Maine DOE’s Second Annual Computer Science Showcase Features Innovative Student and Educator Projects

Students and educators from 40 school administrative units (SAUs) across Maine recently participated in the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Second Annual Computer Science Education Showcase at the Collins Center at the University of Maine. The Showcase highlighted innovative computer science education programs and projects in schools across Maine, with hands on, interactive exhibits.

Exhibits featured a variety of computer science education projects, including robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), 3D design, coding, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), data science, cybersecurity, and more. Robotics students participated in a live demonstration on stage where they had to work together to move objects and overcome structural barriers, requiring teamwork and problem solving.

The Showcase also included a panel discussion with educators, a student, industry representatives, and experts highlighting the importance of computer science education, opportunities for students and educators, and where the field is headed.

“If you can just simply show them and introduce students to these [computer science] concepts, then it opens up a whole world to them. You can be a kid from Maine and do really amazing things in the computer science field,” said Allison Braley, a teacher from RSU 25.

“These are foundational skills we are talking about, and they are across every sector. These are critical 21^st century skills that everyone needs regardless of what pathway you choose in life. Kids can stay in Maine, they don’t have to go to Boston or California for these jobs. Employers are here. It doesn’t matter what background you’re from or what zipcode you’re from, this is for every student,” said Angela Oechslie from Project Login.

“If computing is an elective and only for some, you mostly get those students who set out to do that because they see themselves as who society says should do it. The beauty of looking at computer science from pre-k through 12 is that it can be universal, and you can make those opportunities for anybody to stumble across them—it’s young women, it’s those who are the first generation in their family to go to college, it’s kids in rural areas, it’s kids from underrepresented groups. We can diversify the field and we can make the field richer by giving everyone a chance to say that’s the thing I love,” said Penny Rheingans from UMaine.

“Most of the really difficult problems we need to solve over the next 30 years are going to be solved using computer science,” said Judson McIntosh, an Engineering Manager at Tyler Technologies.

Maine continues to lead on computer science education and is the only state to provide interdisciplinary computer science education to all pre-K through grade 12 students in the state. Earlier this year, more than a thousand students from across the state participated in the Maine DOE’s Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Student Conference. Students had access to more than 40 sessions that engaged them in essential computer science skills and knowledge, including animation, AI/machine learning, AR/VR, audio editing, CAD/3D Design, robotics, coding, and video game design. More than a dozen of the sessions were led or co-led by students.

Nearly 100 educators from across the state attended a multi-day institute in July, focused around computer science education. Educators spent two and a half days engaging in sessions and collaborating to integrate computer science into their classrooms and upcoming school year activities. Topics included Robotics & Programming, Coding & Hardware, Augmented & Virtual Reality, and much more. The more than 600 participants at this year’s Maine Educator Summit also had access to multiple workshops and sessions related to computer science and technology skills and integration.

Last year, the Mills administration launched a new Maine DOE initiative to provide every Maine school with a free mobile computer science lab. Schools were able to order one of three mobile lab options: Robotics and Programming, Augmented and Virtual Reality, and Coding and Hardware. Each lab contains computer science equipment valued at $5,000 and is designed to be integrated into any content area and skill level. Additionally, the initiative made available professional learning opportunities for educators tailored to each computer science topic area.

Join the #LoveMaineSchools Movement!

The 2023 County Teachers of the Year cohort (CTOYs) want to share your amazing stories! During the 2023-2024 academic school year, the 2023 CTOYs will collect and share positive stories from Maine educators to elevate the teaching profession and connect with a variety of audiences. The group of teachers plan to showcase and distribute stories, images, and videos that capture the exceptional efforts of our magnificent Maine educators as they engage students in dynamic learning opportunities.

The group is trying to reach people across Maine, any and everyone invested in Maine schools including teachers, parents, business partners, policymakers, and community members.

#LoveMaineSchools is the platform for educators to share their passion and spark conversations celebrating positive stories. A new monthly theme, intentionally broad and open to interpretation, will invite participation from all grade levels and content areas. For instance, when the theme is “Making Connections,” submissions can effortlessly explore various aspects of creating links with individuals, families, communities, subject matter, content, and curriculum, among other possibilities. This flexible approach promotes active participation and allows diverse and imaginative interpretations of monthly themes. They want to hear from you and your school community!

As the hashtag #LoveMaineSchools gains momentum and reaches more people, they expect more teachers to share voices and stories.

Submit your stories at bit.ly/lovemaineschoolssubmit

You can see the positive messaging and stories the group has already begun sharing by following their Facebook and Instagram pages.

