Submitted by Kathy Harris-Smedberg, Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Bangor School Department

Mrs. Kennedy Selected to Study World War I in Europe

Mrs. Kathryn Kennedy of James F. Doughty School (JFDS) is one of eighteen educators from across America to have been selected to participate in Memorializing the Fallen — a teacher professional development program from National History Day®. Sponsored by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, the program takes educators on the journey of a lifetime to rediscover the history of World War I and invigorate its teaching in America’s classrooms.

Throughout the program, teachers attend virtual lectures, participate in discussions, and research a service member who never returned home. The academic portion of the program will be led by Dr. Christopher Hamner, an associate professor at George Mason University, and Dr. Kate Clarke Lemay, a historian with Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

In June 2019, the educators will venture to Europe where they will walk in the footsteps of history, making stops at Somme American Cemetery, St. Mihiel American Cemetery, Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, Suresnes American Cemetery, Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, and battle sites and monuments at Belleau Wood, Verdun, and Meuse Argonne. On the final day of the program, teachers will attend the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles at the Palace of Versailles. This highly competitive program pays for travel to these locations as well as lodging, meals, books, and more.

All of these activities support the development of the final products the teachers create: a lesson plan and a Silent Hero® profile. The teachers are developing in-depth lesson plans to focus on the legacy of the conflict. Both the lesson plan and the fallen hero profile will be released during the 2019-2020 academic year.

The goal for the Memorializing the Fallen program is to reinvigorate the teaching and learning of World War I in classrooms as we mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the war.

18 teachers were chosen from 334 applicants for this competitive program.

JFDS Celebrates Maine BioScience Day

On Wednesday, November 7th, 2018 JFDS celebrated Maine BioScience Day 2018 by inviting five local scientists to speak with all of our grade 7 and grade 8 students during their science classes. Maine BioScience Day is a statewide event happening in middle schools in Maine and is organized by the BioScience Association of Maine. The BioScience Association makes all the initial contacts to professionals specializing in science fields that are willing to volunteer to go into local middle school classrooms to talk with students about their research, what they do from day to day and the opportunities that are available for a career in science, in Maine.

We would like to thank the following scientist that shared some activities and discussed their research with our students.

• Kristen Brown, University of Maine, Genetics
• Melissa Mcginnis, University of Maine, Virology
• Ek Han Tan, University of Maine, Genetics
• George Bernhart, University of Maine, Physics
• Patrick Breeding, University of Maine, Bioengineering

13th Annual Invasive Crab Research Trip

The accelerated physical and life science students at the James F. Doughty School completed their 13th year of invasive crab research at Moose Point State Park.

There were 233 crabs collected and measured. The species were recorded along with the genders. All of the crabs collected were green crabs (Carcinus maenas), which are highly aggressive invasive crabs that were introduced to Maine over 100 years ago.

7th Up Biz Tour Field Trip

Dream it. See it. Be it.

The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce through the Community Council Building Bridges program, in partnership with the Bangor School Department and Superintendent Dr. Betsy Webb, transported 7th grade students from William S. Cohen School and James F. Doughty School on a day-long tour of Chamber member businesses. The goal of the trip was to inform and excite students about their future and the many career opportunities available in our community.

The day kicked off at the Cross Insurance Center with a keynote address from Ben Sprague, Mayor of Bangor, and remarks from James Doughty, Director of Marking from Bangor Savings Bank, the presenting sponsor of the event.  The event was also made possible by the generous support of the University of Maine, Husson University, Emera, Darlings Auto, Bangor International Airport, GE, Cross Insurance Center, Cyr Bus, and nearly 100 hundred volunteers representing the business community.

The students divided into five teams to visit businesses and meet employees from Bangor Savings Bank, Bangor Police Department, Cross Insurance Agency, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Darlings, Specialty Sweets, Berry Dunn, Sutherland Weston, Eaton Peabody at the Penobscot Judicial Center, PCHC, Wayfair, Bangor International Airport, C&L Aviation Group, Hannaford, Maine Air Guard, and GE.

Submitted by Jesse Bartke, Interim Principal at Oceanside High School and written by Jenny Goode, GT Teacher and  Hannah Faesey, Social Worker

At Oceanside High School in Rockland, a system has been established that supports students to build a foundation of success as they enter High School and then encourages them to challenge themselves and focus their education on individual passions. This team has been working together supporting the 9th and 10th grade students in the building for the past 3 years. Oceanside’s Freshman Academy consists of the 9th grade level core subject teachers, the social worker, the student support coordinator, administration, and guidance.  Over the course of a few weeks, they discuss every single freshman student, tracking their grades, peer interactions, attendance, behavior referrals, and social-emotional strengths and challenges on a comprehensive spreadsheet.  This not only allows everyone to be on the same page about kids, but it builds close relationships between teachers and all of their students. They are able to see “the whole student” through the picture painted at the Freshman Academy level.  “No students fall through the cracks,” observed an Oceanside High School administrator.

