Professional Development Series with Liz Kleinrock, nationally-recognized author with Teaching Tolerance on Anti-racist and Anti-bias Education.

Are you interested in learning about anti-racist and anti-bias education? If so, register for this no-cost training with Liz Kleinrock, the anti-racist and anti-bias educator who won the 2018 Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Equity. She will share her expertise about having difficult conversations in the classroom about race and ethnicity. Don’t miss this three-part professional development series, to how “Education is Everywhere” (2019 Ted Talk).

Sponsored by the Maine County and State Teachers of the Year Association, this series is offered at no cost.

When:

Session 1: February 8, 2022, 7-8:15 pm
Session 2: March 15, 2022, 7-8:15 pm
Session 3: April 5th, 2022, 7-8 pm.

Where: Zoom (a link will be sent to registrants prior to sessions).

To receive four contact hours, please commit to all three sessions.

Register here

Register Now: Maine Collaborative Child Abuse Prevention Online Conference February 2-4

This event is co-sponsored by Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center, Maine Department of Education’s Office of School and Student Supports, Trauma-informed Prosecutor Project (TiPP), and Portland Pump Company.

Trainings are designed to provide cross disciplinary education, advocacy for systemic legal change, guidance for survivor support and leadership on emerging technologies, education and training around how to recognize and address the intersecting forms of child maltreatment in connection with child sexual abuse is the focus of all.

FEBRUARY 2-4, 2022 – 8:30AM TO 4PM

Day 1:

Essentials of Trauma-Informed Care
Essentials of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Empowering Survivors To Understand The Impact of Childhood Trauma… Getting Through, Not Over
Vicarious Trauma & Self-Care Strategies

Day 2:

Understanding the Impact Of Trauma On Boys
Strategies, Tips, & Activities for The Classroom: Building Connections & Developing Empathy
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Parents
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Professionals

Day 3:

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Victims of Technology-Facilitated
Abuse No Perfect Victim: Combating Issues & Overcoming Jury Bias in Cases with Difficult Kids
Smoke & Fire: Trauma, ACEs, How They Impact Child Abuse Investigation & Prosecution
Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces for Victims & Families Throughout the Justice System

REGISTER HERE.

Help promote this event – Download the flyer.

WEBINAR: Resources to Address the Mental Health Impact on Students, Families, and Staff

Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on January 20 at 3:00 PM EST for an informational webinar on the latest resources to address the mental health impact on students, parents, teachers, and school personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The session will feature guest speakers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, which is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Presenters will provide an overview of national COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and share resources to address the mental health impact on students, parents, teachers, and school personnel.

The discussion will feature additional school safety-related resources available through SchoolSafety.gov, as well as a Q&A session.

When: January 20, 2022, 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Adobe Connect (access link to be provided one day in advance of the event)
For: K-12 School Superintendents and Principals; School and District Administrators; Teachers and School Staff; School Counselors and School Psychologists; Emergency Management; Parents and Guardians; and Students
Registration: https://schoolsafetycovidandmentalhealthwebinar.eventbrite.com

If you have any questions, please contact the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse School Safety team at SchoolSafety@hq.dhs.gov.

Maine School Safety Center to Offer School Emergency Planning Virtual Office Hours

Melissa Condon, the Emergency Operations Planning Officer for the Maine Department of Education’s Maine School Safety Center will be offering virtual office hours for anyone working in Maine’s education workforce who is interested in talking about School Emergency Planning.

Sessions will be offered Weekly on Mondays & Wednesdays from 8:00am – 10:00am starting on Monday, January 19th and ending on Monday, February 28th

If you are interested in registering to attend any of the Office Hours, email Melissa.A.Condon@maine.gov for a link to join the virtual meeting.

Description:

Available for personalized discussions for School Administrative Units (SAUs) related to various areas of emergency management and planning to include mitigating against, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from various threats and hazards that exist both to the school and surrounding community.

This is an opportunity to ask questions and/or seek technical assistance for topics such as:

The development of a Comprehensive Health and Safety and Emergency Management Plan
Identifying and planning for all hazards and potential hazards that could reasonably be expected to affect a SAU
Forming a collaborative, multi-disciplinary planning team
Developing and enhancing MOUs/MOAs with community partners
Physical site assessments
Emergency management training and education opportunities
Emergency exercises/drills
Continuity of Operations

For further information or questions, contact Melissa Condon at Melissa.A.Condon@maine.gov.

SAVE THE DATE: Maine Collaborative Child Abuse Prevention Conference February 2-4

Save the date for an 3-day free online conference for Social Workers, Law Enforcement, Educators & Prosecutors.

This event is co-sponsored by Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center, Maine Department of Education’s Maine School Safety Center, Trauma-informed Prosecutor Project (TiPP), and Portland Pump Company.

FEBRUARY 2-4, 2022 – 8:30AM TO 4PM

Day 1:

Essentials of Trauma-Informed Care
Essentials of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Empowering Survivors To Understand The Impact of Childhood Trauma… Getting Through, Not Over
Vicarious Trauma & Self-Care Strategies

Day 2:

Understanding the Impact Of Trauma On Boys
Strategies, Tips, & Activities for The Classroom: Building Connections & Developing Empathy
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Parents
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Professionals

Day 3:

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Victims of Technology-Facilitated
Abuse No Perfect Victim: Combating Issues & Overcoming Jury Bias in Cases with Difficult Kids
Smoke & Fire: Trauma, ACEs, How They Impact Child Abuse Investigation & Prosecution
Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces for Victims & Families Throughout the Justice System

Learn more here.

Help promote this event – Download the flyer.

