Seeking Additional Maine Schools for Social Emotional Learning Pilot Program

The Tobacco and Substance Use Prevention and Control Program with the Maine Centers 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 grades PreK through 8th grade. 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 toward later 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 and have not already been contacted by the Maine CDC from your application from the last round, please complete this brief 5 minute application survey.

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 Cheryl.Cichowski@maine.gov at Maine CDC or Emily.Poland@maine.gov at the Department of Education.

The Maine Association of School Nurses (MASN) is Seeking Nominations for School Nurse of the Year 2019

The purpose of this award is to recognize the contributions of Maine School Nurses by honoring one school nurse who has demonstrated leadership and excellence in the practice of school nursing. This title recognizes a nurse who has demonstrated excellence and leadership in the following: care provision, program management, health education, professional development, community involvement, and research.

Please consider honoring the excellence of your school nurse. Nomination packets are due April 1. Instructions for nominations and more information can be found on the MASN website, or you may contact Deb Braxton, the coordinator for School Nurse of the Year for MASN: dbraxton@capeelizabethschools.org

National Congress on School Transportation Writing Committees Seeking Input

The National Congress on School Transportation (NCST) is accepting change requests from any interested party on the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures.

All change requests must be made on the NCST 2020 Change Request Form: The form and instructions are located on the NCST website.

The deadline for submission of change requests is March 31, 2019. All requests must be submitted by that date in accordance with the form instructions to allow the NCST Writing Committees time to review and properly research the proposals before the 2020 Congress.

Under the Congress’ procedures, the Writing Committee Chairs must notify all persons submitting change requests for the status of their respective requests following the committees’ deliberations and decisions. This feedback to submitters must occur well prior to the on-site Congress.

The job of researching suggested changes to the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures is performed by the NCST Writing Committees. Questions about the NCST 2020 Change Request Form and submittals may be addressed to Patrick McManamon at patrick.mcmanamon@vermont.gov .

For information about Maine school transportation, please contact Pat Hinckley, Transportation and Facilities Administrator, at pat.hinckley@maine.org .

Resources to Help Schools Eliminate Browntail Moth Nests

The Maine Department of of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry has put together the resources and information below to help Maine schools eliminate Browntail Moth nests

Browntail caterpillars cause a severe poison ivy-like rash and can cause breathing problems in some people. If this insect is present on your school properties you should take action to destroy it now to protect the health of students, staff and visitors in the future. Unmanaged infestations can cause health risks for years because the caterpillars’ barbed and toxic hairs can remain in the environment for up to three years.

Browntail moth caterpillars overwinter in fist-sized silken nests on branch TIPS in oaks, birch, apples, cherries, crabapples and other hardwoods. Now is the time to remove these nests from trees on school grounds.

Clip webs BEFORE the caterpillars emerge in mid April
Burn them or soak them in a bucket of soapy water to kill the caterpillars inside
Don’t leave webs on the ground, the caterpillars will still emerge
Each web can have between 25-400 caterpillars inside so each web counts
If time or funding is an issue focus on trees with webs in high traffic areas

Browntail caterpillar webs can be found from the New Hampshire border to Deer Isle, and inland to Raymond, Turner, Rome, Smithfield, Burnham and Eddington. They are worst along the coast from Falmouth to Bristol and up the Kennebec River to Richmond. It has also been found in Belgrade, Burnham, Eddington, Liberty, Lincolnville, Turner and Whitefield. More information, a video showing how to clip the webs, a list of arborists willing to do prune webs and a list of licensed pesticide applicators can be found here: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/invasive_threats/browntail_moth_info.htm

If you think you’ve found webs but aren’t sure, contact the Maine Forest Service at (207) 827-1813.

Employee of the Week: Sarah Adkins

Sarah Adkins, Student Assistance Coordinator, is the Maine Department of Education’s Employee of the Week. Get to know a little more about Sarah through this brief question and answer:

What are your roles with DOE?

I help schools and families in understanding Maine’s anti-bullying law; provide guidance to schools in regards to Student Behavior data collection – bullying, violent and harmful behavior, and restraint & seclusion; assist schools and parents in understanding Chapter 33 (Restraint and Seclusion); and support Maine’s school counselors in their role of providing academic interventions, social/emotional learning, and college and career readiness to students PreK-12^th grade.