The meetings are fast paced and focused. When administration and guidance attends, they are able to give updates on students, to offer support to teachers on specific kids, and to close the communication loop between classroom and main office.  “Everyone at the table knows what is happening with each of their students,” said a Social Studies teacher. “We are all aware of the challenges and successes of the students, which helps us prepare for what any given kid will need that day.  We can wrap supports and interventions around a kid based on the information shared.”

With this close tracking, the team is able to intervene early with their students. Rather than waiting until the end of a quarter when a student is on a failure list, the close monitoring of the Freshman Academy allows timely and direct responses to smaller changes in grades, behavior, or social-emotional health.  “I have nothing bad to say about Oceanside,” said a 10th grade parent.  “The staff there is always willing to be creative and communicative with my student’s needs, and [my student] is not an easy case!  I don’t know another school district that would’ve responded so quickly.”

The Freshman Academy teachers have their hands full. Besides teaching curriculum content, academic readiness, and social-emotional skills, each teacher has an advisory of about 18 students, and is responsible for being the “point person” for those students’ families to contact the school.  At least once a quarter, teachers reach out to families to share successes, challenges, and updates with families, as well as invite them in to meetings with their student and teachers. While all of these meetings and additional communication are certainly more work, all of those on the Freshman Academy team wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  One first year teacher shared that he “feels supported by his team and administration” in the work he’s doing. “I am learning so much from the others at the table.”

At some point, teachers can only provide so many interventions at the classroom level. Freshman Academy identifies students for that have reached the Risk Review Team level. Risk Review is comprised of administration, the student support coordinator, the social worker, guidance, case managers, and the interventionist.  They meet every month to discuss freshman who’s needs surpass what support teachers can give. Additionally, they might connect to outside resources because the needs of some students are greater than the school can provide. “This structure allows me to breathe a sigh of relief.  We’re not letting any student fall through the cracks, and I trust that the Risk Review Team will support students when I can’t. I’m not alone in this,” said a 9th grade English teacher.

Adults at Oceanside are not the only ones to notice a difference. One 10th grade student, reflecting on his time in the Freshman Academy, said that he felt like he mattered in 9th grade, a feeling he hadn’t felt at school in a long time.  “I knew all of my teachers cared about me. And they still do!  I go to [my 9th grade English teacher] to calm down and I go to my [9th grade science teacher] for advice.”  A current 9th grader said, “You all seem to know what’s going on!  It’s helping me show up more than I did last year.”

In the 2017-2018 school year, freshman had the lowest truancy rate of any other grades at Oceanside, with 20.7% (compared to a school rate of 29%). At Oceanside, students need 6 credits to continue onto 10th grade.  67.2% of the class of 2018, who did not have Freshman Academy, received all 6 credits, but the class of 2021 with the Freshman Academy had 90.7% of the class complete these credits.  Finally, as 8th graders, 13.25% of the class of 2021 passed all core classes by standards and grades.  As 9th graders, the same class had 86% pass all of their core classes.

Given this success, Oceanside has expanded their Academy structure to the 10th grade in the 2018-2019 school year. Four core teachers, the social worker, and administration follow a streamlined structure for a pilot group of 10th graders.  The Sophomore Academy is focused on the team of teachers, frequent parent communication, and monitoring student progress.  The Risk Review Team continues to play an important role on the Sophomore Academy too, allowing the teachers to elevate students who need additional supports beyond those feasible in the classroom.  “I can’t imagine not being part of a team like this, now that I’ve been on one,” said a Sophomore Academy teacher.  “I wish all school staff could feel as supported and validated as I do.”

As the Freshmen and Sophomore Academies work to support students develop the skills that are necessary for them to be successful in high school, they are encouraged to pursue a pathway starting in their sophomore year. These pathways are the STEM and Liberal Arts Academies which are academic and experiential pathways intended to increase student understanding of the possibilities of further study and careers in fields connected to those concentrations. The STEM Academy was developed in 2015 with the first class graduating with the endorsement in 2016. The success of this Academy led to the development of the Liberal Arts Academy in 2016 with subsequent endorsement being available in 2017. At present, there are over forty students pursuing one of the Academy endorsements.

