Registration open for Maine School Wellness Summit

The goal of the 2017 Wellness Summit, Awaken Your Inner Superhero, is to prepare and empower participants to create and sustain healthy, positive and safe school environments for all school personnel and students. Participants will gain knowledge and skills related to establishing a school culture and climate that is committed to wellness. They will gather tools, tips and resources for implementing programs and strategies that can improve personal health and well-being; assist in establishing and promoting policies and environmental practices to build a culture of wellness; and enhance academic achievement. This summit is a component of the Maine Schoolsite Health Promotion Program (MSHPP) and is hosted by the Maine Department of Education.

This year’s summit will feature two keynote speakers from Maine. Opening the summit is Barbara Anne Cookson, a certified holistic health coach, fitness instructor, licensed massage therapist, author, and speaker. She will offer an interactive and fun presentation which will teach participants principles and practices for being better leaders, to be happier and healthier, and to reach their full potential. Her passion is motivating others to be the superheroes they were born to be.

Wrapping up the summit will be Retired United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills, a recalibrated warrior, motivational speaker, actor, author and an advocate for veterans and amputees. Travis lives an inspiring life as a quadruple amputee following his motto, “Never give up. Never quit.” A genuine American hero, Travis with his larger-than-life personality, sense of humor and incredible spirit for life will teach and inspire participants to overcome obstacles or circumstances.

Also coming to engage the audience in how to activate a wellness program is plenary speaker, Stacey Vannah, a certified health and wellness coach who works with adults to support their wellness visions. Before becoming a full-time coach, Stacey spent over 20 years in the classroom, advocating for change and participating on school site wellness teams here in Maine. Stacey will take summit attendees on a journey of visualizing, planning and delivering wellness ideas. Required for her session are minds open to possibility, a willingness to think a bit differently, and the courage to unleash one’s inner super wellness power.

In additional to these fabulous presentations participants will engage in multiple workshops, an idea galleria, leadership skills development, networking, and planning that supports health promotion and wellness for one’s school, district employees and students. The agenda is designed to serve new participants to the summit and returning participants. All school districts will want to have representatives attend this event, Tuesday, June 27 and Wednesday, June 28 at Bates College in Lewiston, to bring back resources and tools for developing and sustaining a successful worksite wellness program.

The Wellness Summit is open to individuals or teams; anyone interested in learning about and supporting school site wellness. It is $125/person for both days or $75/person for one day. For more information or to register, please click the following links: Maine School Wellness Summit highlights, the agenda and registration. Up to 13 contact hours can be earned.

PRIORITY NOTICE: One year extension granted for certificates expiring on July 1, 2017

Maine Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner Robert Hasson has approved a one year extension for all certificates with an expiration date of July 1, 2017. All teachers, educational specialists and administrators with certificates expiring on July 1, 2017 will be issued a one year certificate that will be mailed to your home address on file with the Maine DOE.

As many of you are aware, the Maine DOE is in the midst of transitioning to a new online certification system. This one year extension is being granted to ensure that folks who are up for renewal on July 1, 2017 will not be affected by the launch of the new online system.

This is the first time the Department has issued a one year extension and there is much work going on behind the scenes to get the renewals mailed to you in a timely manner. We appreciate your patience as we work through the steps necessary to make it happen.

As soon as all of the pieces are in place to bring the new online system up, applicants will be able to access it and renew their certificates with the assurance that their current certificates will remain valid until that is possible. Any renewal credits or professional development training hours that have been accrued for this year’s renewal will still be valid for the renewal of certificates with an expiration date of July 1, 2018.

The new system is expected to be fully functional by the fall of 2017. This is a first time endeavor for the Department. We are diligently working through the development of many new processes necessary to make it happen, as well as the unexpected delays that are often times inevitable when taking on such an extensive system change.

If you have questions please look over our Frequently Asked Questions sheet. For further questions, contact the Maine Department of Education’s Certification office at 207-624-6603 or cert.doe@maine.gov.

This message was sent directly to all Maine administrators, in addition to teachers, educational specialists and administrators with certificates expiring on July 1, 2017.

