Submitted by Dawn McLaughlin, ESEA Coordinator & Curriculum Coordinator at School Union 93.
For two weeks, twenty students of Blue Hill Consolidated School have been participating in a Title 1A Summer School, taught by Ms. Bradford and Ms. Longley. Summer School is being held at George Stevens Academy, with students ranging from grades K-8. Morning early sessions focus on Reading and ELA, and later morning is focusing on Math and STEM. Much of the student work is hands-on, and students are highly engaged.
Much of the read aloud fiction is tied in with the STEM challenges. Last week’s theme was Water Week. Students read boat themed books like Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen and Toy Boat by Randall de Seve. Students created their own boats out of reusable materials and pieces of wood. Younger students added plastic animals one at a time to see how many animals their boat could hold. Older students used keels and sails to balance their boats thinking about ideas like center of gravity and weight.
The Washington County Consortium, Washington County Educator Profile submitted by Sarah Woog, Executive Director of the Washington County Consortium.
Meet Mike and Jeanne Beal, retired educators who, combined, have served students and communities in Washington County for almost a century (96 years and counting)
When I met Mike Beal, the first question I asked him was “Do you know you’ve inspired Ron Ramsay (Superintendent, MSAD 37)?” Mike replied, “Do you know he inspired me?” Mr. Beal was Mr. Ramsay’s teacher, Principal, and coach at S.S. Nash School in Addison back in the sixties. What Mr. Beal was expressing in his retort was a guiding principle I discovered defined his long and illustrious career in education: allow the children to inspire you.
Ron Ramsay, and Lorna Greene, Principal at D.W.Merritt School, both recommended I profile Mike. Lorna shared in an email “His wife is delightful as well, she has also been a teacher, a school volunteer and a loyal supporter of children, SAD #37 schools, and education. You may want to interview them as a couple. They certainly are cherished and admired educators in our area. I hope this helps.” It did. I was excited Jeanne joined us for our conversation at the Bluebird Ranch Restaurant in Machias, and together they painted a beautiful picture of their lives as educators and with poignant reminders of why we do what we do.
Mike and Jeanne started their careers in education in the early sixties. They met in high school and married in 1960 while they were in college. Mike went to Jonesport High School and Jeanne went to high school on Beals Island when there was still a high school on the island. There was no bridge linking Beals Island and Jonesport then. They both graduated from the University of Maine at Machias (UMM). Jeanne took longer to graduate because she took every other year off to earn money to pay for college, while Mike had a basketball scholarship (he’s in the Hall of Fame at UMM), and finished in four years. Their early days together is a Downeast love story. They fell in love young, discovered a shared a passion (education), and worked hard to piece together a life in service to others.
They served, and they inspired. Mike’s impact is best expressed in the email Ron Ramsay sent to me in preparation for my interview with Mr. Beal. Mr. Ramsay shared:
Looking back on my years as a student at the S.S. Nash School I have nothing but great memories of my times with Mr. Beal. He coached and mentored us all day, every day. When we had recesses we spent our time playing basketball and baseball while learning through his example how to be a good, honest, caring human being. Mr. Beal always played, directed the game, coached, encouraged, and just simply made it fun. Everyone wanted to participate and everyone learned from their experiences. Mr. Beal was enthusiastic and it inspired all of us to do their best. Everyone had great respect for Mr. Beal at all levels of his teaching, coaching and administrative career. You as a student wanted to perform well because you didn’t want to disappoint him. He cared deeply about all of his students. Mr. Beal’s contributions to our schools are legendary. His contributions to the individual students that he has taught and coached are beyond measure. I feel blessed that he was my teacher, coach and Principal and that he coached me in Elementary school and in High School and that he coached both of my boys during their elementary years. Mr. Beal has positively impacted generations of children.
Mr. Ramsay’s description of Mr. Beal agreed with how Mr. Beal saw his years in education. Mike emphasized his constant engagement with children when he was a teacher and administrator. He saw all interactions as opportunities for impact, and as moments of inspiration. As an administrator, he met every bus at the beginning of the day. He used trauma-informed practices before we in education talked about “trauma-informed practices.” Meeting students first thing allowed him to reach out to a tired student, or see that a student was having a hard time before it translated to disruptive or disengaged behavior. He was always out during recess, and admitted to occasional snowball fights. But even in this admission, I saw what Ron had described when he said he learned from Mike how to be “a good, honest, caring human being.” During the snowball fights, projectiles weren’t thrown at short distances, and didn’t hit faces. He modeled good, honest, caring fun.
