Category: News & Views

Get to Know the DOE Team: Meet Stephanie Stambach

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

What are your roles with DOE?

As part of the Child Nutrition team, I conduct Administrative Reviews of School Nutrition Programs across the state, and also provide training and technical assistance to schools. I oversee the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), which is a program that provides fresh produce to elementary and middle schools at no cost. I am involved with awarding schools, assisting with program operations, and providing support as needed. I am also involved in Farm to School work where I coordinate and promote the annual Farm to School Cook-off with my team, and help to coordinate other projects that promote local foods in schools with our Farm and Sea to School Coordinator.

What do you like best about your job?

I really enjoy working with our school nutrition heroes to troubleshoot and find solutions to problems and challenges. I like to take something that seems difficult and break it down so that it is less daunting. Every day I am amazed by the dedication of our school nutrition professionals and their work in feeding the children of Maine! I also work with a great team in Child Nutrition so I am grateful for that.

How or why did you decide on this career?

This is actually a career I never thought existed. I started off as a dietetic intern with DOE in the fall of 2010 and a position opened up in the spring so I took it! At the time I didn’t realize that school nutrition would become a passion of mine and realize the positive impact that school meals have on children and their families. During the pandemic it has become even more apparent the impact that school nutrition programs have in their communities and the tireless work that school nutrition staff do every day.

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

I enjoy hiking and camping with my family and some of my favorite places are Moosehead Lake and Acadia National Park. One of my other favorite activities is exploring the lighthouses of Maine. My 2.5 year old daughter also keeps me active on a daily basis!

Free Resources to Help Keep Children Safe From Cyber-Crimes

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. Among their investigative priorities are cyber-crimes which includes child sexual exploitation. In partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, HSI has developed its Project iGuardian. HSI’s Project iGuardian aims to counter a disturbing fact – many online child predators are able to find victims online because children and their caregivers are not aware of how dangerous online environments can be. It is focused on keeping children and teens safe from online predators through education and awareness.

Due to the current public health measures undertaken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many school districts across the country have shifted children to virtual learning which results in significantly more time spent online.  Such increases in screen time and online access can potentially expose children to greater risk of encountering cyber predators who know how to exploit their vulnerabilities.

In order to protect them, the HSI Offices located in Maine wish to offer material to support schools, students and their families/guardians.  While HSI and their local law enforcement partners typically provide education to students and educators in person via Project iGuardian, their agency also offers a variety of tools available on its iGuardian webpage.  The sole purpose of this educational material is to keep children safe while using the internet.

HSI also maintains a close working relationship with NCMEC in the fight against child exploitation. Its partners at NCMEC have created the NetSmartz educational outreach program which features information and resources tailored specifically to youth age groups and adults.

These resources can be found below.

  • Free Digital Resources – Online Safety for Kids & Families, found here.
  • Project iGuardian Resources, Found here.
  • 18 videos, each less than two minutes in length, Called Digital Dangers. The videos, created by HSI Nashville, can be found, here.
  • HSI press release related to virtual presentations can be found, here.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Homeland Security Investigations, Bangor, Maine, Acting Resident Agent in Charge Loren Thresher at 207-262-4411 or via email at loren.d.thresher@ice.dhs.gov.

Carrie Ricker Arts Teacher Creates Virtual Arts Show to Showcase Student Work

This school year has been anything but typical, forcing teachers and students to teach and learn in new ways. As schools across the globe transitioned from classroom instruction to remote learning it was important to Jen Williams, the Visual Arts Teacher at Carrie Ricker School in Litchfield to keep her artists engaged and creating.

Normally, Williams and her colleagues would have had a large Arts Night at school filled with an art show and spring concerts. Since that could not happen this year, she decided to create a video art show to celebrate her student’s amazing artwork. This video art show showcases not only their art created at school but during remote learning.

See the Carrie Ricker Arts Show Here!

“My hope is that with this art show my students feel proud of their accomplishments and celebrated for their talents,” said Williams.  “The arts are such a vital part of education and have kept us all connected through these challenging times.”