Changes to school grade configurations

School administrative units that plan to make significant school grade configuration changes must notify the Maine Department of Education of these changes by the June 15 prior to the start of the school year in which they will take effect. For example, school grade configuration changes that will take effect for the 2017-18 school year must be communicated to the Department by June 15, 2017 using the Maine Schools module of NEO. Users must have a NEO login and access to the Maine Schools module to fill out this information.

https://neo.maine.gov/doe/neo/maineschools

The reason for this notice is to ensure that the Department has the necessary lead time to analyze the grade changes and to make the determination as to whether the school population changes are significant enough to warrant the creation of a new school ID for reporting purposes. If deemed necessary, the new school ID will need to be communicated to vendors and the USDOE by the start of the school year on July 1.

If local school boards have not approved school grade configuration changes by the June 15 deadline, please contact Shannon Bartash directly to discuss the proposed changes at 207.624.6799 or Shannon.Bartash@maine.gov.

Maine DOE Takes Our Sons and Daughters to Work

KetnerQuote On April 27, Maine Department of Education (DOE) hosted 18 students who came to work with DOE staff as part of Take our Sons and Daughters to Work day. Ranging in age from 8 to 17, the students spent the day learning about working in public service at the Capitol and participated in activities throughout the day including interviews with DOE staff, up-close experience seeing some of the work at DOE, and a special tour of the State House with a behind-the-scenes look at how the legislature functions.

Maine DOE’s structure for the day was aligned to the State’s Career and Education Development Standards, part of the system of student outcomes in the Maine Learning Results. The day began by communicating self-knowledge and practicing interpersonal skills, followed by learning about the work done in a government agency, understanding the knowledge and skills necessary to do the work, and exploring the various education and work backgrounds that support the development of these skills.

wordle — A word cloud created from words the students used to describe their day.

At the beginning of the day, students were asked to introduce themselves with an acrostic that included words which represent their strengths, character traits, and interests.

One student described himself as joyful, outgoing, skateboarding, helpful, unpredictable, and adventurous. Throughout the day, participants learned about the traits needed to do the work they observed and about the people doing the various jobs. At the end of the day, they were able to reflect on their own interests and skills to determine how they matched with those they observed. This particular student reflected that an attitude of helpfulness was apparent in all the work he observed and being outgoing is an important strength.

Another student who was particularly interested in working with refugees who have been the victims of violence interviewed Jay Ketner, World Languages Specialist, about the role of language development relative to her career aspirations.

StudentQuote Ketner found that like most of us leaving high school, the student had ideas about college majors and future career possibilities without being definitively decided and fixed. However, she clearly conveyed how much it meant to her to be working with immigrant and refugee groups, and wanted to learn more about how language and cultural study could equip her for such work.

“As a former interpreter for refugees and immigrants seeking asylum, I was able to show her a whole world of language applications in school, study abroad, the workplace, and our changing communities. Opening students’ eyes to new realities and possibilities for the transfer of their learning is what education is all about,” Ketner stated after spending some time with the student.

Another student interviewed Jennifer Tarr, Maine DOE Director of Special Projects and Senator Shenna Bellows, representative to District 14: Chelsea, Farmingdale, Gardiner, Hallowell, Manchester, Monmouth, Pittston, Randolph, Readfield, West Gardiner, and Winthrop.

Of the experience, the student said, “As a teen who’s undecided about what they want to do after high school, this experience has really opened my eyes about possible opportunities and job paths I could take.”

Students also had the opportunity to sit down with Maine Department of Education Commissioner Robert Hasson and Deputy Commissioner Suzan Beaudoin to ask questions about their jobs and the Department.

Eager to find out more, students asked various questions: What is the hardest part of your job? What is the easiest part of your job? Do you love your job? How long have you worked here?

Students interviewing Commissioner Hasson and Deputy Commissioner Beaudoin

One of the biggest highlights of the day was an “insider’s” tour of the State House led by Aaron Chadbourne, Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor. The group sat in legislative seats, learned about all the work that goes on behind the scenes including what is done in the Reviser’s Office, by the legislative office and by the Secretary of the Senate. What was clear at the end of the tour was that it takes many people in supportive roles to make it all work.