Mike’s wife, Jeanne, has been a caring educator all of her life too. She was Ron Ramsay’s first grade teacher. He shared, “She gave me the greatest gift of all… she taught me how to read.” Jeanne taught generations of youngsters to read. After she retired, she went back to be an Ed Tech in Special Education to teach struggling students how to read. She was proud to share that the students she worked with were always readers by the end of their time together. She continues to support reading in schools and volunteers to read to Kindergarteners weekly. Jeanne’s love of teaching is not only academic. She treasured, too, the relationships she had with children as an educator. Jeanne remarked, “Children have to have someone to look up to. Love what you’re doing and children. You (as educators) are the guardian or parent many of them do not have.”
I wanted to profile Mike and Jeanne Beal because, going into the new school year, I was eager to celebrate educators who would inspire us. They certainly have inspired me and I am confident their years of service and lessons in love can provide inspiration for us all. I am grateful for the time I spent with them. But I think the message we can glean from their lives in service, and the message they celebrate, is that we should find inspiration in the children with whom we share time. We can learn from them how to be more effective and fulfilled educators. Our own development is integrally woven into our time and engagement with our students. Actually, Mr. Beal said it best: “Every kid is different and you have to be different to get to every kid.”
Submitted by Kathy Harris-Smedberg, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Bangor School Department.
Downeast School teachers and staff are volunteering their summer time to distribute books to the children of Downeast School via the bicycle library.
Pictured: Stephanie Seccareccia, kindergarten teacher; Kim McNutt, librarian; Tina Hinkley, secretary; Ashely Enright, grade 2 teacher; and Melissa Metivier, speech pathologist alongside community members.
These dedicated faculty and staff make four stops in the neighborhood, passing out books, helpful reading strategies parents/guardians can do at home with their children, and information about school and learning. The Bangor School Department strongly believes in the value of reading and strives to find a variety of ways to ensure that children are never without a book.
Following a successful first year of the University of Maine at Fort Kent’s bachelor of science in nursing degree program delivered at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and as part of continued efforts to address the statewide nursing cliff, officials are doubling the number of slots for fall 2019.
The nursing expansion in Presque Isle is part of the University of Maine System commitment to doubling nursing enrollment over the next five years to address the shortage that is expected to grow to 2,700 vacancies by 2025.
The BSN program, a unique collaboration between UMPI and UMFK, allows students to complete all four years of the UMFK degree on the UMPI campus. Program participants are UMPI students for the first two years and UMFK students for the remaining two years. Courses are delivered by UMFK nursing faculty on the Presque Isle campus, and students graduate with a UMFK degree.
Designed to meet the needs of place-bound students — those who aren’t able to travel to Fort Kent due to family and work responsibilities — as well as to address the region and state’s nursing workforce challenges, the program welcomed a cohort of 16 students in fall 2018.
“While the number of available slots has been expanded to 32, they have been filling quickly, so we definitely encourage people to apply early,” said Stacy Thibodeau, UMFK assistant professor of nursing, who delivers classes in Presque Isle. “We are very pleased with how well the first year of the program went, and we’re looking forward to training the next cohort of future healthcare professionals.”
The program features classes and labs each semester.
“We do clinicals from day one,” Thibodeau said.
Last year, students learned about personal protective equipment, universal precautions, wound care, the mobility and transfer of patients, and how to check vital signs and collect samples. They visited the Maine Veterans Home and interacted with residents as they checked blood pressures, assisted with bed baths, and practiced therapeutic communication.
“We also had a really exciting opportunity to work in conjunction with UMPI’s medical laboratory technology program on a live, hands-on case scenario where we had actual blood from a blood bank and used it to practice hanging IVs for blood transfusion,” Thibodeau said. “Simulations like this are always so impactful. Students were able to practice retrieving blood from a ‘lab,’ patient identification, checking for allergic reactions, and how to prepare and administer blood.”
