MEDIA RELEASE: Maine DOE Seeks Students to Serve on First-ever Student Cabinet

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) today announced that it is launching its first-ever student cabinet, a group of students that will meet quarterly with Commissioner Pender Makin to discuss educational opportunities, improvements, and policy. The purpose of the Student Cabinet is to provide a forum for Maine students’ voices to be heard.

Cabinet meetings will allow students from different grade levels, backgrounds, and areas of Maine to share their opinions and offer advice about Maine’s education system with Maine’s Commissioner of Education and other leaders from the Maine Department of Education.

Students grades 4 – 12 and first year of college are invited to submit an application to be a member of the Student Cabinet. Members selected will serve for a term of 12 months starting on November 1, 2019.

Cabinet meetings will be held throughout the school year. Most meetings are expected to be held as video conferences which will require cabinet members to have access to a computer or device with an internet connection. There will be at least one in-person meeting, for which the Maine DOE will reimburse travel costs.

Student Cabinet members will be selected based on representation of Maine’s geography, with a goal of two students from each county in Maine, based on the pool of applications submitted, and inclusive of the diverse cultural and economic backgrounds of students throughout Maine.

Selected students will be expected to attend scheduled meetings, prepare for each meeting as needed, work in a collaborative manner with each other and with Department staff as needed; and express views and opinions openly, constructively, and respectfully.

By becoming a member on the Maine DOE Student Cabinet, students will benefit by:

Having a direct role in improving education for students in Maine;
Gain important leadership, public speaking, decision making, and team building skills;
Develop a network of support and mentors through exposure to leaders across the state, and;
Have a great addition to their resume and applications for secondary opportunities.

Instructions for applying:
Students interested in serving on the Maine DOE Student Cabinet will need to submit the electronic application, with consent from a parent or guardian, by Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 5 pm. Applications can be submitted electronically here.

For more information contact Kelli Deveaux (207) 624-6747 or kelli.deveaux@maine.gov.

MaineCare Seed adjustments to be made, review Q419 reports by October 11, 2019

The recovery of Q4′ 19 MaineCare Seed will occur in the October 2019 subsidy payment and the Maine DOE is asking Districts to review their reports by October 11, 2019 to ensure accurate adjustments to subsidy. SAU staff must review student by student claims on both the public and private MaineCare reports for Q4′ 19 by October 11, 2019.

To access the MaineCare Seed reports, please follow the instructions below.

Log into NEO using the link. Anyone who currently has Special Education Director permissions to the Special Education module, will automatically have permissions to access MaineCare reports. For security purposes, if a new staff member needs permission to access this module, a request from the Superintendent to the Maine DOE helpdesk will be necessary. The helpdesk contact information is medms.helpdesk@maine.gov or 207-624-6896.
Click on the Student Data tab
Click on the Student Report tab
Select MaineCare in the Reporting Area drop-down
Choose the quarterly Seed report and the report type (private/public)
Once the report appears on the screen, choose the export button.
report buttonClick view report button

You may export the reports to Excel, but please be aware that there may be multiple worksheet tabs within the workbook. Save the file to your computer.

If you disagree that a particular student or time period should be on the report, please provide the reason that you disagree along with the following to Denise.towers@maine.gov.

Identify the type of report (public or private) and the quarter in which the claims are located.
State Student ID
Service provided dates (From and To)
Total amount of Seed being disputed

Summer services: Students must be enrolled for the time period they are receiving educational services. This means that students that are receiving extended school year services in district or extended school year services in an out of district placement must have a primary enrollment for that time period in order for the MDOE to have the most accurate enrollment data to determine SAU responsibility for MaineCare Seed.

For more information or technical assistance related to MaineCare Seed, please contact Denise.towers@maine.gov.

Dedham School Receives Riding for Focus Mountain Biking Grant

Submitted by Tim Pearson, Physical Education/Health Teacher at Dedham School, part of AOS #47.

Dedham School is excited to announce it is a grant recipient for the 2019-2020 Specialized Foundation Riding for Focus school program.