A Liberal Arts Academy endorsement can be achieved through three different pathways: visual and performing arts, culture, or humanities. STEM Academy students can choose either a science or math concentration. Academy participants benefit from taking challenging courses at the Honors or Advanced Placement levels, in addition to one-on-one mentoring from a teacher mentor and the Academy advisor.  Career exploration includes participating in extended learning opportunities, job shadowing, and a capstone experience consisting of an internship or research project. As part of the Academy approval process, seniors must complete a portfolio reflecting their Academy journey by January of their graduation year.  Seniors also give presentations of their experiences at the annual OHS Career Day and to the district’s eighth grade class. Successful completion of the endorsement is recognized on the Oceanside High School Diploma, the student’s official transcripts, and a white cord that is worn during the graduation ceremony to denote high academic achievement in STEM or Liberal Arts.

Students express that the most valuable part of the Academy experience is the two job shadows and twenty-hour internship experiences. The business community’s partnership is invaluable in giving our students the chance to explore careers. Testimonial from Academy graduates have noted how valuable the experience was in giving them a clearer direction regarding their college major and future aspirations.  One student describes the internship as an experience that “really had a big impact on me. I didn’t just walk out of that hospital with a completed STEM endorsement and some experience under my belt. I walked out of there knowing my passion was to pursue a future in the medical field.”  Another student described her involvement in Academy as “a cornerstone in my high school career. This program has given me the necessary tools to explore my career interests and who I am as a person.”

As our present seniors are finishing up their Academy portfolios, they are getting the chance to reflect on the work that they have done these past 3.5 years. One student noted that with the help of the Academy program “many more opportunities in the community and state were possible because of having a whole program behind me.”  Another recognized that Academy “ had provided me with ambition. I have worked to achieve its endorsement and have learned to use the striving force I possess to succeed in school and beyond.”  Sometimes the Academy experience guide students to the career of their dreams as happened to one senior who job shadowed at the hospital, and from that experience did an internship in the hospital pharmacy, which led him to realize that was the career for him.  Sometimes Academy experiences redirect a student from what they thought they wanted to something more suited to their strengths, as it did for a young man who was convinced he wanted to be a naval architect, but after his STEM career explorations realized he wanted to pursue a career that incorporates engineering and business skills.

The students who fulfill the STEM and Liberal Arts Academy requirements have improved important abilities in personal responsibility and interpersonal skills, have challenged themselves academically, and have had the opportunity to get real-life career experiences that are invaluable. More information is available about the Oceanside High School STEM and Liberal Arts Academies on our website: Oceanside HS Academy.

Submitted by Vicki Duguay, Principal, River View Community School in MSAD 11

River View Community School in South Gardiner, part of MSAD #11, has taken a concerted effort to increase the kindness factor within our school. We believe that the promotion of kindness among our students and school community is vitally important to the atmosphere within our school. Kindness encourages a positive mindset, which, in turn, nurtures our students while they are learning and participating in their educational endeavors and outside interests and activities.

Research has shown that focusing and teaching the skills and attitudes to have a positive mindset can improve school and community atmosphere and strengthen relationships between students, staff, and the community. Armed with that knowledge, River View staff signed up for the Kindness Challenge at http://www.kindnesschallenge.com and purposefully implemented Second Step (www.secondstep.org ) in our classrooms.

Our focus has been on intensifying and encouraging a positive and supportive school community where students and staff are kind, supportive, helpful, and caring toward each other. Teachers and staff teach lessons that give students a better understanding of how kindness can directly affect the atmosphere of the school, the mood of others, and have a positive impact on personal self-esteem. The lessons give the students an opportunity to practice being kind and supportive and also time to reflect on how this impacts their daily lives.

Due to the effectiveness and impact of the lessons, our school community evolved from not only staff recognizing students for being kind, but students recognizing each other as being kind and staff going out of their way to recognize their colleagues for their kindness and support as well.

There is a train of kindness ‘shout-outs’ that line our hallways that staff and students have written recognizing acts of kindness that they experienced themselves or observed happening to others. Students and staff are encouraged daily to continue to recognize acts of kindness and add to the ongoing chain.

Students also participated in spreading the ‘kindness germ’ on National JoyGerm Day on January 8th where students made cards that had statements of encouragement and happiness that were distributed throughout our community.

Students are recognizing the importance of practicing kindness for the act itself, not for the recognition or reward that might be given. Each day one can spot little actions that show our focus on kindness is working. One can spot students are saying thank you, asking how a friend feels, holding doors, picking up papers and items on the floor, and helping fellow classmates within the classroom.

Does Kindness Matter? We at River View Community School say yes! We have proven through our efforts and focused activities that being kind and spreading kindness can and does have a beneficial and uplifting impact at our school. We have seen our discipline referrals decrease by 50% since our purposeful focus on Kindness began. Our motto is, “In a world  where you can be anything, Be Kind.”