This story was submitted by Jen Williams, Art Teacher at Carrie Ricker School in RSU 4 as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Saco School Department’s Young School Adapts to Distance Learning to Follow Through on Planned Whole School Thematic Unit

Last September, Brad Coupe and the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse invited Principal of Young School in Saco, Dr. Peter Harrison and staff, to visit the island off Vine’s Landing in Biddeford, and tour the lighthouse.

From that visit, a whole-school, Lighthouse Themed study was planned to correspond with Maine’s Bicentennial and it’s Maritime history. A May field trip to Portland Head Light by all students was to set the stage for this integrated project. In Art classes, students were going to design and build a lighthouse.

Classroom teachers planned lighthouse themed activities in all subject areas and technology would be used to virtually visit and learn about lighthouses. Guest
speakers would share their experiences working and living at lighthouses in Maine.
Teachers planned to connect Young School’s OBOYS (One Book, One Young School) project to the lighthouse theme by having all students receive and read a copy of
the book Keep the Lights Burning Abbie, by Peter and Connie Roop.

student lighthouses

Then in March, a Global Pandemic changed all those plans! 

Teachers’ focus turned to “Distance Learning.” Just connecting with students and families became the immediate necessity. Slowly with time, teachers began to be more comfortable with this new way of school and their thoughts drifted back to the abandoned Lighthouse project.

In an effort to help students stay engaged over April vacation, Young School teachers shared a few resources for students to explore if they chose to. Over vacation, Students were challenged to build or create a lighthouse.

Distance Learning Lighthouse Week

Ms. Julia Gordon, K-2 Art teacher, compiled photos staff took while visiting Wood Island into a video for students!

After April Vacation, the original committee members decided to bring the Lighthouse Unit back to life digitally!

InnKeeper'sHouse
Click to see video

Three Lighthouse Experts Right Here in Saco!

AnnMarieHann
Mrs. AnnMarie Hann, from CK Burns School, (former first grade teacher at Young School), shares her experience on the US Coast Guard Cutter, Abbie Burgess! See Video
MikeGArrity
When Mr. Mike Garrity, Director of Transportation and Facilities for Saco School Department, was in the Coast Guard, he tended lighthouses. Mike shared his experiences with students through video! See video
LifeontheIsland
Mrs. Julie Petrin, School Secretary at Young School (now at Saco PreK), created and narrated a slideshow to share her family’s experience at Wood Island Light when Julie’s father was its Lighthouse Keeper! See video

Distance Learning Choice Board Menus

In order to extend learning, teachers created Lighthouse themed Choice Board/Learning Menus that included all subjects and unified arts.

Teachers also used Seesaw to create learning activities for students to complete in conjunction with the choice boards/menus.

See Student Questions and Responses from our Lighthouse Experts

Links that go along with the student responses in the image below:

Student Responses

This story was submitted by Wendy Cannon, Technology Coach, Saco PreK-2 Schools as mart of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

 

REMINDER: Register for the 5th Annual Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge  

A unique world of remote learning and creative teaching has been the norm in recent weeks, but summer vacation is right around the corner. Summer vacation will be a welcome change of pace for families and teachers, yet the importance of summer reading will be as critical as ever. Educators and families have worked tirelessly to engage and challenge students. Making reading a part of the student experience this summer will be invaluable to a successful return to classrooms in the fall.

Once again, this year, the Maine Department of Education is collaborating with the Freemasons of Maine to sponsor the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge for students in grades PK-8.  The Maine Freemasons have generously donated 48 bikes with helmets as prizes for the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge.  During the first four years of this initiative, thousands of Maine children completed the challenge of reading 500 minutes during summer vacation.  Maine DOE hopes to see this number grow even higher during the summer of 2020.

Any school with students in the PK-8 grade span may register to participate. Participating schools will collect documentation from students who have completed the challenge. They will hold school level drawings to select two students whose names will be entered into the state level drawing to be held on September 25, 2020.   Schools are encouraged to participate in this challenge, to coordinate it with any other summer reading challenges/programs they offer, and to consider soliciting their own local level prizes for students who complete the challenge.  Find details and the link to register your school at the Read to Ride Challenge website.

Summer slide can be prevented or greatly reduced when students continue to read on a regular basis. By encouraging children to read for enjoyment from a variety of resources and to explore topics of interest, they continue to practice applying the skills they have learned, build their vocabulary, and widen their knowledge of the world.  For students who are not yet reading independently, or just beginning to read, reading to and with parents is equally beneficial.