Riding for Focus is a school-based program designed to provide schools with everything they need to get middle school students riding bikes, including a turnkey physical education curriculum, comprehensive teacher training, and a fleet of bike and safety equipment.

Riding for Focus provides a combination of cycling, fitness, and academic performance, all while instilling a lifelong passion for cycling for students who participate in the program.

Additionally, the program explores and tracks how cycling can positively affect student learning, health, and wellbeing with a focus for those with learning differences such as ADHD. Starting this fall, mountain biking will be a regular part of all middle school students curriculum.

For more information contact Tim Pearson at tpearson@dedhamschool.net or 207-843-6498 or check out this YouTube Video about Riding for Focus School Cycling Program.

Get to know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Brandi Cota

Maine DOE team member Brandi Cota is being highlighted this week as the part of a Get to know the DOE Team campaign! Learn a little more about Brandi in the brief question and answer below.

What are your roles with DOE?

I am the Office Specialist for the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. I provide support for the MLTI 1:1 grant program by collecting applications, assisting in the review and approval, also with writing and processing of our contracts. I manage the billing for all of the 200 + schools in the MLTI program which includes invoicing, tracking device inventory, and processing payments. I also assist with event planning, managing the inventory of the leased devices throughout the state, and communicating with technology staff at our schools.

In addition to my work on the MLTI program I provide support for Preschool Development Grant and I am also a part of the Morale Team and the Procurement Resource Group.

What do you like best about your job?

What I enjoy most about my job is to assist in the planning of events like the MLTI student conference. Being apart of events where we are able to see first hand the innovative work that Maine students are doing with technology in our schools. Working on the morale team and spending time planning and participation in fun events with my coworkers is very fulfilling. I also enjoy getting to communicate with teachers and school staff all over the state.

How or why did you decide on this career?

After my time in the Air Force I spent most of my career working in retail management. Even though I enjoyed it I realized I needed a more reliable work schedule as a parent. I switched to the business administration career field when I moved to Maine, and I thought the Department of Education would be a perfect fit.

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

I spend the majority of my free time with my 10 year old son, close friends and family. I enjoy watching my son play in his games, and this time of year I love watching Packers football. We also like to go to the movies, the beach, attend concerts, and traveling to new places.

Important Reminder and Webinar Assistance: Due Date Approaches for Quarter 1 (Q1) Attendance, Behavior, Bullying, and Truancy Data Review

In order to assist SAUs with their legislatively mandated data reporting, the Maine Department of Education Data Team is offering a free webinar to review the requirements and new features. The webinar is strongly encouraged for those responsible for the compilation and entry of the required data.

The Quarter 1 Reporting and Certification Webinar will be held on Tuesday, October 1st from 10:00 am to 11:00am. (note, this webinar has been rescheduled from Tuesday, September 17). If you did not sign up for the previously scheduled date, please use the Registration URL and the Webinar ID: 562-931-003 to let us know you will be joining us, if you did sign up already, no need to re-register!

The Department of Education offers quarterly windows for districts to review, for accuracy and comprehensiveness, the data that has been entered and reported to us. It is our hope that review of this data on a more regular basis will save district personnel time and work at the end of the year, and that it will provide time for analysis and to make any necessary corrections.

The certification period for Quarter 1 (Q1), which includes attendance, behavior, bullying, and truancy opens October 1^st. Review and certification are required by October 15th. Superintendent certification is required for all quarterly reports.

Attendance-New This Year:

Attendance is now collected in discrete quarters. Please attend the webinar for additional information.
Quarter 1 attendance will be used for the average daily attendance (ADA) reporting requirements for Title V. There will not be a separate Title V ADA collection.
Why? Each year the US Department of Education begins the process for determining Title V eligibility for both the State and Federal grants, starting in late November. Part of that eligibility is asking each state to provide several pieces of data on all their districts, including average daily attendance (ADA). Without this data, no district would be eligible for the Federal (Small Rural Schools Achievement or SRSA) grant, and districts that are eligible for the State (Rural Low-Income Schools or RLIS) grant would get a reduced allocation, as 30% of the allocation formula is based on ADA from all eligible districts.

