Category: News & Views

Foreign Language Association of Maine Announces Recognition Awards

As part of its work to promote and improve the teaching and study of languages and cultures of the world, the Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME) recognizes Maine educators and students annually for their outstanding work in a number of areas including student recognition, leadership, lifetime achievement, and their two teacher of the year awards, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Teacher of the Year and FLAME Teacher of the Year. They recently announced their 2022 award recipients.

FLAME Student Recognition Award

Sam Conner Self is a talented senior at Bangor High School, currently enrolled in AP Spanish: Language & Culture. However, they also study ASL at Bangor High School and German at the University of Maine at Orono. Their academic pursuits after school include Spanish Honor Society, Spanish Club, Math Team, Theater, Civil Rights Club and Young Democrats. Beyond these extracurricular activities, Sam has shown leadership in their roles as: Social Media Director of Students for Gender Equality, Co-president of Q+ Club, and co-organizer of the Maine Youth Power Voter Education Campaign at BHS.

They intend to study psychology with a minor in at least one language in college and envision creating a community center that provides counseling and other services from multilingual psychologists rather than solely relying on interpreters.

Richard Williamson Leadership Award

This award is given to a teacher, administrator, student, or community member for outstanding results in promoting the study of modern and classical languages in their community or region.

Skip Crosby has been a dedicated Spanish teacher in Maine for 29 years at the high school level, with nine years at the college level. His excellence in teaching has been recognized over the years, but especially in 2014 and 2015, as Androscoggin County Teacher of the Year and FLAME World Language Teacher of the Year.

Skip is well known for his dedication to supporting his teaching peers in a variety of ways. He is a true leader by welcoming other teachers and graduate students into his classroom without hesitation. Most significantly, he has coordinated the TCI Maine Conference since 2006. This “Teaching with Comprehensible Input” conference provides meaningful and accessible professional development to teachers across New England by inviting nationally and internationally recognized experts on TPRS and CI.

Sister Solange Bernier Lifetime Achievement Award

This award was named after a well-loved and well respected French teacher, whose career spanned more than six decades. It recognizes the career-long accomplishments of those who are approaching retirement and who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and leadership throughout their careers as modern and classical language teachers.

Susan Dana of Cape Elizabeth Middle School is this year’s recipient. She is a National Board Certified Spanish Teacher who has been a language educator for 39 years, 30 of which have been in Cape Elizabeth. In the late 1990s she started the Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) program in Cape Elizabeth. In 1996 she was the FLAME teacher of the year, and she has been the recipient of numerous grants and scholarships, including a Fulbright Teacher Exchange to Uruguay in 2013. Susan has led service trips through Safe Passage in Guatemala with Cape Elizabeth High School students, and has engaged her students in many social justice projects and endeavors. Her students have participated in events such as Global Collaboration week, Journey North, and connecting with Peace Corps Volunteers. She also helped her students develop community and global connections with projects such as bookmarks for the public library, decorated grocery bags for the supermarket, valentines for hospital patients, pen pals, the Peace Corps’ World Wise School Program, video exchanges with Spanish speaking students, and a “New Mainers: Hear our Story” Program.

English Speakers for Other Languages (ESOL) Teacher of the Year

Farrah Giroux of Westbrook School Department was selected based on her demonstration of leadership in the field of ESOL, both on the board of Northern New England TESOL, serving terms as treasurer, vice president, and president, and locally in her community at Westbrook Middle School where she holds the position of Instructional Leader for the ELL Team. Farrah is a champion for educational equity, promoting an asset-based orientation, high expectations, and equitable opportunities for students learning English. Farrah skillfully leverages the WIDA English Language Development standards to bring principles of equity into practice for herself and the colleagues she supports.

FLAME Teacher of the Year

Each year at its annual conference, the Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME) recognizes those who have achieved outstanding results in teaching modern or classical languages.

