Category: News & Views

We Want to Hear How Climate Science is Taught in Maine Classrooms 

Whether your students are exploring energy alternatives, their carbon footprint, how to protect ecosystems and water sources, sea level rise along the coast, warming in the Gulf of Maine, or mitigating health costs of Lyme, mosquito-borne illnesses and damage to Maine’s infrastructure, we want to hear from you!  

With the adoption of new science Maine Learning Results in 2019 (Next Generation Science Standards), the release of the Maine Climate Council’s “Four-Year Plan for Climate Action” in 2020, and a renewed focus on climate issues, we want to hear how Maine classrooms are addressing climate science. We are interested in school and community-based examples and innovative partnerships.  

Please forward any stories, examples, photos to shari.templeton@maine.gov with a subject line of “Climate Education” for the Department of Education (DOE) to highlight and share state-wide.  We are designing a website that will be populated with exemplars, resources, and networking opportunities across the state.  

As proposed in the Climate Council’s plan, the DOE is exploring the convening of stakeholders to “consider next steps to implement increased climate and career education.” If you are interested in serving on a planning team to develop a state plan for climate education, please complete the form found at this link. 

Thank you for helping us to highlight and celebrate the important work you are doing! 

Pre-K For ME Curriculum Expanded with At-Home Activities, Available in Multiple Languages

The Pre-K For ME Curriculum has an exciting new addition! Over the last year, the Maine Department of Education has been creating unit specific Family Links which complement each unit of study and deepen children’s learning and interactions related to the unit content.  This new resource is designed to enhance instruction by bridging activities in the classroom with extension activities at home.  Families and caregivers will learn more about the focus for each unit of study, including the books, songs, and poems that teachers are using in the classroom. Developmental highlights and parenting tips are also offered.

We are proud to be able to offer Family Links in the top 10 most prevalent languages used in Maine schools.  This access will enable families to support their children in their home languages.  Each unit on the Pre-K For ME webpage has a link to the Family Link that matches the unit. Educators will be able to print and send home copies at the start of each unit.

Additional questions can be directed to Marcy Whitcomb, marcy.r.whitcomb@maine.gov

Maine CITE Program Welcomes New Director

Jessi Wright, MBA, ATP has been named the new Director for the Maine CITE Program, the Assistive Technology (AT) program for the state of Maine. Jessi began her duties on February 1, 2021.

Jessi was previously the Director of the West Virginia State Assistive Technology Program located at the West Virginia University Center for Excellence in Disabilities.

Jessi has worked in the disability field for over 15 years, ten years of which were with state assistive technology programs. She has extensive experience in disability services program management and is recognized as a national leader in the assistive technology field with knowledge of AT services, training, data management, funding, and grant writing.

An outdoor enthusiast, Jessi is looking forward to exploring all the adventure Maine has to offer. She is excited to join the Maine CITE team, the disability community in the state of Maine, and participating in the efforts to increase independence and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

The Maine CITE Program, located at the University of Maine Augusta, is the statewide AT program, administered by the Maine Department of Education and funded by the federal Administration for Community Living. Maine CITE provides information, training, and services about AT, manages the statewide device demo, loan, and reuse programs, and provides technical assistance to organizations and individuals. Maine CITE’s online searchable AT inventory, AT4Maine, has more than 1000 devices available for demo and loan that can be accessed at the website, AT4Maine.org.

Maine CITE also administers the Maine Accessible Educational Materials Program (Maine AEM) which provides information, training, and technical assistance to educators to ensure educational content and communications are accessible to all.

For more information about AT or AEM resources in Maine, please contact Maine CITE at 207-621-3195 or by visiting their websites:

MaineCITE.org
AT4Maine.org
Maine-AEM.org

Photo caption: Jessi D. Wright, MBA, ATP, Program Director, Maine CITE Program.

MEDIA RELEASE: WAVES First Instagram Contest Winner Meets Virtually with Senator Angus King  

After an all-nighter of Senate votes last Thursday evening through 5:30am Friday, and a full day of Senate work thereafter, Maine’s Senator Angus King made sure to meet with Kalli Sternberg of Machias, a high school senior at Washington Academy in East Machias. Kalli was the winner of an Instagram photo contest hosted by the Maine Department Of Education’s new initiative WAVES (Wilderness Activities and Virtual Engagement for Students), which granted her the opportunity to meet with Senator King.  