Attendance data certification can be found here, and guidance on reporting attendance can be found here.
Behavior data certification can be found here, and guidance on reporting behavior can be found here.
Bullying data certification can be found here and guidance on reporting bullying can be found here.
Truancy data certification can be found here, and guidance on reporting truancy can be found here.

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

All due dates for reports are listed on the MDOE reporting calendar. All quarterly reports are based on the following months:

Quarter One (Q1)– As of Oct 1 (to include July, August, Sept) – due Oct 15
Quarter Two (Q2) – As of Jan 1 (to include Oct through Dec) – due Jan 15
Quarter Three (Q3) – As of April 1 (to include Jan through March) – due April 15
Quarter Four (Q4)– As of July 1 (to include Apr through June) – due July 15

LD 577- An Act To Increase Access to Nutritious Foods in Schools by Implementing an After-school Food Program for At-risk Students

LD 577, Public Law 2019, Chapter 428 An Act To Increase Access to Nutritious Foods in Schools by Implementing an After-school Food Program for At-risk Students, will become law on September 19, 2019. We have received questions from district leaders, asking for clarification.

The law states that, beginning in the 2019-20 school year, a school administrative unit with at least one public school in which at least 50% of students qualified for a free or reduced-price lunch during the preceding school year, shall participate in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). A report listing all districts/schools that meet that 50% or more criteria can be found here. We have also provided a link for those who wish to read LD 577 in its entirety. Please note that a school administrative unit that is required to operate a federal Child and Adult Care Food Program may choose not to operate such a program if it determines, by a vote of the governing body of the school administrative unit, and after notice and a public hearing, that operating such a program would be financially or logistically impracticable. A program, or the public hearing and vote to not host a program, can occur at any point in a school year.

TO ASSIST OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AND NUTRITION LEADERS

Child Nutrition has created a “Frequently Asked Questions” document regarding LD 577, and it is posted on our webpage.
A FREE Webinar on the basics of the requirements and program is being offered. Register NOW!

CACFP At Risk 101 Webinar
September 18, 2019 at 1:30-2:30pm
Topics:

- Briefly discuss LD 577 and requirements
- CACFP meal pattern
- Record keeping requirements
- Filing claims
- CACFP review process
- CNPweb agreement

If you have any questions regarding the CACFP At Risk Afterschool Program, please contact the Child Nutrition Office at 624-6843.

Maine Farm to School Network, in Conjunction with the Maine Department of Education, Child Nutrition, Offers Engaging Local Foods Trainings in October

We are excited to announce that the Maine Farm to School Network has received a $25,000 USDA Farm to School Training Grant to build local food procurement capacity in Maine schools. Designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools, USDA Farm to School grants can help farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. “This award will develop the capacity of Maine school food directors to purchase from and support Maine farmers,” comments Stephanie Cesario, Maine Farm to School Network Coordinator. “The funds will support local foods procurement training for food service directors across the state as well as network building,” she added.

The Maine Farm to School Network, in collaboration with other state farm to school advocates, will offer local procurement and network building trainings at the 2019 Maine Farm to School Conference being held at the Kennebec Valley Community College, Alfond Campus in Clinton, ME on October 3-4, 2019. The combined trainings count towards 7.25 contact hours for school nutrition professionals.

Maine schools are ramping up their local food purchasing to support local farms and the local economy, while making school meals fresher and more appealing! The pre-conference local procurement training on October 3^rd will join Martine Cherry, USDA Team Lead and Procurement Specialist, and Abbie Nelson, Farm to School Program Director from Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED) and NOFA-VT for a fun, interactive afternoon of digging into local food procurement rules and guidelines so schools can get the local foods they want! This hands-on workshop is designed for school nutrition directors, kitchen managers, business managers, and others responsible for school food purchasing.

This free, 3-hour training will explore topics such as micro purchasing, informal bid process, Buy American provision, purchasing thresholds, values-based buying, and the importance of relationship building with food producers. Participants will learn how to apply strategies to make the most of marketing tools like Maine Harvest of the Month, and reimbursement opportunities like the Local Produce Fund, to either start a local purchasing strategy or take it to the next level.