This year’s recipient is Deb Backman from Cony High School. Deb is not only a fantastic language teacher, but an asset to her school community. Deb has served on the League of Innovative Schools Leadership Team, her District Curriculum Mapping Leadership Team, and was a class advisor for many years. At the state level, Deb has served multiple times as President of the Maine Chapter of American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), Webmaster and Treasurer. Since 2015 she has organized the annual Maine AATG Awards Tea at the Blaine House which recognizes German language students’ achievements, including on the National German Exam. Deb also helps organize an annual student immersion day (Sprachfest), in conjunction with German faculty at Colby College and co-organized several annual week-long K-16 Deutsche Woche in Bar Harbor immersion seminars for educators from the entire US.

She has served on the most recent Steering Committee for the review of the Maine State Learning Results for World Languages and currently serves on the Maine DOE World Language Advisory Council. As a result of Deb’s hard work, Cony High School is one of 13 German Government-designated US PASCH partner schools and serves as a beacon for other German programs. Her students have studied food waste with German entrepreneurs who started a zero packaging store in Berlin, worked with a German technology company who taught students to program mini-computers, and with a German singer/songwriter to write and produce an original song.

To learn more about FLAME’s awards visit their website. For further information, reach out to FLAME.

MLTI 2.0 Summer Professional Development Opportunity – In Person at Nokomis June 27-29th

Combine creative thinking with the right equipment and you can build opportunities that go beyond traditional education. In this FREE professional development event, Kern Kelley guides educators through the process of developing classroom environments that use teamwork, technology design, prototyping, and production. Teachers leave the program with $2,000 kits with everything from power tools, 3D printers, robotics, and virtual workspaces.

This opportunity is offered in person at Nokomis Regional High in Newport on June 27th – 29th from 8:30am to 1:00pm.

The professional development experience includes:

  • A free ‘STEAM Roller’ cart of equipment valued over $2,000.
  • Training for integrating this equipment into your classroom.
  • Being part of the statewide SLAM community of students and educators.
  • Available travel and lodging grants.

Space is very limited. For more information and to apply, please visit www.MLTI.me.

Download the flyer

Important Notice: Quarter 3 (Q3) Truancy, Behavior, Attendance and Bullying Data Review Due Date Approaches; Webinar Available

The review period for Quarter 3 (Q3), which includes truancy, behavior, attendance, and bullying, opens April 1st and review and submission is required by April 15th. While certification is not required until the final, Quarter 4 (Q4) report, review and submission is necessary for Q3.  For students to potentially receive Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits, it is especially important for attendance data to be uploaded, reviewed, and submitted for all quarters through Q3 by April 15.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Team will be holding a webinar on April 7th at 10am on this topic. To join the webinar, simply select this “Join Live” link at the time of the webinar.

If you have difficulties navigating to Synergy or NEO, please call the Helpdesk at 624-6896 or email medms.helpdesk@maine.gov.

MLTI Announces the Student Winner of the 2022 T-Shirt Design Competition 

Introducing the winner of the MLTI t-shirt design contest, Penny Graham, a 7th grade student at Waterville Junior High School! The 2022 MLTI t-shirt design competition was open to all MLTI 7th and 8th grade students to submit their talented digital designs.

Penny

Penny’s design was chosen by a panel of judges and will be printed on t-shirts and worn by all the Maine MLTI students and educators across the state on Thursday May 26, 2022, who attend the MLTI Virtual Student Conference!  Penny will also be featured on an upcoming MLTI SLAM Show to share the process she went through to digitally create her design.

Registration for the 2022 MLTI Virtual Student Conference is open to all 7th and 8th grade students. The conference takes place on Thursday May 26, 2022 and you can register here!

For more information, reach out to MLIT Project Manager Brandi Cota at Brandi.M.Cota@Maine.Gov.

MLTI Launching New End of Year Expo to Celebrate Educators!

End of Year Expo InfographicMLTI is launching an End of Year Expo event to celebrate educators! The End of Year Expo is a chance for MLTI educators to share the awesome work that they do to support the use of technology in teaching and learning.

