Category: Professional Development

Reminder: Free Virtual On-Demand Financial Education Training for Maine Educators Now Available!

The Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College, in partnership with the Maine Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy and its sponsors, the Office of the Maine State Treasurer, and Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), is offering free online and on-demand training for Maine teachers.

The Financial Educator Virtual Academy will train Maine educators on how to successfully teach personal finance in their classrooms and communities. Educators will receive contact hours for each course module attended, and the first 100 Maine classroom teachers to complete all seven hours of training will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.

The online course offering is available starting October 12, 2022 and will close on December 16, 2022. The goal of this training is to support educators as they work to ensure that all Maine students have access to high-quality personal financial education. Maine educators can earn up to seven hours of professional development training and receive suggestions for grade-appropriate personal finance classroom resources over the duration of the virtual academy.

During the virtual academy, which features nationally known experts, participants will learn how to implement the JumpStart National Standards in K-12 Financial Personal Finance Education. These standards allow for the teaching of personal finance in an interdisciplinary or stand-alone manner.

Interested educators may register for the program with this link.

Download a flyer for distribution 

For further questions contact Maine Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy at info@mejumpstart.org

USM to Host Special Performance of ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ By Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota Nation) for Educators w/ Post-show Talkback

The University of Southern Maine (USM) College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Theatre invites Maine educators to join them on Friday, November 18th at 7:30pm, Russell Hall, Gorham Campus for a special performance of The Thanksgiving Play, with a post-show talkback moderated by USM Professor/Director Rachel Price Cooper featuring guests: Dr. Shannon Epplett (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) Theatre Professor and consultant on USM’s production of The Thanksgiving Play, and Dr. Margo Lukens, University of Maine, Native American Literature & Theatre.

Educators who attend the play and talkback will receive a copy of Chris Newell’s (Passamaquoddy) elementary school text If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving (Scholastic 2021). Light refreshments will be served for the talk back event. Contact hours available upon request.

RSVP REQUIRED for all educators. Deadline to RSVP is NOV 18th at 12:00pm. **Tickets will be reserved on a first come, first served basis. The play is a little over an hour, no intermission, immediately followed by the talkback.

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY By Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota Nation) Directed by Rachel Price Cooper

Maine Professional Learning Community: The Rural Experience in America – Info Sessions Nov. 14 & 15

Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program, NCHE (National Council for History Education) is proud to announce a 3-part colloquium for teachers focusing on Rural America. These free professional learning opportunities will help teachers develop place-based interdisciplinary units that connect students to their rural communities.  Additionally, the Maine Department of Education will be hosting a bi-weekly professional learning community to support educators through these NCHE modules.  The Professional Learning Community will incorporate the work developed by the Maine DOE interdisciplinary instruction specialists.

The program is designed to:

  • engage rural teachers in a deep examination of rural history and the impact of agricultural change on children, families, and communities in the United States:
  • connect teachers with the Library Congress’s collections on rural history and with local rural historical societies so they can situate local history in the larger human experience;
  • support teachers in the design and implementation of works of public value that connect rural students to their community’s history
  • The Right Question Institute will be leading a 4-week session on the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with a focus on working with rural students

Educators may complete all or part of the 3-part colloquium.

  • Part A – Free, asynchronous, online modules. (Dec 1-March 31)
  • Part B – Free, synchronous, online colloquia. (Feb 25, April 15, May 6)
  • Part C – Summer Colloquium.  Details TBD

Register here for these NCHE events. When you register with NCHE, you will receive a follow-up from the Maine DOE to register into our Maine PLC.

Information Sessions with the NCHE will be held on:

For more information, please contact Jaime Beal, Interdisciplinary Instruction Specialist, at  jaime.beal@maine.gov.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: The Rural Experience in America Inquiry

Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (K-12 grade educators)

Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program, NCHE is proud to announce a 3-part colloquium for teachers focusing on Rural America. These free professional learning opportunities will help teachers develop place-based interdisciplinary units that connect students to their rural communities.  Additionally, the Maine Department of Education will be hosting a bi-weekly professional learning community to support educators through these NCHE modules.  The PLC will incorporate the work developed by the MDOE interdisciplinary instruction specialists.

The program is designed to:

  • engage rural teachers in a deep examination of rural history and the impact of agricultural change on children, families, and communities in the United States:
  • connect teachers with the Library Congress’s collections on rural history and with local rural historical societies so they can situate local history in the larger human experience;
  • support teachers in the design and implementation of works of public value that connect rural students to their community’s history
  • The Right Question Institute will be leading a 4-week session on the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with a focus on working with rural students

Educators may complete all or part of the 3-part colloquium.

  • Part A – Free, asynchronous, online modules. (Dec 1-March 31)
  • Part B – Free, synchronous, online colloquia. (Feb 25, April 15, May 6)
  • Part C – Summer Colloquium.  Details TBD

Register here for these NCHE events. When you register with NCHE, you will receive a follow-up from the Maine DOE to register into our Maine PLC.

