Lastly, the Cornville Campus has great parent involvement. We offer multiple celebration of learning nights, book fairs, grandparents luncheon, and numerous PTF events.

Our Downtown Campus has 1/3 of the sophomore class currently enrolled in a college course, 2 of the learners are part of the Maine Meals (a local business) team participating in the Maine Center for Entrepreneurship Top Gun program at Thomas College, 1 of the learners is a member of the Somerset Public Health’s board, several of the learners are involved in building a wooden boat with a local community member, and several of the learners have volunteered at a local retirement home and at the local humane society. As a school, they are also putting together a full fabrication lab that is accessible to not only all of the learners but also to community partners. Community involvement is super important and with the downtown campus being right in the heart of Skowhegan, it is the perfect opportunity to get our learners working and learning beside community members.

Submitted by Debbie Jamieson, Principal of Pembroke Elementary and Darlene Bassett, Literacy Coach and Maine DOE, School Turnaround.

On February 6, 2019, Linda Fuller, Ed.D., Associate Director of Educational Studies at the College of the Atlantic, made a long awaited visit to Pembroke Elementary School in Pembroke, Maine.  Linda had contacted the school last year in response to a post on the Commissioner’s blog highlighting the student success with Richardson’s Guided Reading Model. She coordinated the visit with Chelsey Fortin-Tremble, Maine DOE Director of the ESEA Federal Programs and the School Turnaround Team, and Deborah Jamieson, Principal of the Pembroke Elementary School. Plans were made for her students – teachers in training – to visit two teachers, Rosie Griffith – Grades 7/8 ELA Teacher and Beckery Renaud – Grades 5/6 ELA Teacher and Lead Teacher for Pembroke. Both teachers have combined grade levels in their classrooms.

The visit began with a debriefing between the teachers and their visitors.  Beckery and Rosie shared the profiles of their groups (anonymously) based on assessments and teacher observations.  Then they provided a framework for the instruction the guests were about to observe.  This session was interactive, allowing the visitors to pose questions and share opinions.

Visitors then observed Beckery Renaud in the 5/6 ELA Lesson teaching using Reading Street’s readers.  As always, Beckery’s focus was comprehension.

She prompted students to make connections between themselves and the texts, reviewed the nonfiction format, and supported them while they learned strategies on how to access information using this text structure. Meanwhile, the rest of the class worked independently on their own learning for the day.

Next, the guests observed in Rosie Griffith’s room.  Rosie’s classroom was organized in the same manner.  Students were focused and engaged at their desks, working on individual learning, while Rosie introduced a new book, A Day No Pigs Would Die. Rosie scaffolded students as they made predictions after previewing the book.  She put a heavy emphasis on each student’s metacognitive process and we observed as students made links and explained their thinking.

After the observations were completed, we re-grouped for the final debriefing.

Deb Jamieson was able to join us.  We discussed many issues drawing on the insights of both teachers and administrators alike.  The student visitors were well informed and eager to learn and teach!  Everyone had a delightful day and learned a great deal from one another.

We would like to thank Linda Fuller and her team for taking the time to visit Pembroke.  Great things are happening in Maine Schools.  Many, like this implementation, require a huge commitment of time and energy to the students we serve.  Young educators need to know they have the opportunity to join a dedicated cadre of teachers and administrators in the field who are looking forward to growing with you and making Maine kids’ lives as good as they can be.  We welcome you on board.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Submitted by Janet Delmar, Principal of Mount Vernon & Wayne Elementary Schools in RSU #38.

On Monday, December 10th, the families of students who work with Deb Hatt, Mt. Vernon’s K-5 Math Interventionist, were invited to Family Math Night! We had a great turnout, with over 50 people including students, siblings, parents, and grandparents. Our special guest was Christopher Danielson, author of the math picture books, Which One Doesn’t Belong and How Many? and creator of amazing math manipulatives like 21st Century Pattern Blocks and Tiling Turtles, who joined us via video chat from Minnesota!

Students interviewed Mr. Danielson about his inventions and books, and he then led the entire group in a Which One Doesn’t Belong routine. Mrs. Hatt talked to families about ways that they can incorporate conversations about math with their children into everyday life. Each family left with a set of 21st Century Pattern Blocks and a coupon for the family-friendly version of the book Which One Doesn’t Belong? that will be released next month.

Wayne was scheduled to have their Family Math Night on February 27th.

Submitted by Jennifer McKay, Principal Dike-Newell School in RSU 1

Dike-Newell School is a Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade elementary school of 250 students, located in Bath, Maine.  Part of RSU 1, Dike-Newell School embraces the philosophy of being a community of engaged learners where everyone matters.  The staff at the school are involved in committee work, and explore ways to enrich the student experience.  One recent initiative supports literacy as well as connecting students through building community – Classroom Buddy Reading.

While not a novel concept, it can be challenging logistically at times to set up buddy classroom projects.  The Dike-Newell Whole-School Activities Committee put together a once-a-month, whole school system pairing up classrooms for 30-45 minutes on a Tuesday morning.  Non-classroom staff were assigned to help facilitate and work with students with support needs, and the efforts kicked off in February.

What staff and students have found is that the children really enjoyed being partnered with non-age group peers, and it has spurred a sense of community that was, at times, lacking.  Second graders really enjoy being role models and literacy leaders with younger students, and younger students really enjoy having time to connect with older peers.  For staff, as well, it has been a way to connect with previous and future students, build relationships with students not in their class, and allows everyone to have more familiar faces and names throughout the building.

Another benefit of the program is support for literacy and the love of books.  In the first buddy read session, students brought book boxes filled with favorite texts to share with their buddies.  Students were able to talk about why they enjoyed certain books or authors, and encouraged each other to try new books.  In April, for Poetry Month and part of the school’s “Poem in My Pocket” event, students will be sharing poems during their buddy reading session, and in future sessions the committee is discussing having author studies, genre studies, and other focused literacy topics for students to buddy read.

Dike-Newell School is always working to bring students together in a meaningful way, and to build our community of engaged learners.  The Buddy Reading program is one example of the work that is being done to support this vision.