Category: News & Views

Schools Selected for 2019 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)

Schools selected to participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) for School Year 2019 have been released.

For a list of awarded schools please visit the Child Nutrition website here. A total of 156 schools were selected to participate. School Year 2019 funding for the program will begin on October 1, 2018.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) provides all children in participating schools with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at no cost during the school day. The FFVP introduces children to a variety of produce that they might otherwise not have the chance to try. Eligible schools wishing to participate must submit an annual application to the Child Nutrition office.

For more information on FFVP please contact Stephanie Stambach, Child Nutrition Consultant at stephanie.stambach@maine.gov or 624-6732.

 

NEO Accountability Report and Certification Webinar to be Held June 21

In order to determine supports for Maine schools, student level participation and student group demographics must be collected. The snapshot date for the data collection this year was May 4, 2018.

The NEO Accountability Report allows districts to validate student enrollment and demographic data.  The Accountability Report lists students by student groups which will directly inform student group reporting as part of school support determinations and ESEA Report Cards.  The report also identifies which assessments the students should have taken, full academic year enrollment for all students, and whether or not a student will be included for accountability measures or only for assessment reporting.

The Accountability Certification will need to be submitted by each Superintendent. Once validated, the data will  be used for ESEA Report Cards and other assessment and accountability reporting.

NEO Accountability Report and Certification Webinar

Purpose: Review the report, certification requirements, and ask any questions you may have regarding the report.
Date: Thursday, June 21, 2018
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Register here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. This webinar will be recorded and available to view afterward.

 

For further questions contact Charlotte Ellis, Data Manager at Charlotte.Ellis@maine.gov.

 

Upcoming regional grant opportunity

The Maine DOE is pleased to share that the second round of competitive grant funding provided by the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES – Round 2) will be announced in early July.

FEDES grant funds are intended to assist in financing the cost of local and regional initiatives that are both innovative and sustainable, will improve educational opportunities and access for students, increase student achievement through a more efficient delivery of educational programs, and economize on and maximize educational services.

Further communications and updates about this opportunity will be explained in the EMBRACE Regionalization Information Center, which can be found on the Maine Department of Education website, and in the Maine DOE Newsroom in the coming weeks.

For further questions contact Maine DOE Regionalization Project Manager, Jennifer Pooler at Jennifer.G.Pooler@maine.gov or Maine DOE Regionalization Coordinator, Deb Lajoie at Deborah.J.Lajoie@maine.gov.

PRIORITY NOTICE: New Certification System Educator Portal is Now Open for Educator Renewals

The Maine Department of Education has released the long-awaited educator portal for the new online credentialing system, Maine Educator Information System (MEIS). Educators can now log-in to the new online certification system and renew their certifications completely online.

The phased rollout of the new online certification system began with the launch of the district portal which has been open to district administrators since the beginning of May to allow district staff time to become familiar with functions and complete recommendations for educators in their district, prior to the release of the educator portal.

The Department has processed over 10,000 applications internally using the new online certification system since mid-November of 2017 with a record decrease in processing times.

While the Department is currently still accepting paper applications for initial applications, all renewals must be processed through the online system. After the bulk of renewal applications have been submitted, educators will also be able to submit initial applications through the online system.

Instructions for Educators and Administrators Who Need to Renew:

  • Download Instructions on How to Create an Account.
  • Once your account is created, you may log-in and complete the steps necessary to renew your credential. Please download the step by step instructions on How to Submit a Renewal Application.
  • If you are prepared with any PDF documents that are required, the entire renewal process should take less than 15 minutes.
  • If you are currently working in a Maine public school district and have not been recommended by your certification committee, please confer with your certification chair and/or superintendent.
  • If you run into any difficulty, after reviewing the step by step instructions, call or email the Department’s certification office.

Once the educator portal has been fully released, the Department will release the public portal, which will allow members of the public to search for educators by name and see their current certification credentials.

The Department would like to thank the education field for their patience and time throughout the process of launching the online certification system. Rolling out a new system is a tremendously challenging, frustrating, rewarding, and exhilarating process. We are confident that the transition from an outdated paper filing system to a completely online certification system will serve and benefit the thousands of educators in Maine by making the credentialing process a much more efficient and cost effective experience for educators seeking and managing certification in our State.

Further communications and updates are available on the Maine Department of Education Certification Webpage, Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, and the Maine DOE Newsroom.