What do you like best about your job?

Interacting with parents, school leaders, and school counselors in finding ways to best support, help, and understand Maine’s students so that school is a safe, welcoming, and encouraging learning environment.

How or why did you decide on this career?

School is essential in providing not only relevant and meaningful academics but also experiential activities that develop well-rounded and happy children and adolescents. I chose to have a career path in the field of education in which hard work and patience in needed in order to make sure all Maine kids are learning, that they are happy, and are provided opportunities to show and demonstrate their talents. Maine kids are great and I am dedicated to the work in education that brings out the best in every Maine kid and those adults who work with them every single day.

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

Skiing, kayaking, shopping at Goodwill, going on family adventures, camping, completing house projects, and attending sporting events for all four of my children

PRIORITY NOTICE: Maine Department of Education’s Position on School Mascots and Logos

Because our schools must provide safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments, and because schools teach many lessons by example, DOE urges schools to refrain from using mascots and logos that depict Native American tribes, individuals, customs, or traditions. For information about the negative impact of using such mascots/logos:

https://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/indian-mascots

http://www.changethemascot.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/DrFriedmanReport.pdf

While we recognize that DOE does not have jurisdiction over local decisions like these, we encourage schools and communities to consider the impact of promoting symbols and stereotypes that marginalize individuals or groups of people.

The DOE is working to enhance our office of Student Supports with additional staff and resources to assist Maine schools and districts in the development and strengthening of practices that promote cultural competence and reduce bias and inequity.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Reminder to Review and Report any District Data Errors in 2019/20 Subsidy Printouts (ED 279s) by March 15, 2019

The Maine Department of Education would like to acknowledge the hard work of school districts in ensuring that the data they submit to the Department is as accurate as possible. Each year there are a handful of data errors that districts notice after the release of the ED 279 printouts and these can have a significant impact on subsidy.

The Department encourages school districts to examine their ED 279 printouts as closely as possible to identify any possible data errors. Any districts who have found an error in their data are encouraged to report this as soon as possible to the Department of Education’s School Finance Team. Errors must be identified and reported within 30 days of the posting of the preliminary ED 279s.

While we cannot guarantee a complete financial correction for errors that have been made because of inaccurate data submitted by school districts, we will work hard to mitigate the impact on your district to the greatest extent possible. (The Department will always make fiscal corrections in the event that an error is made on our end – this notice pertains to inaccurate data submitted by school districts). As corrections are submitted, they will be placed on a list for review in the order received. As a reminder, any financial corrections in subsidy are made after the state budget has passed the legislature.

To better understand where and why errors might occur, here is a list of reports that impact the ED 279 subsidy calculation and a list of deadlines. We send out reminders around these reports, and encourage superintendents and business office staff members to carefully examine the data before submitting and certifying it; this will help to avoid issues that emerge after the release of the ED 279 printouts.

Should you have questions regarding subsidy printouts or to report an error, please contact our friendly, smart, and helpful school finance team: Tyler Backus at tyler.backus@maine.gov; Paula Gravelle at paula.b.gravelle@maine.gov; or Ida Batista at ida.batista@maine.gov.

Reminder of Cybersecurity Opportunity for Students

As a reminder, ‘GirlsGoCyberStart’, an exciting national program that uses online games of discovery to introduce high school girls to the cybersecurity field, is open for registration. Young women in high school who excel in the GirlsGoCyberStart game will have the opportunity to win scholarships and other prizes.

This will be Maine’s second year participating in the program. Last year, nearly two hundred students from all over Maine participated in the event and placed in the top 100 of all participating state teams.

Participating students do not need prior cybersecurity knowledge or programming experience. All that is required is a computer and an internet connection. The website for registration can be found here. Registration for GirlsGoCyberStart runs from February 18, 2019 to March 20, 2019, when the event begins.

To be eligible to participate, students must:

Identify as female
Be at least 13 years old.
Be enrolled in 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade at a public or private school (or the home school equivalent)

For further information please contact Carrie Valentine, Director of Workforce Innovations for the Maine Office of Information Technology at Carrie.Valentine@maine.gov.