Questions may be directed to Maine DOE’s Elementary Literacy Specialist, Danielle Saucier at danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov.

PRIORITY NOTICE: DOE Virtual Professional Learning Now Available Through Mid-June!

The Maine Department of Education has posted an updated and robust schedule of virtual professional learning, office hours and meetings through mid-June to support school and district staff with their professional learning needs as they conclude emergency teaching plans and prepare for the possible scenarios we will face in the 2020-2021 school year.

All of the sessions are available virtually, and most will be recorded for watching at another time. Please check the schedule in advance to allow time for pre-registration or the need to email the host to obtain meeting information.

Please note that the Department will be upgrading our calendar system over the summer to allow for more efficient event updating, viewing, sorting, and searching for events!

See the Professional Learning, Office Hours, and Meeting Schedule Through Mid-June Here 

You can also now check out recorded webinars in one convenient place that you can watch when you are available. The Department will also be working on organizing and upgrading the webinar library over the coming weeks to make it easier to search. Thank you for your patience!

Sebago Elementary Creates Virtual Arts Festival

Sebago Elementary has approximately 100 students and a community that is hugely supportive and proud of their school. Brenda McGuinness is an Art Teacher at Sebago Elementary School one day per week along with music teacher Jennifer Null and instrumental music teacher Lindsay Waller. In March they were making final plans for the second annual Arts Festival to be held on April 14th. Unfortunately, like events all over the world, the school Arts Festival was canceled.

With a strong desire to showcase the talents and efforts of their students, they worked hard to bring the first Virtual Arts Festival into the homes of students, their families and the community in an alternative way.

Using photographs of the art projects from each grade throughout the year as well as the various events students were involved in throughout the state, along with emailed photos of student art work during remote learning, they made a memorable slideshow of art adventures for the 2019/2020 school year.

“The reaction from our students and families to our Virtual Arts Festival has been wonderful and I feel delighted to have been able to present them with this event,” said Brenda in an email to the DOE.

This story was submitted by Brenda McGuinness, Art Teacher, Sebago Elementary School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. to submit a story email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

 

Vinalhaven School Goes Virtual for 2019/2020 K-12 Art Show

Vinalhaven’s K-12 Visual Arts Teacher Heather White just couldn’t end the year without an Art Show.

“Students created so many cool ‘things’ in the art room this year, and it’s important, now more than ever, to share that work,” said Heather in an email to the Maine DOE.

Instead of having an in-person event this year, Heather got busy creating a website that showcases the work of students at Vinalhaven School so that it can be seen and appreciated by students, their families, the community, and beyond.

“It’s fun to think that instead of just sharing this year’s art work with our island community, we are able to share it with anyone in the world,” added Heather.

Check out the Vinalhaven School K-12 19/20 Virtual Art Show here!

This story was shared by Heather White, K-12 Visual Arts Teacher, Vinalhaven School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story, email it to Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

 

 

Combating Child Sexual Abuse, Exploitation, and Trafficking: June Zoom Meeting Series Schedule

Maine Department of Education’s team of safety specialists continue to offer ongoing training opportunities for those who work with Maine children and their families.
Our Maine School Safety Center (MSSC) will be hosting an important series with community experts on addressing sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking. The virtual series will run through the month of June, each Thursday at 10:00. Please register for the zoom events in advance, here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

June 4: Personal Trafficking Survivor Story to Educate and Mobilize the People of Maine to Stop the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (Catherine Wilson, Founder Stop Trafficking US and local survivor leader)

June 11: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: Dynamics and Approach (Jess Bedard and Caitlyn Kelty-Huber, Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault)

June 18: Children’s Advocacy Center Response to Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (Jennifer Shumway and Kathy Harvey-Brown, Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center)

June 25: Investigation and Evidence Collection in Minor Victims of Trafficking (Christine Thibeault, Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, ME Computer Crimes Task Force team members)

For further information, please contact Coordinator of School Safety and Security, Robert Susi at robert.w.susi@maine.gov or our Maine School Safety Center at https://www.maine.gov/doe/safety