Thibodeau said one of the most important things that sets this program apart is the way faculty integrate both the art and the science of nursing, the professionalism and the compassion, into students’ learning.
“It’s a very holistic approach to nursing and it prepares students to be more well-rounded professionals when they graduate,” Thibodeau said. “And with their BSN degree, they’ll be ready for leadership roles once they complete the program.”
By the time students finish the second year of the program, packed with advanced clinical preparation, they’ll be signed off on inserting IVs, catheters and nasogastric tubes. They also will have a deeper understanding of a patient-centered care approach, professional mindfulness, and how to create and adapt individual care plans.
UMPI has set up a nursing lab in Pullen Hall, complete with four hospital suites to allow students to practice psychomotor and clinical nursing skills in a mock hospital setting. Each suite includes a hospital bed, bedside table, overbed table, human patient simulator mannequin, and related equipment, including a needle disposal system, glove dispensing system, oxygen and an IV pole.
Thibodeau is excited about what the future holds for the program in terms of lab space and equipment. UMPI is investing more than $500,000 from the University Workforce Bond passed by voters last fall to further develop and create state-of-the-art healthcare classroom and laboratory spaces.
Meanwhile, she is preparing for the fall semester. The program will have a welcome in August for new students, and will match freshmen to second-year students so the sophomores can serve as mentors.
Students also have the opportunity to be involved in SNO, the UMPI Student Nursing Organization. Right now, the student club has about 20 members. Their focus will be on volunteering, community service, and fundraising to attend the National Student Nurses Association conference in Orlando next April, with the goal of bringing back the latest nursing advances to the community.
“Our focus is not only ensuring student success, but also making certain that students who graduate from the program are as compassionate and caring as they are strong in knowledge and clinicals, so that when they leave here, they know what it takes to go the extra mile for their patients,” Thibodeau said.
“What I want is, when I’m working beside them as colleagues in acute care, I’m proud. I want to make sure that they’re a nurse I want to work beside.”
For more information, contact UMPI’s admissions department at 207-768-9532 or email umpi-admissions@maine.edu.
Submitted to The County by the Community and Media Relations Office of the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
FROM WABI- As the healthcare industry grows, so does the demand to fill jobs in the field. Eastern Maine Community College is giving students a chance to meet that need – with the help of a free education.
As part of a grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation to the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges, EMCC has received funding to offer a one-year Medical Assisting program to 40 qualified individuals at no cost to the students.
The costs associated with tuition, fees, textbooks, criminal background checks, one certification exam, a stethoscope, and set of scrubs will be waived for individuals who qualify for the program.
The One-Year MA program is comprised of a fall semester which begins August 26 and ends December 13, 2019; a spring semester which begins January 13 and ends May 8, 2020; and a summer 160-hour unpaid externship that will begin as early as May 11 and end as soon as all hours are completed. The program will be offered both during the day and in the evening, with some classes available online. Students wishing to participate in this program must be willing to complete courses as scheduled within the one-year timeframe.
Admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis for qualified applicants. There is a two-part application process which includes:
1. An “Application for Admission” to the Medical Assisting (MA) program. This can be completed online at no charge by going to the EMCC website and clicking on “Apply” (the bottom option on the right hand “Get Started” menu.) Candidates will be asked to submit official high school and college transcripts, if applicable; and
2. An “Application for Funding” form that can be found at is http://www.emcc.edu/oneyearMA.
Individuals interested in exploring this opportunity are urged to email admissions at admissions@emcc.edu or call 207-974-4629 for more information.
Shana Goodall, a teacher at Orono High School, has been named the 2019 Maine History Teacher of the Year, an award presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education.
Inaugurated in 2004, the History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and US Territories. In fall 2019, the National History Teacher of the Year will be selected from the pool of state winners.
Ms. Goodall is a lifelong learner, as evidenced by her embrace of technology in the classroom and her continuous quest to find new, engaging ways to present material. She earned an undergraduate degree in Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) and graduate degrees in teaching and educational leadership from the University of Maine (Orono, Maine). In her classroom, she creates a flexible environment for all learners to explore history while stimulating, directing, and pacing whole class instruction while at the same time encouraging independent inquiry. Shana is noted for her sense of humor and laugh, and students view Shana as a mentor and valuable source of information and guidance.