Are you or someone you know an MLTI educator using technology in cool and exciting ways? Submit an entry to the expo and join us to share these achievements at our exhibition. All entries will have the opportunity to present at the expo. The expo will be open and free for all to attend. Exhibiters will be treated to a luncheon and an awards ceremony after the exhibition.

The MLTI End of Year Expo is featuring six categories of recognition. To learn more about these categories, check out this infographic (also featured to the right).

Do you know an MLTI educator or group of educators who should be sharing the awesome work that they are doing? Submit an entry!

For more information about the MLTI End of Year Expo, check out our website.

School Nutrition Teams from RSU 54 and RSU 12 Square off at First Regional Event of Maine DOE Farm to School Cook-Off

The RSU 12 Palermo Panthers and RSU 54 Team Son-day squared off in the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) first regional Farm to School Cook-off on March 23rd. The competition was held at the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center and is the first of three regional competitions that will take place this month, sponsored by the DOE’s Child Nutrition Office.

The school teams, consisting of one school nutrition professional and one student, were tasked with creating a breakfast and lunch meal using three local ingredients, including buckwheat flour as the breakfast “challenge” ingredient and beets as the lunch “challenge” ingredient, as well as one USDA food.

Mike Flynn and Ben Bragg from the Palermo Panthers cooked up a breakfast “paco”, which consisted of egg and cheese rolled into a buckwheat flour pancake.

Mike and Ben from RSU 12
Mike and Ben from RSU 12

Gina Bailey and her son Caleb Pratt from Team Son-day whipped up a breakfast flower waffle using buckwheat flour, and presented their dish in the shape of a flower with fruit as the pedals and stem. Both teams created a beet smoothie, using a kid-friendly approach to a less familiar vegetable.

RSU 54 breakfast flower waffle
Gina and Caleb from RSU 54

For lunch, the Palermo Panthers made “muchos tacos” using various proteins, served on top of a homemade buckwheat flour tortilla, with a beet/carrot slaw on the side. Team Son-day cooked grilled chicken with red flannel hash, a buckwheat biscuit, and heart shaped watermelon on the side.

Gina handing her breakfast plate to the judges
Gina handing her breakfast plate to the judges

Team Son-day, who has been competing in the cook-off for several years, walked away with the win. They dedicated this event to their late mother and grandmother, and the dishes were specially crafted with her in mind.

A great day was had by all! Following two more regional cookoffs set for March 29th and March 31st, RSU 54 will advance, along with winning teams from the remaining regional cookoffs, to the finals round which will take place at the Child Nutrition Culinary Classroom on April 26th.

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Jennifer Hopkins

Maine DOE team member Jennifer Hopkins is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Jennifer in this question and answer.

What are your roles with DOE?

I am the Executive Assistant to the Child Development Services Director Roberta Lucas.

What do you like best about your job?

Roberta keeps me on my toes, every day is different which I love! I never get bored that’s for sure.

How or why did you decide on this career?

I’m not sure what lead me down this path, I guess it was just meant to be.

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

I enjoy spending time with my husband of 29 years, our two daughters, and their fiancés. We all go hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, kayaking and just spending time together whenever we get a chance!  I enjoy getting outside and enjoying all Maine has to offer!

American Rescue Plan (ARP) Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) Program Information

As part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), Congress set aside $2.75 billion of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund to provide emergency assistance to students and teachers in non-public schools, as defined below, through the ARP Emergency Assistance to Non-public Schools (EANS) program. The purpose of the ARP EANS program is to provide services or assistance to non-public schools that enroll a significant percentage of students from low-income families and are most impacted by COVID. 

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has been working with the U.S. Department of Education since the submission of Maine’s ARP EANS application on September 9, 2021. Approval from the US. Department of Education was received on March 16, 2022, and the Maine DOE is moving swiftly to support non-public schools through the $12,327,260 ARP EANS award process.  

An eligible non-public school is an elementary or secondary school that is non-profit; approved in accordance with state law; was in existence prior to March 13, 2020; did not, and will not apply for and receive a loan under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) on or after December 27, 2020; and serves a low-income student percentage of 25 percent or greater. The low-income student percentage will be determined by the data on student eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch under the National School Lunch Act.  