20170427_141329 — The students in the Governor’s Cabinet Room with Adrienne Bennett, Press Secretary and Aaron Chadbourne, Senior Policy Advisor

Reflecting on the day, many were pleasantly surprised and inspired by how excited and passionate people were about what they do as they explained the importance of their jobs and expressed a deep concern for and commitment to Maine’s youth.

Maine DOE seeking presentation proposals for Early Childhood Education Conference

The Maine DOE’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) conference team is seeking presentation proposals from PreK and Kindergarten teachers for the 2nd annual ECE Conference scheduled for August 14 at the Augusta Civic Center.

This year’s conference focus is “STEAM Starts Early”. The morning keynote address will be given by national speaker Doug Clements and the teacher presentations will run concurrently during the afternoon session.

Presentations will be 90-120 minutes and will present a unit or lesson plan created by the teacher team and grounded in core STEAM concepts. The audience for the sessions will be PreK, K teachers and instructional staff and administrators. Proposals are due by May 30 and should be inquiry, experiential and exploration based. The request for presentations is for a team of teachers consisting of:

PreK or K teacher and;
Art teacher and/or technology integrationist.

The ECE conference team will select three proposals, each of which will receive an XYZ da Vinci Mini 3D Printer with filament as an appreciation for their time.

For more information and to obtain a copy of the detail requirements for the presentation proposal, please contact one of the Maine DOE’s ECE conference team members listed below:

Deb Lajoie, Deborah.j.lajoie@maine.gov or 624-6613 or;

Shari Templeton, Shari.Templeton@maine.gov or 624-6880 or;

Beth Lambert, Beth.Lambert@maine.gov or 624-6642

Greater Technology Grant Flexibility Proposed

The Department announced on March 15th that many of the schools ending their 2013 MLTI participation in June would be eligible for grants to continue providing 1:1 mobile computer devices to their students and staff.

The grants are available for:

Students and staff in 7^th and 8^th grades, where the school did not refresh its devices in 2016 students;
High school staff in schools where students are provided 1:1 mobile devices at local expense, provided their MLTI participation ends in June; and
High school staff in schools that have not participated in MLTI before, if they provide 1:1 mobile devices for their students at local expense.

The prior announcement focused on grants to continue 1:1 device programs, which is the intent of the program. In response to inquiries from technology directors and schools that wish to pursue more innovative approaches to achieving the same objectives as a 1:1 program, the Department is refining our guidance.

With this announcement, the Department is expanding the types of educational technology that can be funded by the grants.

The Department is seeking a statutory change that will allow more flexible use of these grant funds. Pending that change, the Department will fund 1:1 programs as well as programs that do not provide devices on a 1:1 basis. The focus of the programs must be on integrating technology into the classroom, for the purpose of enhancing student outcomes, and may include hardware, software, educational materials and support for educators in the use of technology in teaching. Schools will be asked to explain how student learning will be enhanced by the program, and how they will measure that enhancement.

Eligible schools may apply for the 1:1 program or the alternate program (not limited to 1:1). If the statutory change needed to authorize use of funds for the alternate program is not approved, those schools may re-apply for a grant for a 1:1 program.

Application materials are posted on the MLTI Website. For additional information; contact Deb Friedman, MLTI Project Manager at 624-6834 or deborah.friedman@maine.gov.

MEDIA ADVISORY: 2017 Maine Farm to School Cook-Off FINALS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rachel Paling (207) 624-6747 or rachel.paling@maine.gov

What: 2017 Maine Farm to School Cook-Off is a Maine Department of Education event that is part of the State’s child nutrition projects and follows legislation to support healthy meals in schools. During the event local school food service teams prepare a breakfast and lunch meal within a specific time frame using at least two ingredients that are grown, raised, caught, or manufactured in the State of Maine and meet National School Breakfast and Lunch Program requirements as well as one USDA food. As an added twist Maine wild blueberries and Maine potatoes will be used as “challenge” ingredients in the competition. This is the final event of the 2017 Farm to School Cook-Off.