In addition to a $1,000 honorarium, Shana Goodall’s school will receive a core archive of American history books and Gilder Lehrman educational materials and recognition at a ceremony at the annual fall conference of the Maine Council for the Social Studies to take place on Monday, November 5, 2019.
The National History Teacher of the Year Award will be presented by John Avlon, Senior Political Analyst and anchor at CNN, at a ceremony in New York City on October 2, 2019. Past presenters at the ceremony include the Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts, First Lady Laura Bush, former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Nominations for the 2020 History Teacher of the Year awards are now open. Students, parents, colleagues, and supervisors may nominate K-12 teachers for the award by visiting gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy. The deadline for 2019 nominations is March 31, 2020.
Submitted by Kristen Levesque, Principal at Maranacook Community Middle School
Podcast audiences have grown exponentially in the past few years and so has my enthusiasm for having students extend their writing skills with this new genre. After many trials and semi-successful experiments, the students have identified and operationalized the attributes of a captivating podcast adventure to the extent that two of them were recently announced as winners of the second annual New York Times Podcast Contest. Designed for students age 13 to 18, Silas Bartol and Mila Barnes-Bukher, were among the youngest contestants of the 12 winning podcasts.
Class member, Maggie Morrill, deserves credit for the inspiration provided in her original story entitled: “Alexa, and the Start of the Robot Revolution.” The story was adapted by Silas and Mila to conform to a podcast format based on several weeks of study on “What makes a great podcast.” All three students were 7th graders at Maranacook Middle School in Ms. Godin’s GT English/Language Arts class when this assignment and contest challenge was undertaken.
In her opening remarks at the Opiate Response Summit, Governor Janet Mills expressed her appreciation for Gordon Smith. One of the Governor’s first actions, post-inauguration, was to found the Opiate Response and Prevention Taskforce directed by Smith. Mills’ founding of this taskforce underscores what a large priority the Opiate Epidemic represents for Mainers. Turning the Tide: Maine’s Path Forward in the Opiate Crisis, a summit which packed the Augusta Civic Center with over 1,000 people on the 15th, represented an overwhelmingly hopeful attitude towards harm reduction and prevention. Several days prior to the event, Smith commented that the need to cap registration at 1,050 people was a good problem to have. Many are invested in solving this Crisis.
The Governor opened the event with a grave message stressing the urgent need for awareness, and what is at stake for Maine families. In the past five years, 1,700 Mainers have died of drug overdose. If 1,700 baby seals washed up dead on the beach, said Mills, there would be a massive public response. “These are not ‘druggies’,” said Mills, “they are neighbors.” The Governor stressed in her speech that people affected by substance use disorders are family members: they are sons and daughters and parents, employees and employers, neighbors and friends.
Commissioners from many government Departments such as Health and Human Services, Public Safety, and Law Enforcement were present. Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin was also in attendance. Following the Governor’s remarks, attendees heard from Sam Quiones, author of Dreamland, a book which outlines the evolution of an American Opioid Crisis.
Afterward, the nine morning breakout sessions began. These were hosted by a variety of experts. The diverse topics from both morning and afternoon sessions included the following critical subjects:
· Addressing Stigma: Using Researched-Based Evidence
· Building Public Health Infrastructure
· Needle Exchanges and Naloxone Distributions
· Challenges in Recovery Centers and Housing
· Community Prevention Services at Work
· Data to Action: Harnessing Information to Tackle the Opioid Crisis
· Emerging Threats: Current and Predictive Trends
· Harm Reduction with Neonatal Focus
· How to Best Navigate Jobs and Transportation During Recovery
· Improving Access to Medications for OUD: Considerations for Special Populations
· Improving Access to Medications for OUD: Engaging More Clinicians to Offer Treatment
· Law Enforcement and its Role of Bringing Hope to Recovery
· MaineWorks: Offering Dignity, Trust, and a Path Forward
· OD Mapping and Overdose Response Through Community Partnerships
· Responsible Prescribing and Pain Control Debate: Has the Pendulum Swung Too Far?
· State Prevention Services: Opioid Task Force Update
· The Importance of Law Enforcement in Community Based Recovery
· The Power of Community Coalitions
· Voices of Recovery: Panel of Individuals in Recovery
Peter Michaud, Debate Moderator addressed the audience at the Responsible Prescribing and Pain Control Debate breakout session.
