The Maine Department of Education’s Title IA office is announcing the availability of approximately $350,000 of FY15 Title IA Disadvantaged and Program Improvement funds for Title IA reallocation purposes.
Category: News & Views
EPA rebates will help Fairfield and Gray purchase clean diesel school buses
The following news release was issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s New England Regional Office on March 4.
Two school districts in Maine will receive a total of $40,000 to help pay for new school buses that emit less pollution than the older buses the districts now use.
Continue reading “EPA rebates will help Fairfield and Gray purchase clean diesel school buses”
Count ME In spring regional meetings
Attendance Matters! This is why you are encouraged to check out Count ME In’s regional spring meeting. These meetings will be held in Lewiston on March 24, in Portland on March 31, and in Augusta on April 7. Attendees will hear schools share effective strategies as well as parent perspective on school attendance. Sessions are free but registration is required. To learn more, visit www.countmeinmaine.org.
Maine high school students compete in national poetry contest
The 2016 Maine State Finals for Poetry Out Loud, a National Poetry Recitation Contest, will be held on March 15 at 3 p.m. at the Waterville Opera House. The competition is free and open to the public.
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Federal Tax Credit Bond applications due May 26
The Maine Department of Education will accept applications for the Federal Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) Program through May 26, 2016. The Department currently has $2,898,000 of QZAB allocation to distribute to qualifying schools units.
Continue reading “Federal Tax Credit Bond applications due May 26”
Maine Constitution Essay deadline Friday
The Maine Constitution Essay and Poster Contest deadline is March 11. You can get details here. The student submitting the top entry in each category will be invited to Augusta along with his or her class. They will be able to view the Maine Constitution, which is a particular honor as the Constitution is only removed from its special vault on very few occasions. The students may also visit the Maine State Museum and the State House.
Nominations open for Maine’s 2015 Curriculum Leader of the Year
The Maine Curriculum Leaders’ Association (MCLA) is seeking nominations for the 2016 Maine Curriculum Leader of the Year through April 15.
Continue reading “Nominations open for Maine’s 2015 Curriculum Leader of the Year”
Celebrate Maine’s 196th Birthday
Statehood Day is March 15, which according to State statute is intended to “commemorate the admission of Maine as a state into the United States of America and the ideals and wisdom of those men and women who have formed Maine’s history and traditions.” Maine schools are encouraged to observe the day; following are some resources for consideration.
RSU 21 submits first PEPG approved plan
Earlier this month, the Maine Department of Education recognized the RSU 21 Kennebunk School District as the first school administrative unit to be approved for its performance evaluation and professional growth (PEPG) system plan.
Commissioner’s Update – March 3, 2016
From the Maine Department of Education
The Maine Department of Education is pleased to release the second collections of 2015-2016 articles in the “Content Corner.” These resources are designed to support teaching and learning in Maine classrooms and make connections to classroom applications and research.
The articles prepared for 2015-16 focus on instructional strategies to support educator understanding of effective practices in the content areas. The second collection includes:
- English Languages Arts/Literacy: Annotating a text: close reading with a pen
- Health Education and Physical Education: Feedback: A valuable teaching strategy for health education and physical education, Part 1
- Mathematics: Mathematically speaking, what is fluency?
- Science: Academically productive talk in science
- Social Studies: Social Studies: questions are as important as answers
- Visual and Performing Arts: Assessment strategies for the theatre classroom
- World Language: The why and how of thematic units in the world language classroom
- Early Childhood: Instruction in preschool programs
The first collection of articles was released in December 2015 and the third collection will be released in April.
Notices and Reporting Items
- School Bus Purchase Program Approval – Cancellation Report (EF-T-20A), due March 15 (Reminder)
- School Bus Purchase Report (EF-T-20: Quarter 3), due March 31 (Reminder)
More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar
News & Views
MEA for math and English language arts/literacy grades 3-8 portal opens
The eMPowerME Portal https://maine.measuredprogress.org/ is open. | More
ACCESS for ELLs® 2.0 testing window closes March 7
The ACCESS for ELLs® 2.0 testing window for both the computer-based and paper-based versions closes March 7. | More
AP4ALL registration is next week
Student registration begins March 7 for AP4ALL, which provides online Advanced Placement courses free of charge. | More
A snapshot of statewide implementation of proficiency-based education
Across the five Guiding Principles Maine school administrative units are making progress in providing students opportunity to demonstrate proficiency. | More
Net Off Invoice (NOI) products available to schools
The Maine Department of Education’s Child Nutrition program announces School Year (SY) 2017 Net Off Invoice (NOI) products available for processing. | More
State agency clients returning to their parental home, part II
This notice is to refine the information provided in the previous notice on State agency clients. | More
Read to ME Challenge engaged all ages and more
Teachers have challenged students, boys’ sports teams have challenged girls’ sports teams, town managers have challenged police chiefs, grandmothers have challenged grandchildren, librarians have challenged Rotarians, and the list goes on. | More
Student learning objectives regional trainings proved to be valuable to SAUs
Last month, the Maine Department of Education held regional trainings for over 350 educators from school administrative units (SAUs) around the state. | More
National Principals Leadership Institute, SICA Awards deadline
To celebrate the accomplishments of schools across the United States and Canada, the National Principals Leadership Institute this year has launched the School Innovation and Change Awards (SICA). | More
Four high school finalists chosen to compete in LifeSmarts State Championship
Teams of students from high schools in Bangor, Portland, Topsham, and Baileyville will vie to represent Maine in the National LifeSmarts Competition to be held next month. | More
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