To register for the training and to learn more about the 2019 Maine Farm to School Conference and Maine’s Farm to School initiatives visit www.mainefarmtoschool.org/conference. A limited number of scholarships are available to support costs associated with attending the local procurement training.

EF-M-13 Private School October Resident Enrollment Counts

This is a reminder that the EF-M-13 Private School October Resident Enrollment Count report is open October 1^st. Private schools that do not have any “publicly funded students” may complete only the EF-M-13 October 1st Resident Enrollment report, but have the option to also enroll their non-publicly funded students in the Synergy State Edition.

Private schools with publicly funded students must report all “publicly funded students” in Synergy State Edition. Synergy State Edition reporting is necessary in order for the sending school administrative unit to be allocated subsidy for the student. State subsidy to a school administrative unit is often the source of funding that is used to pay the student’s private school tuition.

A “publicly funded student” is defined as a Maine resident student whose educational cost (such as tuition) has been paid for by public funds from a public entity such as the following:

Municipal school unit (including those in a School Union)
School administrative district
Regional School Unit
Community school district
Education in the Unorganized Territory
Maine Indian Education
State Funds from a State Agency such as the Maine Department of Education
Federal Funds from a State or Federal Agency

The excel form for this report is located on the helpdesk webpage inside the ‘Data reporting Instructions’ tile, as well as an instructional walkthrough on completing this form.
For questions regarding this report or Synergy/NEO Access, please contact:
Reporting: Trevor Burns – Student Data Coordinator
Email: Trevor.R.Burns@maine.gov Phone: (207) 624-6678

Synergy/NEO Access: MEDMS Helpdesk
Email: medms.helpdesk@maine.gov Phone: (207) 624-6896

Seeking Additional Maine Schools for Social Emotional Learning Pilot Program

The Tobacco and Substance Use Prevention and Control Program with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MECDC), in partnership with the Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE), is seeking additional schools that would like to implement the social emotional learning (SEL) program, Second Step, funded by a grant through MECDC.

The MECDC received a portion of the State Opioid Response grant to provide community-based substance use prevention as part of the grant’s larger goal to reduce the prevalence of non-medical use of opioids. The Second Step Curriculum is research-based and available for PreK through 8th grades. Many of the skills within the Maine Learning Results for health education in elementary school align with goals of Second Step, such as nurturing skill building and preventing problematic developmental behaviors that are part of the trajectory towards substance use.

If you are interested in adding Second Step to your school’s curriculum and you are not already part of the MECDC pilot or have not already been contacted by the Maine CDC regarding your application from the last round, please complete this brief 5 minute application survey which will be open for submissions until Friday, October 11, 2019.

Please note: If you applied in the last round and have not heard from the Maine DOE or CDC, please feel free to apply again. We may not have had enough information from you in the last application to proceed.

For more information, contact Megan.Scott@maine.gov at Maine CDC or Emily.Poland@maine.gov at the Department of Education.

K-12 101 Train-the-Educator & SITE ASSESS Trainings

Morning Session – Developing EOPs K-12 101 Training

The REMS TA Center, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students, is pleased to offer this on-site, 4-hour training that presents important Federal guidance on school emergency management planning. 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 White House 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 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 K-12 101 training, an expert team will provide an overview of a recommended six-step planning process to create a high-quality school EOP, which includes:

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

Afternoon Session – SITE ASSESS Mobile App Training

Participants will learn about SITE ASSESS, the REMS TA Center’s first-ever mobile application designed to support education agencies with examining the safety, security,
accessibility, and emergency preparedness of a school building and grounds. This 2-hour training provides information on the importance of site assessments as a school emergency preparedness activity, an overview of the secure mobile app and its features, and shared strategies for using the app to conduct K-12 site assessments collaboratively.

TRAINING DETAILS

When: Friday, September 27, 2019
Time: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (Registration begins at 7:30 am)
Where: Senator Inn, 284 Western Ave, Augusta, ME 04330
Cost: NO CHARGE

Register for these training sessions online here. Registration for this event closes on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

If you have questions or need additional assistance, please contact the REMS TA Center at (855) 781-REMS (7367) or info@remstacenter.org.