Carmel Elementary School Shares their Success with One Book, One School Experience

Submitted by Candy Devlin, Principal of Carmel Elementary School of RSU 87

Picture the combo gymnasium/cafeteria, typical of schools built in the mid 70’s. Enter one hundred fifty-three kindergarten through grade four students. Today, students efficiently organize into pre-determined discussion groups; they wait patiently, anticipating the work that is about to begin. They know how to do this work. One Book, One School has been part of the school community in one version or another for over a decade. There is an air of expectation and enjoyment in the gymnasium: purposeful talk is about to begin.

The principal welcomes students and staff; the literacy coach begins with a review of our discussion norms and a prompt to launch the discussion. Immediately there is a buzz of conversation in the gym: purposeful talk about two texts that have been the focus of intentional read aloud, classroom discussions, vocabulary study, and writing over the past ten days. Carmel Elementary students have a lot to say about Sky Color and Art and Max, the texts chosen for One
Book, One School this year. The discussion continues for twenty minutes, with students comparing the two texts. Comments are supported by evidence from the text, elaborations are offered, disagreements are respectfully proposed. Following the discussions, students enjoy Sky Color set to a soundtrack they created during their music classes. The One Book, One School assembly concludes with feedback on how our school community met expectations. The students leave. As they exit, students admire the mural created collaboratively in their art classes, depicting a scene inspired by one of the texts.

One Book, One School is one example of how school structures, adult and student learning, and community support come together at Carmel Elementary School. Beginning on the first day of school, classroom teachers, specialists, and support staff teach procedures and routines, making expectations clear. Using exemplars and providing specific and immediate feedback is common practice. Students are taught and regularly practice classroom discourse in all content areas; therefore, they are able to use those practices in the whole school community setting. This experience and others like it are possible because teachers prepare to facilitate learning opportunities through professional development with colleagues, we enjoy the on-going support of our parents and community citizens, and we collaborate every day in service of our children. Collaboration with staff, community, and parents is the foundation of success at CES. In the words of Lucy Calkins, “no one wants to do this hard work alone.”

Madison Junior High School Provides Students with Quality Learning Experiences

Submitted by Ryan Arnold, Principal of Madison Junior High School in MSAD 59.

Madison Junior High school staff, students, administration and parents work together to create a productive, positive, and rewarding atmosphere in which our students will learn and grow. We work hard to create lasting memories through quality learning experiences and special events.

We offer hands on learning experience through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Projects. We have a Life Skills program where students, among other things, learn to cook, and sell meals to staff. Our New Alternative Ed Program (Kennebec Valley Multiple Pathways Academy) students (grades 7-9) learn about sustainability from growing to preparing food. Some of the food that is grown helps supply our food pantry and lunch program. Our School Pantry provides food for over 40 families each month. Students, also, have opportunities to be part of many extra-curricular programs. We offer soccer, football, softball, baseball, basketball, wrestling, drama, 100 mile club, track and field, cross country, golf, chorus, band, ukulele club, math team.

Students are offered: Math, Science, Social Studies, ELA, Music, Physical Education, and Art. As 8^th graders, the opportunities expand to Health, Industrial Arts and JMG (Jobs for Maine Grads). We are very strong in the integration of technology in all classes. Every classroom in our building, is fortunate to have a SMART Board and projector. All students are provided (1 to 1) with laptops. We have created an innovation lab with color printers, 3D Printers, 3D pens, sphero’s for programming and coding, and 3D goggles for virtual tours.

Our staff is organized into departments to build consistency around curriculum and content standards. Every 4 teachers form a Student Assistance Team (SAT) who meet and discuss needs of individual students. The team, using the RTI (Response To Intervention) process, develop interventions to help students progress. We have a morning homework club, After School Academic Period (ASAP), and WIN Time (What I Need), to help students keep up with their progress and pace.

Outside of academic and co-curricular activities we provide students with special events to support our classrooms. Starting with assemblies to show case student achievement, job fairs, blood drives, food drives, cake walk, science fair, history day, spelling bee, geography bee, guest speakers, visits to the State Capital, Cole Transportation Museum, Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), as well as local businesses and area landmarks.

Lastly, parents, teachers, secretaries, nurses, custodians, and other critical support staff have been diligently working to make Madison Junior High a safe, and a welcoming environment. We are all part of a unified family working hard to ensure the well-being of all children while providing them with a challenging and rewarding educational experience.