Kalli’s winning photo, shared under the contest invitation to “post a picture that gives you a sense of peace and gratitude,” was taken on the cliffs of the Bold Coast trail in Cutler, overlooking the crashing waves and vast ocean before her. Senator King saw Kalli’s picture and reminisced about his visits to the area, including a recent RV trip with his wife to Cobscook Bay State Park, another breathtaking site in Washington County.  

While Kalli’s interview was scheduled for fifteen minutes, Kalli and Senator King’s conversation lasted for almost an hour, during which Senator King answered Kalli’s questions about his path to the Senate, his decision to enter politics, his advice for a young person embarking into adulthood, and how to have constructive conversations with people holding different beliefs and coming from varying perspectives. Senator King shared the importance of what he called “eloquent listening,” of seizing opportunities and engaging in experiential learning in all facets of life. Senator King also asked Kalli about her plans, interests, and experience as a high school student living and learning through COVID.  

Following the conversation with Senator King, Kalli commented that “It was wonderful to talk with Senator King and hear about his journey. I also appreciated his interest in my life and experiences. The lessons I gained from his advice, generosity and genuine curiosity will stay with me. Thank you, Senator!”  

WAVES is continuing its series of Instagram challenges, providing a range of opportunities for teens to connect with each other, the outdoors, and educators and leaders from throughout the state. Follow WAVES Project Director on Instagram (mainewavesdirector) for the latest updates and challenges.  

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Get to know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Kelley Heath

Maine DOE team member Kelley Heath is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Kelley in the question and answer below.

What are your roles with DOE?

I work for the Adult Education Office at Maine DOE.  I am the High School Equivalency/ Data Coordinator for Adult Education.

What do you like best about your job?

I like working with the local adult education programs throughout Maine to help them collect and make the most out of their adult education data.  Each data point represents a real person who needs our support, and when programs use data to improve the lives of those adults, it is very gratifying.

How or why did you decide on this career?

Initially, I studied theatre, but always knew I wanted to teach.  When I moved back to Maine, I started teaching part-time for my local adult education program.  In 2013, I had the opportunity to begin working with the state adult education team and I am thankful every day that I get to work with such great people!

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

I enjoy traveling (when I can) and spending time on Sebago Lake.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Maine DOE Joins NewsCenter Maine to Thank School Staff and Educators Through Video Messages from Across the State

The Maine Department of Education is excited to be working with News Center Maine on a two-week campaign that aims to give Maine schools staff and teachers the giant shout out and thank you they deserve.

With Valentine’s Day and the national #LoveTeaching week just around the corner, the Maine DOE and News Center Maine have formed a unique partnership to broadcast video messages from schools across Maine showcasing the amazing heroes that work in our local schools and districts.

From February 7th through February 21th, WCSH 6/WLBZ 2 has launched a Thank You campaign that will air as video clips during both their morning and evening news broadcasts. The video clips feature a broad range of school and district staff, working in schools in all regions of Maine, talking about where they work and why they love what they do.

During the campaign, News Center Maine will also be soliciting videos from community members across Maine talking about their local teachers and school staff members, thanking them for all their hard work. Students and their families, as well as fellow educators, are encouraged to give a video shout out to say “Thank you!” and send along to NewsCenter Maine. One can share video by:

  • Using the Near ME tool of their mobile app
  • Texting them at 207-828-6622
  • Posting them on social media and using the hashtag #LoveSchoolStaff.

Be sure to tune into News Center Maine, WCSH 6/WLBZ 2 now through February 21st to see the faces of the amazing people working to educate the youth in our state and hear from students and families who are sending in their messages of appreciation. Maybe you will even see someone from a school near you! A library of videos is available on the NewsCenter Maine website.

PRIORITY NOTICE: New Dates Available for Free Anti-Bias Professional Learning Series for Educators

The Maine Department of Education is sponsoring a workshop by Amber Coleman-Mortley, Moving Beyond the Movement: Fostering Authentic Transformation for Sustainable Outcomes.  This Learning Series was originally scheduled for earlier this month but it has been rescheduled and the registration has opened back up for additional attendees! Please see the updated dates below.