At lunch, the parents of two young men who lost their lives to substance abuse disorders spoke and shared their story before the assembled audience. Former White House Director of National Drug Control Policy, Michael Botticelli, then spoke on the importance of community support in the recovery process. Speaking on his own experience with the disorder, he highlighted the stigma which only perpetuates the issue. “Epidemics don’t happen in a vacuum,” he said. Botticelli stressed the ways in which the epidemic is exacerbated by poor data, over-prescription, and lack of information and resources. He closed his remarks by pointing out the number of options that Maine should employ moving forward, saying “We cannot dictate other people’s paths to recovery.”
The panel of speakers who following the afternoon breakout session demonstrated a deluge of support from state government bodies all over New England and the North East. The Senior Advisor to the Governor of Rhode Island Tom Coderre, Senior Advisor to the Governor of New Hampshire David Mara, and the Commissioner of Health in Vermont Dr. Mark Levine sat on the panel, as well as the President of the American Medical Association Dr. Patrice Harris. Coderre succinctly represented the mentality of support shared by those in attendance when he encouraged Maine to “flatter Rhode Island by mimicking any of their ideas.” The goal of the Summit was to build on existing positive information so New England can better tackle this unprecedented Crisis.
Turning the Tide: Maine’s Path Forward in the Opiate Crisis served as a lightning rod for activists who wish to generate a reason for hope. And there are reasons to be hopeful. The Summit alone demonstrates an effort by the administration and the public to address an Opiate
Crisis sweeping Maine and America. Those in the recovery process are being given a larger voice at the table. Maine Law Enforcement is now prepared to administer Naloxone to those experiencing an overdose. In fact, 2017 was Maine’s high water mark for overdoses. We are turning the tide, and this Summit was among the first steps of many more to come.
Kittery School Department hosted a kick-off pizza party this week welcoming children in their community to enjoy free lunch all summer long. At the event they served pizza, watermelon, chocolate hummus with strawberries, snacks, and milk. This event is hosted annually to let the community know about the Summer Food Service Program that provides free lunch to all kids Monday through Friday throughout the summer months, completely free, no questions asked.
Kaitlin Beach, Shapleigh School Assistant Principal and Alli Gamache, Mitchell Primary School Principal
Funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Maine Department of Education in partnership with local sponsors throughout the state, the Summer Food Service Program is an extension of the Federal Child Nutrition program found in schools across the nation which provides free or reduced priced meals to families who qualify. The Kittery School Department is one of 463 sites located in Maine this summer who offer the Summer Food Service Program.
Traip Academy Assistant Principal/Athletic Director, Kittery School Department Superintendent, Eric Waddell, and Michael Roberge, Traip Academy Principal John Drisko serving pizza at the event
The strong connections between the Kittery School Department and their community allow them to not only host the summer meal program at the Kittery Community Center where kids are in and out all day participating in summer activities through the recreational department, but also provides the kids with other opportunities and activities available through community partnerships. For example, at the event this week, each student received a free backpack with school supplies tucked inside. The backpacks and the supplies are donated with the help of United Way and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Each time kids come back for a meal this summer they will get an additional item for their backpack. Wendy Collins, Kittery School Department School Nutrition Director and the organizer of the Summer Food Service Program, hopes it will help get kids to come back and eat each day and spread the word about this wonderful service to the community.
Sarah Perkins and Catherine Hoffmann, from the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council
Also present at the event was the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council who have helped support the Kittery School Department through grant funding. During the event they helped serve the milk for lunch that day and promoted their Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative. In addition, there were representatives from Let’s Go! promoting their statewide initiative 5-2-1-0 Goes to Child Care to help communities maintain and improve upon their healthy food choices and physical activity opportunities. They provided activities and games for kids to enjoy after lunch, along with the many other fun things available including face painting and a large Thomas & Friends themed bounce house.
The event served 193 kids who all got to enjoy a delicious and nutritious meal provided by a school department and its community who care so very much about the children and families who live in their community.
To find summer meal sites near you, visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks, and type in your address. The map will be populated with the sites nearest to you. You can also text “Summer Meals” to 97779 or call Maine 211.