Information Sessions with the NCHE will be held on:

For more information, please contact Jaime Beal, Interdisciplinary Instruction Specialist, at  jaime.beal@maine.gov.

Human Trafficking Webinar Series – Protecting Young People from Online Exploitation

Since 2020, the U.S. Department of Education has conducted a webinar series to address the growing response of America’s schools to child trafficking. The series draws attention to the important efforts underway in our nation’s education community to address both sex and labor trafficking.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) invites you to join the next webinar in this series, Protecting Young People from Online Exploitation.

Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Time: 3:00 – 4:30 pm EDT

This webinar is focused on understanding what online exploitation is and how schools can protect young people from it. Speakers will start by defining what online exploitation is – describing how it is facilitated via technology and how online human trafficking compares with online sexual abuse – and then share what you can look out for and do if it is happening. Following a set of presentations, the speakers will engage in a panel discussion to share how they implemented mitigation strategies and how schools can educate young people to recognize grooming and other dangerous online behavior. After the panel, the speakers will be available to answer a few questions from participants. Join us to learn strategies you can use tomorrow!

Speakers/Panelists

  • Ruth Ryder, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
  • Jennifer O’Brien, Assistant Professor, Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
  • Wendy Walsh, Research Associate, Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
  • Stacey Robinson, Manager, Project-Grant Fund, Division of Equity and Student Empowerment, DeKalb County School District, Stone Mountain, GA
  • Dr. Nicole Prad-Jennings, Human Trafficking Prevention/Not a Number Facilitator, DeKalb County School District, Stone Mountain, GA
  • Dave Alley, Special Agent, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Detroit, MI
  • Rachel Thomas, Member, U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, Person with Lived Experience

Webinar Materials

  • Speaker Bios (Coming Soon on October 26)
  • Slides (Coming Soon on October 26)
  • Recording (Coming Soon on October 27)
  • Transcript (Coming Soon on October 28)

Registration

You must register to participate in this presentation.

Please contact NCSSLE if you have any questions.

National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security Summit – Nov. 1-3

The Maine Department of Education supports Cyber Awareness Month. The National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security Summit includes CYBERSECURITY AND ONLINE SAFETY.  Please consider attending!

November 1-3, 2022 @ 2:00-4:00pm

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will host the inaugural National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security on November 1-3, 2022. This three-day, virtual event will convene school safety experts, practitioners, and leaders from across the country to discuss current threats in school safety and explore research-informed strategies for addressing security challenges and risks in K-12 schools.

Sessions are planned for all members of the K-12 community and will include keynote remarks, one-on-one interviews, and panel discussions on issues such as targeted violence, violence prevention, cybersecurity, online safety, emergency planning, and physical security. The event is designed to foster a nationwide dialogue on school safety, as well as equip school stakeholders and personnel with resources, training, and expertise to apply in their local school settings and communities.

ABOUT THE SUMMIT

The Summit is a free, virtual event that combines discussion, education, networking, and knowledge-sharing among federal, state, and local school safety stakeholders. Through the event, attendees will hear from government, private sector, and community leaders in the field, who will speak about current and critical school safety issues, threats, and solutions.

EVENT DETAILS

The Summit will be held virtually over the course of three days in November. Each day will consist of a two-hour session centered around the themes of violence prevention (Day 1); cybersecurity and online safety (Day 2); and physical security (Day 3).

Additional event details include:

  • Dates: November 1-3, 2022
  • Time: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Held virtually via Microsoft Teams  (access link to be provided to all registrants)
  • Registration Information: The Summit is open to all interested parties and there is no cost to attend. Registration is required for planning purposes.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The Summit is open to anyone with a passion for improving school safety. K-12 educators, administrators, principals, school-based law enforcement, mental health professionals, policymakers, cybersecurity experts, community liaisons, and other school safety and security professionals are especially encouraged to attend.

Register here 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Additional details, including confirmed speakers and a final agenda, will be shared when available. If you have any questions, please contact the CISA School Safety Task Force at SchoolSafety@hq.dhs.gov.

Free Virtual On-Demand Financial Education Training for Maine Educators

The Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College, in partnership with the Maine Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy and its sponsors, the Office of the Maine State Treasurer, and Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), is offering free online and on-demand training for Maine teachers.

The Financial Educator Virtual Academy will train Maine educators on how to successfully teach personal finance in their classrooms and communities. Educators will receive contact hours for each course module attended, and the first 100 Maine classroom teachers to complete all seven hours of training will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.

The online course offering is available starting October 12, 2022 and will close on December 16, 2022. The goal of this training is to support educators as they work to ensure that all Maine students have access to high-quality personal financial education. Maine educators can earn up to seven hours of professional development training and receive suggestions for grade-appropriate personal finance classroom resources over the duration of the virtual academy.

During the virtual academy, which features nationally known experts, participants will learn how to implement the JumpStart National Standards in K-12 Financial Personal Finance Education. These standards allow for the teaching of personal finance in an interdisciplinary or stand-alone manner.