Updated Learning Series Dates & Syllabus:

  • Wednesday, February 17, 7:00-9:00pm
    Module 1 – Now is the Time: Using the past to inform the present: How do we apply anti-racism, anti-bias, and equity to civics and history classrooms?
  • Wednesday, February 24, 7:00-8:30pm
    Module 2-Be bold. Be brave. Be inclusive: Engaging your stakeholders: How do we facilitate community engagement around anti-bias work?
  • Wednesday, March 3, 7:00-9:00pm
    Module 3- Culturally relevant pedagogy for all: How can we leverage culturally relevant pedagogy to support all learners in our school community?
  • Wednesday, March 10, 7:00-8:30pm
    Module 4- Practical applications and continued strategies for continued allyship: What small, and large, changes are required to ensure that our practices and policies are investments, not investigations?

Amber Coleman-Mortley brings a diverse voice into civic education, manages a large network of education influencers, and has built a successful youth fellowship of students fighting for equity in civic education. Amber’s advocacy and expertise have been featured in the New York Times on several occasions.

Register here: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkdOihrzIoHtEhnto0lYp7KcxZ3tbYW9SQ 

Learn more about Amber

Amber Coleman-Mortley is a talented creator and builder of digital and grassroots networks where she focuses on cultivating an engaged community of active participants through multimedia video and virtual spaces. In her current role as Director of Social Engagement, she brings diverse voices into civic education, manages a large network of education influencers, and has built a successful youth fellowship of students fighting for equity in civic education.

Amber’s equity and civic work is centered around building strong teams for improved community outcomes, which is inspired by her years as a three-sport varsity athlete at Oberlin College where she earned North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) all-conference honors for 8 out of the 11 seasons she competed. She also has a Division 3 , NCAA appearance in the 4×100 m. She currently serves as an alumni advisor to Oberlin College’s, Black Student-Athlete Guild.

Amber taught for nine years as a P.E/Health teacher and head varsity volley ball and head varsity track coach. She has experience building curriculum and leadership programs for student-athletes and team captains. Amber presented on Anti-Racist Coaching and Sports and Social Justice at the U.S. Soccer

Foundation’s Virtual National Training. At the center of her work are equity, critical thinking, and civic problem-solving. She has experience collaborating virtually with parents and educators around equity, anti-racism, and culturally relevant pedagogy, which includes work with the DuPage (Illinois) Regional Office Of Education.

Amber is a highly regarded social media influencer whose work brought her to the White House to meet former first lady Michelle Obama to discuss influencer campaigns that focus on family health and wellness. She is a parenting expert and author of Mom Of All Capes where she covers parenting strategies in civic education, education technology, parent-teacher partnerships, and social-emotional development. The podcast she co-created with her children, Lets K12 Better, discusses how to improve K12 education and family life through partnerships and communication.

Amber’s advocacy and expertise have been featured in the New York Times on several occasions which includes viral videos, a full-page spread in print media, and several online articles. Her insights have been cited in publications from the LA Times to the Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post to LAist. Coleman-Mortley has shared insights for parents through her work for Edutopia, civic education and parenting for TODAY Parenting, and even shared tips for weary travelers through Southwest Airlines. Amber’s voice has been amplified on countless podcasts including Edit Your Life about how to talk to children about race, EduTable about education a inequity, NPR affiliate KPC Conprocessing the state of the world with children. She’s presented live with New York Times Parenting and Sree Sreenivansan’s daily global show on talking to kids about race.

Additional information:

This workshop series will require participants to maintain a reflection journal. Participants should come motivated to create change and should be prepared to participate in group discussions based on readings and resources shared prior to the session.

Engaging in this cohort provides an opportunity for participants to earn credit hours. To receive credit, participants must attend all four sessions.

For more information contact Danielle Despins; a volunteer member of Maine DOE’s internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) sub-committee at (207) 592-1448.

Register here: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkdOihrzIoHtEhnto0lYp7KcxZ3tbYW9SQ 

PRIORITY NOTICE: National Youth Physical Fitness Campaign Launches in Maine

DON’T QUIT!® Campaign Will Deliver $100,000 Fitness Centers to Three Maine Schools

The school nomination form and more information about the program can be found here.

Governor Janet Mills and the Maine Department of Education announced today that the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC) has selected Maine for its 2021 DON’T QUIT! Campaign, a national effort to encourage physical fitness in youth. As part of the campaign, the NFGFC, which seeks to encourage and reward innovation in the field of youth fitness, will gift DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers to three Maine schools that use new and unique methods to promote student physical activity and wellness to help them construct fitness centers.

“The coronavirus pandemic has only reinforced how important it is to keep our bodies and minds healthy,” said Governor Mills. “I thank the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Centers for bringing this campaign to our state and I encourage all eligible schools to apply.”