As part of their year of service in the Teacher of the Year Program, Maine’s State and County Teachers of the Year serve as advocates for teachers, students, and public education in Maine. They also receive ongoing professional learning and participate in many state and county leadership opportunities. For more information about the Maine Teacher of the Year program, visit the Maine Teacher of the Year website.

Brunswick ELO Program Expanding Career Exploration Opportunities for Students

As an Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Ed Tech, Molly Myers supports “the expansion of career exploration experiences and career planning” at Brunswick High School. From career fairs to internships, Myers helps students prepare for their post-high school pursuits.

The program has been incredibly successful among Brunswick students with about 20 students participating directly in ELOs and another 200 taking part in other career-related activities. These related activities included virtual job shadows, career fairs, guest speakers and panels, and more. Myers created course-specific career exploration for teachers to use in their classrooms to help students broaden their horizon of what might be possible through what they are learning in the present.

Students directly involved in the ELO program have completed paid work experiences, such as internships, in several lines of work including healthcare, culinary, veterinary medicine, and education. Through these experiences, students gained confidence in trying new things, asking for help, solving problems, and, in the end, articulating their learning to the larger community.

Myers says the best part of her job is “meeting with students and hearing the stories of their interests, passions, and amazing accomplishments both within and beyond school!”

Myers would like to thank Cory King for being a huge help and supporter of Brunswick’s ELO program.

Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) are hands-on, credit-bearing courses outside of the traditional classroom with an emphasis on community-based career exploration. These opportunities are personalized for students and help them explore options for their professional lives. They help students engage in learning through instruction, assignments, and experiential learning. The Maine Department of Education (DOE), along with state-wide partner Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG), have made a concerted effort to provide working models, support, and funding opportunities for Maine schools to set up ELO programs within their school communities. To learn more about Maine’s initiatives with extended learning opportunities, visit: https://www.maine.gov/doe/index.php/learning/elo or reach out to Maine DOE ELO Coordinator Rick Wilson at rick.wilson@maine.gov.

Regional Conversations for McKinney-Vento Liaisons and Organizations

Join the Maine Department of Education’s Climate Culture Resilience Team for In-Person Fall 2023 Regional Meetings for McKinney-Vento Liaisons and Organizations!

Hear updates on federal, state, and local policies and resources for students and families who are homeless or have unstable
Learn how to increase your school and district’s capacity to support
Hear strategies to increase family engagement from Melanie Junkins, ME DOE.
Brainstorm solution-oriented strategies affecting youth in your school and
Network with colleagues from other schools and organizations in your region.

Dates and Times for Schools and Organizations in Your Region!

York & Cumberland Counties

People’s Choice Credit Union
23 Industrial Park Road Saco
Wednesday, October 18
9:30 am -12:00 pm
Register for Saco mtg

Mid Coast, Kennebec & Somerset Counties

Burton M. Cross Office Building
111 Sewall Street, Augusta
Room 103 A&B
Tuesday, October 24
9:00 -11:30 am
Register for Augusta mtg

Penobscot & Piscataquis Counties

Wings for Children and Families
900 Hammond St, #915, Bangor
Thursday, November 2
8:15 – 10:30 am
Register for Bangor mtg

Washington & Hancock Counties

University of Maine Machias
116 O’Brien Avenue, Machias
Thursday, November 2
1:00 – 3:30 pm
Register for Machias mtg

Aroostook County

Maine Department of Labor
66 Spruce Street, Presque Isle
Friday, November 3 9:00 -11:30am
Register for Presque Isle mtg

Androscoggin, Franklin, & Oxford Counties

University of Southern Maine-Lewiston Auburn College
51 Westminster St, Lewiston
Thursday, November 9
9:00 – 11:30 am
Register for Lewiston mtg

No cost to participants ~ Registration is required. Register for the regional meeting you want to attend! There are separate links for each meeting listed above.

Download a flyer to share at your school or in your community (PDF).

For More Information Contact:
Amelia Lyons at amelia.lyons@maine.gov or Susan Lieberman at susan.lieberman88@gmail.com

ARP funds received from the USDOE support the implementation of this project. The project has an award totaling $795,000 dollars of which 100% is federally funded and directly attributed to project implementation. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the USDOE or the U.S. Government.

2023/2024 Community of Practice: Plan on Purposeful Play

Fred Rogers wisely said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But, for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” When focusing on the whole student, ensuring the early childhood years are filled with opportunities for play fosters growth across domains of development. If infusing more opportunities for play into your instruction practice interests you, come join Maine DOE’s Early Learning Team for a play-filled community of practice (COP) during the 2023-24 school year. This COP will explore the research behind play being central to early learning and will consider the continuum of playful pedagogy which can be employed to promote learning. It will also examine how playful practices can be purposefully incorporated in pre-k to grade 3 classrooms and will offer opportunities for participants to share successful practices with each other.