Interested educators may register for the program with this link.

Download a flyer for distribution 

For further questions contact Maine Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy at info@mejumpstart.org

 

WORKSHOP: Creating a Restorative Code of Conduct

As schools continue to adjust to a post-pandemic educational reality, teachers, administrators and students struggle to rebuild a sense of community and safety while undesirable behavior continues to escalate. The Maine School Safety Center, a division of the Maine DOE, believes that the development of an intentional community based on Restorative Practices is the best way to build a sense of safety, equity and belonging, while also responding to behavior in a victim centered, nonpunitive manner that encourages accountability, and restoration to individuals and community.

Restorative Practices in schools work best when initiated using a top-down approach, starting with consensus from all stake holders, followed by a review of district or school-based codes of conduct to ensure that both restorative language and restorative response to undesirable behavior is the standard. Analysis of current policies also allows for modifications that ensure equity for all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, academic ability or socio-economic status.

With this in mind, the Maine School Safety Center will begin our Restorative Practices training with a free of charge workshop, led by Stacey Barlow, Restorative Practices Coordinator of the MSSC and John Hudson, nationally recognized Restorative Code of Conduct expert, designed to help schools evaluate their current code of conduct through an equity lens and then integrate restorative policy and language, the foundation of building a restorative school culture. A Restorative Code of Conduct will put your school or district in alignment with Maine law, as described below:

15-A. School disciplinary policies. When revising the prescribed consequences for violation of the student code of conduct pursuant to subsection 15, paragraph C, a school board shall consider districtwide disciplinary policies that:

B. Focus on positive and restorative interventions that are consistent with evidence-based practices rather than set punishments for specific behavior and avoid so-called zero-tolerance practices unless specifically required by federal or state laws, rules or regulations. For the purpose of this paragraph, “restorative interventions” means school practices that are designed to strengthen relationships, improve the connection to school and promote a strong sense of accountability and that help students learn from their mistakes, understand the impact of their actions on others and find opportunities to repair the harm they have caused through their misbehavior; [PL 2011, c. 614, §7 (NEW).]

Workshop dates/times (same workshop offered in three locations):

  • Monday, November 7, 2022 – USM Portland 9AM – 4PM
  • Wednesday, November 9, 2022 – Augusta Civic Center 9AM – 4PM
  • Thursday, November 10, 2022 – University of Maine, Bangor 9AM – 4 PM

All workshops are free for Maine Educators – Register for Workshops Here

For questions, please contact Stacey Barlow at Stacey.Barlow@Maine.gov (207)446-8313

Professional Learning Opportunity: Teacher Leaders – Planning with the WIDA English Language Development Standards

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, coordinators/directors, Ed Techs, tutors, and instructional coaches are invited to join the Maine Department of Education and WIDA for a hybrid workshop on planning with the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards!

This hybrid workshop is designed to support ESOL educators in providing local professional development and support for using the WIDA ELD Standards Framework (2020 edition) to plan instruction at the unit level. This workshop is for you if you can answer “yes” to any of these questions:

  • Have you been asked to provide professional development about the WIDA ELD Standards Framework (2020 edition) to educators in your school or district?
  • Do you engage in co-planning with content/classroom educators on a regular basis?
  • Do you have experience evaluating and/or designing content lessons and units?
  • Do you have a strong background in the WIDA Standards system and in working with multilingual learners?

Participants who complete the workshop will receive an invitation to join a consortium-wide pilot community of practice with quarterly activities and collaborative online discussions.

There will be a live virtual session on 11/30/22 from 3-4pm, followed by an in-person workshop on 12/6/22 from 9am-3pm in Augusta. Register here.

If you have any questions about this professional learning opportunity, contact April Perkins, ESOL & Bilingual Programs Specialist, at april.perkins@maine.gov or (207)441-9043.

Book Study – Finding Your Blind Spots: 8 Guiding Principles for Overcoming Implicit Bias in Teaching

Join the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of School and Student Supports (O3S) as they read and reflect on Finding Your Blind Spots: 8 Guiding Principles for Overcoming Implicit Bias in Teaching, by Hedreich Nichols. Members of the Maine DOE not only introduced this book study to participants at the Educator’s Summit in early August, but they also introduced participants to the author! Hedreich Nichols is an educator, writer, and passionate advocate who is sharing her lived experiences with readers and participants of this book study so that we can be reflective practitioners and can truly understand bias. You can also find her work at #Smallbites.  The O3S first heard Nichols’ work on Jennifer Gonzalez’s podcast: Uncovering Your Implicit Biases: An Exercise for Teachers | Cult of Pedagogy.

This opportunity is open to all Maine educational personnel.  Sessions are being held on Thursdays – either at 3:30 in the afternoon or 7:00 in the evening.  Participants are welcome to join for both!  October 6th is our first offering, and we will be reflecting on chapters 1-3.

Check out the authors website to learn more about the book. For any questions about this opportunity, please direct those to O3S Director Julie Smyth at julie.a.smyth@maine.gov.