“Our schools provide students with the knowledge, experiences and resources to build healthy and successful futures,” said Education Commissioner Pender Makin. “We know that physical activity improves student learning, mental health, and general wellbeing, and we are grateful to the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Centers for providing these additional resources to 3 Maine schools.”

“Childhood obesity is a serious problem that can follow a child into adulthood. I’ve declared war on this preventable disease and it’s inspiring to see elected leaders like Governor Janet Mills immediately jump on board to join the battle and welcome us into the great state of Maine. Every governor we’ve partnered with recognizes that obesity is neither a Democratic nor Republican issue, it’s a kids’ issue and all have vowed to do everything possible to help,” said fitness icon Jake (Body by Jake) Steinfeld, Chairman of the NFGFC. “So far we’ve delivered DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers to 36 states and Washington, DC  and this year we are adding four more states to our family including Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, and New Hampshire. The response from every state we’ve visited has been awesome.  Kids are excited about working out and being physically active and, as a result, their academic performance and self-esteem have skyrocketed.  Now, Maine schools have an opportunity to make a change that will have a lasting impact on kids well into their future.”  

All public and public charter elementary and middle schools in Maine who have a majority of students between the ages of 8 to 14 years old and an available room ready for equipment installation by June 2021 within their existing infrastructure are eligible to apply. Three schools in each state, prioritized based on need, will be chosen from applicants by NFGFC to receive a brand new, state-of-the-art DON’T QUIT! Fitness Center. The school nomination form and more information about the program can be found here.

Each fitness center is financed through public/private partnerships with companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, Wheels Up and Nike, and does not rely on taxpayer dollars or state funding. Fitness in Motion provides all the fitness equipment, which is manufactured in the United States.   

“I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact fitness centers have had on students and their communities. When you provide schools with the tools and inspiration, you’ll be amazed by the changes that take place,” continued Steinfeld.  “Children are our most precious resource and by providing them with a strong foundation in health and fitness, we can feel confident that they’ll excel beyond their wildest dreams.” 

Physical activity and exercise are shown to help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases, enhance individual health and quality of life, and reduce health care costs.  In schools, studies show that physical activity improves academic achievement, increases confidence and self-esteem, reduces discipline problems, cuts absenteeism, and fosters better interpersonal relationships.

School nominations will be accepted starting today, Monday, February 8, 2021 until Friday, March 19, 2021. Maine people interested in nominating their school can visit  https://natgovfit.org/nominate-your-school/ and click on the Maine state seal to download and submit the short application.

The school nomination form and more information about the program can be found here.

Read to ME Challenge Student Video Reading, “The Bridge Home”

To help kick off the Read to Me Challenge this month, the Maine DOE is posting videos of Maine students reading a book of their choosing each day in the first week of February. Some of the first set of videos are brought to you from members of the Maine DOE Student Cabinet along with other students from across Maine.

Today we are sharing a video created by Leela Hidier, a Cumberland County representative on the Maine DOE Student Cabinet. She is reading The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman.

Reading aloud to children is one of the most cost effective and highly beneficial methods of building children’s literate abilities. The simple act of reading aloud to a child 15 minutes a day for five years results in 27,375 minutes of language exposure which can put children on the path to high literacy achievement. Reading aloud exposes children to the world around them, helps them see reading as an enjoyable and valuable activity and often strengthens bonds with trusted adults.

The remaining student video readings will be released in the Maine DOE Newsroom an on the official Maine DOE Facebook and Twitter pages each day this week.

The Read to ME Challenge will run for the month of February, leading up to Read Across America Day on March 2, 2021. Learn more about the Read to ME Challenge on the Maine DOE Website, which includes a heat map of participants and an opportunity to submit your Read to ME story for the heat map!

If you would like to request the videos be sent to you directly, please complete this form. If you would like to submit a video or for more information, contact Dee Saucier, Elementary Literacy Specialist for the Maine DOE.

MEDIA RELEASE: A Special Thank You Message to Maine’s Education Field

We are thrilled to share a very special and heartfelt message with our colleagues in the field.  The Department of Education joins Governor Mills and Dr. Shah in thanking every member of Maine’s school communities for everything you are doing to keep our schools safe and open for learning!  

This special message kicks off a month of gratitude for Maine’s educator workforce, which will include Valentine’s messages from students and families.