The Plan on Purposeful Play COP will meet on the second Tuesday of each month from 3:30-4:30 PM beginning in October 2023 and running through April 2024. The schedule for the COP series is provided below.

Register for the COP through this link by September 30, 2023. An email confirmation with the Zoom link for the series will be sent following the close of registration. Contact hours will be provided at the end of the series.

Month	Topic
October 10	What is playful learning? Why is it important?
November 14	Continuum of playful learning
December 12	Creating conditions for playful learning
January 9	Playful experiences to cultivate domains of development—Part 1
February 13	Playful experiences to cultivate domains of development—Part 2
March 12	Assessing learning through play
April 9	Participant shares/reflections

If you have additional questions about the COP, please contact Nicole.Madore@maine.gov or Leeann.Larsen@maine.gov.

2023/2024 Community of Practice for New Special Educators

Are you a new special education teacher in your first year or two of teaching? Beginning in September 2023, the Office of Special Services & Inclusive Education’s Special Educator Engagement, Development & Supports (SEEDS) project will host a community of practice for you! Each session will be held virtually after school hours and will focus on the most relevant and meaningful topics for you as you start your career as an educator. Topics will be decided by the community of practice and may include areas such as inclusion, co-teaching, collaboration, IEP writing, behavior supports, literacy and math interventions, etc. The community of practice will also have an online platform to engage and support one another in between the monthly meetings.

To register for the New Special Educator Community of Practice, please fill out this survey. The sessions for the 2023-2024 school year are from 3:30-4:45 pm on September 11, October 10, November 8, December 14, January 8, February 13, March 13, April 11, May 13, and June 11.

If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Whitlock at tracy.w.whitlock@maine.gov

Maine DOE Launches Website Updates!

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is excited to announce some updates to our website! This week we launched a new homepage, an updated navigation menu, and a brand-new set of DOE office web pages to streamline your ability to get the resources and support you need from the DOE.

To elevate educator voices, news and programs you need, and professional learning resources, our new homepage features content from Maine DOE’s social media sites, the Maine DOE Newsroom, Maine DOE’s professional event calendar, and Maine DOE’s YouTube channel. The new homepage also features good news stories from Maine schools. Check out our new homepage here.

In addition to the homepage, we’ve streamlined the menu and included a new set of pages based on the Maine DOE’s external facing offices. These webpages start with a landing page showcasing the many overarching offices within the DOE and the work they do, including the teams, resources, and functions within each office. We hope this provides an improved, more organized path to find our resources and a more efficient way to connect with the different teams that work at the Maine DOE: Find the new office pages here.

We are excited about these changes and hope they create a more user-friendly experience for you! Please be on the lookout for further website changes and content updates in the future.

MaineCare in Education: New Resources and Updated MaineCare in Education 2023 Guide

The Office of MaineCare Services has updated the MaineCare in Education web page. This webpage provides information and important updates about policy and billing changes to MaineCare-covered services that are provided in an educational setting.

Available on this page are the following services:

Sign up for MaineCare’s E-Messages and Bulletins.
Review the newly updated 2023 MaineCare in Education Billing Guide- Revised August, 2023.
Access Joint Resources Developed by MaineCare and the Maine Department of Education.
Sign Up for Virtual Meetings and Trainings.
Participate in New MaineCare in Education Courses developed specifically for Parents, Guardians, MaineCare Providers, School Administrators, and other stakeholders.

Educational resources for Parents and Guardians  

My Student and MaineCare   – an online course created with parents and guardians in mind. It provides an overview of what MaineCare is and how students can get MaineCare services in schools. This course takes about forty-five (45) minutes to complete.

Educational Resources for School Administrators and MaineCare Providers  

MaineCare 100:  Introduction to MaineCare
MaineCare 101:  Introduction to School Health-Related Services
MaineCare 102:  Advanced School Health-Related Services for Providers

As a reminder, all providers who deliver services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) must ensure all services are documented in accordance with the Department of Health and Human Services/Maine Department of Education Joint Guidance on Individualized Education Plan (IEP) documentation.

For technical assistance regarding the billing and processing of MaineCare claims, please email MaineCareinEducation.DHHS@maine.gov or Pamela.Grotton@maine.gov.

For all other questions related to the provision of School Health-Related Services, please email Trista.Collins@maine.gov.

Webinar: Quarterly Reporting – September 12, 2023

Join the data team for a webinar about quarterly state reporting requirements – Attendance, Truancy, Behavior, and Bullying.