Submitted by Reza Namin, Superintendent of Schools for Maine School Administrative District 49

Under leadership of Superintendent Dr. Reza Namin, Maine School Administrative District 49 has implemented a partnership with the Harvard University School of Education. 47 teachers, staff, and specialists in 8 Professional Learning Communities are taking part in the partnership. The goal of professional learning through WIDE World at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is to transform school systems by developing professional communities of teachers and school leaders with interactive online courses and on-site support programs that enable schools to cultivate the critical learning students need for the 21st century world. Programs are based on Teaching for Understanding, a classroom-tested framework developed through research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. They are taught on-line which enables a truly global learning environment with educators participating throughout the world. Courses are job-embedded so that learners may integrate research-based strategies for learning and teaching into their own workplace. Teams of learners are supported by both a course instructor who is on the faculty of Harvard University as well as coaches from around the world who help them achieve their goals. WIDE World encourages participants to tailor their learning to their own classrooms, schools, programs, and systems while building local capacity for enhancing learning for all.

Courses for Maine School Administrative District 49

Teaching for Understanding 1: Focus on Student Understanding

TfU is an introduction to the Teaching for Understanding framework. In this course, participants learn to clarify educational goals, link student work to experience, design active learning instructional units, develop effective assessment practices, and reflect on their own teaching practice. As we enter a new century of the unknown, there are critical skills that students must have in order to excel. The Teaching for Understanding course is an opportunity to learn teaching strategies that will actively engage students in the critical-thinking and 21st Century problem-solving skills that are now demanded by society.

Teaching for Understanding: Understanding in Practice

This course builds upon concepts and strategies learned in our introductory courses, giving participants a chance to explore the practical challenges of Teaching for Understanding. Using the unit, participants have previously planned, they will look at ways to refine their practice and implement new strategies to keep students engaged and focused. With fellow educators, a coach, and an instructor, TFU will help you combine disciplinary goals and students’ understanding in the classroom, exchange successful approaches and guide you through the process of continual reflection and adjustment.
TFU will also give you practical strategies for incorporating participants’ educational institutions’ educational goals into their unit.

An Impact on Maine School Administrative District 49

As Maine School Administrative District 49 reaffirms its identity as a learning community, the philosophy of Teaching for Understanding is most appropriate. We acknowledge and build upon our current strengths as a school district, including our curriculum standards, faculty professional learning communities, and attention to individual student needs. It is important to focus now on understanding and the realization that 21st-century learners must not only have knowledge and skills, but also strategies to think deeply about their learning, themselves, and the world. As our school department moves forward, all of our learners – both children and adults- will be challenged in new ways through our curriculum, instruction, and professional development.

Submitted by Kristen Levesque, Principal at Maranacook Community Middle School

Healthy Decisions Day is an annual event at Maranacook Community Middle School, that is organized by the school counselor, Gwen Mohlar, with support from other staff.  It started as a way to help educate students about making healthy decisions (especially about drugs, alcohol, and peer pressure) when growing up. This year the event was held on February 1st.

Students have opportunity to see a keynote speaker, go into grade level programs then pick 3 sessions under the themes below. It was a very informational day.

• Effects of Substances on the Brain/ Body: Presenter focused on how the brain and body are affected by many or different types of substances.
• Refusal Skills: Presenters focused on how students’ futures can be effected and the decision making skills students can use/ learn to remain substance free.
• Healthy Coping Skills: Presentations focused on healthy alternatives to substance misuse. These techniques can be used by many and is a great way to introduce different, healthy stress relief techniques to students.

Below are photos from the day:

Students

keynote speaker, Jon Barker

Students

Teacher- Jorgeanne Barley leading a session

Submitted by Natasha L. Brewer, District Library-Media Specialist/GT Teacher at Central Aroostook Jr./Sr. High School in MSAD #42

On Friday, February 1, 2019, MSAD #42 celebrated World Read Aloud Day. Guests were invited to read to PK through 12th grade students. Volunteers included: Superintendent, Elaine Boulier; School Board Member and local business owner, Josh Tweedie; Bus Driver, John York; Guidance Director, Sadie Shaw; School Board Chair/Aroostook County Sheriff, Shawn Gillen; Elementary Principal, Dawn Matthews; School Board Member/State Police Lieutenant, Brian Harris; Choral Director, Andy Cottle; District Librarian, Natasha Brewer; and High School Principal, Dr. Kay York.

Students were able to hear classic tales, like Blueberries for Sal, and a few new tales, like Scaredy Squirrel!

Author Keely Hutton joined our 8th grade students in a 20-minute Skype session where she explained her writing process and read an excerpt from her first novel Soldier Boy. The day was a lot of fun, and gave both readers and students a chance to enjoy the excitement that reading aloud can bring to both the listener and reader.