WEBINAR: Averting Targeted School Violence – January 12, 2022

Due to an increase in requests for training, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) will host an encore presentation of their latest study, Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools.

Event date: January 12, 2022
Event time: 12:00 – 3:30 pm ET
Register here.

As part of its mission to prevent targeted violence, NTAC has long maintained a particular focus on the safety of children in schools. The following NTAC resources are available to assist community partners in developing behavioral threat assessment programs and to inform the decisions for when and how to initiate a threat assessment.

Additional resources:

Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence provides eight actionable steps for establishing multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment teams. Behavioral threat assessment is a proactive approach to identify, assess, and appropriately intervene with students who display a behavior that elicits concern for the safety of themselves or others. – Enhancing School Safety
Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence is the most comprehensive analysis of targeted school violence ever produced by the federal government. The study offers unparalleled insight into the motives, behaviors, and other situational factors that ultimately led to school violence. – Protecting America’s Schools
Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools examines instances when a student advanced a plan to attack their school, but was stopped before violence occurred. The report affirms the importance of bystander reporting and intervention before a student’s behavior escalates to violence. – Averting Targeted School Violence

Early Childhood Text Study: Free Professional Development for Educators

Specialists from the Maine Department of Education’s Early Learning Team are excited to offer a web-based professional development opportunity for early childhood educators in the Pre-K and Kindergarten grade span.

The text study will take place virtually on Mondays in four, 75-minute sessions on a bi-weekly basis.

Intentional Teaching in Early Childhood is set to begin on Monday, January 10, 2022. The proposed schedule is outlined below.

January 10^th 3:30-4:45 Part 1 (chapters 1 & 2)
January 24^th 3:30-4:45 Part 2 (chapters 3 & 4)
February 7^th 3:30-4:45 Part 2 (chapters 5 & 6)
February 28^th 3:30-4:45 Part 3 (chapters 7, 8, & 9)

Registration will be limited to 30 participants and together we’ll work to reflect on three big questions:

What about teaching young children sparks your passion?
What unique skills and interests do you bring to your job?
What valuable lessons have you learned in your career so far?

The answers to these will help you identify where you are on your teaching journey and guide you in taking control of your own professional development.

Those interested are encouraged to register. Participants will receive a copy of the book and up to 14 contact hours at the end of each text study.

Registration is free and can be completed here. Registration closes December 15^th at 11:59pm. Participants will be selected on a first come, first served basis.

For further information, please contact Nicole Madore, Early Childhood Specialist at Nicole.madore@maine.gov.

Summer Institute for Elementary Teachers: Identity and Multilingualism through Picture Books

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is sponsoring a two-week summer institute designed for K-3 elementary teachers, “Identity and Multilingualism through Picture Books.” The institute will focus on pedagogical approaches to language learning through an equity lens.

All details about the application process, logistics, and program facilitators can be found on this site: https://earlyidentityandlanguage.org

For additional questions, contact co-directors Krista Aronson (karonson@bates.edu) and Margaret Boyle (mboyle2@bowdoin.edu).

Professional Learning Opportunity: Deepen Your Knowledge and Skills to Better Support Students who are Multilingual Learners

The Maine Department of Education is excited to announce an excellent opportunity for all Maine educators to deepen their knowledge and skills for supporting students who are English learners (ELs) (also referred to as multilingual learners [MLs]).

Organized by UCLA Center X Northeast Region, the ExcEL Leadership Academy provides teachers with free professional learning through a program of micro-credentialing. Through a project called ExcEL 2026: Improving Outcomes for EL Students in Rural Areas there are two micro-credential pathways: Essential Support for Working with Multi-Lingual Learners and Advanced Support for Working with Multi-Lingual Learners.

ExcEL 2026 makes professional learning accessible to teachers wherever they are located, and ‘the work’ is embedded in their teaching so it aligns with their immediate learning needs. Teachers also become part of the ExcEL network and substantially improve outcomes for students who are ELs. There is NO cost to participate. Participants receive stipends for successfully completing micro-credentials as well as support for classroom materials and supplies.

Visit the ExcEL Leadership Academy website to learn more and apply. Maine educators are also invited to join project director Laureen Avery on December 13th from 3-4pm for more information! Contact Laureen Avery at avery@gseis.ucla.edu if you have any questions about how ExcEL 2026 can support you and your colleagues in improving programs for ELs.

Topic: Maine ExcEL 2026 Info Session
Time: Dec 13, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/3300361098
Meeting ID: 330 036 1098

WEBINAR: Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning (TELL) Framework

On December 7^th at 3pm, the Maine Department of Education welcomes Dr. Thomas Sauer, Assistant Director of Resource Development at the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) and Codirector of Professionals in Education Advancing Research and Language Learning (PEARLL), who will facilitate a free one-hour webinar on the Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning (TELL) Framework, which outlines the core characteristics that world languages teachers exhibit.

What are the elements of an effective language teacher? While a solid foundation in subject matter content is clearly important for any teacher, research suggests that it is not so much what the teacher knows but what the teacher does in the classroom that maximizes student achievement. Many teachers look for a magic solution, but becoming an effective educator requires a clear definition. The TELL Framework has identified those characteristics and outlined simple processes teachers can complete in order to take charge of their professional growth.

Professional Learning Outcomes:

I can identify how the TELL Framework can help me identify my strengths as a teacher.
I can prioritize my professional growth goals and identify measurable outcomes that will serve as evidence of my growth.
I can use the resources provided by the TELL Project to outline a plan for professional growth.

Contact hours will be provided. Please register by December 2^nd and contact April Perkins, World Languages & ESOL/Bilingual Programs Specialist, at april.perkins@maine.gov with any questions.