This webinar will be recorded and posted to the DOE Data YouTube playlist. It may take a few days for the recording to be posted, however, it will be available as soon as possible. Additional information about this webinar can be found on the Maine DOE Data Webinar webpage of the Helpdesk Website.

If this webinar is canceled, there will be a notice posted on the Helpdesk Website at the top of the page.

Alternate Economic Status Form Webinar:

September 12th at 10:00 am
Join the live event here

For questions about data reporting webinars please contact Alexandra.Cookson@maine.gov

Celebrating Summer Food Service Programs Providing Free, Healthy Meals for Students Across Maine

(Pictured: part of the lunch spread provided at an MSAD 33 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) meal site this summer.)

Portland’s Munjoy South playground filled with people as meals were distributed to students through the USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) recently. The Munjoy South playground site, which is one of 12 summer meal sites throughout the city and over 400 across the state, is operated through Portland Public Schools. The site serves 20 to 30 students a day on average and on this particular day, was serving sandwiches, chicken drumsticks, cornbread, fruits, vegetables, milk, and more.

The SFSP is a federally funded and state-administered program that provides free, healthy meals and snacks to children, youth, and adolescents in low-income communities. Local sponsors, like Portland Public Schools, operate the meal program throughout Maine.

At the Munjoy South summer meal site were volunteers from the Maine Celtics and the Locker Project. The Maine Celtics volunteers help run summer day camps Mon-Fri for students and also enjoy playing quick games of soccer and basketball with anyone who wants to join in. Also present was The Locker Project, which helps fight food insecurity in Cumberland County by providing students and families with surplus local produce and other foods, in addition, the Book Fairy Pantry Project was there with a free book stand with ample children’s books for the taking.

Food provided by The Locker Project at the Munjoy South Playground Summer Meal Site

Books provided by the Book Fairy Pantry Project

On this day, also visiting the meal site were representatives from Maine Equal Justice, Good Shepherd Food Bank, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council, AmeriCorps VISTA, Preble Street, Full Plates Full Potential, and the offices of Governor Mills, Senator Collins, Senator King, and Representative Pingree. These organizations were brought together by Anna Korsen, Full Plates Full Potential, Policy and Program Coordinator to showcase all that Portland Public Schools (PPS) has done to provide food for local youth and to witness the success and joy of so many community partners coming together to benefit the community.

Maine DOE Assistant Director of Child Nutrition Adriane Ackroyd speaking with state leaders at the Munjoy South Playground Meal Site.

State partners gather for a group picture at the Munjoy South Playground Summer Meal Site recently.

Maine has good reason to celebrate all that has been accomplished this summer and recently in the way of providing nutritious food to youth both during the summer and the school year.

Maine is one of the first states to provide meals at no charge to public school students during the school year. Starting with the pandemic-related waiver that allotted funds for schools across the United States to provide free meals for students in the 2021/2022 school year, this past year a new Maine-specific law went into effect that provides funds to Maine schools through its annual budget, specifically to provide school meals to all students, regardless of their family’s income. Maine is one of less than 10 states to continue with free meals for all students beyond the pandemic.

Maine is incredibly proud of its many partnerships between both federal and state-level partners, Maine school nutrition programs, and countless community partners across our state who have worked tirelessly to feed Maine’s youth through school-administered programming all year long.

We want to celebrate school nutrition champions like Dawn Hilton the Director of Food Services for PPS and Jim Hanna, Executive Director, Cumberland County Food Security Council for their ongoing work to organize local partners within their community at sites like the Munjoy South playground. In addition to Hilton, there are 106 other districts across Maine with countless school nutrition champions that partner with organizations within their communities to offer summer meal sites at 400 sites throughout Maine.

Special thanks to Kittery School Department, MSAD 33/27, RSU 54, and Belfast Soup Kitchen for providing pictures from some of their summer meal sites this summer:

Kittery School Department

MSAD 33

MSAD 27

RSU 54

Belfast Soup Kitchen Summer Meals site, a partnership with SNAP-Ed.

For Portland’s efforts, Hilton would like to thank her Summer Meal Team for their continued help in fighting food insecurity along with the Maine Celtics, Cumberland County Food Security Council, Full Plates Full Potential, and the Locker Project for their endless support in their work during the summer. It is because of community partnerships like these, that exist in every corner of Maine, Maine DOE can leverage federal programs like Maine’s Summer Food Service Program to direct funding to communities across our state to help fight food insecurity throughout the summer.

To learn more about the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Maine and how to get involved, visit the Maine Department of Education’s website.