Chronic Absenteeism Data Training Webinar Recording

The Maine Department of Education held a webinar on Tuesday, June 12 for districts and schools to discuss the recently released 2016/17 chronic absenteeism data including collection process and resources available to help with 2017-2018 reporting.

The webinar was recorded for those who were not able to participate during the webinar. The recording and supporting documents are available below:

For further questions, please contact one of the following individuals:

Updates for Major Capital Construction Program and Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Facilities Pilot

Major Capital School Construction Program

The scoring process for the Major Capital School Construction Program is complete for the 74 schools visited during the Fall of 2017.  The proposed priority list was presented to the State Board of Education at its June 13, 2018 meeting and accepted. This initiates a 30 day period in which schools on the list have the chance to appeal the scoring process.

To view the Major Capital School Construction Program priority list visit the Maine DOE’s Facilities website.

Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot Project

The re-scoring process for the Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot Project is complete for the three applicants selected to move forward to complete part 2 of the application process. As part of the Department’s EMBRACE Regionalization initiative, the applicants consist of partnerships between school districts and their CTE, higher education, and business partners.

The priority list for the Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot Project was presented to the State Board of Education at its June 13, 2018 meeting and accepted. This initiates a 30 day period in which the three part 2 applicants on the list have the chance to appeal the scoring process.

To view the priority list for the Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot Project visit the Maine DOE’s Facilities website. Learn more about the pilot project here.

For further information, contact Maine DOE Director of School Construction Scott Brown at (207) 624-6883.

Civil Rights Training: Addressing Bullying Behavior, School Culture & Bias

This training is provided through the US DOE, Office for Civil Rights.

Those who should attend: principals, assistant principals, Title IX coordinators, school counselors, and other school staff who are invested in fostering safe and welcoming schools in Maine. 5.5 contact hours given.

Date: June 26, 2018
Time: 8:00am – 2:30pm
Location: Bangor High School, Peakes Auditorium
Cost: FREE

The training will include 3 sessions:

  • Beyond Bullying
    As schools work to successfully prevent and intervene in acts of bullying, they are often challenged by bullying behaviors that cross the line into civil, civil rights, or criminal law violations.  Guidance from the US DOE and US DOJ will be viewed and discussed. Participants will examine federal statutes that prohibit bullying and harassment based on protected classes, and receive information relative to possible criminal law implications when bullying behaviors cause mental or physical injury to targeted students. This session will examine the legal ramifications of “deliberate indifference” with regard to failure to address bullying in their schools. 
  •  Advancing as Culturally Responsive Educators
    Culture plays a role in everything we do – it is an essential part of how we learn. It plays a role not only in communicating and receiving information but also in shaping the thinking process of groups and individuals. Culturally responsive teaching acknowledges, responds to, and celebrates fundamental cultures and offers full, equitable access to education for students from all cultures. As culturally responsive educators, we recognize the importance of including students’ cultural identities in all aspects of learning, thereby enriching classroom experiences and keeping students engaged.  Participants will be provided with opportunities to examine culture – their own culture and the cultures of the students they serve. 
  •  How to Speak Up at School
    Have you ever found yourself in the uncomfortable circumstance where someone, such as a student, parent or colleague, uses biased language or stereotypes in school? Based on Teaching Tolerance’s publication, How to Speak Up at School, this session is designed for educators who want to develop the skills to speak up themselves and who want to help their students find the courage to speak up, too. When someone makes a biased statement, we must act quickly! Using video scenarios, participants will learn to use four techniques (interrupt, question, educate, and echo) to respond to biased language in the moment, from any source, in any situation.

Agenda

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Beyond Bullying
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Advancing as Culturally Responsive Educators
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Lunch – on your own
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Advancing as Culturally Responsive Educators (continued from morning session)
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.  How to Speak Up at School

Register here.

If you have questions, please contact April Perkins, Director of ESOL/Bilingual Programs at april.perkins@maine.gov or (207)624-6627.

IBPA Bullying Prevention Through SEL and Kindness Summit – August 17 in Augusta

The International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA) is partnering with the Maine Department of Education to provide a one-day summit to address bullying prevention through social and emotional learning and kindness.

Location: Cony High School
Date:  August 17, 2018
Time:  8:00am – 3:45pm.

Cost: $50 (includes breakfast, lunch, a signed certificate of attendance for contact hours)

The summit will have 5 keynote presentations and participants from Maine, and potentially across the U.S., will hear national presenters and be able to network with local professionals.