Non-public schools interested in participating in the ARP EANS II programs are encouraged to attend the Office of Federal Emergency Relief Programs’ Informational ARP EANS II webinar on March 31, 2022, at 10am.

Please register at https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctd-GhqT0oGtCt4DQA_oQ9-exUOeTNYquV.

Conducting K-12 Site Assessments With SITE ASSESS Train-the-Educator (TtE)

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center will offer a new Conducting K-12 Site Assessments With SITE ASSESS training session on April 5. This dynamic and interactive 2.5-hour training is designed to assist school districts and schools with conducting site assessments and using SITE ASSESS, the REMS TA Center’s free and secure mobile app that allows personnel to walk around a building and grounds, and examine their safety, security, accessibility, and emergency preparedness. This Virtual Training by Request (VTBR) opportunity is being offered in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (OSSS).

When: Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET
Cost: NO CHARGE
Register here (registration for this event closes on Friday, April 1, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.)

This training is intended to provide participants with an introduction to site assessments, including their purpose; who should serve on a site assessment team; how site assessments support school preparedness activities; how data from site assessments are incorporated into the planning process put forth in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations; and key topics such as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. This training also provides an overview of SITE ASSESS, including how it was developed by the REMS TA Center, some of its key features, and how to use it collaboratively.

Audience

The intended audiences for this training are those who serve on an emergency operations plan planning team and/or a site assessment team including, but not limited to:

  • School district and school administrators, educators, facilities staff, food management and cafeteria staff, transportation staff, security staff, school nurse, athletic department staff, and support staff; and
  • Community partners, such as law enforcement, including school resource officers, fire officials, and Emergency Medical Services personnel.

Training Objectives

The aim of this training is to help participants be able to:

  • Understand the purpose of a site assessment and its
    importance in school preparedness;
  • Conduct a site assessment using the SITE ASSESS
    mobile app; and
  • Use SITE ASSESS to identify areas of improvement in
    education facilities.

For more information, contact the REMS TA Center 1-855-781-REMS [7367] or info@remstacenter.org.

Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) K-12 101 Train-the-Educator (TtE)

Learn important Federal guidance on school emergency management planning through a new 2.5 hour training on April 12. This Virtual Training by Request (VTBR) opportunity is being offered by the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (OSSS).

Each school day, our nation’s schools are entrusted to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for approximately 55 million elementary and secondary school students in public and nonpublic schools. In June 2013, the Obama Administration released the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (School Guide) which provides an overview of Federal guidance on school emergency management planning.

The School Guide, produced by the U.S. Departments of Education; Justice, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security, led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and Health and Human Services, incorporates lessons learned from events, like the school shooting in Newtown and the tornadoes in Oklahoma, as well as years of emergency planning work by the Federal government, to present a recommended process, important content elements, and key considerations for school emergency operations plan (EOP) development.

In collaboration with their local government and community partners, schools can take steps to plan for these potential emergencies through the creation of a high-quality school EOP. With this training, an expert team will provide an overview of the recommended six-step planning process to create a high-quality school EOP, which includes the following:

Step 1: Forming a Collaborative Planning Team
Step 2: Understanding the Situation
Step 3: Determining Goals and Objectives
Step 4: Plan Development
Step 5: Plan Preparation, Review, and Approval
Step 6: Plan Implementation and Maintenance

Pre- and -post training activities will provide guidance on how this training is relevant to emergency operations planning and assist with the implementation of what is learned.

The intended audiences for this training include, but are not limited to: those interested in creating, revising, or enhancing school EOPs; school staff who serve, or will serve, on their school or school district’s EOP planning team; and other interested community stakeholders, including first responders, emergency medical services personnel, law enforcement, and others.

When: Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET
Cost: NO CHARGE
Register here (Registration for this event closes on Friday, April 8, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.)

For more information contact The REMS TA Center 1-855-781-REMS [7367] or info@remstacenter.org.