Representatives from Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 Goes to Child Care doing activities with kids
Kids doing face painting
Sarah Perkins and Catherine Hoffmann, from the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council pose Adriane Ackroyd from the Maine Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Team.
Drawing its largest gathering of stakeholders, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) hosted its 5th event in a series of Think Tanks held at various locations throughout the state this spring and summer. The Think Tanks are a way for the Department to discuss various topics and gain feedback from stakeholders about ongoing initiatives, long term programming, and to inform future decision-making.
In this first round of Think Tanks, the following topics were discussed: redefining school success, the Maine Learning Through Technology Initiative (MLTI), educator readiness, educator excellence, and special education.
The July 8th event held in Augusta started off with a warm introduction from Deputy Commissioner Daniel Chuhta thanking participants for making the trek to Augusta, in some cases from as far away as Washington County. Shortly after, attendees split off into three large groups to discuss specific topics for the day.
The discussion about MLTI, hosted by Beth Lambert, Maine DOE Coordinator of Secondary Education and Integrated Instruction, was introduced with an explanation of the 20 year history of MTLI, an acknowledgement that information will be forthcoming in regards to the recent passage of the budget and the coming school year, and that the day’s feedback will aid in the planning of the future of MLTI beyond 2021 when all of the current contracts have come to an end.
“Before we begin, I want to mention that there is only one thing that is off the table for today’s discussion,” said Lambert in her opening remarks. “We will not be talking about whether or not to end the MLTI Program,” she noted. “MLTI has been around for 20 years, and we would like it to be around for many, many more years to come.”
Over the course of the next few hours the group was split off into four smaller groups, each tasked with identifying values, concerns, and suggestions on large sheets of chart paper. A summary of those lists was then shared out with the entire group before the session ended prior to lunch.
Meanwhile in another session, a group was discussing the answers to a specific set of questions posed by Maine DOE Deputy Director of the Office of Special Services, Ann Belanger:
What is the most challenging aspect of the special education process?
Do you find the Maine Unified Special Education Regulations (MUSER) user friendly? What would make them more user friendly?
How can the Maine Department of Education support districts and parents in providing services to students with disabilities?
Are there topics/issues about which you feel that more information and/or training is needed? What are they?
Are there practices and/or policies that create barriers for students with disabilities?
Participants then shared their collaborative responses with the entire group, working together to carefully record all the responses in notes. The group then worked together to create the ideal special education program, detailing the processes that would need to be involved to create this type of ideal setting.
For the session about redefining school success, Mary Paine, the Director of a new Office of School Success, introduced an initiative that engages educators, students, parents, and communities in conversations about what they think makes a school successful. Her session worked to further engage with stakeholders on this topic. The framework that results from the Maine Defines School Success statewide dialog will eventually complement Maine’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan by providing a broader set of indicators of success in Maine’s schools. In addition to being part of the Think Tanks series, the school success discussion will continue in school communities throughout the state over the course of the next school year.
Led by Maine DOE’s Office of Higher Education and Educator Support Services, the educator readiness session prompted participants to discuss talent needs that are ideal for teacher candidates including pre-service and in-service, as well as what is needed to ensure teachers are prepared for equity and diversity in the classroom.
Each session resulted in walls of chart paper filled with written notes detailing suggestions, ideas, concerns, values, and much more. “We are pleased with the participation and appreciate that folks were willing to join us in these discussions across the State,” said Deputy Commissioner Chuhta.
Following the July 8th event there will be an additional Think Tank held in Winter Harbor this fall to discuss the same topics and the Department is also planning to release a survey for those unable to participate in discussion topics at the Think Tanks already held.
“In the works is a new section of the Maine DOE website dedicated to the Think Tanks where the transcribed notes from each of the sessions will be available along with other information,” said Chuhta. “In the coming months, the notes will be synthesized to help us determine next steps and guide decision making on the topics discussed,” he added.
In a continuation of the Think Tank Series, the Department is expecting to launch another round of Think Tanks on a different set of topics over the course of the coming school year.
Participants then shared their collaborative responses with the entire group, working together to carefully record all the responses in notes. The group then worked together to create the ideal special education program, detailing the processes that would need to be involved to create this type of ideal setting.
Maine DOE Newsroom 