Who: School food service teams from RSU 52 (Turner) and Yarmouth will be competing. Judges include a Freeport High School student, a school nutrition director and a professional chef.

Where/When:
Wednesday, April 26th
Freeport High School
1:00pm start time (cooking begins at 1:30pm)

Members of the media are welcome to attend the competition but are asked to notify Maine DOE Director of Communications, Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov or call 624-6747 ahead of time. These competitions are NOT open to the public.

MEDIA ADVISORY – Maine Visual and Performing Arts Education Celebration at 2:00 PM on April 25th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rachel Paling (207) 624-6747 or rachel.paling@maine.gov

What: The Maine Department of Education (DOE), First Lady Ann LePage, and the Maine Arts Commission are hosting an event to celebrate Maine arts education and honor students whose artwork has been selected to be displayed in and around the Maine State Capital as part of a state-wide student exhibit. Event speakers include First Lady Ann LePage, Commissioner of Education Robert Hasson, and Maine Arts Commission Executive Director Julie Richard. Other highlights include student theatrical and musical performance, and student artists receiving certificates for their artwork.

When: Tuesday, April 25th, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Where: Hall of Flags, Maine State Capital

Who: Students whose artwork is on display and their guests, First Lady Ann LePage, members of the State Board of Education, state legislators, Maine Arts Commission and Maine Department of Education.

For more information about the event contact Maine DOE Director of Communications, Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov or call 624-6747. For more information about Maine Visual and Performing Arts visit: http://www.maine.gov/doe/arts/ or contact Beth Lambert at beth.lambert@maine.gov or 207-624-6642.

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Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge

Summer vacation is a welcome break from the daily school routine for children and parents alike, but the summer months can be a significant interruption to students’ learning if young minds are not kept active while school is out of session. Summer learning loss is a well-documented phenomenon, particularly with respect to reading achievement. Students can lose up to three months of reading progress during the summer. When all of the summers in a child’s PK-8 school career are combined, this can result in 1-2 years of lost reading progress.

Fortunately, preventing the summer slide can be greatly reduced when students continue to read on a regular basis. When children are encouraged to read from a variety of resources for fun and the pleasure of learning, 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 them is equally beneficial.

In an effort to promote summer reading, 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 18,000 Freemasons of Maine are pleased to expand their popular statewide Bikes for Books student reading incentive program to now encourage children to read during the summer. The Bikes for Books program provides over 2,000 bikes to Maine schoolchildren each year to promote literacy. The Maine Freemasons have generously donated 48 bikes with helmets as prizes for the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge.

To earn a chance to be entered into the State level drawing, students must meet the challenge of reading at least 500 minutes during the summer vacation period. Any school with students in the PK-8 grade span may register to participate. Participating schools will collect documentation of students who have completed the challenge. They will hold school level drawings to select two students (one boy and one girl) whose names will be entered into the state level drawing to be held on September 22, 2017. 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. Details about the Read to Ride Challenge and about how principals can register schools can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/doe/literacy-for-me/summer-literacy.html. Please forward this information to your school principal to make them aware of this opportunity.

Questions may be directed to Maine DOE’s Literacy Specialist, Lee Anne Larsen, through email (leeann.larsen@maine.gov) or phone (624-6628).

MEA Alternate Science – PAAP submissions due April 30th

The Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio (PAAP) Science testing window is coming to a close. The PAAP assesses students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades 5, 8, and third year high school as an alternate to the MEA Science assessment.

All electronic PAAP submissions are due April 30^th. Measured Progress has provided return material kits for student portfolios to be returned. UPS will pick up all portfolios on MAY 2^nd. Please have the completed portfolios sealed in the envelopes provided by Measured Progress and in school offices by 8:00 am May 2nd.

All return mailing kits should contain individual student return envelopes, a student roster, directions for mailing the portfolio and directions for submitting an electronic Principal’s Certification of Proper Test Administration.

Those with questions regarding the return of PAAP portfolios should contact Measured Progress at 1-800-431-8901: Sarah Greene, x7344 or email greene.sarah@measuredprogress.org or Jimmy Hartman, x7406 or email hartman.jimmy@measuredprogress.org.