Topics of the day will cover bullying prevention best practices, including building healthy and positive relationships amongst school staff, talking with youth to address specific bullying behavior, and addressing bias-based interactions. Participants will walk away with tools and strategies that will be useful and meaningful when implementing bullying prevention efforts for the new school year.

Get more information and register for the Summit.

During the Summit, Maine middle and high schools are invited to participate in the inspirED Youth Leadership Conference facilitated by Facebook and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, beginning at 10:00am and ending at 2:30pm with a presentation to the Summit attendees.  This opportunity is being offered at no cost to schools and is for a team of 4 students along with 1 or 2 adult allies.  Transportation would need to be provided by the district.  The inspirED program provides social and emotional (SEL) resources, tools, inspiration and support to empower students and educators to work together to create positive change in their schools and communities.

Please click here for more information and to register for the Youth Leadership Conference.  Based on capacity, only 15 schools will be able to participate in the Youth Leadership Conference.  Register soon!

In addition to the Summit, there will also be showing of The Fat Boy Chronicles with the author Michael Buchanan on Thursday night, August 16 at 7:00pm in the Viles Auditorium at Cony High School.  This event is free and open to the public.

For additional information and questions on the IBPA Summit, the inspirED Youth Leadership Conference or the showing of The Fat Boy Chronicles, contact Sarah Ricker, Maine DOE Student Assistance Coordinator at sarah.ricker@maine.gov

Science & Technology Standards Review – Writing Team

The Maine Department of Education is performing a review of the Maine Learning Results for Science & Technology and is looking for participants to serve as part of the writing team. The purpose of the writing team is to revise the current standards based on guidance provided from a steering committee. For more information about the standards review process, check the new Maine DOE standards revision website.

The team will serve as a representative sample of Maine K-12 science educators covering pK-12 grade levels, geographic locations, and content area strengths across all four of the science strands: life science, physical science (chemistry and physics), earth and space science, and engineering. While specific dates are still to be determined, a majority of the work will take place in July and August and will include at least one face to face meeting in Augusta.

All interested educators are encouraged to participate and are highly encouraged to apply. We will strive to ensure that the geographic diversity of our state is represented. We especially seek applicants from Aroostook, Franklin, Piscataquis and Sagadahoc counties.

Participants will receive contact hours for time worked, be reimbursed for travel costs, and lunch will be provided for face to face meetings.

If you are interested in participating, please complete this short survey by 4:00pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2018 to be considered. The Department will reach out to interested participants with more information in the coming weeks.

For further questions, contact Maine DOE Science & Technology Specialist Shari Templeton at (207) 624-6880 or shari.templeton@maine.gov

EPA Releases Diesel Emissions Grant Information for Tribal Applicants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing the Clean Diesel Tribal Grant Competition, a grant competition for tribal applicants with projects that reduce diesel emissions in high-impact areas. Each applicant may request up to $800,000 in federal funding, with $2.0 million available for the grant competition overall.

Key Points

  • The grant competition will give priority to projects based on significant reduction in diesel emissions and exposure in areas with poor air quality, as well as areas that are exposed to a disproportionately high amount of air pollution from diesel fleets.
  • Eligible applicants for a Clean Diesel Tribal Grant are intertribal consortiums, tribal governments, and Alaskan native villages.
  • Funding may be used for projects involving eligible diesel vehicles, engines and equipment, which may include:
    • School buses
    • Class 5-Class 8 heavy-duty highway vehicles
    • Locomotive engines
    • Marine engines
    • Nonroad engines, equipment, or vehicles used in construction, cargo handling including at airports and ports, agriculture, mining, or energy production including stationary generators and pumps.

Webinars

Webinars will be available for applicants to learn more about this grant opportunity. Information regarding webinar time/date, access, links to the webinars, and webinar topics is included below.

  • Webinar dates:
  • Webinar access:
    • Call-in Number: 1-202-991-0477
    • Access Code: 414-9804#
  • Webinar Topics:
    • Overview of Funding Opportunity: Source, Eligibility
    • Eligible Vehicles, Engines, and Equipment
    • Eligible Projects
    • Cost Share Requirements
    • DERA Option Eligible Mitigation Action for Volkswagen Settlement
    • Funding Restrictions
    • Submission Requirements
    • Evaluation Requirements
    • Tools and Resources
    • Question & Answer Period

If you have any questions, please contact CleanDiesel@epa.gov, pat.hinckley@maine.gov, or visit the Clean Diesel Tribal Grants web page for more information.